Architect design agency

An accomplished, quality assured, award winning architectural practice. Always looking ahead, we create today what we believe will shape tomorrow.

Sustainability

We consider sustainable design principles to be a critical and integral part of the design process.

We utilise basic principles to increase energy efficiency and are at ease in using alternate technologies. Our expertise maximises the environmental performance of our buildings whilst complementing our unique architectural aesthetic.

Most things that make a design sustainable have been part of good architectural design for thousands of years:

We also look at locally sourced materials, renewable or recyclable resources and more significantly, re-use of buildings – it is crucial to ensure that the building does not become out-dated and of limited use in 10 or 20 years. Life cycle design requires an analysis of replacement and costs and allows selection of the best materials and construction strategies to be adopted to minimise the long term cost burden.

With newer technology, additional responses have become available:

Examples where our designs have been recognised with certifications include:

We have also completed off-grid (ie no mains electricity or water) projects:

In addition to our environmentally sustainable design approach, CA Architects performs Green Star building assessments for office buildings using the Green Star rating tool – fast becoming an important part of the design process in Australia. More details

Since 2012 CA Architects have been actively working with James Cook University to advance and share the knowledge and best practice tropical expertise in our built environment.

The Case Studies Project completed in 2014 gave CA Architects the opportunity to document the above projects in more detail and showcase them amongst other leading examples.

Since its opening in 2017 the TUDLab offers a platform for further research and collaboration between academia, government and industry organisations in areas related to urbanisation in the Tropics.