Edition Office's Kew Residence Blurs Architecture and Ecosystem with Curved Glass and Timber

Edition Office has completed House in a Garden, a residential pavilion in Kew, Australia that dissolves boundaries between domestic space and the surrounding forest. Elevated above the Birrarung floodplain, the home replaces a 1980s Mediterranean Revival structure with a design that prioritizes sensory engagement with the landscape. The architecture draws conceptual inspiration from Grant Nimmo's forest paintings, creating an atmospheric dialogue with the site. Two wings organize the program for a family with school-aged children, separating social and private functions while maintaining intimate niches. Materiality features curved timber volumes, dark timber battens, stone pavers, and sinuous glass surfaces that blur interior and exterior. Structural "feet" at the lower ground level anchor the building while creating voids for taller trees and allowing the garden to flow beneath. Environmental systems include solar arrays and heat pump hydronic systems, with cross-ventilation through structural voids enabling natural cooling. The design represents a broader shift in Australian residential architecture toward site-specific responsiveness, joining projects like Barwon Heads House by JAK Architecture, Bondi House, and Cascade House in Coburg in prioritizing tactile connections to light, air, and land.