Creative Reuse – Jewellery Box by Crosson Architects

Jewellery Box draws from a connection and understanding of place. Opting to rework the existing home into an expanded and contemporary residence, Crosson Architects pushes the form out to engage with surrounding views and elevate the everyday engagement between the structure and the surrounds.

Positioned on a peak looking out over the coast and embedded in among established bushland, Jewellery Box did not always appear as it does today. With an expanding family, the client’s changing needs demanded a new living experience. For a family of four, the two-bedroom home needed to be reworked. Although the option to demolish and rebuild could have been considered, it ultimately made sense to use the existing embodied energy and building fabric. Crosson Architects re-sculpted a new outer shell and reworked the interior planning to optimise orientations.

Crosson Architects re-sculpted a new outer shell and reworked the interior planning to optimise orientations.

Crosson Architects looks to the nearby natural rock formations as inspiration for the resulting form, articulating the structure to catch and interact with the light in various ways. Built by Tomik Architectural Builders, the home is located on Waiheke Island, part of New Zealand’s North Island. Ensuring a meaningful connection to the natural elements was key to expressing a love of nature. To the north, views of the city, Raangitoti and Pūtiki Bay were all better aligned through the additional level above. The use of skylights is a practical insertion into the form and playful slicing into the exterior brings outward connections in.

As a chapter of the home’s legacy, the resulting building adds to the landscape in its sculptural and unique form. As a gesture of texture and tactility, the use of timber ply lining and individual shingles add to the feeling of warmth envisioned for the family home that is within a removed, coastal setting. The protected and partially enclosed north-facing outdoor courtyard becomes a safe harbour, protected from the coastal winds and privately concealed from the street.

Crosson Architects looks to the nearby natural rock formations as inspiration for the resulting form, articulating the structure to catch and interact with the light in various ways.

In responding to the natural surrounds, Jewellery Box becomes an offering of familiarity in its context. Crosson Architects use subtleties in gestures to ensure a continued presence in the area for many years to come.