Core Collective Architects

Construction progress at Jubilee Gardens house and studio, in the foothills of Kunanyi. This is a personal project of CCA Director, Ryan and his partner Minky, who fell in love with the horticultural paradise, Jubilee Gardens, which was a private nursery established 40 years ago by Joy Stones and Ted Cutlan. The robust and elegant new house and studio are designed to sensitively nestle in amongst the diverse and rare plant species established in the garden, taking in views of the bushland and mountain. The house and studio are intentionally simple - a background to the garden’s seasonal blooms, constructed from @clinka_australia expanded clay insulated masonry with gravel ballast roofs. The internal spaces are cosy and peaceful, featuring exposed GLT beams by @nextimberbytimberlink , basalt flooring with hydronic underfloor heating, and custom brass windows and doors designed by Ryan and fabricated by @littleshedjoinery On the lands of the Muwinina people of Nipaluna, Lutruwita. Photos by @adam.gibson.photo

After 10 years as a valuable team member and Associate, Emily Taylor has joined Core Collective founders Ceridwen and Ryan as a Partner in practice. Emily was awarded the @architects_tas Emerging Architect Prize in 2021 and the National Dulux Study Tour in 2012, has had a guiding hand in a number of Core Collective’s award winning projects since 2015 and continues to be instrumental in the evolution of Core Collective as a client-focussed design practice. Most recently, Emily designed and managed the wonderful King Island Community Hub which was officially opened on the 17th July 2025. Emily is now taking a key role as Project Architect for our ongoing collaboration with @jasmax to deliver specialist disability accommodation across Tasmania. Emily’s personal passion for socially & environmentally responsible, affordable housing has driven grass-roots projects including the @hobartwomensshelter replicable housing for women & children facing homelessness, and her ongoing research and advocacy for cooperative housing in Tasmania. Emily is highly valued by our clients and collaborators for her team-building skills and sensitive design thinking. She consistently keeps client, consultant and building teams in the picture in a way that achieves the best possible outcome for any project. Most of all, Em is a pleasure to work with so Ceridwen and Ryan are very proud to formally welcome Emily into a practice leadership and co-owner role. Team portrait by @adam.gibson.photo

Now 4 years old, The Rox is cited by @cityofhobarttas , the Tasmanian Planning Scheme and Heritage Tas as an exemplary Hobart apartment building for sensitivity to the heritage context and improvement of the public realm with its open forecourt and laneway. We are proud of this contribution to inner city living in Hobart. 👉 15 Apartments 👉 2 ground floor commercial spaces 👉 Only 5 car spaces 👉 Repurposed existing building structure 👉 Carbon neutral Tasmanian made bricks 👉 Reduced embodied energy 👉 Recovery & restoration of heritage building at rear of precinct 👉 Catalyst for Mid-Town urban activation 👉 Built during Covid lock-down (challenging!) 👉 Debut of Tasmanian female developer, Mary Brownell 👉 Female lead architect, Emily Taylor Built by Vos Constructions Officially opened by @annreyno in 2021 Photographs by @adam.gibson.photo and @aaronjonesphoto With gratitude to all the individuals who contributed to the making of the building. On the lands of Muwanina people of Nipaluna.

Our latest trauma-informed design collaboration with @hobartwomensshelter focused on upgrades to their communal spaces including activities and therapy spaces, recreation room, and an outdoor play area. 🌿 The design is informed by our ongoing research in partnership with the School of Architecture & Design at UTAS and Sam Donnelly from UTS. 💜 Thank you to everyone who has generously given their time and expertise to support this project. 🙏 In addition to those listed below, we gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the staff, women and children living at the Shelter. The project was supported by the Australian Government (Treasury’s Safe Places Emergency Accommodation Program), Homes Tasmania, Tasmanian Community Fund, Variety Tasmania and Hobart Airport.   On the lands of the Muwinina people of Nipaluna, Lutruwita. Image credits: @adam.gibson.photo Coloured concept sketches: @samdonnelly11 Black & white concept sketches: @oceridwen   @samdonnelly11 @universityoftasmania @utasarchitecturedesign @fairbrother_construction @sblastudio @lymesmithy @jacksondannielle @wayticultureandknowledge @southern__lighting @ewe_to_you_tasmania @variety_tasmania @hobart_airport #traumainformeddesign

We are thrilled to share that Core Collective Partner, Dr Ceridwen Owen is on the jury panel for the 2026 ArchitectureAu Award for Social Impact - Entries now open! This program invites entries that demonstrate real benefit to communities and underrepresented groups. With a jury comprising leaders in architecture, research and social policy, the program celebrates work that centres lived experience and social value over spectacle. Projects may relate to social cohesion, racial justice, inclusive housing, accessibility, equity, social sustainability or other areas where design can make a difference to society. This accolade is the only national recognition of this type of work within Australia. The Jury: Andrew Nimmo @lahznimmoarchitects Ceridwen Owen @universityoftasmania Sara Lynn Rees @jcbarchitects Jess Scully @radxchange Katelin Butler @katelinbutler Jury convenor: Rory Hyde @rory_hyde The ArchitectureAu Award for Social Impact is organised by Architecture Media, publisher of @architecture_au , and presented in partnership with the Melbourne School of Design @msdsocial . Enter now! @architecture_au #aausocialimpact #architectureau #socialimpact

Thanks to all our collaborators and clients - so many fun times in 2025! Wishing everyone a joyful and safe festive season and a brilliant new year.

How gorgeous are these felt prototype pebble pillows?!? (try saying that three times fast!) 🤭 Created by talented project architect Ceridwen and her friend Mary, these soft, sculptural pieces will soon bring warmth and cosiness to the nearly finished treehouse 🌿✨ Next up: a family workshop where everyone can make their own felt pebble creations! 💜🏠 #hobart #tasmania #felt #feltart #treehouse

“Home is a concept that is both familiar and elusive, encompassing both the material dwelling (a home) and an existential state (feeling at home). As architects, we are engaged in the imagination and construction of houses with a promise that the existential state will follow. However, we cannot assume that the foundations that we lay afford everyone the same opportunity to feel at home.” – Ceridwen Owen @oceridwen Learn more with the link in our bio. Victorian Chapter members receive the printed copy of Architect Victoria as part of their membership. From Architect Victoria | Sensory Design in Architecture + Perceptions of an Architect | Edition 1, 2025 | Guest editor for Sensory Design in Architecture: Amelia Borg RAIA @a________b and Lauren Crockett RAIA @laurencrockettt . Guest editor for Perceptions of an Architect: Tim Leslie FRAIA Pictured: Elsie and Isabel | Location: muwinina country | Architect: Core Collective Architects @core_collective and Christopher Clinton Architect @christopher__clinton | Builder: St Joseph Affordable Homes | Photographer: Adam Gibson @adam.gibson.photo #ArchitectureDesign #Architecture #Architect #AustralianArchitecture #Design #InteriorDesign #ContemporaryArchitecture #Architects #AustralianArchitects #MelbourneArchitecture #VictoriaArchitecture #Comfort #SensoryDesign #TasmanianArchitecture #WomensShelter

Valuable insights from the resident at @hobartwomensshelter Elsie house, after seven months of living there with her two children after being in crisis accommodation. Her reflections on daily life in Elsie demonstrate the carefully considered, trauma-informed design at work. This post-occupancy review was undertaken by Dr Ceridwen Owen (UTAS) and Samantha Donnelly (UTS) in December 2024. Our sincere gratitude to the resident of Elsie who generously offered her insights and experience with the hope that it will help inform future housing solutions for women and children facing homelessness after escaping domestic violence. Architects: @christopher__clinton with @emily.taylor.architect of @core_collective Landscape architect: @sblastudio Colour Specialist: @lymesmithy Photography slides 6&11: @nina.hamilton.photo Photography remaining images: @adam.gibson.photo @hobartwomensshelter are a non-government housing provider, reliant on private donations to do their good work. Please consider donating to their Buy A Brick Campaign on their website, to help fund more of these homes.

Our recently completed Venus Bay Shed captured beautifully by @adam.gibson.photo Nestled within the rugged coastal landscape of South Gippsland, the Venus Bay Shed is a thoughtfully-designed creative workspace, recently completed alongside the original Venus Bay House (2006). Positioned on the windswept sand dunes, this new additional structure provides a dedicated space for its owners—who live and work on-site—to immerse themselves in their creative pursuits. Robust in its construction, the masonry structure is clad in weathering steel and double-glazed steel-framed windows, allowing it to blend seamlessly into the surrounding tea tree and coastal heath. The building’s stepped form follows the natural contours of the land, with the green roof planted with seed from locally-sourced species enhancing its integration into the fragile dune ecology. More than just a workspace, the Venus Bay Shed is a place of quiet contemplation—an adaptable and enduring structure that fosters creativity, while maintaining a deep respect for its coastal setting. This project reflects Core Collective Architects’ commitment to designing with sensitivity to both site and function. The shed’s material palette, simplicity of form, and strong connection to the landscape ensures that it not only supports the creative endeavours of its owners, but also harmonises beautifully with the natural environment. On the lands of the Bunurong and Gunaikurnai people. Builder: @holtconstructions More project info on the website.

Isabel and Elsie: Homes Designed to Nurture Women and Children’s Wellbeing and Recovery from Homelessness, have been shortlisted in the 2024 @architecture_au Award for Social Impact! The esteemed national award seeks to recognise projects that promote the common good. It has been conceived to reward practice that preferences empathy over aesthetics, extending the spatial possibilities of architecture to advance the discipline and to empower its users. The award criteria focus on demonstrable social benefit and the quality and originality of the design thinking that delivered it. Family violence is the primary reason women and children seek specialist homelessness services. The design is an exemplar of trauma-informed principles, in particular the nine principles outlined in Samantha Donnelly’s ‘Design Guide for Refuge Accommodation for Women and Children’, 2020. The Hobart Women’s Shelter supports women from almost all Local Government Areas in Tasmania. From July 2020 – February 2024, over 4000 women and accompanying children from across Tasmania sought crisis accommodation at the Hobart Women’s Shelter. Almost 3300 women and children seeking accommodation were turned away due to a lack of space at the Hobart Women’s Shelter. The homes provide a high degree of physical safety and psychological well-being, deliberately fostering a sense of security supporting women and children’s recovery. The homes are designed to make living easy and affordable. The homes are kept compact, with plenty of storage and multi-purpose spaces. Each house will have net-zero annual power bills due to the passive-thermal design and solar array. @sblastudio @lymesmithy @brickworksbp @southern__lighting @unioslight @fisherpaykel @decorama.hobart @reeceplumbing @coriandesign @laminexau TPly Lee Tyers Building Surveyors Brighton City Council Enviro Dynamics Gandy & Roberts Red Sustainability Gray Planning Howarth Fisher & Associates Veris Entura @tierney.law Exsto Management @greenpeakenergy @sungrow_power @iwantenergy_tasmania CCA Project Architect @emily.taylor.architect Photography @adam.gibson.photo

Isabel and Elsie are two homes designed to nurture women and children’s wellbeing and recovery from homelessness. Designed in collaboration with @christopher__clinton for @hobartwomensshelter , construction is now complete, and the residents have moved into their new homes. “The women couldn’t believe that someone had taken the time to create this for them. They can see in those homes the love and the passion they have been made with.” - Janet Saunders, the CEO of the Hobart Women’s Shelter, reflecting on the day the women and children moved into their newly completed homes. The Hobart Women’s Shelter supports women from almost all Local Government Areas in Tasmania. Data from the Hobart Women’s Shelter shows that 8 out of 10 women with children were turned away from the Hobart Women’s Shelter during 2020 – 2024 due to insufficient housing stock. The Hobart Women’s Shelter project aims to increase the number of long term, affordable rentals for women and children. These two homes are a prototype for future replications. Designed to be safe, beautiful, low-maintenance, low running cost and healthy. They adopt Trauma-Informed Design Principles thanks to input from @samdonnelly11 and @oceridwen at @utasarchitecturedesign and @sydney_uni . “I certainly think we have set a new standard for social housing for women and children in Tasmania. We have also demonstrated how many people and companies in Tasmania want to make a contribution” - Janet Saunders, the CEO of the Hobart Women’s Shelter. This project has been made possible through the generous support of: @sblastudio @lymesmithy @brickworksbp @southern__lighting @unioslight @fisherpaykel @reeceplumbing @coriandesign @laminexau TPly Lee Tyers Building Surveyors Brighton City Council Enviro Dynamics Gandy & Roberts Red Sustainability Gray Planning Howarth Fisher & Associates Veris Entura @tierney.law Exsto Management @greenpeakenergy @sungrow_power @iwantenergy_tasmania CCA Project Architect @emily.taylor.architect Photography @adam.gibson.photo @nina.hamilton.photo