Why Choose Us?

Protect your investment

According to many property experts, properties designed by an Architect frequently achieve a higher sale price, providing a better return on investment. We believe that good design and well designed buildings are more valuable and more cost-effective than others, and not necessarily more expensive.

Only an Architect can truly provide Architectural services at the level required to fully protect your investment. Other allied occupations (draftsmen/building designers) will offer Architectural Services, however they have not undergone the same rigorous training and practical experience requirements as Architects.

Can you afford not to use an Architect?

You get what you want

Pearce Architecture provides services to ensure that the building you end up with is exactly what was agreed upon, and is what you want, at the best price, with minimal construction issues, and at the quality you desired.

Engaging Pearce Architecture will ensure you have a dedicated professional focusing on individual design to suit your needs, not a re-worked standard design.

You can be involved as you want. We can take the project through independently or you can have as much input, or as little, as you want into the overall process.

Tailored services

At Pearce Architecture we tailor our services to suit each individual project. We determine at our initial client meeting the required scope of services and tailor our scope of services to suit the project and the client.

Pearce Architecture also provides the following fundamentals we believe to be critical to a successful project (that you may not receive if you don’t engage an Architect)

Impartial preliminary advice at the start of the project, to advise as to overall feasibility, site selection, etc
Detailed documentation, including schedules of finishes, detailed written specification, door and window schedules, joinery (eg kitchen) and wet area (eg bathroom) detailed design and documentation to ensure you get exactly what you want.
Effective application of Environmentally Sustainable / Sensitive Design (ESD) principles throughout the project to reduce your heating and cooling costs, lighting costs, and to make your property more comfortable and sustainable.
Tendering of the project to suitable builders to obtain a competitive price
Contract Administration during the course of construction to ensure that the building works are in accordance with the documentation and to address all of the issues that can arise in construction such as progress payments, variations, and time.

Professional expertise

Only a person registered with the registration board of their state of Australia is permitted to use the title “Architect”.

John Pearce has been registered as an Architect since 1992. Providing over 15 years of experience as a registered professional, coupled with the several years of practical industry experience gained prior to registration this ensures you have an experienced registered professional Architect protecting your interests and acting on your behalf.

Flexibility

Pearce Architecture offers flexibility at all stages through the design and construction processes.

Our utilisation of computer modelling enables you to visualise the project at early conceptual design stages to avoid costly alterations later in the design development and documentation stages or even during construction. We produce highly accurate documents that allow our consultants (such as engineers) to work from, allowing them to have the latest base plans for their works.

Design alterations are readily accommodated at any stage and documents revised and re-issued where required.

Our clients are always welcome to be involved in the design as much or as little as they desire.

Coordination, not just design

A building project is unfortunately not as simple as preparing a set of architectural drawings and starting building.

Typically it involves several stages with several different consultant disciplines required at each stage, from the initial feasibility, design, development approval, documentation, and construction.

Pearce Architecture coordinates with all other parties at each stage to ensure that your project receives the attention it deserves.

Reporting directly to you,our client, we can arrange the engineering and other building consultants that are required for virtually all projects, interface with Town Planning consultants, obtain geotechnical reports and site surveys, arrange development and building approvals from authorities, as well as tender the project and undertake the contract administration. This all means that you have one party to liaise with and that party knows exactly the status of each aspect of the project.

Environmentally Sensitive Design

At Pearce Architecture we apply the principles of climatic and environmentally sustainable design and energy efficient design to all our projects, on a daily basis.

We consider orientation and climate, as well as the site’s micro-climate, solar exposure, natural daylighting, breezes and cross-ventilation as well as mass and materials to create climatically responsive and comfortable designs.

Our projects are frequently comfortable without the need for mechanical ventilation or air-conditioning, remaining cooler in summer and warmer in winter through passive environmental design. This also results in lower operational costs for electricity for mechanical equipment and electrical lighting.

Aspects of ESD we apply to projects include:

Orientation to capture views and natural ventilation while providing optimum solar exposure to maintain comfort levels in summer and winter.
Natural ventilation, breezeways, and application of natural convection
Natural lighting
Shading devices and overhangs
Open planning and relationships between indoor and outdoor spaces
Solar heating, electricity co-generation, water storage, water treatment, grey water use
Insulation
Thermal mass
Recycling
Technologies afforded by new materials
Adaptable uses and housing for aging and disabled persons
Retention of existing landforms and vegetation

Other Benefits of Working with Pearce Architecture

Maxiimise your site’s potential. We identify with you your requirements and the potential of your property. We define your requirements with you and work to achieve these, balancing them with any legal or town planning requirements, along with your budget, and the opportunities and constraints that we identify with you to get the most out of your project.

Our Expertise. We have over 20 years of practical experience and expertise in a range of building types, successfully negotiating the development path from inception to completion. We combine creative design with effective construction techniques and materials to provide design-oriented architectural solutions that are practical and buildable.

Clear Fees. We provide you with a written proposal of Professional Architectural Services and lump sum fees, so you know what your costs will be.

The Brief. We establish with our clients at the outset and clear brief and scope of works as well as a realistic budget and stick to it.

Cost Opinions. We obtain on your behalf independent budget estimates at various stages of the project, and from a variety of sources, to ensure the budget is matching your expectations.

Experience your building prior to construction. All of our projects are computer modelled as part of our design process, allowing our clients to experience the building at the early design stages and prior to construction. This process can also assist with marketing the project and gaining approvals, as well as producing the working drawings and construction documentation accurately and exactly as intended, and interfacing with other consultants computer drafting programs. This also allows us to study solar penetration and shadows as well as test colour and material options.

Aesthetics. As a design oriented practice we aim to always produce aesthetically pleasing buildings reflecting our clients tastes and desires. While having personal preferences for architectural styles we have no difficulty in adapting to individual clients personal desires. We believe that the finished building should be great architecture, but it should reflect our clients personal desires and preferences.

Approvals. We can arrange the various approvals required for any building works on your behalf from Development Applications or Material Changes of Use through to Building Approvals.

Builders. We have a range of builders who we have identified and worked successfully with previously or we are happy to work with new builders of your choice.

Establish and Administer Building Contracts. We can set up the building contract, between our clients and the builders, and administer the contract during the course of construction. We attend to all of the issues that can arise during the course of the contract including any variations to the works, extensions of time, and progress payments. We act between the owner and the builder, ensuring the owners interests are fairly represented while also fair to the builder.

Problem Solving. We are experts at solving problems, from steep or difficult sites, remote projects, new technologies, environmentally sensitive design, or complex usage requirements we relish a challenge and produce interesting practical solutions to the most complex problems our clients can give us.

Cost Management Strategies. We have a range of cost management strategies and cost control points during the project to ensure that the project budget is considered at all points and that our clients are kept informed of the anticipated overall costs.

We can save you money…

Pearce Architecture can save you money because:

We have in-depth knowledge of the building process and most economical, efficient way to achieve what you want
We have the experience to deliver your project on budget and on time.

As an AIA Architect we can advise you on all aspects of building, including:

Designing and planning
Selecting a site
Undertaking feasibility studies
Managing the building budget
Selecting and managing the project team
Designing the interior
Landscaping the surrounds
Maintaining the building.

Our Experience. With our industry experience and enviable reputation we have the ability to undertake any project in the most cost and time effective manner.

Our Effectiveness. We frequently propose creative solutions not considered by our clients to achieve improved outcomes for projects. Whether it be a renovation project or a commercial development, or anything in between, we propose creative solutions designed to maximise the potential of the site and meed the needs of our clients in the most effective and efficient way.

Our Speed. With almost everyone faced with holding costs and interest costs, our systems are designed to minimise the time spent in the design and documentation stages. Approvals are handled in the most time and cost effective manner, often achieving better outcomes than strictly permitted under the regulations. Simultaneously undertaking stages can allow us to fast-track the process and using our Contract Administration services can save time during the actual construction period.

Our Value. Our fees, agreed at the start of our commission, are all inclusive. We provide a detailed scope of inclusions that are often not included if a basic service is provided by a draftsman. Our fees are comparable to those offered by draftsmen (or building designers) however our clients can have the confidence of a trained architect with 6 years of tertiary education (rather than a 2 year diploma), professional accreditation and registration, as well as over 20 years of practical industry experience.

Our Quality of Design. We ensure that the design exactly meets with your requirements and is how you expected. Through our computer modelling we can show you how the completed building will meet your desires and fine tune it to your personal desires.

Environmentally Sensitive Design. Application of Environmentally Sensitive Design principles can effectively reduce the running costs of a building, through reducing or eliminating costs associated with electricity for heating and cooling, as well as lighting, and even water charges. In all areas of our life these costs for services are increasing. At Pearce Architecture we believe in reducing our reliance on others for these items and saving our clients money. Capital costs of these items can be offset and they often have a short pay-back period before becoming free.

Competitive Tendering. In a traditional service we seek competitive tenders from a carefully selected short list of suitable builders to ensure our clients obtain the best price for the works, and for the quality of works expected.

During Construction / Contract Administration. We perform our Contract Administration services with impartiality and professional integrity, ensuring that our clients interests are protected and that the builder is also fairly treated under the terms of the building contract.