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Rose Park sits at the fringe of the Adelaide parklands
and the street itself is dominated by these London plane trees.
We describe this project as a journey of discovery from concept through to completion.
The way that you transition from the street through the home,
you start to get a sense that there's more to come.
The client was clear that this was going to be their last project, which meant that it needed
to be a legacy project something that was long-lasting. Creating an architecture that
would not only withstand the test of time but, for the client's family members and their kids.
This early 1900s Queen Anne Villa appears like any other along the street.
Early investigations revealed that the walls of the original dwelling were constructed
of off-form concrete, making it a really unique building for its age and location.
This discovery became a key material driver for the rest of the project.
Darker limestones and timber-like American walnut were selected.
They were darker in their appearance to contrast the light that we get in this space.
These are robust materials that really will outlast us and hopefully outlast many generations
to come, creating a piece of architecture that has longevity but also leaves a legacy.
A lot of respect was given to restoring the original part of the dwelling,
only subtle changes were made to make way for the master bedroom, the walk-in robe, and the ensuite.
The central corridor maintains the spatial arrangement of the original dwelling
and the rooms that are fed from the corridor explore the use of colour and materiality.
The wine room exemplifies this with its rich burgundy colour,
akin to the client's impressive wine collection that's on display.
The final room in this sequence of discovery, the extension, is this moment of revelation.
This curved billowing form becomes the transition between old and new.
The curved bulkhead feels weighty yet soft, an example of expression and release in action.
The extension is a pavilion structure made up of three elements, this concrete nose cone,
these blade walls, and this horizontal canopy. They're all tied together with off-form concrete.
The rear yard opens up to quite a big sky and we're afforded all this natural light in this
really direct harsh south Australian sun. We set up the series of rhythm through the use of blade
walls in this nose cone to provide this depth in the review and protection over the glazing,
that we need to remove the harshness in this sun.
One of the family members uses a wheelchair and at a practical level, we wanted to create a home
that was fully accessible. We utilise things like accessible ramps, flush thresholds,
wide apertures, to create an environment that allows the users and future occupants to move
throughout the external and internal spaces. It demonstrates that form and function don't
always need to be competing interests and it can be done in a very integrated way.
I think with any residential project, the thing that we try to achieve is not only longevity
but form these long-lasting relationships.
I look back fondly on this project because of the relationships we've formed with the client.
We love coming back to this house, every time we come back we pick up something new, that was
unplanned, accidental if you like. It's a house that has a really nice feeling,
which is very hard to describe and almost design, it's something that we're very proud of.
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