Mercht Builders Display Houses Tstowe
4-12 Beverley Hills Drive and 408-418 Porter Street TEMPLESTOWE, MANNINGHAM CITY
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![47084 House - Beverley Hills Drive, Templestowe 47084 House - Beverley Hills Drive, Templestowe](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/172.jpg)
![47084 House - Beverley Hills Drive, Templestowe 47084 House - Beverley Hills Drive, Templestowe](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/172.jpg)
![47084 House - 4 Beverlay Hills Drive, Templestowe 47084 House - 4 Beverlay Hills Drive, Templestowe](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/174.jpg)
![47084 House - Beverley Hills Drive, Templestowe 47084 House - Beverley Hills Drive, Templestowe](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/176.jpg)
![47084 House - 8 Beverley Hills Drive 47084 House - 8 Beverley Hills Drive](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/178.jpg)
![47084 House - 12 Beverley Hills Drive, Templestowe 47084 House - 12 Beverley Hills Drive, Templestowe](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/180.jpg)
![47084 House - 412 Porter Street, Templestowe 47084 House - 412 Porter Street, Templestowe](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/182.jpg)
![47084 House - 414 Porter Street, Templestowe 47084 House - 414 Porter Street, Templestowe](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/184.jpg)
![47084 House - 416 Porter Street, Templestowe 47084 House - 416 Porter Street, Templestowe](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/187.jpg)
![47084 House - 418 Porter Street, Templestowe 47084 House - 418 Porter Street, Templestowe](https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/vhd-images/places/000/039/188.jpg)
Statement of Significance
What is Significant?
The Merchant Builders Beverley Hills Drive and Porter Street precinct comprises two groups of houses at 408-18 Porter Street and 3-7 & 4-12 Beverley Hills Drive that were constructed between 1981 and 1987. With the exception of the house at 412 Porter Street, which was designed by Cocks Carmichael, the houses were designed and constructed by Merchant Builders. The houses at 408, 414 Porter Street and 3, 8-10, and 12 Beverley Hills Drive were initially used as display houses. The house at 8-10 is especially notable as it demonstrated the use of the 'Trombe' wall, a passive solar energy device. The houses are all very intact and form a distinctive grouping that is quite distinct from the traditional housing developments that surround them.
How is it Significant?
The Merchant Builders Beverley Hills Drive and Porter Street precinct is of historic and aesthetic significance to Manningham City. The 'Trombe' house at 8-10 Beverley Hills Drive is of technical significance to Manningham City.
Why is it Significant?
The Merchant Builders Beverley Hills Drive and Porter Street precinct has historic significance as it incorporates one of the last display villages constructed by Merchant Builders in Manningham City. It illustrates the continuing role of Merchants Builders in providing architect-designed houses at an affordable price. (RNE criteria A.4, D.2 and H.1)
The Merchant Builders Beverley Hills Drive and Porter Street precinct has aesthetic significance to Manningham City as a representative example of a late twentieth century housing precinct, which remains very intact. The house at No. 412 illustrates the influence of post-modern design during the 1980s.
The 'Trombe' house at 8-10 Beverley Hills Drive has technical and historic significance as a rare example of the utilization of this passive solar energy technology in a residential building, which compares with the 'Solar House' at 32 Rosco Drive, Templestowe. It illustrates the rising interest in alternative energy in the later part of the twentieth century and demonstrates the continuing commitment of Merchant Builders to exploring innovative technology in the design of their houses. (RNE criteria A.4, B.2 and F.1)
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Mercht Builders Display Houses Tstowe - Historical Australian Themes
Local Themes
8.02 - Architects
Mercht Builders Display Houses Tstowe - Integrity
Integrity - Intact
Mercht Builders Display Houses Tstowe - Physical Conditions
Condition - Good
Mercht Builders Display Houses Tstowe - Physical Description 1
This precinct comprises two distinct groups of houses Porter Street and Beverly Hills Drive, Templestowe, which illustrate the changes in design approach of Merchant Builders from the mid to late 1980s. The houses dating from 1981 to 1984, which include all of the original display houses, are reminiscent of Merchant's earlier developments.
The former display house at 408 Porter Street is a long, low rectangular flat-roofed pavilion - this appears to be a similar design to the house at 6 Beverly Hills Drive, and to the other display house at 3 Beverly Hills Drive. The former display house at 12 Beverly Hills Drive is a split-level brick house with a pitched roof. This design appears to also have been used at Nos. 5 and 7. The 'Trombe' house at 8-10 Beverly Hills Drive is a long low pavilion orientated east-west with a pitched roof. All of the houses are carefully integrated with the surrounding gardens, which use a mix of native trees consistent with earlier Merchant's houses. Three of the houses have painted bagged brickwork. All remain largely intact with only minor modifications. The carport to No.6 has been partially enclosed by rendered brick walls to form a garage, while the gable roofed carport with a lattice screen to No.8 is possibly a later addition. No.4 has a garage pavilion to the front and is screened by high timber paling fence along front boundary which is at odds with the low-key presentation of other houses within precinct.
The other Porter Street houses at Nos. 412-418 (which date from 1984-87) on the other hand are distinctly different and are not designed in the restrained, carefully sited, manner characteristic of the other earlier Merchant Builders houses in the precinct and elsewhere in the study area. They are brick residences with gable ends facing the street. The pitched roofs have chimneys and minor decoration such as oculus vents in gables, chimney caps and lattice screens. Three of the four houses have painted bagged brickwork. All remain largely intact with only minor modifications.
The house at 1 Beverly Hills Drive is sympathetic to the Merchants group. Like the Merchants house it is well integrated with their sloping sites and has a transverse gable roof. It is possible (but not certain) that this is a Merchant Builder's design as well.
Mercht Builders Display Houses Tstowe - Physical Description 2
Threats - Redevelopment
Mercht Builders Display Houses Tstowe - Physical Description 3
Key elements
Group of buildings
Tree(s)
Heritage Study and Grading
Manningham - Manningham Heritage Study Review
Author: Context Pty Ltd
Year: 2006
Grading: Local
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SOLAR HOUSEVictorian Heritage Register H1312
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CORUMBENEManningham City
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HOUSE AT 183-185 Reynolds RoadManningham City
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