Contemporary Timelessness – Brougham Place by Williams Burton Leopardi and PACT Architects

Drawing on the history of the retained heritage home on the site as inspiration, Brougham Place is imbued with a sense of character unusual in a multi-residential context. With architecture by PACT Architects and development and construction by Hindmarsh, the interiors were crafted by Williams Burton Leopardi to delicately balance old and new.

Bringing an appreciation for the classical and timeless, Williams Burton Leopardi folds in nods to the past while creating a series of contemporary family homes that are unusually generous in size. In its closeness to the CBD, North Adelaide is well positioned, elevated and looking back at the city. As the first suburb of Adelaide, its original architecture speaks to the history of the area. In part due to engaged residents and a collective attachment to the ornate detailing the mostly Victorian-era homes carry, a great deal of its heritage architecture has been retained. Taking a similar approach in the development was, therefore, essential to Brougham Place. “The view and location were key,” says Williams Burton Leopardi Director Sophia Leopardi, “and connecting to the North Adelaide aesthetic and bringing that beautifully soft and unassuming sensibility were integral to our approach.”

Bringing an appreciation for the classical and timeless, Williams Burton Leopardi folds in nods to the past while creating a series of contemporary family homes that are unusually generous in size.

In re-working the site and inserting the multiple-level apartments, the original heritage home needed to be retained and remain – quite unusually – as its own residence in amongst the development. “We wanted this first engagement with the home to feel welcoming and set the tone for the apartments to come,” says Sophia. The apartments were then able to be stacked to the rear of the site, making the most of uninterrupted views out over the city, while the restoration of the original home ensures it will continue in relevance over time. Connecting the two are a series of shared common areas that allow for hosting larger groups of friends and family. “With many owners coming from larger properties where that hosting element was an option, the shared zones were important to servicing the potential buyers, embedding a uniqueness in the process,” Sophia explains.

In ensuring the apartments will age in a similarly endearing way as the original heritage home to the front, there are references to classical forms and proportions throughout. Also reflecting the original home, a focus on craft is brought into the new, retaining a connection in materiality between the eras. “We wanted to bring a rich and textural approach throughout,” describes Sophia. “By overlaying an element of substance and connecting to the original homes that people were coming from, we were able to connect to the fabric of the building and do something really special.”

“The advantage in this model from a standalone home is the ability to lock and leave the residence at any time and for it to remain secure.” (Sophia Leopardi, Director, Williams Burton Leopardi).

Throughout, brickwork is combined with plaster, allowing timber and brass elements to bring an elevation of the senses to the spaces and also warmth at the same time. Yet the new spaces feel crisp and modern, reflecting today and creating an ideal blank canvas of sorts for the new owners. Anticipating that a lifetime of collected treasures will accompany the new residents, storage and display have been integrated into the brief to allow for personalisation and an expression of self in each home. With two apartments per floor, each is generous in nature, so that while many of the new owners will be downsizing, they will still experience all the important comforts and amenities. “The advantage in this model from a standalone home,” says Sophia, “is the ability to lock and leave the residence at any time and for it to remain secure.”

Through a continuity of craft and finish, Williams Burton Leopardi, PACT Architects and Hindmarsh have created a timeless approach that bridges modern and heritage styles. In connecting the old and new of Brougham Place, “we created areas that became knuckles between the existing and the proposed,” says Sophia, “that then set the tone for the apartments, being very restrained and sophisticated – reminiscent not of a hotel but a home.”