Complex projects. Clear thinking.
Understand the problem.
Make the decisions. Then design.
Practical first. Awesome always.
Building projects are complicated.
When planning, compliance, cost, design and existing conditions are all connected, solving one piece in isolation can create problems somewhere else.
Unit 7 looks at the whole project early, works out what matters, and helps you make the right decisions in the right order.
Start with Project Definition.
Before we design the answer, we define the problem.
Every project starts somewhere different.
We look at what is already known, what isn’t, the constraints that matter and the decisions that need to be made first.
That might mean understanding the existing building, planning controls, seismic issues, fire and accessibility requirements, budget, programme, consultant needs or early design possibilities.
The outcome.
You understand what you’re dealing with, where the risks sit, what information is still missing and what should happen next.
A better-defined project makes every decision that follows easier.
What we do.
Project Definition + Feasibility
Early advice when the project, scope or pathway isn’t clear yet. We test what matters before too much is committed.
Existing Buildings
Seismic strengthening, heritage buildings, adaptive reuse, change of use and upgrades where the existing building is part of the problem and part of the opportunity.
Commercial + Public Projects
Workplaces, education, community and other projects where multiple requirements, stakeholders and consultants need to come together coherently.
Due Diligence
Architectural advice before you buy, lease, invest or commit to significant work on an existing building.
Complex Residential
Alterations, additions and difficult sites where planning, existing conditions, budget and design need careful resolution.
Project Definition + Feasibility
Early advice when the project, scope or pathway isn’t clear yet. We test what matters before too much is committed.
Existing Buildings
Seismic strengthening, heritage buildings, adaptive reuse, change of use and upgrades where the existing building is part of the problem and part of the opportunity.
Commercial + Public Projects
Workplaces, education, community and other projects where multiple requirements, stakeholders and consultants need to come together coherently.
Due Diligence
Architectural advice before you buy, lease, invest or commit to significant work on an existing building.
Complex Residential
Alterations, additions and difficult sites where planning, existing conditions, budget and design need careful resolution.
How we work.
A clear process for complicated projects.
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Work out where the project really starts.
- We investigate the brief, the site, the existing building, the available information and the unknowns.
- We expose risks, opportunities and must-haves before design begins.
Why it matters
- Your project launches on facts, not wishful thinking.
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Turn the unknowns into something we can make decisions about.
- We test the important constraints, develop the brief, explore the right options and identify the advice the project needs.
- The project starts to become clearer: what it includes, what it might cost, what needs consent, who needs to be involved and what should happen next.
Why it matters
- This is where vague ideas become a project you can actually plan, price and make decisions around.
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Bring the pieces together before they become expensive to change.
- We develop and coordinate the architecture, structure, services, materials, cost and other project requirements, then resolve the detail needed for consent, pricing and construction.
- Changes are still possible, but they increasingly affect programme, documentation and cost.
Why it matters
- Good coordination here reduces ambiguity later, when changes cost more and affect more people.
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Carry the decisions through.
- We support consent, procurement and construction, coordinate the team and deal with the issues that inevitably emerge once work moves from drawings into the real world.
- Track programme and spend; solve issues in real time.
Why it matters
- A well-resolved design still needs active leadership to make sure the intent survives delivery.
Sally Woods
Senior judgement from the first conversation.
You work with Sally Woods, Registered Architect.
Sally brings more than 25 years of architectural experience across public, education, commercial, residential and complex existing-building projects.
She leads the architectural thinking, helps define scope and priorities, and brings together the planners, engineers, cost consultants and other specialists the project needs.
One senior architect. One coherent project.
