Architecture

Sydney, NSW, Australia

Scale Architecture

Scale Architecture combine thoughtful design and pragmatism to produce original, sustainable and exceptional spaces. Matt Chan started Scale in 2004 when he returned from his Byera Hadley scholarship studies in Europe. ‘Two years at a Dutch hotbed of architecture and urbanism (the Berlage Institute) taught me that practice and research should be intrinsically linked, permanently, at all times.’ The aim for Scale is to harness design research for the real world, to innovate, progress and move architecture forward. By 2011 this approach, and an ambassadorial pursuit of excellence through teaching and collaboration, earned Matt Chan the Emerging Architect Prize. ‘We put ideas first,’ says Chan, ‘and let those ideas come to the fore of the project’. Fresh thinking helps Scale unpack complex design challenges to make the most of limited urban space to produce highly livable outcomes, with sustainability a central pillar. Scale’s widely-published, award-winning residential work reflects their mission to use simple, timeless materials to create bold statements and enduring designs. Courtyards, open, light-filled volumes, and blurring the lines between interior and exterior space are recurring themes. Regardless of size, their projects speak with a big voice and focused exuberance, like their award-winning covered outdoor learning area for students, now a case study for “Better Placed”, a new government design excellence policy. Scale is committed to well-planned, vital and livable urban space that recognises the finiteness of our resources. That’s why they very excited to be among the first Sydney firms licensed to deliver Nightingale Housing’s progressive and ecologically-driven housing model, which puts people and design before profit.