City Villa
By RB Studio
A new extension to an inner city 100 year old villa that provides introspective calmness and privacy while allowing light and ventilation.
The extension left the original and historic structure in place and bridged between the new with a "z shaped" internal gutter. By doing this the economy of the construction is optimized as it avoids many elements out of square or plumb.
The new is sympathetic to the old in detail and construction but does not try to emulate the historic ornament or decoration. The house borrows from the language of classical Roman Pompeii where an impluvium was introduced to allow air and light to houses too small for a full sized courtyard.
Windows are carefully positioned to provide strategic and private views of gardens and avoid sightlines of neighboring suburban structures.
In plan of the house extension is similar to its original bay villa planning at the front with an extended bay window and corresponding veranda executed in a contemporary fashion with crisp lines and careful detailing. Within the old house, the existing native Matai timber floor has been oiled and restored, bedrooms have been democratized for otherwise inevitable sibling rivalry and bathrooms have been slotted in between providing necessary additional utility.
The house has a heated Turkish marble floor, with a granite faced stone fireplace and kitchen. Other than the stone embellishments, the volumes are minimalist and rendered with furnishings and art.
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City Villa
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City Villa
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Professional
RB Studio is a design-focused practice. Quality to us means a commitment to producing buildings that endure - physically, practically and aesthetically. After careful communication, we apply innovative thinking to create solutions that transcend the brief. The client-architect relationship is fundamental to this process.
Our work is characterised by clarity, tactile materiality and the dynamic interplay of volume, light and mass. These attributes are the building blocks of good design and are the real forces that shape good architecture. Through a process of continual critique and refinement, our aim is to develop individual design solutions that meet the needs of our clients. We maintain a specialist team that focuses on projects with a cultural and artistic dimension.
As a team we strive to remain flexible, allowing us to maintain a high level of quality and consistency over the design, documentation and delivery of all work we produce. Our team are committed and dedicated toward producing well thought out architectural solutions that are practical to build and functional to occupy.
We utilise technology which includes three-dimensional coordination, graphics, colour rendering and modelling. This technology enables precision and performance, while allowing the office to maintain strong and consistent design. We develop individual design solutions that respond and reflect the client's brief. These solutions are refined over the project development. The client relationship is strengthened by on going communication and dialogue throughout the project. Communication begins with establishing values and principles that aggregate into a concept-driven design approach and outcome. We work alongside a highly skilled team of consultants including Geotechnical and Structural Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Planners, Landscape designers and Project Manager. These consultants are engaged at critical stages in our projects to ensure performance to realistic budget and time expectations.