In our pursuit of design excellence, we have created a culture where we listen, discuss, challenge and explore the meaning and purpose for each project. We have an inclusive and collaborative process that engages our clients and the design team through the journey of a project.
Our studio environment is our laboratory for the exploration and delivery of innovative ideas. It reflects the dynamic, exciting and engaging way we work. Our design-based research approach adds value to our projects. We analyse and benchmark projects against global advances as we explore new concepts and foster new alliances. Progressive leadership ensures our team deliver projects with a visionary narrative that captures the now, but enables an integrated future to evolve.
Our culture of learning harnesses the energy and enthusiasm of our passionate team and ensures individual knowledge becomes our collective strength.
In 1948, Des Smith and Dan Tracey set out to create an architectural practice recognised for its design of community and its sense of longevity. Their ethos was about ‘people’ engagement, which formed the foundation of lifelong friendships and acquaintances. This created a collaborative team of like-minded professionals striving to achieve and to develop trusted long-lasting client relationships.
The success of our projects has always come from a very clear understanding and articulation of what was needed by the client. From our earliest days we have used processes and systems developed to bring consistency and thoroughness to our work. This rigour provided the platform for recognised innovative design for its time, utilising advanced thinking in construction methodology and use of materials.
Our origins started in Melbourne, however our people centred design, our long-term networks, and extensive repeat business clients have enabled smith+tracey architects to create valued projects nationally and establish teams in New South Wales and Queensland.
Our architecture emerges from a full understanding of our client’s aspirational wants, functional needs and contextual influences. A strong legible narrative for any project ensures a quality of thinking that articulates the design excellence within the end product. Our collaborative and consultative process underpins a rigour in the exploration and communication throughout the whole journey of making a building.
Our designs are a balance between efficiency, inspiration and impact on the environment. We focus on the accountability of the commercial realities for all projects alongside the positive experience of people living within the buildings we create. Awareness and performance analysis of the sustainable imprint of our architecture is a conscious commitment.
Our strategic masterplans deliver the clarity of place making through the analysis and understanding of the site, context and brief. We work to address the urban setting in response to human habitation and nature to seamlessly integrate the built environment’s planning and design.
We explore ideas through collaboration bringing the expertise to the design table. Through rigorously evaluating the opportunities we masterplan environments that work, inspire people and transform communities.
Our masterplans have stood the test of time, but to achieve longevity they also remain adaptable to meet the changing demands of sites and the evolving needs of the people activating their spaces.
We believe architecture is a seamless integration of outside to inside. Our process is to fully understand the client’s unique requirements and explore the way the spaces will be used. Our designs are then meaningful and purposeful for the intended activity and user experience, supporting perceptive, behavioural and operational needs.
Our interior creativity delivers enjoyment and celebration of space offering relevance and adaptability through the quality of light, the selection of materials, use of colour, furnishings and fittings all designed to enhance the experience of the built environment and inspire the user.
We have created interiors to support all our projects, and offer an independent consultancy across multiple sectors, including seniors living, residential, worship, education, workplace and community.
Our graphic design provides visual inspiration to our architecture creating an enriched user experience, through a clarity, simplicity and functional response that delivers the brief with emotional engagement. The architectural narrative creates the starting point that helps connect our clients to their buildings and settings by using graphic design elements to evoke meaning, express story-telling or simply aid navigation.
Our visual communication design and strategic outputs include branding, wayfinding, environmental graphics and print design. We bring an underlying approach, but not a style. Each design, application or publication is developed collaboratively with our clients to create a personal and unique product.