Playfully Classical – Arch-Texture by Luigi Rosselli
In the elongation and preservation of the existing heritage Queen Anne style home, Arch-Texture captures a sense of the classical, referencing and re-interpreting the famed arch. As a study of the past, Luigi Rosselli Architects extends the previous narrative and through a play on restraint conjures a timeless and enduring home in the process.
Nestled into the well-established enclave of Bellevue Hill in Sydney, Arch-Texture sees the interplay with historical ordered references fused with a modern and present re-enlivening. Originally built in the early 1900s, the home sits surrounded by similar-scaled allotments and residences of matching generous proportions. The retention of these original forms is unfortunately an increasing rarity. In a broader conversation about preservation and the importance of weaving past architectural styles and references to differing times within our cities, Luigi Rosselli Architects aims to restore and open the original home through select additions that speak to contemporary life. The resulting home respectfully creates a hero of past geometric gestures, predominantly the arch, while using restraint to create the idyllic modern home.
It is well accepted that the arch is a marker of classical architecture. In its rhythm and gentle curved motion, the arch has softened and articulated a multitude of building façades as transition spaces and colonnades. And it has assisted in the creation of unique apertures between inside and outside worlds. Although stripped back through modernist principles, the arch has made a comeback in recent times. Arch-Texture is an analysis of this condition, and the project becomes an embrace of this vernacular, veering away from unsuccessful recent examples and instead evolving from the traditional approach into a more mature iteration. The front addition preserves the original Queen Anne stylings, proportions and arched porch, using references to textures and finishes to ensure the old and new blend deliberately together.
In its lush setting, surrounded by its delicately manicured and curated landscape by Dangar Barin Smith, Arch-Texture is an oasis of its own. Through its elevation, views over the harbour act as a reminder of the home’s central location, while the density of foliage creates a sense of escape and separation. Within the bounding and softened edges of the site, the home celebrates its nods to the past, allowing them to co-exist with the newer insertions. To the rear, the addition connects to the original home through the insertion of brick arches based on traditional methods. Together with a muted and light palette of neutrals and textural timbers, these arches welcome the light inward, illuminating the home and expressing proportions.
Through a look to its past and an impassioned will to preserve the previous narrative of the home, Luigi Rosselli captures the charm and character of Arch-Texture’s original intent. By preserving instead of demolishing, the home becomes a celebration of the arch and, moreover, a contemporary and character-filled family home.
