2021 Houses Awards: Apartment or Unit

Jury comment

A frequently overlooked and neglected apartment typology in many Australian cities, the 1960s brick walk-up flat is celebrated in this joyous and elegant project. The design, a collaboration between architect Murray Barker and artist Esther Stewart, has done just enough to give the existing apartment a new life as a contemporary home. Without pastiche, the new work references the nostalgia of the 1960s with a palette of muted colours, figured stone and graphic terrazzo.

Original elements of the apartment, such as the pastel-coloured bathroom fixtures and the dairy hatch, are retained and celebrated. With a modest budget, significant improvements have been made to functionality and liveability. The reconfigured kitchen has been designed as an extra-compact living space and includes a new, cleverly integrated skylight within the pitched roof space.

Acute observations and discrete, playful interventions have resulted in an alluring and sophisticated refurbishment.

For further coverage, read Gemma Savio’s review of Brunswick Apartment. See full image galleries of all the winning and shortlisted projects here.

Brunswick Apartment is located in Melbourne, Victoria, on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation.

Project credits

Architect: Murray Barker Project team: Murray Barker, Esther Stewart Builder: Ultimate Outdoor Engineer: Stantin Consulting Joinery: Lex Furniture Steel fabrication: Idle Hands