Celebrating the Courtyard – Rose Park Residence II by Williams Burton Leopardi

As a navigation of orientation and optimising the natural opportunities of a site, Rose Park Residence II is a study of curated planning and the use of the courtyard to punctuate the façade. Williams Burton Leopardi emphasise refinement and proportion in proposing a home of lasting resonance.

Downsizing, the owners of Rose Park Residence II had left a generous yard and idyllically oriented north facing home. In the acquiring of the new, the conditions for optimising orientation were less than ideal, with the living spaces oriented south, and a closed feeling throughout. Originally designed and built circa 1910, the existing sandstone villa was the typical product of its time – light deprived, lofted ceilings and proportions and a lack of connection internally. The approach to housing at the time also focussed on the streetscape and frontage, with little detail given to the happenings behind. Oriented in the same-named Rose Park, the home sits comfortably surrounded by similar Victorian-era homes, all preserved in their varied iterations, expanding in their own unique ways. Williams Burton Leopardi turns the focus inward, to conjure a home that responds to its inhabitants, instead of passers-by.

Heavily washed timber veneer sits comfortably against soft marble, while stone flooring and polished concrete offer the robustness needed within a family home.

Built by Bower Construction, together with Gethyn Singleton Landscaping and joinery by Admore Dimensions, Rose Park Residence II turns its focus inward. In looking to how the home is used, the need to open the bowels of the home sees the introduction of a glass encased pavilion to the rear, demarking a series of courtyards in the process. Through a restructuring of the floor plan, and a changed envelope bounding the home, an increased surface area provides opportunities for natural light to enter deeper into the home. Pulled off of the existing structure, the pavilion brings the ideas of formality from inside, out into the exterior landscaped spaces. The added volume then carves in a less formal side entrance directly into the living area and creates multiple opportunities for natural light to flood the home.

Woven into the existing, the proposed extends the journey of compression and release from the original. The inclusion of frameless glass gestures and the exposed structural beams of the ceiling then allow the eye to flow upward and ensure the new shares similar proportions as the old. A palette of muted and calm finishes and textures then fill the home, offers a sense of continuity throughout. Heavily washed timber veneer sits comfortably against soft marble, while stone flooring and polished concrete offer the robustness needed within a family home. Heightening the everyday sees custom joinery handles and lighting crafted by local artisans at the Jam Factory in Adelaide.

In looking to how the home is used, the need to open the bowels of the home sees the introduction of a glass encased pavilion to the rear, demarking a series of courtyards in the process.

Through reframing a traditional approach, Rose Park Residence II presents as a home of redirected purpose, where Williams Burton Leopardi’s celebration of the courtyard ensures the extended home is filled with welcome natural light.