Photo by Peter Bennetts
Our studio is located in the Melbourne suburb of Cremorne in a building that has been designed to meet the German Passivhaus standard of energy usage. To achieve this high standard of energy efficiency the building employs various sustainable designs strategies, including a Swedish made heat recovery system and a high performing building envelope
The name of our practice is derived from the idea that our services provide an armature to the project much as a concrete caisson protects the construction of something below water level.
All our projects are the outcome of a robust process of determining our client’s needs, listening to their aspirations and achieving the best possible result for them within the parameters of the site, their budget, planning controls and authority requirements.
Every project is a specific and unique response to each client and each site. Every project brief is an opportunity to use design, spatial analysis and innovation to achieve an outstanding outcome for our clients and the broader community.
Our team strives to deliver durable and well-crafted buildings of a high design quality that are sympathetic to their local environment and its ecology. We believe that buildings should be congruent with their context yet distinct in their identity and that often a softer design language is more likely to achieve longevity.
We at Architecture Caisson believe that environmentally sustainable design is a holistic process that is an essential requirement of everything we do. It is our responsibility that our projects improve both the built and natural environment for future generations.
This approach begins with a careful examination of the site and its climate, ecology and context. We examine how the design objectives can be achieved as efficiently as possible to minimise embodied energy.
We select materials and building systems with regard to life cycle costs and locality and we select building services with regard to their ongoing energy use and minimising fossil fuels. Furthermore, we seek durability in the exterior fabric of our buildings and allow flexibility in their interior arrangements to ensure overall longevity. Overall, we see every project as an opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint and improve our natural environment.
In 2020, Architecture Caisson became a signatory of the Architects Declare movement and made a commitment to join over two hundred architecture practices across the globe in becoming a carbon neutral practice. We support the shared objective of the United Nations and the Australian Government to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The culture of our business rests on the principle that collaboration is the key to success. Our studio fosters a shared design culture, an active exchange of ideas and an intellectual rigour and close attention to detail in everything we do. Every team member plays a critical role and we maintain a studio environment that supports and celebrates this.
Architecture Caisson offers a dynamic, inclusive and supportive studio environment that nurtures the skills and talents of aspiring architects, interior designers and draftspersons. If you are interested in joining our team we would welcome you to send your CV to studio@caisson.com.au
