About

Slee & Co has a number of aims, which it pursues rigorously through its work:

• to design buildings that acknowledge and are respectful of their impact on the environment.
• to produce well-considered architecture that responds to people and place;
• to actively engage and encourage clients in the design process.

Slee & Co was founded on the principles of exploration and co-operation. Design is a process of discovery, each project allowing us to develop our understanding of the environment and how we live in it.

Design involves creating a team of people - including clients, builders and designers - who are prepared to work together and enjoy exploring the design and building process imaginatively and collaboratively.

We have expertise in creating spaces for habitation, education, sport, and leisure across a wide rangeof sectors and for a diverse range of clients. We combine a commitment to good design with a desire to explore how better buildings can be built through academic research, and an understanding of construction and budget control garnered from our experience of construction management when we have worked as contractors. We are fortunate in retaining a number of eminent Architects, who taughtus in practice, as consultants for our own practice. We also have strong links to research and teachingat the University of Sydney, Australia, the Universities of Bath and Oxford Brookes in the UK, all leaders in research into architecture, comfort and fabric.

The practice brings research and teaching into the heart of our activities. Through our understanding of and access to the latest academic research we are able to bring this knowledge and apply that rigour to our client’s projects. Our interest continues beyond “completion” as we seek to understand whether or not the project team achieved the aesthetic, comfort and energy efficiency standards they aspired to.

There is a strong tradition of apprenticeship within the architectural profession and the practice seeks to continue this by providing young architects with opportunities to learn and develop their own skills and ideas. Students also frequently teach their teachers by stimulating them to consider new and sometimes uncomfortable ideas. This leads to a broad-minded practice.

Slee & Co Design Studio has forged a number of fruitful collaborations nationally and internationally. In Australia we frequently collaborate with Scott & Ryland Architects on public projects. Internationally we collaborate with Matthew Clay Architects.

As a practice and collaborative international partnership we hope to create exciting and dynamic teams who enjoy exploring.