Arc.

11/03/2026

Year 7 - 2022 - Draped House w/ .studio

As our name suggests, most of our work sits in the world of architectural renovations and complex carpentry. Draped House was the exception, our first new build, and still our only one.

Delivered through the height of COVID under a lump sum contract, the project demanded careful pre-construction planning, early procurement, and constant coordination with suppliers and trades to navigate material and labour shortages and volatile lead times.

The single-storey house steps down across the bush site and is defined by its curved roof. The curve was achieved by site-cutting a series of large LVLs to a 40-metre radius.

Beneath the roofline, recycled hardwood openings punctuate the facade, setting the rhythm and spacing for the cladding. Inside, timber joinery lines the walls, adding a tactile contrast to the burnished concrete floor and the sunken bath set into it

Our second project with TRIAS and our second cover of

Architect: .studio
Engineer: Structure
Site Manager:
Photographer:

02/03/2026

Year 6 - 2021 - Paddington St. Terrace w/ .studio

Our sixth project in Paddington in as many years. A four-storey terrace on one of the suburb’s most recognisable streets and the beginning of our collaboration with TRIAS.

Working within a tightly controlled heritage envelope, the project focused on refining what was already there rather than reinventing it. The rear façade was reworked to improve light, ventilation and privacy while respecting established building lines.

Internally, what reads as on plan a simple rearrangement of rooms carried significant structural and sequencing challenges. Moving walls meant loads changed; small decisions had large structural, services and sequencing consequences. It required careful propping, temporary bracing, and disciplined logistics.

The highlights for us were the 4-level winding tiled staircase and the rear masonry facade. A repeating pattern of cut besser blocks. Every block cut, sequenced and stacked with no rear access, only a backyard of just 12sqm.

Photographer:

09/11/2025

09/11/2025

A decade of Arc.

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us, past and present team members, clients, architects, and friends who’ve been part of the journey.

09/11/2025

A decade of Arc.

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us, past and present team members, clients, architects, and friends who’ve been part of the journey.

28/10/2025

With a busy few weeks, we dropped off our planned posts to celebrate 10 years of Arc. but we’re back, continuing our story with a project from each year.

2017 - Camperdown Warehouse with
A former Rolls Royce assembly factory turned residence. Stripped back to its concrete shell and infilled with an exposed steel structure to form a flexible home that could open as a single volume or close down to house three bedrooms.

Extensive glazing in varying textures allows light to reach deep into the space and maintain privacy between the rooms. The design and client demanded absolute precision with zero tolerance detailing, oversized glazing, and CLT panel to minimise the floor buildup. We had panels shipped from XLAM’s New Zealand factory before they were established in Australia.

Another stressful moment was shutting down Parramatta Road for a midnight crane lift and glass install.

We learnt a lot on this project, and many of those lessons still shape the way we plan, manage and deliver our builds today.

17/09/2024

The doors and windows of Draped House are all made from recycled Australian hardwood by

The fixed glazed unit to the left of the first image is curved to match the gentle concave of the roof. Here are some images from the AHJ factory where they take hardwood frames from demolished buildings in the Illawarra and turn them into windows like this.

This huge double glazed unit weighed closed 500kg and had to be craned into position.

Draped House recently was awarded Inside Out Magazine’s compact of home of the year.

Architect: .studio
Engineer:
Photographer:

14/06/2024

Boonara House - A first-floor addition to corner block on the hill between Bondi and Tamarama. Architects Miles Thorp designed a 5sqm skylight over the new staircase to bring light down into the existing living room. It is the largest single-pane skylight we have ever installed.

Architect:
Builder: .r.c___
Site Manager: Gian Novello
Engineer:
Glazing:
Photographer:
Site Photos: .r.c___

25/03/2022

20/01/2022

One of the hundreds of photos I’ve taken of this staircase over the course of this project. From sketches made during estimating, to a full height void during demolition, to the final touch ups this week. Every stage seemed worthy of a photo.

With the lights on and the painting complete the fine lines and gentle curves make it look deceptively simple. But the library of photos in phone show how many hands, hours, tiles and tear-away beads go into making such a staircase.

Thank you to all the craftsman that played a part in this one from draftsman to plasterers, welders to tiles and of course our in-house carpenters for connecting all the dots and details.

Appreciate the opportunity and the challenge .studio

20/01/2022

FromOne of the hundreds I’ve taken of these stairs over the course of this project. sketches as we estimated, to the void during demolition and to the final touch ups this week, I can’t help taking photos of the details as the develop.