The Cobargo Santa Project is the first project Breathe worked on via the Architects Assist initiative, and it is without a doubt one of the most meaningful projects we have done. Watch the story here:
After the horrific bushfire events of the 2019/2020 summer, the crew at Breathe were devastated by the tremendous loss of life, property and biodiversity. In particular, we wanted to do what we could to help the brave Rural Fire Service (RFS) firefighters who had lost their own homes while defending other people’s properties and lives. We contacted the RFS directly to ask how we could help, and they connected us to firefighter Dave Rugendyke. The Rugendyke’s home had burned to the ground on New Year’s Day 2020, displacing Dave, Barbara, and their foster children. Through initial conversations we got to know Dave and Barbara as generous members of the Cobargo community; they have fostered over 400 children in their lifetime, and Dave is the town Santa each Christmas. In January 2020, they found themselves underinsured and starting from scratch.
With the family living in temporary housing, our approach to the design of the Rugendyke’s new house was driven by time, cost and resilience. Our aim was to create a home for this beautiful family that they could be proud of, that they would be comfortable in, that would cost less to build and to run than their previous home, and that was 100% fossil-fuel-free. Importantly, we wanted to build a home that would withstand harsh Australian summers and possible future bushfire events, so that Dave and Barbara could feel safe moving their family back in. We knew this home needed to be a sanctuary, where they would be able to process their recent trauma, and we wanted to help them build back better.
With cost and time front of mind, we started by getting on the phone and calling dozens of suppliers to ask for materials and goods to be donated to the project. It was incredible to see how many people were willing to help. The team came together in the blink of an eye and once we had a pool of materials, appliances and equipment, we reverse-engineered the design out of all the components.
We met Dave and Barbara in March 2020, and by Christmas 2020 they were back in their new home. We worked hard to move as quickly as possible through design and documentation and the local builder Jason Davis worked six days a week to get this deserving family back in for the holidays, less than a year after they lost their home. In the aftermath of such a traumatic event, going on with day-to-day life is difficult, let alone undertaking complex projects. In recognising how overwhelming the process was, we also lent a hand in getting the clients’ services reconnected and new accounts established, selecting furniture and loose items that were lost, and tracking total project costs to ensure both house and contents would be covered by the insured sum.
We are most proud of delivering a safe and comfortable home quickly and affordably for a family in need and the teamwork and kindness demonstrated by so many industry professionals. We believe that pro-bono work in disaster relief needs to revolve around practicality, urgency, and empathy and that it should be part of every practice. We are thrilled with how happy Dave, Barbara and the kids are with their home and with the relationship we have built with them through the experience.
For me personally, this project has been deeply rewarding. It was a sincere privilege to have been let into Dave and Barb’s world at a time when they were in such tremendous pain. The trust they put in us to help them rebuild showed vulnerability, optimism and bravery that touched the entire team. We designed the Cobargo Santa home during Victoria’s COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, so we were forced to handle the process remotely from start to finish. After a year of building an incredible bond with this family from a distance, we travelled to Cobargo in March 2021 to meet in person for the first time, and spend time with them in their new home experiencing their kindness and humanity first-hand.
Pro-bono projects have always been an important part of Breathe’s portfolio, giving purpose to our work and allowing us to serve parts of our community we wouldn’t otherwise reach. We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with Architects Assist as the platform grows and we are excited to see what impact we can have as an industry working together for those who need us most.
We are grateful to all of the suppliers that came on board to realise this project:
Paint specification and supply – Taubmans
Appliances – Fisher & Paykel
Fixtures & fittings – Tradelink
Cladding, roof sheet and roof plumbing – Fielders
Windows – Accent Windows
Ceiling fans – Universal Fans
Brick tiles – Form Brick
Hydronic heat pump – Automatic Heating
Solar install – BREC (panels supplied by Ying Li)
Lighting design & supply – Studio Al
