The fortified tower and the walled garden are intriguing motifs for a suburban house extension. On one hand, these elements are essentially defensive, speaking to ideas of individualism, security and territory. On the other, they are ancient city archetypes that capture the collective imagination, inviting a public gaze. With its two small towers bracketing a screened courtyard, Studio Bright’s Garden Tower House brings to mind both of these possible readings.
This recently completed project is located in Melbourne’s Cremorne, a small urban enclave located on the northern bank of the Birrarung (Yarra River) and a short distance from the CBD. This area of Wurundjeri land was occupied as a colonial pleasure garden and then a private asylum during the nineteenth
