Solyda Rith

I’m an interior architecture student based in Melbourne, designing for comfort, clarity, and everyday wellbeing in dense urban settings. My work is research-led and people-centered: I study how light, views, acoustics, and thresholds influence stress and social connection, then translate those findings into spaces that feel both calm and alive. A consistent thread in my practice is the dialogue between heritage and the future—pairing crafted, durable materials with contemporary systems and a restrained, cyberpunk-leaning aesthetic.

This project reimagines the Barkly Theatre site in Footscray as a vertical neighbourhood: a 30-storey residential tower anchored by a restored heritage façade and a mid-tower garden that brings air, greenery, and quiet to residents higher up. The façade reads as a “glitching” pixel gradient of tinted glass and subtle lighting, creating visually rich outlooks instead of blank walls. Inside, warm walnut, stone, leather, and soft fabrics support a modern Japanese x mid-century palette, with dimmable 2700–3000K lighting for mood and recovery. Apartment layouts priorities co-living as a sustainable option—clear shared and private zones in 2+ bedroom plans—so people can live together comfortably without losing autonomy.

Across scales, I aim for longevity over trend: non-combustible skins, certified timbers and durable stones, acoustic separation, and daylight that’s softened rather than sacrificed. I care about buildings that are legible, safe, and emotionally supportive—places where a window view is worth looking at, public space feels softly private, and the city’s energy is met with spaces that help people exhale.

Arasaki Plaza residential tower

A pixelated gradient of differently tinted glass panels shiftig in tone from base
to mid-level, and again from the crown downwards, covering the mid-tower
garden as a chromatic threshold. Vertically palced LED light stips are embedded
at irregular intercals, catching on selected mullions so the building shimmers
softly at night—a subtle, glittering beacon.
The massing is gently curved to respond to Melbourne’s intense winds,
softening corners to guide airflow around the building instead of creating harsh
downdrafts. This aerodynamic shaping, combined with the layered façade, midtower
void, and controlled lighting, positions the tower as expressive and alive,
yet performative: a building that signals energy, motion, and contemporary
identity while actively supporting comfort, resilience, and everyday livability for
its residents.

Arasaki Plaza lobby area

The palette is layered, not flattened: maroon, umber, and charcoal form the
base, with lighter shades used as accents to add depth without tipping into
pastiche. Furniture proportions are modernized for livability—tapered legs,
soft curves, and clean silhouettes—while the architectural envelope carries
a Japanese calm through restrained detailing, natural textures, and clear
thresholds.

Lobby cafe

Guided by influences from Japandi, Art Deco, and Mid-Century, the interior
design is warm, tactile and adaptable. Blending cultural refinement with moody
atmospheric interior lighting, the interior benefits psychological comfort and
personal satisfactions.

Front entrance

Well-maintained architecture, especially heritage forms with ornament
and clear composition, is often preferred over modern minimalism because
complexity, legibility, and craftsmanship feel human and emotionally resonant.
A façade gains meaning not only through its details but also in relation to its
context — architecture “comes alive” when seen within the city.

Mid-tower garden azumaya

A central shallow reflecting
pool with a raised platform supporting a small azumaya (open pavilion). The
water introduces gentle sound and visual movement, helping to calm the space
and mask city noise, while the pavilion provides a defined, sheltered point for
sitting, reading, or gathering. This garden acts as a shared “living room in the
sky,” reinforcing the project’s aim to make dense urban living feel restorative
rather than overwhelming.

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.