If you go down to leafy Toorak in Melbourne, you will may notice a house quite unlike any other in that affluent suburb. The design of the “JARtB” house draws on owner/architect Bill Kavellaris’ Hellenic roots and does so with a contemporary, neo-Baroque style that has already garnered it two awards in Australia and has earned a place on the 2021 World Architecture Festival shortlist with the winner to be announced in Lisbon in December.
“Just being on the shortlist alone is massive for us as it is part of a worldwide competition,” said Kavellaris who is the founder and MD of Kavellaris Urban Design (KUD) that he set up in 2002 and whose projects have won numerous awards over the years, including the 2 Girls building in Abbotsford that won the 2015 International LEAF Property Awards in London, where it won the Best Mixed use building of the year. Other KUD buildings of note include Spectrum Apartments, St Joseph’s and Vic Square.
The name JARtB represents the first letter in the name of each member of the Kavellaris family: daughters Jorja and Alexia, his wife, Rosalba, and Billy – the ‘t’ is for Art.
Work on the house was completed in late 2019, is an expression of Kavellaris’ aspirations. It is the family home, but it is also a gallery for his art collection. It took many years to go from concept to construction.
“We were on holiday in Mexico, when I started brainstorming with Rosalba. My wife has a great sense of design and was a springboard and very much part of the process,” the architect told Neos Kosmos.
The building took two years to construct, using the best materials and craftsmen available.
“We were on holiday in Mexico, when I started brainstorming with Rosalba. My wife has a great sense of design and was a springboard and very much part of the process,” the architect told Neos Kosmos.
The building took two years to construct, using the best materials and craftsmen available.
“We executed the main design and it surpassed expectation. If you get the right people at the table, then you will get the result that you need. ”
What probably stands out most on first view of the house is the massive Digiglass mural that dominates the facade on the upper floor. When viewed from the outside, the mural stands out bright and vibrant, but once inside the house, the work casts a much softer, colour-laden light on the interior.
JARtB house viewed from the street in Toorak with a section of the PichiAvo mural prominent in the upper floor. Photo:Supplied
Aspect of the JARtB house exterior in Toorak. Photo:Supplied
A section of the upstairs interior with the light filtering through the PichiAvo mural. Photo: Supplied.
Natural light pours in from above. Photo: Supplied
As much JARtB is a home, it also functions for art. Photo: Supplied
The work by Spanish artists PichiAvo is a vibrant and bold expression of Hellenism that features ancient Greek figures, such as Diomedes, Prometheus and Poseidon.
“Architecture is an ultimate expression of culture – if you travel around the world, the built environment is an expression of the cultural aspirations of the people.
“As a Greek architect, I am instilling Hellenism in my work in a contemporary language,” said Kavellaris who is a regular key note speaker and has taught his passion in several universities and industry courses.
His parents, George from Kalavryta and Anna from Lanthi in Peloponissos, came to Australia in the late 1960s and instilled in him and his older sister a strong sense of Greece.
“We both went to Greek school. I have been to Greece and I cannot separate from those roots and the values that my parents instilled in me,” said Kavellaris. It is also driven his long involvement within the Greek community of Melbourne for which he has volunteered his expertise on a number of projects including at Alphington School and the Hellenic Museum.
“My parents, who were involved in the hospitality industry, sent us to Greek school and we were always at cultural and church events in the Greek community.”
JARtB house is not only expression of his Greek background but it also reflects his artistic sensibilities. The house functions not only as a residence but also as a gallery for the art work that the Kavellaris family have gathered, commissioned or created. Kavellaris is an artist, poet and photographer, as well an architect.
“We live in the midst of art. The house is an expression of our values and art is a central theme.”
The house is designed to hold small events and with the lifting of the COVID restrictions, Kavellaris’ plans to also turn the house into a symposium for small gatherings to hold discussions, plays, recitals.
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As a child, he was constantly drawing, but he knew he wanted to be an architect when at age 15 he saw the drawing board his cousin was using for his engineering studies.
He said architecture was experiencing a renaissance that once again linked the discipline to art and Australia was at the forefront. It was a welcome change because in the mid-20th Century Australians considered architects to be elevated draughtsmen who were there to draw up building plans.
“We had lost that connection between art and architecture, but the appreciation and importance of architecture has become more sophisticated as many realise the power of a building to draw people to their culture.
“If architecture is pure utility, we would just be building boxes to live in. Even from the days when we lived in caves we were decorating the cave walls.
“Why do we need art? It has everything to do with what it is to be human.”