Malcolm Fraser Architects

The practice’s design philosophy is informed by a desire to find simple solutions to complex problems. We see architecture as an open, inclusive and collaborative art, and the office ethos encourages all staff to contribute to the development and resolution of all our projects. We have considerable experience in making well-crafted buildings for committed clients. We invest time in understanding both the personalities of place and client, and draw inspiration from that close client engagement, to apply their aspirations, with imagination and sensitivity, to the disparate conditions of each site. Our designs attempt to foster rich human relationships with the natural and built environment. We focus on such issues as: orientation to sun, view and light; movement in and around a building; connections between internal and external spaces; and materials and their sensory impact. We believe that buildings can be as simple as is consistent with these aims, and that the architecture should nurture and fortify the positive actions and feelings of the people experiencing it. Ultimately, we want to create buildings where the architecture, though intrinsically beautiful, only truly comes alive in relation to those who use it. Our primary consideration is the responses of those users: how they are drawn into a building, how practical they find it to use and how well they can connect with its historic, cultural and environmental context.