About the studio
We draw for the weather first and the photograph second.
Founded in 2016 by Theo Villarosa. Five people, one floor above Latrobe Terrace, sixty-six projects across Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the northern towns.
What we believe
Three positions we do not negotiate.
01
Climate decides the plan.
The first drawing is a site diagram: sun at two in the afternoon, breeze, where the rain goes. Rooms come after.
02
Cost is a design input.
A cost band at concept, a proper estimate at design development. If the number and the drawing disagree, we change the drawing.
03
Someone stands on site every week.
Drawings are promises. A weekly inspection with a photo report is how we keep them.
Designed for the climate
Four rules that show up in every project.
- 01Cross ventilation
- Every room gets openings on two walls, lined up with the north-easter, so a February evening moves through the house on its own.
- 02Deep eaves
- Roofs and verandahs run 1.2 to 1.8 metres past the wall. Glass sits in shade through summer and still takes the low winter sun.
- 03Built for rain
- Oversized gutters, an overland flow path drawn rather than assumed, and floor levels set against the council flood map, not the kerb.
- 04Honest materials
- Fair-faced concrete, hardwood, chamferboard and Colorbond. Nothing that fails after one storm season.
Timeline
Nine years, in brief.
- 2016
- The studio opens in a two-room apartment in Paddington. First project: a 90 square metre renovation for a neighbour.
- 2018
- Ines Cabantog joins. First standard detail set for eaves, gutters and louvres, still in use.
- 2019
- Interiors practice opens with Karla Suson. First cafe and first clinic fit-out.
- 2021
- Benjamin Ouano joins as project manager. Weekly site supervision becomes standard.
- 2022
- Move to the current studio on Latrobe Terrace, a former print shop with the sawtooth roof kept.
- 2024
- Bardon House and the Wynnum Weekend House complete.
Working with builders
We do not build. We make sure it gets built right.
- You pick the contractor. We compare the bids line by line and recommend, but the contract is between you and them.
- Progress billings are checked against work actually in place before you pay.
- Changes during construction go through a written variation with a cost and a schedule effect, before they happen.
"Every Friday there was a photo report in my inbox. I was in Dubai for most of the build and never felt out of the loop."
Meet the five of us.
Who does what, the process stage by stage, and how fees are calculated.
See the studio