Brunswick Townhouses
A collection of three-storey homes set within seasonal gardens in Brunswick.
On the site, we had initially planned an apartment scheme but after conversations with Professor Alan Pert and diving into his research on Merchant Builders and Louis Sauer and their medium-density housing we began to look carefully at the townhouse typology. If done well, it could provide much-needed middle ground – more space and autonomy than an apartment (while maintaining a gentle community), without the cost and upkeep of a standalone house.
Merchant Builders townhouses built between 1967-1970 were defined by their ‘collective form’ — shared external walls clustered around planted communal spaces. In projects like Molesworth Street, Winter Park and Vermont Park this approach produced an intimate horizontal scale with clear delineations between public and private.
Louis Sauer, who worked in Philadelphia between 1961-79 and later relocated to Melbourne, was often cited by Merchant Builders architect Graeme Gunn. His Penn’s Landing Square demonstrated how three-storey façades, compact footprints and calibrated thresholds could achieve intimate urban density while allowing neighbourly interaction without overexposure.
Following this lineage, Molonglo Brunswick Townhouses are three-storey homes on individually owned land. They are set within a seasonal garden by Tim Pilgrim made up of 3,200 plants from 50 species which transitions from private to communal spaces. Sitting quietly, the architecture is practical and enduring, designed from a pared-back selection of solid, honest materials.
The townhouses are designed to provide:
More space, light and air
– Three-levels of spatial separation
– Dual aspect and cross ventilation
– Floor-to ceiling windows and additional skylights
– Expressed timber ceilings up to 3-metres
More privacy and autonomy
– Own house, land and garden
– Private entries to the street, no lifts or internal corridors
Less ongoing costs
– Modest body corporate fees compared to a typical apartment (for garden maintenance only)
– Rooftop solar powering up to two-thirds of each home
– Up to 8.4-star NatHERS, with an average of 7.5 stars
Less maintenance
– Deep-root landscape maintained by a community-gardener
– Durable, high-quality materials selected to improve with time
– Avoidance of engineered materials that wear poorly
Type
Neighbourhood
Location
Melbourne
Collaborators
Tim Pilgrim Gardens
