With the current state of the world, good news stories seem scarce which is why this one really warmed our hearts when we came across it this week. It’s the story of David and Barbara Rugendyke, of the rural New South Wales town of Cobargo, who lost their home to bushfires on New Year’s Day in 2020. After a lifetime of helping others–David is an RFS firefighter and the couple have fostered over 400 children (incredible!)–the couple have had a new home built for them courtesy of Architects Assist.
Set up to provide pro-bono architectural services, together with donated products, Architects Assist is doing fabulous work and David and Barbara’s new home is just another example of it. The organisation connected the couple with Melbourne’s Breathe Architecture, who planned and designed the home. It also reached out to suppliers and collaborators to donate materials, products, and services for the build. Incredibly, the couple were fostering eight children at the time of the fire.
A long list of suppliers donated to the cause including Fisher & Paykel who stepped in to donate kitchen and laundry appliances. “It has been incredibly heart-warming and rewarding to work with the architecture, design and building community to rebuild the family’s home, and help rebuild their lives and community. The industry has the skills, knowledge and resources to make a real difference for those in need, and Fisher & Paykel is proud to be involved and contribute,” says Richard Babekuhl, head of marketing Australia.
Other donors include Fielders who provided cladding, roof sheeting and roof plumbing. Fixtures and fittings were donated by Tradelink while Taubmans donated paint and Form Brick provided brick tiles. Windows were provided by Accent Windows, ceiling fans by Universal Fans, hydronic heat pump by Automatic Heating, lighting by Studio All, solar install by BREC Energy and Jason of Davis Construction provided the all-important building services.
Photography: Pablo Veiga | Styling: Atelier Lab
