Fifty years ago architects were “masters of everything”, says Studio.SC Director Nicholas Bandounas.
“We are trying to bring that back. I think architects have lost a lot of what we did over the last 20 to 30 years… we actually need to put our hats on: our developer hat on, our environmental hat on, our urban designer hat on. It’s all under the same umbrella,” Nicholas says.
“It’s about strategic thinking coupled with still providing beautiful, emotive designs,” he says.
Fellow Studio.SC Director Ed Salib adds that with each project they take on it’s about listening and understanding the problem which then ensures that they approach each particular project in the unique way it deserves.
“So understanding all the stakeholders, what the client wants, what the community wants, what the council is asking for and then bringing that all together because we are problem solvers. So understanding the brief is very key to the idea of pushing boundaries in a project,” Ed says.
As Nicholas concludes, “we are the glue, the mediators”.
Studio.SC is known for working on nationally significant projects, including The Australian War Memorial’s new Southern Entrance and Parade Ground.
The design solution required a sensitive and crafted approach and a responsibility to evolve the original vision. Their winning design saw a new central focal nexus, the Oculus located to the heart of the new Southern Entrance, which visually, emotionally and physically connects to the existing Memorial.
Ed says when approaching the project their key objective was to respond to history and place.
“It was about reinventing the experience slightly but not forgetting about what’s there,” he explains.
Nicholas says their design was an emotive result which connected to the story of the war memorial.
“Good architecture can last. That’s a perfect example of building upon it. For us it was not doing too much where it took away from it. It was a matter of doing enough to blend in,” he says.
Nicholas and Ed say architecture that lasts is also a key value when it comes to sustainable architecture.
Ed says for him, sustainability means working on something that is long lasting.
“I think one of the most satisfying things is going into a building that you’ve designed and seeing it being used the way you intended it to be used or sometimes being surprised by a different way that it's getting used . But not being empty, unused or dark.”
“I think that’s the key, it's the future proofing and the longevity and the timelessness of a building that I think is ultimately the most sustainable way of going about our built environment,” Ed says.
He says a timeless creation will reach a point in its time where it needs a refresh but doesn’t need to be demolished and started again.
Adding to that, Nicholas believes passive environmental design has always been one of the essential basics of good architecture, and says he always considers it with all designs.
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