Lyon Housemuseum

Melbourne, Australia

Photo © Dianna Snape

Architects: Lyons

Location: 219 Cotham Road, Kew, 3101 Melbourne, Australia
Year: 2009

The Lyon Housemuseum is an experimental project which speculates on the conjunction of art and living, challenges conventional notions of public and private and explores new relationships between art and architecture through a new hybridised type – a ‘housemuseum’.

Located in Melbourne Australia the building accommodates the daily living needs of a family of four and the requirements of a public museum housing a major collection of Australian contemporary art. The building is open weekly for public tours and for research visits by academics and students. The Housemuseum also hosts an annual program of concerts, artist and architecture talks and other cultural events.

Two large double height spaces – a ‘white cube’ and ‘black box’ – anchor the two ends of the building and are designed explicitly as museum spaces. Private domestic spaces for the family are defined with enclosed boxlike forms and are located across the two levels of the building.

The spaces in the building are ambiguous in their typological readings – the family kitchen doubles as museum café, the black box showing video art is also used for home movies and sleepovers. The private study functions as a research library for visiting academics and students.

As an experimental and speculative project the Housemuseum explores new relationships between public and private, art and living and opens new ground in the dialogue between art and architecture.