OUR STORY
Like its name, Group Architects is a group practice that has a number of specialists on its team – those who specialise in housing, commercial or mixed-use developments as well as in the health sector. For founder, architect Julian Brenchley, it’s this group which includes those who have skills in SUSTAINABILITY, 3D rendering and in research that makes the practice unique. These skills, combined with the ability to think laterally, make the practice one that’s highly respected in the industry.
These skills have certainly not come overnight. It’s been a trajectory that’s spanned decades, fine tuning the practice and importantly, understanding the role of problem-solving or SOLUTION FINDING AKA OPPORTUNITY in architecture. This ability can be traced to Brenchley’s early years studying economics, theoretical mathematics and philosophy at the University of Sydney. But with a talent for drawing and drafting, he made a change to studying architecture at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), graduating in 1994. Studying part time and at the same time working in a number of small to medium-sized practices, he had the opportunity to bring his knowledge of both economics and mathematics to the table. With his father being a business and economic journalist for leading newspapers and his mother an author and photojournalist, the seeds were already planted for a different, and considerably broader, approach to architecture.
While some practices simply produced predictable, almost prosaic, work, others had a more adventurous approach, such as one architect Andrew Nolan who briefly mentored Brenchley and who had worked with the eminent American architect, John Lautner. So, from the outset Brenchley and his team thoughtfully digest all the information presented at the first meeting with a client, whether new or established. The ability to find solutions to a client’s problem, assess their needs and translate these into an appropriate scheme lays at the heart of the practice’s foundations, and were established when the practice opened its doors in 1994.
As with any emerging practice, Brenchley was keen to ‘change the world’ of architecture, push boundaries and explore as many options as possible. While this exploration continues at Group Architects, the options are often embedded in one or two schemes that allow for flexibility as a project unfolds, irrespective of the typology or the scale. And while some practices simply follow the ‘same’ approach that has proven to be an easy option, this practice adopts a more rigorous process that also delivers unexpected and delightful results. It has the ability not just to listen, but listen carefully, allowing the essence of a brief to be crystalised, with images from Pinterest becoming less relevant to the success of each project – be it an office development, a retail environment or bespoke housing. Rather than simply rushing to find an appropriate solution to a client’s problem, there’s a gestation period that can take from two to six weeks – allowing the necessary time to address the real issues rather than simply those perceived through a mood board. As Brenchley states, “it’s not just ticking off a shopping list but finding real solutions that improve the way the users occupy a building, whether it takes the form of a domestic, a commercial or an institutional project.”
Although each project comes with its own DNA, there are common threads that can be ‘read’ through each of Group Architects’ projects – a focus on environmentally sustainable design, re-adaption of buildings and the subtle juxtaposition between the past and the present – allowing the history of a building to be enjoyed as much as the pleasure of being in a contemporary space that provides the creature comforts expected today and, importantly, delivered with the highest energy rating that’s possible. This approach can be seen in the sustainable 'adaptive re-use' of storage areas below the Sydney Harbour Bridge into offices.
For Group Architects, architecture is both inspiring and offers an element of surprise, making everyday tasks that much simpler and at the same time, more pleasurable. While architecture isn’t the same as fine art, for Brenchley and his team, architecture is akin to sustainable sculpture, but where people live and work, elevating their senses.