Architect James Russell on the cutting-edge home he built for his family

Renovating with children is notoriously stressful but what if you’re an award-winning architect restoring a 19th century heritage-listed building?

“Still pretty stressful,” laughs James Russell, of James Russell Architects. “By the time we moved out we had just had our fourth child … but I will say it was an absolutely amazing place to live.”

Not only did the multi-award-winning architect restore the heritage-listed former Methodist church, he then designed a cutting-edge family home on the vacant 215 square metre block next door.

It was a labour of love for Russell, who is now selling both of his projects – the church at 116 Brookes Street with an award-winning glass box office extension and the house at 118 Brookes Street, Fortitude Valley – in a joint marketing effort by Ray White New Farm principal Matt Lancashire and Tom O’Driscoll and Darren Collins of CBRE.

“The restoration of the church was a major project to rebuild the church choir loft as the structure was about to fall down, removing the spiral, ducted airconditioning which covered many windows and removing the mezzanine,” Russell says.

There was also 100 millimetres of concrete covering the original tessellated tiles. “It was basically on the verge of falling down … it was in pretty bad shape,” Russell says.

But three years later, the church was transformed. Polished concrete, original red brick, high ceilings and abundant natural lighting with incredible acoustics became Russell’s commercial space. Then it was on to designing the family home.

​”It was an amazing little block of land right in the heart of the city. We didn’t have to have a lot of wasted space around the perimeter but on a small block we suddenly had six car parks and an open relationship to the street. It was a truly beautiful site to work with,” he says.

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The new building is a tall, narrow structure grafted to the side of the church. With double-height glass facing the street, it recedes into the shadows of its neighbour.

​Once through the threshold, one enters a private and secure world. The stairs lead straight up into the heart of the home: a central, open courtyard bathed in sunlight.

The house wraps around three sides of the garden, with the church wall and stained glass windows forming the fourth wall. Inside there are multiple living areas, including a play room, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. There’s parking for six cars.

Raw industrial materials of concrete and steel make up the shell of the building. Described by selling agent Matt Lancashire as a “modern secret cubby house of a home”, it became a green haven for Russell and his family in the midst of Brisbane’s most vibrant nightlife hub.

“The irony is that all those years ago we really wanted to find a space in the CBD but really, what ended up happening was that the heart of Brisbane came to us. The amount of development and change that has gone on in the Valley since we bought is incredible,” Russell says.

“Our kids absolutely loved it and so did we. It was always delightful to get our kids on their bikes and walk straight out into the centre of everything that the Valley offers.

“Inside though, it was quiet and it always had that connection to the outdoors through the courtyard with the garden. It was an amazing place to raise a family.”

These days Russell and his wife and children live all the way out at West End: “We live more than one kilometre from the city now,” he laughs. “But I will concede we have a bigger backyard and my kids can climb trees.”

The properties at Brookes Street are available to buy together or separately, although Russell’s emotional connection to both remains strong.

“It’s such a rare thing, particularly in the middle of the Valley. We’d still love to be there, be part of that village, with that wonderful mix of history and new design.”

The properties are being sold by expressions of interest.