As property prices continue to escalate, medium-density housing is becoming an increasingly attractive option for home buyers, particularly within our major cities. However, the design and construction of townhouses and villas typically involve several compromises, mainly due to the restrictions imposed by a limited footprint and party wall. The primary challenges revolve around privacy and layout, and with reduced space for windows, it can be difficult to bring natural light into the interiors. 

The 2024 HIA Australian Townhouse/Villa of the Year, built by MK Building Group on a leafy street in Brighton East, Melbourne, is a stunning showcase of how these common limitations can be overcome with smart design and a considered approach to construction. With four bedrooms, five bathrooms, covered alfresco with an outdoor kitchen, pool, gym and sauna, this impeccably finished project sets a new benchmark for easy-living luxury in a townhouse setting.

MK Building Group was founded by third-generation builder Con Kapnoullas in 2001; his wife Magda joined the business in 2005. The company started building multi-residential units before transitioning to medium-density development in Melbourne’s inner suburbs.

Today, ‘side-by-side construction is our bread and butter,’ Magda says. In particular, they specialise in enabling clients to ‘downsize in place’ by re-developing dated, run-down freestanding houses into townhouses. MK Building Group is skilled at meeting their clients’ briefs as well as the expectations of the local market, delivering high-end results without overcapitalising – the Brighton project is a testament to their expertise in this notoriously tricky housing category.

With the development designed by JKob Architects, the two-residence complex features a striking, contemporary exterior. Black linear accents and expanses of glazing intersect with monolithic precast concrete panels, the foremost of which appears to ‘float’ above the custom cedar-cladded garage door.

‘That’s a five-and-a-half tonne slab,’ Con explains. ‘The engineering to support these floating structures is significant. There was a lot of brainstorming to ensure the solution wasn’t just satisfactory, it was bulletproof.’ 

While they primarily utilised timber frame construction, precast concrete features extensively throughout as feature and boundary walls. ‘I'm passionate about concrete. I've been working with it all my life,’ Con says. Not only does it underpin the home’s visual appeal, but it also improves onsite efficiencies. ‘The panels went up in one day. We saved a significant amount of time by working off those.’

The interiors open up in a swathe of crisply finished neutrals: polished concrete flooring, dark timber cabinetry, and feature stonework in Tundra Grey. Again, intensive engineering and detailed workmanship combine to conjure space, light, and what the HIA judges referred to as ‘a sense of effortless flow’. 

In the double-height foyer, a curved wall clad in vertical timber battens draws the eye towards the show-stopping floating staircase. The treads, which cantilever out from the wall, are constructed from steel covered with purpose-made timber sleeves. Con says, ‘It was very tricky, but the engineers worked wonders to ensure it was strong enough’.

The unique design of the staircase is a key element in bringing light deep into the interiors: ‘If it were an enclosed stair, it would have felt too tight, it'd take away from the grandeur. So being open, with windows up above, the high ceilings and the open void really bring the light in, and the space flows beautifully.’ 

The seamless connection between the indoor and outdoor living spaces was largely achieved using floor-to-ceiling glazing and the highly technical integration of the pool. ‘The pool structure supports the return wall of the kitchen and the whole window of the living room,’ Con explains. A zero-threshold finish, with sub sills to prevent water ingress, creates the illusion of the pool being part of the interiors. 

‘That's a really difficult thing to achieve, the pool abutting those windows,’ Magda adds. ‘All of these are not your standard construction methods. They require a lot of thinking when building.’ 

Despite considerable onsite disruptions due to COVID lockdowns, the townhouse was completed within 14 months. Con cites ‘the liveability of it’ as his favourite aspect, and Magda says: ‘We've provided an amazing family home which doesn’t feel like a townhouse. We didn’t have to compromise on anything. It's completely comparable to any freestanding house.’

The visual clarity of this beautiful home belies the many technical challenges that MK Building Group conquered along the way, and Con says that taking out the National Award was ‘like winning gold at the Olympics’. ‘It’s a credit to all our staff as well. They've been with us for 10-plus years, so it's really a reward to them.’

Ultimately, the couple are incredibly grateful to HIA for continuing to recognise and celebrate excellence, even when the industry is weathering difficult times. ‘The effort HIA goes to is amazing. We feel very well represented. We’re happy to have them on our side and advocating for what we need.’

Materials

• Flooring: Polished concrete with in-floor hydronic heating to the ground floor
• Intercom system: Dahua Technology
• Sound system: Sonos
• Gas-log fire: Escea
• Hot water systems: 26ltr instantaneous gas systems from Rinnai
• Kitchen surface: Dekton Sirius benchtops with shark-nose edge from Cosentino 
• Kitchen appliances: Steam oven, pyrolytic oven, gas cooktop from Asko 
• Dishwasher: Miele
• Fridge/freezer: Liebherr
• Kitchen sink: Oliveri
• Bathroom basin: Venice 500 stone basins from Omvivo.

First published in 17 September 2024.