RUSCHUTTERS BAY APARTMENT
 

OVERLOOKING RUSHCUTTERS BAY, THIS APARTMENT IS A STUDY IN CONTRAST. HERITAGE DETAIL MEETS RAW MODERNISM, PARKLAND GREEN BLEEDS INTO POLISHED CONCRETE, AND EXPANSIVE WATER VIEWS COLLIDE WITH TIGHTLY CONTROLLED INTERIORS. DESIGNED IN COLLABORATION WITH STUDIO ETIC, THE PROJECT IS A BALANCE BETWEEN RESTRAINT AND EXPRESSION, MEMORY AND FUTURE.

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THE BRIEF WAS NOT ABOUT ERASING THE PAST. IT WAS ABOUT REFRAMING IT. SELECT ORIGINAL FEATURES. MOST NOTABLY THE TEXTURAL WALL PANELLING HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY RESTORED AND LEFT TO CARRY THEIR OWN QUIET HISTORY. THESE ELEMENTS INTRODUCE A SENSE OF CRAFT AND SOFTNESS, A TACTILE CONNECTION TO THE BUILDING’S ORIGINS THAT GROUNDS THE SPACE IN TIME.

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BENEATH THAT, THE FLOOR HAS BEEN COMPLETELY STRIPPED AND RECAST IN POLISHED CONCRETE. COLD, MONOLITHIC, AND UNDENIABLY MODERN, IT CARRIES A DIFFERENT ENERGY. LIGHT REFLECTS ACROSS ITS SURFACE IN SHARP PLANES. IT SETS A NEW TONE, ONE THAT IS MORE EXPERIMENTAL, MORE REDUCTIVE, AND UNCOMPROMISINGLY CONTEMPORARY.

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THE REAL LUXURY HERE IS NOT SURFACE BUT SPACE. THE APARTMENT UNFOLDS SLOWLY TOWARD VIEWS THAT FEEL ALMOST UNREAL. A RIBBON OF WATER, A HORIZON OF TREES, SKY THAT POURS IN FROM EVERY OPENING. THE MATERIAL PALETTE HAS BEEN CURATED TO ALLOW THOSE VIEWS TO DOMINATE. SOFT GREYS, NATURAL TIMBERS, AND SUBTLE TEXTILES ECHO THE OUTSIDE BUT NEVER COMPETE WITH IT.

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THERE IS NO NEED FOR STATEMENT PIECES. THE ARCHITECTURE IS THE STATEMENT.

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THIS IS A HOME THAT HONOURS WHAT CAME BEFORE WHILE MAKING SPACE FOR WHAT COMES NEXT. A COLLABORATION THAT FEELS LESS LIKE A RENOVATION AND MORE LIKE A REDUCTION. A STRIPPING AWAY OF EXCESS TO LET THE STRUCTURE, THE MATERIALS, AND THE LANDSCAPE DO THE TALKING.

 

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LOCATION                          SYDNEY (AUSTRALIA)

COMPLETED               2019

BUILDER                               EF

PHOTOGRAPHS   SJ 

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