In Melbourne, Northcote House by LLDS Architects transforms the Victorian terrace through advanced fabrication and ecological design.
A rooftop garden replaces lost ground, while robot-milled interiors and fluid spaces create a precise yet expressive home. The project blends technology, sustainability, and spatial innovation within a compact, highly distinctive urban footprint.
Reclaims Space with a Rooftop Landscape Above a Narrow Terrace
On a tight inner-city site in Melbourne, Northcote House offers a new take on the Victorian terrace by lifting the ground plane to create a rooftop garden. Designed by LLDS, this elevated surface restores outdoor space while supporting local ecology through a brown roof system.
Below, a hall-like volume merges kitchen, dining, and entry into one continuous space. The openness echoes nearby industrial lofts, allowing shared living while maintaining a strong spatial identity.
Precision Meets Material Expression with Robot-Milled Interiors
Digital fabrication drives the material language of the house. LLDS employs CNC milling and robotic processes to shape textured concrete walls and interior elements with high precision. PIR sheets were robotically milled to cast concrete surfaces and later reused as insulation, reflecting a circular and efficient approach to construction.
Point cloud scanning further refined execution, ensuring alignment across complex joints and guiding the creation of the free-form plywood roof. The exposed soffit reveals its geometry, turning structure into a visible design feature.
The Central Snug Brings in Light, Air, and Movement in One Sculpted Core
At the center, a circular snug anchors the home. A vertical void above pulls daylight deep into the plan while enabling natural ventilation. A sculptural staircase wraps this core, guiding movement fluidly between levels and spaces.
Instead of doors, subtle level changes and material shifts define zones. Smaller, distributed rooms balance openness with intimacy, creating varied spatial experiences throughout the house.
Green Facades and Threshold Living Blur the Street and Home
The facades extend the home’s ecological strategy. Climbing plants grow across both elevations, transforming them into living surfaces that connect the rooftop garden to the street.
A raised front veranda overlooks the laneway, acting as a soft threshold inspired by the Japanese engawa. At the rear, a private courtyard with an outdoor shower deepens the connection to open air, completing a layered approach to indoor-outdoor living.
