Plico Design Studio

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Plico Design Studio

Plico Design Studio is an Architecture, Interior Design and Heritage Research company based in Port Melbourne, Australia.

Architecture & Heritage practice adapting places and contexts that respond to contemporary use, in projects across Australia

The Commons, 80 Market Street, South Melbourne, Victoria, 3205, Australia We specialise in adapting historical places and contexts to create spaces which respond to contemporary use. As a member of Australian Architects Declare, an international network of architects commit

ted to addressing climate and biodiversity emergency, we aim to operate under the values of responsibility and openness, pursuing innovation from conception to delivery of each project. We look for creative solutions to minimise our projects’ carbon footprint whilst responding to clients’ needs. We recognise heritage as an enabler of sustainability, and contribute to the circular economy in salvaging materials for reuse and repurposing these in our works. Our versatility and flexibility are shown in our variety of key projects, which include adaptive reuse, contemporary design, commercial, public and residential projects. You’ll find us at Zoos Victoria, Heritage Sites, Solar Farms, veterinarian and medical rooms, educational institutions, churches, gyms, and in suburban and regional homes across Victoria and Tasmania. We collaborate with other creative disciplines depending on the requirements for each project, including specialist designers for Interpretation, Interiors, Landscape and other artists. We travel far and wide to bring inspiration and apply knowledge from around the world directly to our projects.

28/08/2026

From outdated office block to state-of-the-art medical clinic.

Repurposing spaces is what we do best—whether it's breathing new life into heritage landmarks or converting commercial offices into high-performance facilities.

A quick look at our latest project with Port Melbourne Medical Centre:

⚪️ The Site: 800sqm former office space
⚪️ The Plan: A complete spatial redesign focused on accessibility, compliance, and client flow
⚪️ The Hero Features: A striking entry roof structure + a central glass lift with a wrap-around staircase

Final results coming very soon!

Architects –
Engineers - Maurice Farugia and Associates
Certifier - Approval Systems
Builders – .projects & Vern Built
Clients - Port Melbourne Medical Clinic

20/08/2026

We are excited to announce we’ve received our Planning Permit, for our Adaptive Reuse commission in Derrinallum, Western Victoria. The former Presbyterian/Uniting Church will be restored and converted into a gallery space with minimal intervention, to protect the built and social heritage of this former place of worship.

The adjacent timber framed Church Hall will be adapted into a residence for the owner to reside. This will include upgrades to insulation, glazing and electrical to improve sustainable performance. We’ve enjoyed designing spaces for the owner’s intrepid cats, and can’t wait to show you in further posts.

Multiple repurposed elements have been sourced for integration into the project to minimise reliance on new materials, and to prioritise authenticity and again sustainability. We are working closely with our client to ensure there is minimal impact on the significance of heritage site and streetscape, whilst creating an efficient and comfortable abode for them to enjoy.

14/08/2026

The Queen Victoria Market Precinet Renewal ensures that the heart of Melbourne’s history beats well into the future. Plico Design Studio are proud to be one of the Architects in this renewal. We were commissioned by Queen Victoria Market and Melbourne City Council to activate the Deli Lane and Therry Street dining precinct, enhancing the outdoor dining space for patrons buying food and beverages on site, and providing another place for Melbournians and tourists to meet throughout the year.

The brief carried competing constraints: a heritage-listed setting, an active market service area, and a busy public setting. We developed several concepts in response, landing on a contemporary interface with the iconic Dairy Hall building that respects the site’s heritage significance rather than competing with it.

We worked with Street Furniture Australia on fixed furniture and planter boxes, specified in pastel tones with durable, low-maintenance finishes. The planters double as a physical buffer from the Therry Street Road zone. Stools came from dwell and Città, and umbrellas from Instant Shade Umbrellas, adding visual character without compromising function.

The result is a refreshed take on market dining that has lifted patronage and strengthened the surrounding streetscape.

Architects: Plico Design Studio
Clients: Queen Victoria Market City of Melbourne
Fixed furniture and planter boxes: Street Furniture Australia

10/08/2026

We were delighted to receive acknowledgement for our work with the not-for-profit organisation Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF), who perform vital work with children who have faced trauma in their lives. Partnering with Indigenous construction company Barpa Construction Services, we prepared the fitout design for ACF’s new Perth WA offices. Focusing on value for investment, we have maximised the use of existing materials and building fabric, whilst adapting the former space to suit the new purpose for administration, counselling and training within a positive atmosphere.

Architects - Plico Design Studio
Builder - Barpa Construction Services
Clients - Australian Childhood Foundation

06/08/2026

We’re excited to announce that we have received our Heritage Victoria Exemption approval, allowing our Maryborough Princes Park Grandstand for the Central Goldfields Shire Council for our proposed works.

Registered on the Victorian Heritage Database, the Victorian period 1895 Grandstand was designed by Architects Thomas Watts and Sons, one of the founders of the Victorian Institute of Architects. Among the many events it continues to host the famous New Year’s Highland Gathering, which was first held in 1856.   As lead Architects for this project, works include conservation of the original structure to ensure its heritage integrity is preserved into the future. We collaborate with our engineers and clients, to perform inspections of the original building to inform our design process.
 We are renewing the club rooms and amenities to meet current compliance standards and expectations, including female friendly change room design. We’re proud to help preserve this important cultural and sporting amenity for future generations.

Architects: Plico Design Studio
Clients: Central Goldfields Shire Council

Photos by Plico Design Studio, of 2024 New Year’s Highland Gathering, at Maryborough Princes Park and Grandstand

31/07/2026

We’re pleased to announce the completion of the Buchan Reserve Guide Rooms for Parks Victoria Parks Victoria and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation.

The project began following the devastating 2020 East Gippsland bushfires, which destroyed much of the Reserve’s native landscape and several key buildings. Working closely with our clients, we designed replacement facilities that are resilient, functional and respectful of this remarkable setting.

Designed to achieve a BAL-29 bushfire rating, the project also needed a design that protects against devastating floods, such as those in 2024. In response, the building was redesigned and raised by one metre to improve resilience against future floods.

Located within a heritage-listed reserve, the architecture takes a contemporary approach to a traditional building form, using robust materials and a restrained palette inspired by the Australian bush.

It’s rewarding to see this important community facility now complete and supporting the volunteer guides who play such an important role in caring for and sharing this extraordinary landscape.

Clients - Parks Victoria & Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation
Architects/Photography - Plico Design Studio
Project Managers - Sensum
Certifiers - C & M Building Surveyors
Engineers - Furr Consulting
Contractors -

Specifications:

Metal Cladding - Lysaght Longline 305 profile cladding in colorbond Basalt finish
Roofing - Lysaght galvanised custom orb
Plywood - Matilda Veneer
Cabinetry -
Whitegoods - Harvey Norman Australia
Tiles - National Tiles

23/07/2026

Designed by prominent Architect Howard Lawson in 1933, Dorrington House is a heritage significant apartment building within the Alexandra Avenue Precinct and one of a collection of notable inter-war residential buildings by Lawson, including the nearby Beverly Hills Apartments.

Plico Design Studio were the Architects and Heritage Advisors for the upgrades to compliance safety and conservation of façades of the apartments, requiring us to balance contemporary safety requirements with heritage conservation. Large, unprotected openings presented significant fall risks, requiring a solution that was structurally robust yet visually discreet. A fine tensile mesh system was integrated throughout balconies, stairways and landings, delivering compliant fall protection while preserving the building’s architectural character through its almost imperceptible, veil-like appearance.

Specialist structural repairs stabilised deteriorated render and masonry, securing the long-term integrity of the building fabric. A new wrought iron fence, carefully detailed to reflect the original inter-war character, provides discreet fall protection to the sunken courtyard while maintaining openness, natural light and landscape views.

Architects/Heritage Consultants: Plico Design Studio
Builders: Willoworks Construction
Structural engineering: Partridge
Photography - Plico Design Studio

03/07/2026

We are pleased to have present more photos of our recently completed the expansion of the Banksia Medical Centre in Geelong for our valued clients.   The project extends the original scallop-shaped 1980s building, with internal works focused on reconfiguring the reception area to create a clearer connection and improved flow into the new extension.   The delivery required careful coordination, balancing the budget specifics, flood protection requirements, multiple design changes, and construction works undertaken while ensuring the clinic remained fully operational.   Externally, a cladding system of James Hardie AU au cement sheet on battens provides a contemporary layer that complements the original brickwork of the clinic. Internally, a calm and durable palette of Laminex AU joinery, Dulux Australia wall and ceiling colours, and Forbo Flooring Australia vinyl flooring supports medical compliance while creating a welcoming environment for both patients and staff.   We’re thrilled with the results, and are proud of our contribution to Healthcare in Victoria.   Clients: Banksia Medical Centre Architects: Plico Design Studio Builders: C + M Build Group Building Surveyors: Grimbos Building Surveyors

18/06/2026

Plico Design Studio is excited to announce that we’ll be moving from Port Melbourne to The Commons, 80 Market Street, South Melbourne on the 1st of July 2026.

We’re the same team, in a beautiful design driven space. We’ll have our own office, in a professional co-working environment.

We look forward to welcoming our clients either in our home office of South Melbourne, or in The Commons meeting rooms across Melbourne and Sydney.

Who we are:

⚪️ We’re an Architecture and heritage studio adapting places and contexts that respond to contemporary use

⚪️ We are multidisciplinary, and work across residential (both existing & new builds), commercial (including education & healthcare), and public projects

⚪️ Our team has decades of experience, locally and internationally, in Architecture, Interior Design, Urban Design and Heritage consultancy

⚪️ We work in Victoria, NSW, Tasmania and Western Australia.

Don’t hesitate to contact us, if you have a project in mind!

The Plico Team
Angus, Yasmine, Micho, Yao and Wilson (wuf)

14/05/2026

is delighted to be listed as one of the top architecture firms in Melbourne for 2026 by .

Who we are:

An Architecture, Interior Design, and Heritage Research company based in Port Melbourne. We specialise in adapting historical places and contexts to create spaces which respond to contemporary use.

Multidisciplinary, we work across residential (existing and new builds), commercial (including education and healthcare), and public projects. Our projects aim to minimise carbon footprint whilst responding to clients’ needs. We recognise heritage as an enabler of sustainability, and contribute to the circular economy in salvaging materials and repurposing these in their work.

Versatile, you’ll find us at Zoos Victoria, Heritage Sites, Solar Farms, veterinarian and medical clinics, educational institutions, churches, gyms, and in suburban and regional homes across Australia

⚪️ Our team has decades of experience, locally and internationally, in Architecture, Urban Design and Heritage consultancy

Don’t hesitate to contact us, if you have a project in mind!

Address

Port Melbourne, VIC

Website

http://www.plicodesignstudio.com/

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