Courtyard House

In the mid-1990s, Allan Fels and Mabel Cid approached us with a vision: to create a home tailored for their vibrant family of four. Inspired by the Wheeler House in Richmond designed by Director Kai Chen during his Robinson Chen days, Mabel dreamed of a courtyard house—one that celebrated both light and connection.

We found our conceptual foundation in the traditional architecture of iwans— rooms that frame and open onto courtyards. These traditional spaces offered more than structural ideas; they became a metaphor for how we imagined family life could unfold. Calm, open, transitional. The house became a modern reinterpretation of this ancient spatial wisdom: a series of introverted sanctuaries that opened to light, greenery, and communal life.

Image © John Gollings

Our brief

The brief was ambitious: two teenage daughters, each requiring autonomy; parents who wanted connectedness and calm. Our response was to create three distinct ‘apartments’—one for each daughter and one for the parents—all interwoven through central family rooms. Built boundary to boundary with vehicle access from the rear lane, the home was carved into with four courtyards that offered light and spatial relief.

It was a lot of house on a modest budget—one shaped by the chaos of family life. Though thermal performance was sacrificed, the home served its purpose with energy and generosity. Despite a modest budget and compromises in thermal performance, the result was a deeply liveable family home—full of contrast and clarity. The courtyards anchored the experience, providing spatial pauses between intensity and intimacy. It was, in essence, a home built around the rhythm of shared and separate lives.

Details

Date

2019

Status

Completed

Location

Melbourne/Naarm

Traditional Owners

Bunurong people

Image © John Gollings

Passive House Installation

Image © John Gollings

During Construction

Image © John Gollings

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Image © John Gollings

A new chapter

Decades later, when one of the daughters chose to remain and raise her own family of two boys within these same walls, the home entered a new chapter. The arrangement no longer fit—a mother’s needs are different from a teenager’s—and we were honoured to be invited back to reshape it with a new brief: a generous kitchen, an expanded family room, and a house ready to support the next generation.
Some things, however, were left untouched—by design. Certain elements had stood the test of time, both functionally and emotionally. Leaving them intact felt like a tribute to Allan and Mabel’s life and vision. The courtyards remained unchanged, still the lungs of the house, still anchoring light and calm in every direction.

The renovation didn’t extend the home’s footprint but instead deepened its emotional and architectural resonance. A new colour scheme refreshed the interiors, and the landscape was entirely reimagined—not as a blank slate, but as a canvas imbued with the presence of Simon and Teresa, the new stewards of the home. Their values, preferences, and spirit are now embedded in every material choice.

Image © John Gollings

Before Construction

During Construction

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Image © John Gollings

During Construction

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Image © John Gollings

A layered evolution

It’s still the same house—but it speaks in a new voice. One shaped by the memory of the past, and the quiet confidence of the present.

This layered evolution—past to present—was never about erasing. It was about layering. Honouring the old while embracing the new. Like the iwan, the house has become a place of transition: between generations, between moments. It is still spiritually the same house. Only wiser. And entirely ready for what comes next.