Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Raven House Designed by Bijl Architecture © Tom Ferguson
Melonie Bayl-Smith,
Bijl Architecture
Founding BIJL Architecture in 2012, Melonie has built a practice dedicated to pursuing meaningful and inclusive client relationships, research, and design excellence. From her formative career based in residential design, Melonie’s practice now extends to public, education and community architecture - a natural extension for her enquiring mind and drive for empathic and effective architecture.
While of significant benefit to the wider architectural profession, Melonie's achievements as architect, agitator, educator and mentor have been instrumental to BIJL Architecture's emergence as an influential architectural practice.
Highly regarded by her peers, Melonie has received national recognition from the Australian Institute of Architects, was appointed Associate Professor (Architecture) at UNSW FADA School of Built Environment in 2020 and is the current Academic Member of the NSW Architects Registration Board.
Tell us about your practice
Bijl Architecture is an ambitious Sydney practice who take every project – homes, schools or places of gathering – as opportunities to connect people, communities and neighbourhoods.
How would you describe your style and design principles?
Style is important, but substance is everything. We’re architects working to principles of climate design, flexibility, hyperlocal, poetry, hope … These are the lights that guide our approach.
What is your favourite material to design and work with at the moment and why?
Masonry. In Raven House we matched rhythmic, honed concrete blocks with smooth bricks – all in graceful grey. Masonry is robust; heavy yet light. Its recyclability is amazing.
Tell us about the project you've submitted
Raven House is a new family home on Gadigal land in Sydney’s inner west. This was a tough gig: We inserted an inventive new home into a packed row of gritty older dwellings, on a tight, rocky, precipitous site, fronting a major intersection.
What is your favourite aspect of the project?
I love the home’s quiet confidence. It’s private, yet open to its new neighbourhood. That ethos of architecture as contributor is reflected through our work and our practice through volunteering on boards, working groups and teaching.
What were the main day-to-day challenges you experienced with this project (if any)?
Like every project, this one presented an array of expected challenges. Bijl prides itself on our long-standing relationships with clients, builders, consultants and peers, and that speaks volumes.
In hindsight, what are you most proud of with this project?
Having been in business for ten years, Bijl Architecture has completed an amazing number of projects that are all as unique as they should be: each house is borne from an empathic, deeply personal expression of our clients’ vision for living.