Rust Architects is a Registered Architecture practice based in Aotearoa, working across new homes, renovations and interior architecture. We focus on clear planning, careful material layering, and technically resolved work that is calm to live within.
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Residential, Renovations,
Interior
Interior
We design homes that distil clarity from complexity. The right decisions, quietly made, travel further, and last.
Rust Architects
The best homes are memory machines. Vessels for experiences and lives that deepen in meaning, through use and time.
Rachael Rust
Rachael Rust is a Registered Architect with over ten years' experience across New Zealand, London, and Amsterdam. Her background spans high‑end residential work and large‑scale commercial projects, combining strong ideas with precise technical execution.
Before founding Rust Architects, Rachael's work was shaped at UNStudio, Fearon Hay, and Cheshire Architects. Today her focus is a small number of carefully considered homes each year, delivered with BIM‑led documentation and close support through construction.
Design approach
Our work is shaped by how buildings are made: legible, efficient planning, material layering and interior architecture, constructability and coordination.
Rust Architects works using BIM‑led processes to support clear coordination and efficient delivery, resulting in architecture that is buildable and quietly enduring.
Services
- 01 Residential Architecture New homes designed with clear planning, careful material layering, and a calm spatial language that endures.
- 02 Renovations & Alterations Considered reinvention of existing homes, balancing heritage and contemporary living through precise detailing.
- 03 Interior Architecture Interiors considered integral to the architecture. Material composition, bespoke furniture, and styling.
- 04 Project Clarity Phase A standalone first step: feasibility, brief refinement and indicative cost guidance before the full design process begins.
Process
Our process provides a clear framework, guiding each decision from early feasibility through to detailed resolution and construction.
01
Early Conversations
Every project begins with an open discussion about aspirations, site realities, and the level of investment you are considering. You leave with an understanding of feasibility, early scope clarity, and direction on next steps.
02
Project Clarity
Structured thinking before major commitments. Initial spatial studies, site analysis, budget discussions, and early planning. You leave with a clearer understanding of potential pathways, whether that means proceeding to full design or refining the brief.
03
Concept Design
With a defined brief, we shape the architectural response. Planning, light, proportion, and material direction, tested for how the home will feel to live within. You gain preliminary drawings and confidence in the overall direction.
04
Developed Design
The concept refined into a buildable scheme. Details are clarified. Materials are considered precisely. Engineering and consultant input is coordinated. This stage preserves design intent while resolving technical requirements.
05
Documentation & Approvals
Detailed architectural drawings and specifications prepared for accurate builder pricing and council consent. Clarity at this stage protects the integrity of the design during construction.
06
Construction Support
We remain involved during construction. Site visits, responding to queries, and reviewing details as they arise. Our role is to safeguard the quality and resolution established in earlier stages.