We show up to work with the desire to positively impact people’s lives and the health of our planet. We start with building science fundamentals and then deeply consider the context of each project.
When you choose Envirotecture, you become part of a team of people focused on your project. We’re a big enough firm to have a mix of fabulous people with their own particular talents and specialities. And small enough that the directors are engaged with every project.
Once your design is underway, you’ll be meeting with the project architect or designer who is leading the team working on your project. They’ll get to know you well and know your project inside out.
Envirotecture is a carbon neutral company
Love jobs
Envirotecture has taken on pro bono work since its earliest beginnings. Around the office, we call them "love jobs" (which isn't to say we don't love all our work). True to form, we don’t have a complex application process or a yearly call for contenders. Instead worthwhile projects have always crossed a director’s path at a serendipitous time.
Our pro bono work spans a wide range, for instance:
- research projects (Little Pot of Gold)
- publications (Passive House in Australia)
- specialist design (the Triplets House)
- community planning (consent for a community garden) and
- educational facilities (Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters)
Our history
This is a unique architectural practice with a long history; Envirotecture has blazed a trail for sustainable design for three decades. It was founded by Dick Clarke, a building designer who had no time for statement architecture but rather was passionate about designing homes and other buildings that were inviting, comfortable and sat lightly on the earth. Dick has unparalleled expertise in the use of passive solar principles in the Australian context and this approach predominates in Envirotecture’s early work.
Building science made giant strides in the 1990s, leading to the development of the Passivhaus standard, a performance standard for incredibly energy-efficient buildings. Homes, workplaces, classrooms, hospitals—any kind of building—certified to this standard are supremely healthy indoor spaces, make radically less demand for energy for heating and cooling and are well-built and durable. Directors Talina Edwards and Andy Marlow are among Australia’s most experienced Passivhaus designers. They blend a rigorous understanding of building physics to their deep understanding of passive solar design principles; the two are not contradictory.
Envirotecture merged with Talina Edwards Architecture in 2022, bringing two leading environmental architecture practices together to expand their reach and influence. The practice now has teams in two offices, in VIC and NSW, and works on projects around Australia and the world. Learn more about our scope of practice here.
Our values:
caring
compassionate
communicative
collaborative
confident
credible
committed
continuing to learn
“Talina is a great communicator and worked alongside us... her knowledge and expertise for sustainable and Passivhaus building was invaluable. We are very grateful to have a home that exceeds our expectations for design and comfort.”
Pip, Client Choice Awards. New build VIC
Andy Marlow is registered as an architect in New South Wales (Reg. 9597) and Tasmania (Reg. 1280)
Talina Edwards is registered as an architect in Victoria (Reg. 600417) and Western Australia (Reg. WA00095)