How Axon™ Cladding by James Hardie brought enviable urban luxury to Highett

Often, homes end up reflecting their surroundings; they take their cues from parklands, the sea, countryside, or modern suburbia. They bring the various features of the location, into the design, exterior and interior, to better blend in with their chosen environment.

It’s hard to put a label on the new townhouse by Mancini Made in the Highland Reserve, in Highett. Located a mere 16 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, and a short walk from Port Phillip Bay, you’ve already got an immaculate blend of city and sea. Throw in the quiet, suburban green space that is Highland Reserve itself, and you’ve got a home among the gum trees as well.

Location aside, the home itself is a lesson in modern design and living, combining innovative building techniques and materials. The design-and-built team at Mancini used Axon™ Cladding by James Hardie, to produce a spacious, durable and versatile model of contemporary living. And all with a truck load of street appeal.

How Mancini Made brought the vision to life

When award-winning Melbourne design company Mancini Made approached the brief for the Highlands Reserve property, they kept three words in mind: enviable, urban, luxury.

“We take pride in each custom-designed, precision-built project because Mancini Made is not just a business; it’s a passion,” says director Anthony Mancini.

The bayside property needed a streetfront facade that could blend in with the fringe of the park. It also needed to align with modern design techniques, which is where the use of Axon™ Cladding came in.

Split over two levels, the four bedroom space seamlessly combines inside and outside with an expansive living area that opens out into an alfresco space. Moving upstairs, the retreat-like area is designed to maximise space with high ceilings and strategically-placed skylights and wide-framed windows to draw in natural light.

The Mancini team focuses on precision construction and design-and-build of high-end homes, townhouses and apartments - and Axon™ Cladding is a perfectly precise partner. To create these homes to an uncompromising standard, Mancini Made embraces the use of top-notch materials. According to Anthony, “Axon™ Cladding is best if you’re covering large areas. It looks great if used well, including colour selection. It’s a great alternative to many other materials.”

The cosmopolitan cladding to suit any home

The cladding was used to create an upper level of clean, black vertical lines, rising to a striking gabled roof. The design of the Axon™ Cladding 133mm Smooth product creates textural interest on the walls, while also adding clean vertical lines to bring out the bold shape of the building itself. The darkness of the cladding provides a dramatic contrast with the soft white exterior brick on the lower level of the home, creating an interesting yet uncomplicated look for the home.

The immaculate attention to detail on the panels means that you can avoid having to go through the time-consuming process of constructing the boards, while still achieving that exact same look of vertical joint timber. Fibre cement has an advantage over timber, as the cladding won’t have any longevity issues. It doesn’t shrink, swell or warp, which means that it retains its looks for longer. The durability of the product also means that it’s resistant to fire, termites and damage from moisture, which makes it the perfect choice for an exterior facade.

“We’re always looking to create a response that is appropriate to its surroundings with attention to materiality,” says Anthony. “This ensures projects will continue to improve over time.”

Installation made easy

As a design-and-build company, Mancini Made wants to use products that look good, have practical benefits, and are easy for their building team to install. Saving time on the build is a win-win for all involved, and using Axon™ Cladding was a great way to do that.

The cladding features a shiplap joint on the long edges for ease of installation, and it can be gun nailed to timber frames, or screwed to light gauge steel frames. Axon™ Cladding arrives pre-primed and ready for paint, and the thinness of the panel means that space can be prioritised in the home, instead of using heavier and thicker masonry like brick.

Finding a gem of a location like the Highland Reserve in Highlett is a great way to get the best of bayside, cosmopolitan and parkland. Add on to that a great new build by Mancini Made, which puts contemporary cladding at the heart of the design, and you’ve got everything you could ever want for your home.

Learn more about how Axon™ Cladding can help your home stand out on the street