Architectus

 Architectus  is one of Australasia's largest design practices, with more than 750 designers and specialists working across nine Australian studios and three affiliated New Zealand studios.

Partnering with public and private sector clients, the firm's architects, urban designers and planners, interior designers, landscape architects, and digital specialists work on projects of every type and scale, including new and emerging kinds of buildings and spaces.

Architectus describes their vision as designing ‘to make a positive and lasting impact on people, cities, and communities’, combining critical problem-solving, cross-sector expertise, and a collaborative ethos. A unique aspect of the practice's culture is their annual Design Charrette bringing together a wide range of designers to solve a unique urban challenge.

Their portfolio of projects spans education and research, health and science, public, living, heritage, infrastructure and data, commercial (including workplace and mixed use), and aviation, rail, and defence.

History and expansion
Architectus was formed in 2001 from the merger of several design firms in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Auckland. The new combined practice went on to pursue more significant, city-shaping projects.

In 2023 Architectus merged with Conrad Gargett, an architecture practice operating in Australia for more than 130 years. Established in Brisbane, they were behind a number of the city’s landmark buildings, including McWhirters department store and the SGIO building.

Architectus has an ongoing relationship and joint ownership structure with Architectus Aotearoa (New Zealand), expanding the practice's expertise and capacity across markets.

Key projects
In Australia, one of Architectus’ most significant early projects was 1 Bligh Street in Sydney, an international collaboration with German practice Ingenhoven Architects. The tower became a landmark on the city’s skyline, eventually being named one of the 50 Most Influential Tall Buildings of the last 50 years by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

Other key Sydney projects include Brookfield Place Sydney, Barrack Place, Salesforce Tower, Cranbrook School (Hordern Oval Precinct), and the Art Gallery of NSW, Naala Badu building, a collaboration with Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architects SANAA. They have also contributed to a range of projects for Macquarie University, including The Incubator, Ainsworth Building and the 1 Central Courtyard building.

In Melbourne and across Victoria, the practice has been involved in award-winning work associated with the State Library Victoria, Markham Avenue public and affordable housing, and a range of education clients, including The Clendon Centre at Loreto Mandeville Hall, Carey Baptist Grammar Middle School, and Bendigo TAFE. With Conrad Gargett’s major contribution, Architectus also completed the Victorian Heart Hospital, the Southern Hemisphere’s first dedicated cardiac facility.

Work on the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art led to the formation of the Architectus Brisbane studio, which also went on to design the Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law. The practice also designed the Thomas Dixon Centre – home of the Queensland Ballet – and the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (with HDR).

In Adelaide, Architectus projects include the globally significant Flinders University Health and Medical Research Building, and the Flinders University Festival Plaza Tower, while in Perth the Kings Square 5 tower is one of their most notable projects, along with Ruah Centre for Women and Children – Western Australia’s first purpose-built refuge for those escaping domestic violence.

In 2024, Architectus announced the opening of a new studio in Canberra, where they were working on projects for the Canberra Theatre Centre and Telstra Tower after already delivering work such as Canberra Metro Stage 1.

Awards and recognition
Architectus projects have won over 150 national and international awards, including from the Australian Institute of Architects, the New Zealand Institute of Architects, the Planning Institute of Australia, the Property Council of Australia, the Urban Development Institute of Australia, the World Architecture News (WAN) awards and the World Architecture Festival awards.

Environmental and social impact
Architectus has been a Carbon Neutral practice since 2021, committing to Net Zero emissions in their operations to address the impact of climate change.

Based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the firm’s commitment to Architects Declare, the practice established a Sustainability & Resilience Framework to build social and environmental sustainability actions into their projects and operations.

Architectus describes one of their key focus areas as reconciliation, recognising that the places they design occupy the unceded lands of First Peoples with a deep connection and knowledge of place.

The practice has developed a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), a framework set out by Reconciliation Australia. In early 2024, the practice’s Innovate RAP was formally endorsed, making Architectus one of only a handful of design practices in Australia to reach that phase of the RAP process.

Structure and leadership
Architectus is governed by a Board made up of executive directors Ray Brown, Ruth Wilson and Lawrence Toaldo, along with non-executive directors Clark Perkins (Chair), Chris Criddle, and James Penn. Belinda Giles serves as Company Secretary.