Wurrungwuri

Wurrungwuri: A Contemporary Symphony of Nature, History, and Modern Living

Wurrungwuri is not just an architectural marvel; it’s a poetic dialogue between modern design, natural surroundings, and historical roots. This innovative project reimagines its context with a bold interpretation that melds concrete, glass, brick, and steel with warm timber and vibrant marble. The result is a forward-thinking tectonic experience of light, shade, and spatial ambiguity, creating a home that is both visually stunning and deeply connected to its environment.

A Cascading Waterfront Retreat

Situated on a steep waterfront site, Wurrungwuri gracefully cascades down from the street to the harbour, negotiating the challenging terrain with elegance. Designed to celebrate both intimate family rituals and grand social occasions, the home is spread across several levels. Each space scales effortlessly, accommodating both solitary moments and sprawling events with equal ease. The structure’s planes are pinched and pulled in a series of architectural flourishes, punctuated by clusters of voids that introduce light and air deep into the plan. These voids create soaring spaces, delicate interstitial moments, and sensory links between key areas, enhancing the overall experience of the home.

Seamlessly Integrating History and Modernity

At the heart of Wurrungwuri lies a restored sandstone cottage, meticulously connected to the contemporary addition through a series of junctions. This key point of connection is marked by a delicate white steel staircase encased in patterned blonde brick, stitching together the entire project. The new plan cleaves into two wings that extend towards the harbour, housing private bedrooms. Rooms are interwoven across four levels, each infused with a sense of both the monumental and the playful. The upper levels feature wistfully curved light apertures carved from concrete strata, while the lower levels reveal the rugged beauty of the cut sandstone escarpment.

Thoughtful Design Elements

The design of Wurrungwuri is rich in thoughtful details that enhance both functionality and aesthetics. A rooftop terrace offers an intimate retreat, while a joyful Juliette balcony overlooks the internal stairwell from a guest room. The bright view of the harbour is maintained along the edge of the site, supporting the public entry to the home and pulling forward to cleave the form. This view is further enhanced by the enveloping spaces of the central courtyard light well and the gallery above the grand dining room below.

Showcasing Art and Nature

The home is designed to showcase the clients’ art collection, with spaces suffused throughout the levels connecting the pool, cabana, lounge, and raw sandstone bedrock. Generous terrace spaces open from the kitchen, pool, and garden, while the roof garden maximizes the building’s green space and echoes the rolling interior forms. These outdoor areas not only provide stunning views and recreational spaces but also seamlessly integrate the home with its natural surroundings.

Sustainable Living

Wurrungwuri is a beacon of sustainable living, featuring a sophisticated heat pump system that exchanges energy with the harbour water through titanium plates. This system maximizes the efficiency of the home’s heating and cooling. Additional sustainable features include protected thermal mass, an insulated shell, controlled natural lighting, clever sun-shading, and windows designed to harness sea breezes. These elements work together to control energy use and emphasize thermal comfort, making Wurrungwuri an environmentally responsible home.

A Harmonious Future

Wurrungwuri is a celebration of family life, a welcoming embrace of the river, and an acknowledgment of its rich past. Old and new coexist in a unified, optimistic vision of the future, creating a home that is both a sanctuary and a statement. By balancing historical elements with contemporary design, Wurrungwuri stands as a shining example of how architecture can create meaningful connections between people, their environment, and their heritage.

In Wurrungwuri, Carter Williamson has crafted a space that is more than just a home. It is a living, breathing entity that reflects the joy of small family rituals, the grandeur of social gatherings, and the timeless beauty of its natural and historical context. This project demonstrates the power of thoughtful design to create spaces that are not only functional and beautiful but also deeply resonant with the stories they inhabit.

between key spaces.

The original sandstone cottage was painstakingly restored and connected with a series of junctions to the contemporary addition. At this key point of connection, a delicate white steel staircase encased in patterned blonde brick stitches together the entire project.

The new plan is cleaved into two wings that reach towards the harbour, housing private bedrooms. Rooms are interwoven across four levels, infused with a sense of both the monumental and the playful. The upper levels are home to wistfully curved light apertures, carved from the concrete strata, while the lower levels reveal the cut sandstone escarpment. A rooftop terrace makes for an intimate retreat, while a joyful Juliette balcony looks internally over the stairs from a guest room.

The bright view of the harbour from the street is maintained along the edge of the site, supporting the public entry to the home. That same view is pulled forward to cleave the form, enhanced by the enveloping spaces of the central courtyard light well and the gallery above the grand dining room below. Space for our clients’ art collection is suffused throughout, most notably on the level connecting the pool, cabana, lounge, and raw sandstone bedrock. Generous terrace spaces open from the kitchen, pool, and garden, with the roof garden maximising the building’s green space and echoing the rolling interior forms.

A sophisticated heat pump system exchanges energy with the water in the harbour through titanium plates, maximising the efficiency of the home’s heating and cooling. Protected thermal mass, an insulated shell, controlled natural lighting, clever sun-shading, and windows that harness the sea breezes all play their part in controlling energy use and emphasising thermal comfort.

Wurrungwuri welcomes the river, acknowledges its past, and celebrates family life. Old and new coexist in a unified, optimistic future.