T
woHalvesHouse,outsideBallaratinVictoria,isastudyof
measure and balance against careful siting. But the house
mightneverhaveexistedifitwerenotfortheabilityof
MoloneyArchitectstoeffectivelyshareinspirationandopen
a dialogue with its clients, allowing them to explore their full range
ofoptions.Thecouple,whoownandbuilttheTwoHalvesHouse,
hadinitiallyengagedMickandJulesMoloneytorenovateahouse
incentralBallarat–aprojectwitharelativelymodestbudget.But
afterthearchitectsinvitedthemtovisitaprojectthattheywere
completing, they abandoned the renovation in favour of a totally new
design and build exercise, on a site just outside of town.
Moloney Architects set about designing the new home in response
totwoprincipal“forces”intheproject:thesiteandthemodestbrief
requirements of the client. With regards to the site, the house is
designedtositonslopingground.Thelightlyforestedlandslopes
away to the south, which is also the direction of the view; north is
toward the top of the slope. This particular orientation established
thefactorsthatthesitingofthehouse–itspositioningandmassing
or bulk on the site – had to deal with. The architect’s response to this
was thoughtful and clever.
Rather than combine the overall house into a single mass, the
architect split the brief into two equal halves and each became a“The owner-builder’s attention to
detail has been exacting, with the
pluckyduofindingmorethanone
opportunitytorefinethedesign
in the actual building process.”