Those Architects: A passion for problem-solving

Sing d'Arcy I 02 Apr 2025 I ArchitectureAU

There is an art to designing a home that is efficient, understated and poetic. The difficulties of balancing the constraints of site and environment with client briefs, together with the messy reality of the construction process, can result in compromised designs. Where some architects may falter in this precarious juggling act, Those Architects has developed a body of residential work that is testament to the act of good design: projects based on rigorous research and planning, connection to the environment, a deep understanding of materiality, as well as genuine care for the lived experiences and aspirations of the clients.

Co-founders and directors Simon Addinall and Ben Mitchell speak about their work in a very direct way – problem-solving, site, climate, client, planning, light, materials, experience. They emphasise that these are the irrefutable principles of architecture. Without addressing all these concerns, the result will be flawed. Problem-solving alone could result in a Corbusian house-as-machine, so what is it in the work of Those Architects that elevates it beyond the perfunctory and into the poetic? Ben says, “We design both for how a space makes you feel, and for how it works. Every site, no matter where it is, offers opportunities to make a building that lifts the spirit, and works for the people who live or work there.”

Those Architects operates along the east coast of Australia, with bases in Sydney and Byron Bay. Simon explains that connection to site, no matter the environment, is key. “What’s really important, apart from rigorous design, are the connections between inside and out, and how we use materials. Whether you’re designing a coastal house, a country residence or a city home, the same broad principles apply. It’s just that different climates and sites will invite different responses.”

These guiding principles distinguish all the residential work of Those Architects, even from the practice’s beginnings. Marian (2015; see Houses 108) entailed the transformation of a semi-detached brick home located in coastal Maroubra, New South Wales. The original house had very poor connection to the outside, both visually and physically. The key move was to remedy this, and to draw more natural light into living spaces. This small project embodies one of the studio’s key objectives: how to maximise the use of site. However, Simon explains that this does not refer to the typical approach of swallowing up every single square-centimetre by building on it. Rather, the team considers how a home’s inside and outside can relate to fully take advantage of the setting’s potential.

A restricted site and narrow footprint at Marian meant the focus became the provision of spaces that could be used throughout the year. This was done by opening up the long side of the house to the north and providing different expressions of thresholds: sliding doors for direct physical connection, and extruded reveals and casement windows to invite a mediated transition. This approach to varied thresholds is a repeated feature in the studio’s residential work.

Ben and Simon profess they “thrive on solving problems,” a proclivity that lends itself to restricted inner-suburban sites. Mitchell (2023) is located in the harbourside neighbourhood of Mosman, Sydney, and is contained within a former cobbler’s workshop. A small plot size and tight planning constraints precluded the addition of floor area up or out, and demanded inventive spatial solutions. As in Marian, the main approach was to consider the site and house as one.

The boundary wall between street and site was conceived as the outer wall of the house, so that sliding glass doors could be introduced to the eastern wall of the old workshop. This strategy enables living spaces to open to a corridor-like garden. The next challenge was to create a dual aspect home on the small plot. This was done, Ben explains, by “working in the diagonal” in section. The houses of Those Architects are notable for the use of clerestory windows to ensure dual aspects in situations where standard planning doesn’t accommodate it. Inspired by nautical design, the planning of the interior is compact and flexible. Spaces can be closed down or opened up, allowing for multiple uses to occur. A glass hatch leading to a roof terrace maximises a modest footprint while also bringing light into the rear of the house. The result reflects Those Architects’ vision of “simplicity as the inevitable outcome of an elegant solution.”

In Shorebird (2023), the challenge was to create privacy from adjoining neighbours while still bringing in northern light. Instead of building right to the boundary, as the adjoining properties had done, Those Architects “pinched in the sides” of the house, creating garden spaces that act as a buffer. On the north-eastern side, this garden space cuts into the facade to create an internal courtyard that allows light into the centre of the house and provides visual connection to the outside. Chosen to withstand the elements, sandstone and concrete on the exterior lend this house a grounded monumentality.

Burch (2018; see Houses: Kitchens and Bathrooms issue 14) was the practice’s first Byron Bay project. While the climate was different to that of Marian, the central problem of transforming a dark masonry house with poor connection to the outside was similar. Rather than demolishing the existing brick bungalow, Those Architects tweaked the interior to accommodate private zones such as bedrooms and bathrooms. A new pavilion was added to the rear, allowing for a direct connection between living zones and the north-facing courtyard. Deep reveals and thresholds shelter the interior from the strongest of the subtropical sun and rain. Each zone of the home has been conceived to be used at different times of the year, taking full advantage of the sunlight in spring and winter, and providing protection from it in the hottest moments of summer.

Brandon (2024) is a new house in Byron Bay that exemplifies the studio’s rigorous approach to planning and environment. Centred around a north-facing courtyard, the low-slung house is efficiently zoned to delineate between private and public. Thresholds between exterior and interior are mediated by covered overhangs that shelter the large glass openings from the rain and excess heat, while a shaded outdoor room takes advantage of the warm climate. Clerestory windows and carefully positioned picture windows gift the main living space dual aspect, while deep-revealed skylights add surprise in circulation and bathroom areas. The materiality expresses the relaxed coastal setting with hard finishes primarily in white and highlights provided by green window framing, joinery units and stone slabs.

Each of these homes demonstrate Those Architects’ concern with “how to connect spaces” and “how to bring site into the architectural program,” expressed through light-filled interiors and spaces dedicated to year-round use. Ben and Simon are keen to continue refining the ideas they have been exploring, with a growing “toolkit” of knowledge, experience and passion. As they see it, “our job is to distil the essence of a site and its owners’ aspirations. To craft a beautiful, functional sanctuary in which to live, work or play.”

Author: Sing d'Arcy I 02 Apr 2025 I Source: Issue Houses, April 2025