Quiet Calm – Byron Street Studio by Büro Two Architecture and Casey and Martin Johnston

Imagined as a place of retreat among the trees, Byron Street Studio is a multi-purpose space for visitors and like-minded people to disconnect. Büro Two Architecture and Casey and Martin Johnston collaborate to bring the vision to life, considering every element and instilling a modest efficiency.

In our modern world filled with constant stimulus and connection, the idea of withdrawing from that bombardment of the senses can offer a welcomed recharge. Recognising the opportunity, owners and designers Casey and Martin Johnston join with Büro Two Architecture to create an inspired space that allows for an immersive retreat within nature. Byron Street Studio is envisioned as the landing pad and connective conduit for a community with similar shared values. Located in New Brighton, the positioning among nature ensures an idyllic removal from the bustle of urban life.

Byron Street Studio is envisioned as the landing pad and connective conduit for a community with similar shared values.

Every element of the dwelling has been considered and designed from a core philosophy of stripping back. Maintaining a consistency across the interior with a singular material not only enhances a cocooning feeling of warmth, but encases the spaces, allowing the unfinished surface to have a greater impact. Joinery works to not only support the daily functions within, but to provide a sense of separation without needing partition walls and nods to a midcentury style. Adding further contrast, the bathroom hints at a more playful use of colour, becoming its own destination.

Burnt timber strips wrap the home using the Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique, and a natural protective layer is present on the surface of the exterior. As a darkened form, the silhouette is less obtrusive from approach, and appears to blend into the established bushland. Only when in proximity does the contained and linear form emerge. Optimising the north-facing aspect, openings allow an engagement between inside and out. Able to be opened, glazed punctuations allow natural light to fill the spaces, whilst also bringing in coastal breezes throughout the day. Emphasising the idea of disengaging from urban life, additional acoustic treatment lines the walls to block unwanted sounds and encourage a more meditative and reflective experience.

Maintaining a consistency across the interior with a singular material not only enhances a cocooning feeling of warmth, but encases the spaces, allowing the unfinished surface to have a greater impact.

Inspired by the traditional timber cabins of the highlands, Byron Street Studio is reinterpreted as a contemporary iteration. Casey and Martin Johnston and Büro Two Architecture craft an appropriate response to the surrounding context, creating a unique and removed offering in the process.