All posts by Reynaldo Pagsolingan
155 Illawarra Rd Marrickville

Mackenzie Pronk Architects & Make Projects Partnership

This project is an adaptive reuse of a dilapidated 1890s corner shop and residence in Marrickville, transformed into a small foot-print mixed-use development with a commercial tenancy, shop-top housing, an additional three-bedroom residence and sunny courtyards with access through lofty garage/workshops to the rear lane. The development has increased the density on its site The submission celebrates the integration of contemporary architecture with strong sustainability principles and an appreciation for the building’s layered history.

The design retains and restores the original masonry structure, showcasing how adaptive reuse can deliver rich environmental, cultural, and aesthetic outcomes. New additions were constructed using lightweight timber framing and sustainably sourced materials, including FSC-certified plywoods, recycled hardwoods, Accoya timber windows and cladding, and low-carbon Envisia concrete. Rooftop PV panels and passive design strategies contribute to the building’s ongoing energy efficiency.

Throughout, the project expresses materials honestly, exposing timber structures, highlighting recycled finishes, and using low-toxicity coatings and natural lime wash. The result is a warm, textured, and highly functional building that demonstrates how sustainable performance can be achieved through both material selection and design intent.

This submission highlights the project’s holistic sustainability approach, from construction and material use to its long-term performance and contribution to the urban fabric.

Photography by Andreas Bommert – https://www.archphoto.com.au/
The Lumber Yard

Harley Graham Architects

The Lumber Yard started as a simple idea. What if we could give an old timber yard a new life, without losing what made it special? This place had been sitting there in Bangalow for over a century, timber trusses, hardwood cladding, all the character in the world—but no one quite knew what to do with it. We didn’t want to knock it down. We wanted to work with it.

So instead of starting fresh, we kept as much as we could, about 60% of the original construction fabric. The old walls, the big timber frames, all of it became the backbone of something new. Working with Harley Graham Architects, and building it out with CADRE and Tycorp, we reimagined it as a creative precinct that feels like it’s always been there, but now with a new purpose.

It’s home to local favourites like Rowie the Label and Moonshine Coffee, plus co-working spaces, a gallery, and a shared garden that’s become a bit of a community hub. The whole place runs on smart design, natural airflow, solar, rainwater capture, and local landscaping that actually belongs to the region.

It wasn’t just about fixing an old building. It was about turning it into something the town could actually use and be proud of. What used to be quiet old sheds are now full of energy and people. The Lumber Yard doesn’t just preserve history, it has given it a whole new chapter.

Photography by CADRE
Reclaimed Broken Common Bricks

University of Technology Sydney - Final year project

Reclaimed Broken Common Bricks is a small-scale adaptive reuse project located in Woollahra, NSW, that transforms construction waste—specifically broken common bricks—into architectural value. Set within a heritage precinct, the design sensitively preserves elements of the existing structure while introducing a new public-spirited purpose: a shared gallery and residence for emerging artists.

The project exemplifies circular design through the creative reuse of salvaged bricks, timber, and corrugated metal, layered into a modular system designed for disassembly and long-term adaptability. Passive environmental strategies—thermal massing, cross ventilation, and solar shading—are integrated into the form, reducing operational energy and eliminating the need for air conditioning.

Rather than conceal the scars of time and material damage, the project celebrates imperfection and history, using brokenness as a form of storytelling. The result is a socially and environmentally responsive building that supports artistic practice, community engagement, and low-carbon living.

This submission offers a model for meaningful adaptive reuse in heritage contexts, demonstrating how low-tech, high-impact design can extend the life of materials, buildings, and local culture.

Photography by Cheera Montriwat and Neha Kayastha
Reddam House North Shore

AJC Architects

Reddam House North Shore is the adaptive reuse of the iconic 1971 Simsmetal House, originally designed by Harry Seidler. AJC Architects led the transformation of the commercial office tower into a contemporary K–12 school, preserving key heritage elements while introducing state-of-the-art educational environments. This sensitive architectural intervention sets a benchmark in sustainable heritage reuse for educational facilities.

The building now houses flexible learning environments, a basement sports hall, and active rooftop play space – all accommodated within the original structure’s envelope. The design preserves and reinterprets key Seidler elements – including sunshades, staircases, and paving patterns – while upgrading all services to modern standards. A sustainable servicing strategy, low-VOC finishes, reused materials, and enhanced thermal performance all contribute to the project’s strong environmental credentials.

Photography by Tyrone Branigan
Buildonix Adaptive Component Home — 103 Linden Avenue

Buildonix Pty Ltd

Buildonix is a revolutionary Australian-designed, component-based building system that redefines how we construct, assemble, and adapt structures. At its core, Buildonix uses a precision-engineered structural space frame system combined with a library of advanced hand-held components that can be quickly assembled, disassembled, reused, or repurposed — delivering unmatched flexibility and sustainability.

Every element of Buildonix is designed to minimise waste and maximise efficiency. The system is fully engineered for off-site manufacturing, drastically reducing on-site labour, environmental disruption, and construction time by up to 70%.

This approach supports true circular economy principles. Unlike traditional methods that rely on fixed, permanent structures, Buildonix buildings can be disassembled, and reconfigured without demolition.

A significant advantage of the Buildonix system was the minimal on-site waste generation. Unlike traditional builds that often require large skip bins and frequent waste removal, this project produced virtually no construction waste during assembly.

The only notable waste was generated during the final landscaping phase, further highlighting the efficiency and environmental benefits of the component-based approach.

Buildonix is not just a building product — it is a new philosophy for how we create and interact with the built environment.

Photography by Maurice Lake
The Stopover

Taylor Buchtmann Architecture

The structure was originally a stone grain store. Part of a wider grouping of agricultural buildings.

The requirement was for The Stopover to offer accommodation and respite.

Our point of departure was to respect the material qualities of the original (now crumbling and dilapidated) structure, balancing that with identifiably contemporary repairs and patching, insertions, and overlay.

The highly tactile materials of the original building are matched in character in the new materials selections. Minimal finishes are used. The original walls are retained with minimal patching.

Two central manoeuvres were developed –
• A pair of faceted capsules were inserted (housing the upper bedroom and a second for the pantry/bathroom spaces).
• The existing verandah was partially infilled to make a second bedroom and sitting room area.

Two axes are used to organise spatially – the central axis and the entry spine. The original level change was exploited to enhance the arrival sequence and provide a variety of spatial experiences.

The interior of the capsules contrast both the wider building and the surrounding landscape. Developed as smaller lined boxes within the larger grain storage box. Their interiors are emphasised with colour, shape and texture as smaller points of surprise and delight.

The arrival sequence is in line with many farmhouse arrangements which encourage the shedding of work clothing, with the laundry and bathroom incorporated into the entry area.

The level of reflectance of materials is deliberately kept low as a foil to the high levels of light and glare externally. Lighting is selected to continue the densely textured palette. Light level is kept low (to offset high levels of summer light) and warm (to offset winter conditions).

There’s a relationship between the darker interior palette and the landscape,, emphasising views and focussing attention outward. This increases the experience of spaciousness, and contemplation.

Photography by TBArch
Boot Factory and Mill Hill Centre Precinct

Archer Office

Boot Factory and Mill Hill Centre Precinct is an exemplar of adaptive reuse, breathing new life into two Council-owned buildings constructed a century apart, alongside the revitalisation of Norman Lee Place to form a new public square in Bondi Junction.

The Boot Factory, a structurally condemned 1892 industrial building, was transformed through a carefully considered design strategy that retained its original brick walls while replacing the failed interior with a prefabricated Australian hardwood structure. By linking this building to the adjacent 1990s Mill Hill Centre, the project enabled shared amenities, lifts and services, while supporting the integration of Council functions.

The Boot Factory now provides a series of flexible spaces for community workshops, exhibitions, and events, capitalising on high ceilings, natural light and ventilation, qualities of the original building that was built before electricity. The stripped-back Mill Hill Centre accommodates offices, a seniors and community centre, a café, and multipurpose rooms, all enhanced by improved spatial clarity and daylighting.

Together, these buildings form a civic campus that balances functionality, heritage, and environmental performance. Passive strategies, such as natural ventilation, solar control and thermal mass, are supported by geothermal heating and cooling, solar energy, and sustainable landscape elements.

Crucially, the project delivers significant public benefit and operational efficiency without increasing building mass. Material selections, including glue-laminated Australian hardwood, low-VOC finishes, and recycled timber, were guided by longevity and performance. The precinct demonstrates how heritage adaptation, when done holistically, can meet ambitious environmental targets while supporting long-term civic and cultural use.

Photography by Hamish McIntosh
Younghusband

Woods Bagot

The Younghusband Woolstore Redevelopment is one of Australia’s most ambitious adaptive reuse projects, setting new benchmarks in sustainable development and decarbonisation. Using a “light touch” methodology, Woods Bagot has converted over 17,000 square metres of underutilised industrial landscape into a vibrant, mixed-use community precinct. Woods Bagot retained and restored much of the existing heritage, while new insertions are contemporary yet complementary, resulting in a highly functional built form that is rich with personality and patina. Younghusband celebrates diversity of tenants – from retail, fashion, wellness, F&B, startups, arts and culture, and temporal events – creating a self-sustaining urban ecosystem, with transport connections to greater Melbourne. Returning valuable city-fringe space back to the public, the Younghusband Woolstore is a prime example of developments giving back to the community.

Photography by Trevor Mein
Lifestyle Communities Phillip Island

DKO

The Phillip Island Lifestyle Communities Clubhouse places wellness and social sustainability at its core. This project demonstrates how environmental restoration and human wellbeing can be achieved simultaneously through thoughtful landscape architecture that weaves seamlessly through building design. The project’s integrated approach recognises that true sustainability must address the interconnected needs of ecology, community, and individual wellness, creating spaces that support both environmental regeneration and the social fabric of a over 50s community.

The project transforms the community centre into more than just a building—it becomes an extension of the natural landscape, with four distinct precincts that each serve unique functions while maintaining ecological coherence. By retaining established native trees as focal landmarks and creating habitat corridors around the perimeter, the design strengthens existing ecological networks while providing sanctuary for threatened small native birds.

Water management is addressed through passive irrigation systems, maximised permeable surfaces, and rainwater harvesting, reducing reliance on potable water while managing stormwater sustainably. The landscape design weaves through the building architecture, creating seamless indoor-outdoor connections that support the community’s wellness objectives.

Central to the project’s success is its approach to wellness and social sustainability through carefully curated spatial experiences. The design creates diverse zones that accommodate both active and passive engagement, from contemplative garden spaces that support mental health and mindfulness to dynamic gathering areas that encourage physical activity and social interaction. Four distinct precincts each offer unique character and programming opportunities, ensuring residents can find spaces that match their individual wellness needs while fostering organic community connections. The landscape design deliberately creates varied sensory experiences through texture, fragrance, and seasonal changes, supporting cognitive health and emotional wellbeing while the indigenous plantings provide therapeutic connections to nature.

This project demonstrates how thoughtful landscape design can simultaneously address environmental sustainability, community wellbeing, and economic viability.

Photography by Ralph Nowoisky
477 Pitt Street – Native Food Garden

Yerrabingin

The Native Food Garden at 477 Pitt Street is a transformative landscape intervention that revitalises a previously underutilised and inaccessible site into a vibrant, inclusive, and biodiverse urban sanctuary. Through sensitive and culturally informed design, the space has been reimagined to welcome all visitors, improve accessibility and encourage deeper engagement with the environment.

Since its establishment, the garden has flourished, with thriving native plantings creating an urban oasis that brings life and colour to the city. As the vegetation continues to mature, the space will offer increasing amenity through shade, shelter, and a sense of retreat enhancing comfort and connection for its users.

The garden goes beyond aesthetics to deliver a layered and meaningful experience. It fosters a deeper understanding of our relationship with the natural world and celebrates the richness of Australian Indigenous culturally significant plant species. The design facilitates cultural exchange and public education, bringing greater visibility to traditional ecological knowledge and sustainable practices.

Crucially, the garden is a living expression of Aboriginal custodianship and enduring care for Country. It sets a strong precedent for how urban landscapes can honour Indigenous perspectives while contributing to environmental and social wellbeing. Collaborating with First Nations knowledge holders, Aunty Barb Simms and Uncle Ray Davidson, helped embed deep cultural meaning into the planting strategy and spatial arrangement. Their guidance resulted in a biodiverse and climate-resilient landscape that reflects local ecosystems and supports ongoing cultural engagement with Country.

Blending food production, community gathering, and ecological restoration, the Native Food Garden offers a powerful, place-based vision for the future; one that is inclusive, sustainable, and grounded in Country. This submission highlights the success of the garden as a culturally significant and ecologically responsive space that exemplifies innovation in contemporary landscape design.

Photography by Blossom and Finch Photography
Guulabaa – Place of Koala

Gensler

Guulabaa – Place of Koala is the world’s first purpose-built wild koala breeding and rehabilitation centre, located in Cowarra State Forest, New South Wales. Born from the devastation of the 2019–2020 Black Summer Bushfires, which displaced or killed an estimated 3 billion animals, including 64,000 koalas, Guulabaa was created as a direct response to a critical biodiversity crisis. The 25-hectare sanctuary integrates conservation, cultural heritage, education, and regenerative design into a unique model for sustainable development.

This project represents a groundbreaking collaboration between Forestry Corporation of NSW, Gensler, Koala Conservation Australia, and the Bunyah Local Aboriginal Land Council. At the core of Guulabaa is a wild koala breeding program that prioritises naturalistic environments and minimal human contact to ensure animals can be safely released back into the wild. Complementary to its conservation mission, Guulabaa also serves as an educational and eco-tourism destination, engaging the public through immersive learning and storytelling experiences that connect people to Country.

Sustainability is embedded at every level, from passive design strategies and low-impact construction to the incorporation of Indigenous-led cultural burning practices, which reduce bushfire risk and regenerate the forest. Innovative use of fire-resilient native hardwoods, approved through regulatory collaboration, demonstrates the potential of locally sourced timber in high-risk zones. With elevated walkways, modular construction, and integrated community programming, Guulabaa is a place of habitat restoration and a blueprint for resilient, inclusive, and nature-based design.

Image Courtesy Forestry Corporation of NSW
Breakout Creek / Purruna Pari Stage 3

TCL with Green Adelaide, City of Charles Sturt, and City of West Torrens

Breakout Creek /Purruna Pari Stage 3 successfully demonstrates the ecological, visual and recreational benefits of a well-functioning Blue/Green Infrastructure. The project achieves a climate-positive impact within 11 years of construction, aligning with the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ 2040 target. Greatly increased biodiversity of landscapes, aquatic ecologies, wildlife habitats, and water quality enhancement have strengthened community amenity alongside environmental benefits. Historical levee banks were retained to manage flooding and allow continued horse agistment on part of the site

The project includes over 6.2km of walking trails and shared paths, 11,400m2 of permanently vegetated wetlands, five viewing decks, a new river crossing and a universally accessible boardwalk. Extensive Kaurna cultural interpretation has been carefully sited amongst the existing trees and sensitive ecosystems.

From the client’s perspective, “Breakout Creek Stage 3 is the completion of a near three-decade transformation of a weedy drain into a vibrant river ecosystem, reflecting Kaurna cultural heritage, accessible and attractive to the whole community. The design team, led by TCL, has achieved an outstanding integrated design that speaks to the upstream–downstream river-to-sea context, the north–south community connectivity, and the establishment of ecological communities now rarely seen on the Adelaide plains and coast. All this within a long, narrow live river corridor while retaining the vast majority of the pre-existing mature trees.”

Photography by TCL_Jackie Gu
Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club

Adriano Pupilli Architects

Long Reef is a rare jewel on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It’s a sanctuary for native flora and fauna, as well as people who come to escape the nearby suburban sprawl and reconnect with nature. Our renewal of the Long Reef SLSC vastly improves the amenity for these visitors, while remaining quiet in the landscape, preserving the rugged beauty of this special piece of coastline.

The new facility is in fact, a series of smaller pavilions set within the landscape, book-ended by an existing dune to the east and a man-made dune to the west. The pavilions are clad in timber rainscreens that are allowed to silver and settle into the natural scene.

The pavilions are arranged around a central courtyard, the main social hub. They provide amenity to outside spaces, in turn reducing the building footprint and reliance on enclosed space. Outdoor furniture collects shifting sands and vegetation as well as creating opportunities to linger and initiate serendipitous interactions between different user groups. The main pavilion hosts a function room on the second storey, providing breathtaking views to North Head, and intimate views into the existing coastal landscape and Banksia Grove. The kite shaped roof is designed to gently rise to maintain a low scale.

The needs of different community users of the site were considered through extensive consultation. The result is a balanced scheme that provides critical infrastructure for club members and volunteer surf life savers, as well as a place to interact with your neighbours, take a yoga class or stop for a coffee.

Across the seasons, the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club is in a constant state of flux, a flexible building that dramatically increases the amenity of the site while preserving and celebrating the landscape that people come to enjoy.

Photography by Kris Martyn and Martin Mischkulnig
699 Bourke St | End of Trip

Concept Black Architects

The End-of-Trip (EOT) refurbishment at 699 Bourke Street reimagines an underutilised basement area into a premium, high-performance amenity that supports active transport and user wellbeing, an upgrade initiated as part of a lease renewal agreement with a major tenant.

Originally completed in 2015, the EOT facility—measuring approximately 206m²—contained 13 unisex showers (including one DDA), 320 lockers, and a small toilet provision.

Despite being relatively modern, the facility had become dated in both function and finish.

The space was redesigned to deliver improved functionality, comfort, and amenity through durable finishes, clear circulation, enhanced lighting, and generous personal zones.

Consideration was given to both aesthetics and performance, with a neutral, calming palette and soft lighting to reduce overstimulation and promote ease of use.

By strategically retaining and adapting existing built elements, the project reduced construction waste while delivering a cohesive, contemporary facility that supports ongoing wellness and tenant retention strategies.

The EOT refurbishment forms part of a broader repositioning of 699 Bourke Street as a future-focused commercial asset prioritising sustainability, inclusivity, and circular design.

Key upgrades included the addition of grooming stations, improved ironing and hair care amenities, more efficient shoe and towel storage, and greater visual warmth through natural materials and soft lighting. The outcome is a practical, future-proof facility that balances wellness, sustainability, and operational durability.

Photography by Project Black
Newend – Flagship Store

Heliotope

Heliotope Studio has collaborated with Newend, artist Michael Gittings and Radiant Joinery to create a flagship store within the Collingwood Yards arts precinct on Johnston Street (Collingwood).

Collingwood Yards is managed by a not-for-profit organisation, and situated in the former Collingwood TAFE site and has been supported by philanthropy, government and commercial partners in its redevelopment. It was developed to address a crisis of affordable arts space in Australia and in Melbourne in particular. Most, if not all, of the not-for-profit tenants supported at Collingwood Yards have come under threat of having to relocate, to pay unaffordable rent or close if they are unable to secure an affordable base for their operations.

There is an emphasis on providing space to a diverse range of artists and creative communities, with the social benefits of arts participation well documented (and affordable space is a key part of supporting them). Collingwood Yards is both a transformational project for its neighbourhood and a proof of concept for the broader goal to develop a new model of providing affordable and sustainable arts space in Australia.

Photography by Cathy Tipping
Crossroads Marrickville

Mackenzie Pronk Architects & Make Projects Partnership

This project is an adaptive reuse of a dilapidated 1890s corner shop and residence in Marrickville, transformed into a small foot-print mixed-use development with a commercial tenancy, shop-top housing, an additional three-bedroom residence and sunny courtyards with access through lofty garage/workshops to the rear lane. The development has increased the density on its site The submission celebrates the integration of contemporary architecture with strong sustainability principles and an appreciation for the building’s layered history.

The design retains and restores the original masonry structure, showcasing how adaptive reuse can deliver rich environmental, cultural, and aesthetic outcomes. New additions were constructed using lightweight timber framing and sustainably sourced materials, including FSC-certified plywoods, recycled hardwoods, Accoya timber windows and cladding, and low-carbon Envisia concrete. Rooftop PV panels and passive design strategies contribute to the building’s ongoing energy efficiency.

Throughout, the project expresses materials honestly, exposing timber structures, highlighting recycled finishes, and using low-toxicity coatings and natural lime wash. The result is a warm, textured, and highly functional building that demonstrates how sustainable performance can be achieved through both material selection and design intent.

This submission highlights the project’s holistic sustainability approach, from construction and material use to its long-term performance and contribution to the urban fabric.

Photography by Andreas Bommert – https://www.archphoto.com.au/
Crop Fitzroy

Olaver Architecture

At Olaver Architecture, we approached the design of Crop with a clear intention: to create a hospitality space that embodies the ethos of “eat with impact.” From the beginning, we wanted the design to reflect the same values as the food offering—honest, thoughtful, and low-impact. Every decision we made, from material selection to layout, was guided by a commitment to sustainability and circular thinking.

We focused on using local, recycled, and rapidly renewable materials wherever possible. The cabinetry, for example, is made from hemp board—an incredibly sustainable material that’s biodegradable and regenerative. We incorporated recycled bricks in the dining platform and reclaimed timber for seating, all sourced through trusted local suppliers. These materials not only reduce environmental impact but also bring a richness and warmth to the space that supports a sense of welcome and calm.

Reusing elements from the site’s previous tenancy was an important part of our approach. By retaining what we could and specifying new materials only where necessary, we minimised waste and kept the fit-out cost-effective. We also selected kitchen equipment with energy efficiency in mind, ensuring the operational side of the business aligned with the sustainability values embedded in the design.

Flexibility was another priority. We designed the furniture and cabinetry to be demountable, so they can be reused or recycled in future fit-outs. This allows the space to evolve without needing to start from scratch. The layout encourages connection and calm, with open sightlines, tactile materials, and moments to pause and engage.

Crop is a small project, but it’s one that speaks to larger ambitions. Through it, we’ve shown how considered design can support not just environmental goals, but also human wellbeing and meaningful business values.

Photography by Ashley Ludkin
environa studio 1986


environa studio

Founded 40 years ago by Tone Wheeler to concentrate on environmentally based architecture, hence the name, and we are a studio, not an office. Over time, we have moved to ‘triple bottom line design’, a more holistic approach to social, environmental, and financial sustainability.

Projects: Not-for-Profit

Our projects are of three types. The first is our work with not-for-profit organisations, community and social providers, where we are designing social housing, affordable housing, community buildings and retirement villages. Our clients include major churches, Anglican, Uniting, Catholic, and the Nan Tien Buddhists. These not for-profits do not always generate fees needed to maintain an architectural practice

Projects: Commercial

Thus, the second type are commercial projects, usually run by developers, where we aim to bring a heightened awareness of environmental and social sustainability. Although higher fees are on offer, our success rate is not always high, given our adherence to sustainable principles. Nevertheless, we rely on a traditional fee schedule from the commercial work to offset the not-for-profits income.

Projects: Research

The third type of practice is architectural research and publications. We continue to explore architectural forms that would increase sustainability. Research that has informed practice include:
• external accessed single-sided apartments for better cross-ventilation, (exhibited in model form at the Venice Biennale in 2008);
• better project home designs, including work with 3 major builders, and construction of an exhibition home (AIA award in 2010);
• most recently researching designs for three-story walk-up flats – the optimum sustainable form – where our advocacy is engaged with the NSW Dept of Planning for work on a pattern book.

Over time this research by the studio has contributed the writing of several books and published over 300 articles in the SMH, A&D, Fifth Estate, AA and AR.

 
Envirotecture


This is a unique architectural practice with a long history; Envirotecture has blazed a trail for sustainable design for three decades. It was founded by Dick Clarke, a building designer who had no time for statement architecture but rather was passionate about designing homes and other buildings that were inviting, comfortable and sat lightly on the earth. Dick has unparalleled expertise in the use of passive solar principles in the Australian context and this approach predominates in Envirotecture’s early work.

Building science made giant strides in the 1990s, leading to the development of the Passivhaus standard, a performance standard for incredibly energy-efficient buildings. Homes, workplaces, classrooms, hospitals—any kind of building—certified to this standard are supremely healthy indoor spaces, make radically less demand for energy for heating and cooling and are well-built and durable. Directors Talina Edwards and Andy Marlow are among Australia’s most experienced Passivhaus designers. They blend a rigorous understanding of building physics to their deep understanding of passive solar design principles; the two are not contradictory.

Envirotecture merged with Talina Edwards Architecture in 2022, bringing two leading environmental architecture practices together to expand their reach and influence. The practice now has teams in two offices, in VIC and NSW, and works on projects around Australia and the world.

 
Green Sheep Collective


Environmentally conscious, ethical, and community minded, Green Sheep Collective is a residential architecture firm in Melbourne that brings sustainable design expertise, flexibility, and fun to the design and construction of your home.

Respect for people and the environment are at the forefront of our approach to architecture. We deliver excellence in the field of sustainable design, and show leadership in producing homes that have minimal impact upon the earth, contribute positively to their context, and enrich the lives of their inhabitants.

Working hard to get to know you and your aspirations, we listen to how you intend to inhabit your home, and use our design process as an open dialogue – together we get to the heart of and resolve complex requirements to create highly functional, beautiful and positive spaces.

 
CplusC


CplusC is an award-winning team of architects and builders. For 20+ years we’ve crafted inventive and highly personalised premium homes. Led by architect and master builder Clinton Cole, we’re industry leaders in regenerative design.

Every home we design and build is future aware, made for you and built for life with sustainability strategies working together holistically. In our unique business model, we’re with you all the way – from first concepts to approvals to building your home – with no hand-offs.

Seeing your project as a whole lets us give you realistic designs, costs and timelines, plus solve technical challenges in bold new ways. As a certified B Corp, we strive to create a positive impact on the lives of our clients, our team, our community and those who come next.

 
Jessica Hardwick Architecture


We’re here to make beautiful, livable buildings that are sustainable, attainable and fun – to make and to occupy.

Our values underpin our process and facilitate the creation of a clear vision for every project with an execution that is cohesive and enjoyable for all involved – from concept to completion.

We’re lit up by the capacity for good architecture to enrich the human experience & driven to deliver results that exceed expectations, not budgets.

In creating Jessica Hardwick Architecture, my vision has been to provide a relationship-focussed approach to design that is founded on listening to understand who our clients are, what their objectives & aspirations are. We collaborate with our clients to develop exciting project briefs that are enriched by thoughtful insights on the special qualities of each site we respond to.

We are passionate about producing work that engages strongly with its context, is healthy for people and the planet, and nourishing to experience.

 
METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line Project

Woods Bagot with TRCB, TCL and UDLA

The METRONET Morley-Ellenbrook Line Project is a transformational project delivering 5 new stations and precincts in Perth, Western Australia. Valued at $1.65 billion (AUD), the project spans 21 kilometres of new rail through the city’s growing northeast suburbs. Inherently public in nature, the five stations have a cohesive line-wide identity representing a thoughtful integration of civic architecture within Perth’s suburban landscape.

With a 120-year design life, the stations provide resilient infrastructure that will support the communities in this region for generations. The project sets new sustainability benchmarks for rail infrastructure globally and supports masterplans that will enable growth and densification.

The breadth of the project provided a unique opportunity for the design team to create a line-wide identity and cohesive architectural narrative across the line. Inherently public in nature, the Ellenbrook Line represents a thoughtful integration of civic architecture within Perth’s suburban landscape. The design plays with scale, balancing civic grandeur with domestic scaled environments.

The design narrative draws inspiration from its suburban context, with stations that embrace the qualities, aspiration and sensibilities of Australian suburbia to create human-centred spaces that are safe and easy to navigate, with a sense of familiarity. The project sets new sustainability benchmarks for rail infrastructure in Western Australia.

Photography by Trevor Mein
Matraville Youth & Cultural Hall

Sam Crawford Architects

The Matraville Youth and Cultural Hall replaces a rudimentary 1950s structure with a vibrant community hub designed with an 80+ year lifespan and benchmark sustainability. Located on the traditional lands of the Dharawal people, the building respectfully preserves a grove of native trees, seamlessly integrating with its surroundings.

Humble materials of Zincalume cladding, painted brick, and Australian timbers are celebrated. Exposed timber beams, columns and connections reveal the logic of the structure.

Sustainability drives the design through simple techniques of orientation, stack ventilation, shading and insulation, allowing the building to be passively cooled and naturally lit. The hall operates without air conditioning – operable wall panels and ceiling fans cool the building in summer. In winter, underfloor hydronic heating warms the building gently.

A welcoming entrance features a mural by an Indigenous artist and local Aboriginal high school students, emphasising community connection. This multi-functional space serves diverse activities—dance, yoga, sports, cultural events—to create a lasting community asset.

Photography by Brett Boardman
Central Station

Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners

Sydney Metro is Australia’s biggest public transport project, building, operating and maintaining a network of four metro lines, 46 stations and 113km of new metro rail. Servicing 96 percent of Sydney’s train services, Central Station forms the backbone of the entire rail network. The introduction of the new Sydney Metro station has added an average of 24,400 passenger boardings on a typical weekday to existing customer numbers.

The transformation of Central Station to accommodate a state-of-the-art metro interchange required the design of spatially and structurally efficient operational segments and sophisticated, multilevel passenger flow strategies. Designed with the future in mind, the station supports additional placemaking and regeneration outcomes. The project features a dramatic new main entrance sequence for the imposing early 20th century edifice and incorporates as its centrepiece a distinctive 50m-span vaulted roof.

The bold architecture of the original structure dovetails with equally bold, can do, 21st century interventions giving the station an entirely new functional and experiential vibe, so that up to 450,000 passengers a day can flow through its spaces and feel, quite palpably, an inspiring, highly efficient, and re energised coming together of old and new. The Clock Tower, the original canopied concourse, and the general architectural gravitas remain iconic; the new interventions, while contemporary in architectural style, elevate the station’s unique historic status.

The insertion of the metro deep into the heart of Sydney’s Central Station inspires a crafted subterranean architecture that seeks to capture the essence of the station, Sydney, and the unique qualities of the Hawkesbury River sandstone used extensively in this historic precinct. The scale of the intervention is as large as the original building except it is predominantly submerged underground. All key thresholds introduce elements of natural light and this helps orientation and intuitive wayfinding around the station.

The design vision and approach place the customer experience at the centre of the transformation. The creation of more open spaces such as the new Northern Concourse at key decision-making points significantly improves circulation and station legibility, with enhanced accessibility, permeability, and connectivity across the station precinct, resulting in an intuitive and easily used station environment for all customers, irrespective of the mode of travel used.

The new metro and concourse insertions are designed to be purposeful, functional, sculpturally rich and synthesised with the historic qualities of the original station. This materiality establishes the proposals into their local context and provides a civic quality to the new station works.

As well as making commuting a more efficient and pleasant, customer focused experience, the station upgrade is already generating opportunities for wider civic and commercial renewal.

Photography by Trevor Mein
Pakenham Station

Genton

Genton’s design for Pakenham Station redefines transport infrastructure as a civic landmark, blending cutting-edge digital fabrication with urban renewal. Located in Melbourne’s southeast, the elevated station eliminates three level crossings while introducing over 20,000 square metres of new public space, transforming a once-divided suburb into a thriving, interconnected precinct.

At the heart of the design is an expansive, wave-like canopy, crafted using digitally fabricated reinforced thermoset. This eliminates the need for excessive steel and aluminium, reducing embodied carbon. The station’s radical openness removes traditional walls, ensuring unobstructed views, enhanced safety, and seamless integration with the surrounding landscape.

Beyond functionality, Pakenham Station celebrates Indigenous co-design, with architectural elements referencing local cultural narratives, such as the wings of Bunjil, the wedge-tailed eagle. The Bunjil feather pattern is engraved into the GRC, creating a tangible, tactile experience that allows people to physically interact with the Indigenous storytelling embedded into the station.

A 2km long civil retaining wall between East Pakenham & Pakenham Station creates A linear journey along the Shared Use Path. The eel trap motif references the traditional land use practices of the Bunurong people, showcasing how First Nations communities historically engaged with the landscape.

The project’s emphasis on transparency, sustainability, and public connectivity positions it as a benchmark for future rail infrastructure, proving that transport hubs can be both highly functional and deeply embedded in the cultural and environmental fabric of their communities.

Photography by Peter Clarke
Boot Factory and Mill Hill Centre Precinct

Archer Office

Boot Factory and Mill Hill Centre Precinct is an exemplar of adaptive reuse, breathing new life into two Council-owned buildings constructed a century apart, alongside the revitalisation of Norman Lee Place to form a new public square in Bondi Junction.

The Boot Factory, a structurally condemned 1892 industrial building, was transformed through a carefully considered design strategy that retained its original brick walls while replacing the failed interior with a prefabricated Australian hardwood structure. By linking this building to the adjacent 1990s Mill Hill Centre, the project enabled shared amenities, lifts and services, while supporting the integration of Council functions.

The Boot Factory now provides a series of flexible spaces for community workshops, exhibitions, and events, capitalising on high ceilings, natural light and ventilation, qualities of the original building that was built before electricity. The stripped-back Mill Hill Centre accommodates offices, a seniors and community centre, a café, and multipurpose rooms, all enhanced by improved spatial clarity and daylighting.

Together, these buildings form a civic campus that balances functionality, heritage, and environmental performance. Passive strategies, such as natural ventilation, solar control and thermal mass, are supported by geothermal heating and cooling, solar energy, and sustainable landscape elements.

Crucially, the project delivers significant public benefit and operational efficiency without increasing building mass. Material selections, including glue-laminated Australian hardwood, low-VOC finishes, and recycled timber, were guided by longevity and performance. The precinct demonstrates how heritage adaptation, when done holistically, can meet ambitious environmental targets while supporting long-term civic and cultural use.

Photography by Hamish McIntosh
First Steps Count Child and Community Centre

Austin McFarland Pty Ltd

The First Steps Count Child and Community Centre is a purpose-built living building, that uses biophilic design to bring nature into the building structure. The building was completed in 2024, after 15 years of planning, fundraising and building. This unique, ecologically sustainable and community-responsive building serves as a dynamic hub providing integrated early childhood services for families with children between the ages of 0-12, designed to support children and their families in a safe and welcoming environment (Driscoll, 2024).

Through the Centre, family support services are encouraged to work differently – working in partnership with families and collaboratively with other community services to achieve better outcomes for children, families and the community. The facility includes nature-based creative indoor and outdoor play spaces for children, a multi-purpose conference facility, meeting and training rooms, office space for co-located service providers, an activity room and consult rooms for various purposes including therapy, visiting medical consultations, hearing tests and otherwise costly health services.

The project’s building design was heavily informed by the Living Building Challenge which is the world’s most rigorous green building rating system (International Living Future Institute, 2022). The use of the Living Building Challenge framework can be attributed to many of the remarkable sustainability initiatives in this building. Matching with LBC priorities, the project team had a strong preference for locally sourced building supplies. While demanding, this created opportunities for new approaches in all areas of up-cycling, recycling, reducing carbon emissions and promoting low waste construction. Close collaboration and partnerships with Mid Coast Council, the University of Newcastle, local industry and building professionals have advanced all these initiatives as well as promoting sustainable construction in a variety of areas.

Another beautiful angle to this project is the integration of community art arranged and guided by local artists. The input from all demographics of the community leaves a tangible impression full of diversity, fun and inspiration (Vaughan 2024).

Photography by Matthew Carbone
Live Lightly Haus

Envirotecture

This is the renovation that defied expectations. The dilapidated timber cottage was relocated onto this large rural property many years ago with little regard to orientation and the demanding extremes of climate in this inland region.

Subsequently left to slowly decay, it was debatable whether it had a future at all. But thanks to a client committed to showcasing how deep a deep energy retrofit could go, it is now comfortable, healthy and very energy efficient.

The new extension is unashamedly modern and creates a bold contrast from the exterior, differentiated by its roof form, cladding and colour. Its timber cladding is echoed by the generous walkways and decking surrounding the cottage, constructed from Australian hardwood timber.Inside, period features are retained in the original bedrooms, with their internal curved wall and feature plaster ceiling. The kitchen is modern and practical, opening to an open-plan dining and living room.

Everyone is happy that a beautiful pear tree shading the north-facing window could be kept. Enough sun filters through its bare branches in winter to provide needed solar gain.

The cottage had to be stripped back to its bones, a sturdy timber frame that was still fairly straight. Design took the deep retrofit seriously. First an air control layer was established, followed by insulation: batts between studs plus a continuous layer of woodfibre insulation board. This was followed by a weather tight layer and finally new cladding.

The climate (both hot and cold) required an air tight solution for thermal control which also necessitates reliable ventilation with mechanical heat recovery with ventilation (MVHR). All of these elements contribute to the Passivhaus strategy that delivers energy efficiency alongside a healthy and comfortable indoor environment.

The project is targeting Passivhaus EnerPHit certification and the final stage of certification is almost complete.

David Smyth
Rifle Range Retrofit

HeHe Design

Doing something new for the first time is challenging, especially when something has never been achieved before. There are plenty of examples of building a new passive house, and even renovating and extending a home, but what had never been done was turning a spec home—built by a very well-known volume builder to minimum standards—into a certified EnerPHit Passive House.

This led to the hypothesis: Is it possible to retrofit the standard Aussie home—a brick veneer home with roof tiles—without removing the external skin of the building, doing everything from the inside to the Passive House standard? Could we prove to the market, where currently around 8million homes don’t reach current energy efficiency targets, that it is possible to retrofit your home to a high standard, without needing to touch the outside of the building!

There is no previous history to draw on, no one we can consult to see what worked and what did not work in the past. It was simply about making the project the goal and bringing in the brightest minds to make this happen.

But the answer is yes, it is possible. We achieved something that has never been done before. Converting a Volume Built minimum standards construction spec home, into a certified EnerPHit Passive House.

We took a home that was over 35 ACH down to .4ACH, one that required 163hWh/m2A to heat the home, all the way down to 32hWh/m2A.

But most importantly we turned this house into a home, one that our clients love and adore, and in these winter months are just loving the constant comfortable temperature inside without having to do anything to maintain it.

Photography by Marnie Hawson



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