Introspective and Thoughtful – Ruxton Rise Residence by Studiofour

Ruxton Rise Residence embodies a focus on family, health and integrity. Studiofour emphasises the importance a refined rigour to elevate the traditional residential experience, creating thoughtful moments that allow for engagement and interaction between the natural and the built.

Nestled into Beaumaris, Ruxton Rise Residence is the result of a carefully considered brief, taking in influences from the narrative of the area’s known mid-century past and combining with a less traditional contemporary rationale. The emphasis on introspection and connections between the built and the natural allow the planning to evolve naturally on site, opening up opportunities for engagement and a reworked understanding of the residential condition. Driven by a strong ethos, the home is imagined as a series of spaces that facilitate and embrace principles of family, health and integrity. Expressed through its planning, materiality and restraint, Studiofour places the focus on the feelings conjured within a space, deliberately erring away from an aesthetic or trend-driven outcome.

Nestled into Beaumaris, Ruxton Rise Residence is the result of a carefully considered brief, taking in influences from the narrative of the area’s known mid-century past and combining with a less traditional contemporary rationale.

The resulting home offers its occupants a unique engagement with the building itself. From the initial interaction, the streetscape is uninterrupted as the building hugs the natural fall of the site, concealing the contents of what lies beneath. Almost a play on scale, the offering of privacy and a sense of escape and concealment drives and reinforces the underpinning principles. The landscape is intentionally subdued also, offering itself as a subtle and softened edge to the built elements. Once inside, the home opens itself up and inward to its internal courtyard, a calming haven carved into the centre of the home. As a room in itself, the outdoor courtyard space acts as an extension of each of the spaces it borders, allowing for a visual connection through its glazed edges as well as emphasising time and seasons as shadows cast and climatic changes interact with the elements.

At the core of the architecture is a shared understanding of the home as a place of respite and recharge, and each of its comprising spaces are the conduits to long conversations, thoughtful engagement and meaningful connections. The raw and honest materiality acts as an extension to these philosophies, elevating the everyday from the expected and mediocre to the considered and unique. Through restraint and a deliberate stripping of the unnecessary, the intention is for occupants and visitors to leave healthier and to live more engaged. From the integration of passive design principles to reduce the energy footprint, wiring to minimise electromagnetic fields, and comprehensive water filtration systems to the use of natural materials and opening of volumes to allow for natural ventilation and climate control, the project emphasises health and wellness.

The emphasis on introspection and connections between the built and the natural allow the planning to evolve naturally on site, opening up opportunities for engagement and a reworked understanding of the residential condition.

Ruxton Rise Residence embodies an inherent stillness, encouraging those who enter to pause and reflect. Studiofour combines an inherent understanding of materiality and space with a heightened appreciation for living and breathing buildings that actively encourage wellbeing.

Driven by a strong ethos, the home is imagined as a series of spaces that facilitate and embrace principles of family, health and integrity.