Naturally Attuned – Above Board Living by Luigi Rosselli Architects

Inspired by immersion in nature, Above Board Living sees gestures come together to allow its inhabitants to live intimately amongst the treetops and ocean views, perching out and embracing the enviable locale. Luigi Rosselli Architects flips the traditional residential arrangement to allow the natural elements to exist with the built, all brought together with a refined attention to detail.

Reaching upward across the home’s multiple levels, Above Board Living sits vertically and opening connected to its site, embracing a sense of place. Home to its grown family, the intent was to create a deliberate reminder of the proximity to the ocean and to be constantly aware of the flux of the sea’s movement through sensory immersion. By elevating and flipping the expected planning arrangement internally, the living zones are positioned atop the home, allowing uninterrupted views out and natural ventilation and air movement to passively cool the main convening spaces within the home. The retreat spaces are then positioned on the lower levels, aligning with an increased intimacy and sense of seclusion. Luigi Rosselli Architects references a European liveability in conjuring the resulting home, heightened by refinement.

Home to its grown family, the intent was to create a deliberate and intentional reminder of the proximity to the ocean, and to be constantly reminded of the flux of the sea’s movement through an engagement of sensory immersion.

Built by Ground Up Building, together with landscaping by Pod Landscaping Pty Ltd, Above Board Living takes its namesake from its switching of the traditional. Its focus on the daily rituals and their need to be connected to nature sees an outward focus in terms of each aperture and how each of the spaces function. The internal experience is also welcomingly a focus, with a mosaic tile floor inspired by the Italian master Carlo Scarpa. While the conditions of Scarpa’s works in Venice may differ from Bronte, the similarities of needing time-wearing and masterfully crafted features to withstand the coastal conditions and an ease of transition between inside and out, mean there are many elements that bind the two locations.

Light and air-filled, each of the levels connects beyond the built edge by way of full-height generous glazing elements, where transitions are celebrated throughout. The use of the arch further embeds a connection to Europe and the traditional, highly crafted home. While the private and lushly landscaped green space is accessed from below, each level and terrace welcome the outside in and encourages the lived space the extend out. Throughout, louvres and shutters control privacy and allow breezes to sweep through the home, while skylights above alleviate the need for outside light sources. The use of natural materials expresses their innate honestly and avoids the need to disguise junctions. This connection to revealing a truth in the comprising elements sets this home apart and ensures its endurance.

Through a closely integrated approach, Luigi Rosselli Architects’ Above Board Living allows its occupants to feel both surrounded and immersed in its location, while also feeling connected to and a part of making history in the permanence of its parts.