We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all First Nations people today.

ABOUT US

studio polychrome

Studio Polychrome was established in 2023 as a full-service architectural practice. Our goal is to create sustainable solutions for people and the planet by employing processes, technology & materials consciously. We are orienting our architectural practice to view the qualitative through the quantitative with attention on metrics in order to make informed decisions and choices.

We call this conscious design.

PROJECTS

design

We are a process driven architectural practice believing that the best outcomes are achieved through an iteration and refinement of concepts and ideas adjusted to reflect the multiple influences and shifting perspective encountered during the evolution of a project. We do this in consultation with our project partners through the lens of finding optimal solutions.

Current projects

people

what we offer

services

With 30 years of experience across all stages of the design process combining a passion for the initial ideation and conceptual stages together with a highly developed technical knowledge and understanding of how buildings are constructed, we are ideally positioned to deliver the full range of architectural design services.

pre design

Briefing
Feasibility Design & Pre-design Exploration
Due Diligence

concept & urban design

Site Analysis
Site Assessment
Urban Assessment
Masterplanning
Site Massing
Rezoning Design
Concept Design

architectural & interior design

Schematic Design
Design Development
Contract Documentation
Site Attendance
Post Occupancy Evaluation
Peer review

ethos

THE CHOICES WE MAKE IN THE EARLY IDEATION OF A CONCEPT HAVE FOUNDATIONAL IMPACT ON OUTCOMES.

approach

WE TEST OURSELVES AND ASK:

Do we understand context?
Do we understand the metrics?
Do we control both the concept and the amount of built fabric we are consuming?
Has this relationship been reviewed ?
Can what we conceive be built , and built easily within the norms and capacity of the local building industry?
Do our early decisions create confidence by being well considered and relevant to the brief?

ideals

Design should be:

Innovative
Useful
Aesthetic
Understandable
Unobtrusive and honest
Long lasting
Environmentally responsive
Responsible

values

COLLABORATIVE:

An ideation and delivery approach that recognizes and values teamwork while requiring individual input. A model where independence co-exists and is strengthened by collaboration practices enabling clarity of individual contribution.

CREATIVE

A practice that is curious, open and broad in its identification of concepts and solutions. Practiced within a rigorous and critical framework, one in which the adopted solutions are deemed appropriate by assessing the value of the idea and its execution.

CONSCIOUS

A practice which is actively conscious about the utilization and consumption of the resources and materiality it deploys in design.

behind the name

Polychrome brickwork is a style of architectural brickwork utilising bricks of different colours in patterned combination to highlight architectural features and was extensively employed in early Melbourne Architecture.

The brick firing kilns produced a variety of brick types ranging from quality ‘Faced’, ordinary ‘Commons’ through to ‘Callows’. ‘Callows’ or ‘Dough-boys’, the underfired or under burnt bricks, are produced by uneven temperatures in the kiln. Rather than rejecting the softer and often discoloured material, Polychrome brickwork embraced it all which embodies the ingenuity and resourcefulness of this design approach.

Studio Polychrome draws it's identity from this proposition and values honesty of expression and scarcity of building materials reinterpreted as a guide toward a sustainable future for the built environment.