Who we are
Our Values
Collaboration, Creativity, and Craft, guide our practice and give us the freedom to adapt, pivot, and innovate.
We design SDA dwellings that enhance daily life, not just meet compliance. Contemporary yet timeless, each project is crafted to support accessible, dignified living while telling a story that lasts for generations.
Meet the team
We are an architecture, interior and delivery based in South Melbourne firm serving all of Australia, with deep expertise in Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).
Our core strength is designing and delivering dwellings that not only meet regulatory and compliance benchmarks, but that truly enhance the lives of people with disability.
We work across a variety of building types homes, villas, apartments, mixed-use, and complex group homes, lending our extensive experience in residential design to the unique considerations of SDA with a commitment to accessible design, and universal design principles.
Why SDA Is Difficult ? And Why Expertise Matters?
Specialist Disability Accommodation is complex.
It sits at the intersection of design excellence, regulatory compliance, commercial feasibility, participant outcomes and long-term asset performance. When any one of these is misunderstood, projects quietly fail.
The right questions matter:
How do you design a home that is participant-led, not institutional?
How do you meet SDA Design Standards without designing to the minimum?
How do you balance build cost, yield, returns and long-term operational success?
How do you coordinate planners, SDA assessors, builders, funders, providers and certifiers without costly missteps?
And critically — what are the things you should never do in SDA design?
These are the questions that determine whether an SDA project succeeds — or quietly underperforms.
SDA Architect understands the process, the risks and the opportunities.
We bring clarity, confidence and specialist expertise to every phase — delivering SDA, properly.
Our approach
Our approach is shaped by a clear understanding of how SDA projects operate in the real world.
We consider funding, construction, approvals and long-term use from the outset, ensuring the homes we design work not just on paper, but in practice , for the people who live in them and the organisations that support them.
Our work is participant-led and performance-driven. We design beyond minimum compliance, advocating for dignified, high-quality homes that support independence, comfort and longevity, without compromising operational efficiency or commercial outcomes.
This commitment has led to our involvement in industry conferences nationally, contributing to improved SDA design standards and outcomes across Australia.
Above all, we design SDA homes and apartments for living, not institutions. Our work prioritises architecture, interiors and spatial quality that feel residential, considered and human , while meeting the technical, regulatory and commercial demands of the SDA sector.
Why we are capable?
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End-to-end SDA expertise:
Not just design, but a full understanding of certification, enrolment, assistive tech, and ongoing compliance.
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Multi-scale capability
Whether it’s a single home, villa, apartment block, or a mixed-use development, we have proven track-record.
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Human-centred design
We centre the needs of SDA participants. Our designs are not just compliant, but dignified, empowering, safe, and enabling.
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Technical and regulatory literacy
We stay current with all updates: SDA Design Standard, NCC changes, State specific requirements. Our delivery process includes rigorous QA/QC, design-stage and as-built certification.
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Collaboration & stakeholder management:
We work with clients, health/professional stakeholders (OTs, support coordinators), builders, local authorities, and SDA assessors.
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Sustainability & Resilience
Where possible, we incorporate resilient materials, efficient energy & water use, design for climate (solar access, shading, ventilation), safe exits, and backup power for high need dwellings.
