Built to last: Talking longevity with Architect Tina Tziallas

Founder of Tziallas Architects and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects Tina Tziallas is passionate about designing homes that are built to last.

The Southern Highlands based architect says she wants to see longevity in the things she designs.

“We want to see our buildings stand the test of time. I love the idea that our buildings today are tomorrow’s heritage. I would love to see them last and be maintained and loved and repurposed and have a life beyond the occupants we are designing our buildings for,” she says.

While Tina has never claimed that her practice specialises in sustainable design, she says sustainability has always been integral to her work as an architect.

“I do really love the idea that you build it once and it stays and that’s why I have a real passion for heritage architecture and adaptive reuse of heritage buildings because the most sustainable thing we can do is keep and reuse buildings”.

She doesn’t think a sustainable house needs to be a high-tech house, it just needs to be a house that is going to perform well.

“If technology can come in and augment that performance and find ways we can measure our improvements that’s fabulous but that base building needs to be sustainable on its own”.

Double glazing is one of the key things Tina specifies to enhance the thermal performance of the homes she designs.

“We work in quite beautiful sites where we have views to capture so glazing becomes so important. I can’t tell you the last time we did a house that was single glazed.”

“And sealing those window openings correctly has been part of our methodology for years and years”.

When it comes to waste management during construction, Tina has a theory on how to reduce it substantially.

“I actually think a lot of waste byproduct during the build happens when you haven’t been able to easily estimate materials, mistakes happen and things need to be changed and things are happening on the fly.”

“We are always thinking about sheet sizes, off cuts and what we do with the remaining material”.

“If we can document and put a lot of care into the documentation for the builder and the builder is also invested in taking care when planning the project and ordering the materials and working out quantities, those are really big steps towards minimising waste”.

Tina says responding to place is an essential part of her design philosophy; connecting occupants to what is beyond the house.

“You can design a very beautiful room to sit in but how you move from place to place is important. So view lines that connect you to corridors from outside.”

“Your circulation areas become really joyful and you’re always connecting with the outside. I think it’s really nice to get a sense of where you are”.

Ultimately, Tina believes that we need to be connected to where we live because when we are connected to something, we care for it, value it, nurture it and protect it.

This podcast is brought to you in association with AWS, proud sponsors of our 2025 Residential series of podcasts.

If you want to find out more how Tina Tziallas designs sustainable, timeless homes that prioritise longevity, waste reduction, and a deep connection to place, listen to the whole episode of the podcast here.