Warren & Mahoney Architects, Melbourne: Collaborative, Stylish, Talented.

Warren and Mahoney Architects is a long-established firm employing more than 260 people in offices in Australia and New Zealand. Its Melbourne office began its life just three years ago with two staff but since then it has grown significantly and now employees 12 people in its airy, open-plan studio space in the fashionable Flinders Lane. 

The practice continues to grow alongside Melbourne’s construction growth – the city has just had its most intense month of construction for the last 12 years. “The decision to set up here was first an opportunistic one but it has now become more strategic,” comments Principal Richard Weinman. 

Each of their studios are very different in the way that they are run, how they look and the types of projects that they do. “It is a reflection on the office’s local context. We don’t impose our brand on the city that we base ourselves in, instead we fit ourselves into the culture and the city around us,” explains Weinman. 

“Melbourne is a very cosmopolitan city and Melbournians are in their nature creatures of this environment,” adds fellow principal Nick Deans. 

The office’s staff, which Deans describes as a “healthy mix of local architects, architects from abroad and New Zealanders,” are encouraged to dip in and out of projects and to have a nimble approach to working. “It encourages a more positive working environment,” comments Weinman. 

This seems to be paying off – there has been an effective retention of staff since the office was launched and there is a strong social culture with staff continuing to get together outside work hours. “We have a practice culture and lifestyle that goes beyond working crazy hours in the studio,” concludes Weinman. “We have an incredibly united office and you can see this in our working culture. The office environment imbues what we want to achieve.”