The site leads. We listen.
Every project starts on your land — reading the orientation, the breeze, the fall of light across the day. The design follows from there. Registered architects on the Gold Coast since 2012.
Designed around where you are
We start with the site — its orientation, its neighbours, the way weather moves through it. The design responds to what's already there: the prevailing breeze, the angle of northern light, the contour of the land. On the coast, that means salt air, easterly weather, and a subtropical climate that rewards buildings designed to open up rather than seal shut. Every decision filters through how you want to live in that specific place.
Brett McDonald
Nominated Architect · NSW Reg. 9547 · QLD Reg. 4924
Brett is a registered architect in both Queensland and New South Wales, working on completed homes across the Gold Coast, the hinterland and Northern New South Wales. Before the practice, he spent years on some of the country's larger institutional and commercial buildings — medical research, hospitals, resources and retail. That range is why a house here gets documented to the same standard as a hospital.
- Qualifications
- Master of Architecture · Bachelor of Environmental Design · Diploma of Building · Diploma of Project Management
- Residential, Queensland
- Completed houses and multi-residential projects across the Gold Coast, the Gold Coast hinterland and South East Queensland, alongside work in Northern New South Wales.
- Residential, earlier work
- High-end residences in Toorak and the Margaret River wine region.
- Major projects
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre · Fiona Stanley Hospital · Sunshine Coast University Hospital · Williams Landing Shopping Centre · Gorgon Gas Project
Simone McDonald
Principal · Practice Director
Simone runs project delivery — coordinating consultants, builders, and council so nothing slips between the gaps. Over a decade of managing builds from Northern NSW to Brisbane has given her an operational discipline that keeps projects moving and clients informed. Outside delivery, she has a genuine interest in architecture and interior design — and is the editorial voice behind the practice's published insights.
- Qualifications
- Bachelor of Education · Diploma of Project Management
- Delivery
- Residential projects from Northern New South Wales to Brisbane, alongside complex high-rise apartment refurbishments.
- Government & commercial
- Large-scale government projects, including sporting club facilities and government office fitouts.
21 Diana Avenue, Burleigh Heads
A few streets back from the beach that gave the practice its name. We've been here since 2012. Meetings happen at the studio, on site, or over Teams — we open the 3D model live, cut sections through the design, and work through decisions on the spot.
How we work
Five stages. One conversation that runs through all of them.
Pre-design & feasibility
Before any design work starts, we look at what's possible — planning overlays, site access, budget parameters, and whether the project stacks up.
Concept & design development
We develop options, test them in 3D, and refine through conversation with you — finding the design that works for how you want to live, on the land you own.
Documentation & approvals
Construction-ready drawings detailed to reduce surprises on site. We coordinate consultants and manage the council approval process.
Contract administration & construction
We administer the building contract, inspect work at each stage, and act as your independent representative throughout construction.
Project delivery & handover
Final inspections, defects resolution, and a documented handover — the project isn't finished until you're settled in.
Start with a site visit
If you've got a site and an idea, that's enough to begin. We'll walk it with you and tell you what we see.
Get in touch