MvS Architects

------------------------------------------------------- National Centre for Environmental Art, Halls Gap 2025 ------------------------------------------------------- A museum surrounded by a curated native bushland park. ------------------------------------------------------- The National Centre for Environmental Art is a world class gallery space and educational facility embedded in a conservation and wetlands area in a Trust for Nature site on the outskirts of Halls Gap. The projects has been designed to both rejuvenate the wetlands and encourage public engagement with local flora and fauna. The museum is comprised of a substantial gallery, with associated storage and preparation areas, fitted with international museum standard security and climate control. The galleries are supported by a large central covered plaza, encouraging communal gatherings, community galleries, a cafe/restaurant, offices and a project space for visiting artists. ------------------------------------------------------- Client: WAMA Foundation Architecture: MvS Architects + TAUT Landscape Architecture: TRACT Project Management: Case Meallin Construction: Nicholson Construction ------------------------------------------------------- Photography by Petter Bennetts ------------------------------------------------------- @mvsarchitects @jan.van.schaik @bytaut @tractconsultants @casemeallin @wamaproject2025 @peterbbennets ------------------------------------------------------- ‘Spring’ by Jemila MacEwan in the first image.

-—————————————————— Bell Street Residence, Fitzroy 2019 -—————————————————— A total transformation of a former school into a luxurious two level residence and leafy garden in a heritage listed building. -—————————————————— This design for a two storey home in a heritage registered Victorian-era former school includes a generous upper level open space with a below-bench kitchen that provides full functionality for a client who loves to cook and cater. The ground floor is crafted to include two bedrooms, each with its own en-suite, a separate powder room, a dedicated laundry space, and ample space for the client’s much loved collection of furniture and art. Our design includes custom designed steel doors with fluted glass, and a bespoke lighting solution. The main bedroom and bathroom ceilings are elegantly vaulted and the bathrooms are lined with hand-made Japanese tiles. The plan makes clever use of space to include more functionality than the dimensional constraints of the building should allow for. -—————————————————— Builder: @joel_heidibuild Photography: @peterbbennetts Tiles: @artedomus

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#Repost @rmitarchitecture ・・・ RMIT Architecture invites you to a public lecture by MvS ARCHITECTS – COUNTERFACTUAL CONTEXTS, CURIOUS CONCEPTS, AND COLOURFUL CONSTELLATIONS. . Paul Minifie and Jan van Schaik tag-team to discuss the concepts and contexts of their converging and diverging practices in research, education, art and architecture. . DATE: Wednesday 15 October, 2025 TIME: 6.00pm - 8:00pm LOCATION: RMIT Design Hub Building 100, Level 3, Ground Level Lecture Theatre, 150 Victoria St, Carlton VIC 3000 POSTER: https://bit.ly/3KQZvs4 . The overlap of the careers of Paul Minifie and Jan van Schaik can be traced back to a tutor/amanuensis relationship at RMIT Architecture in the early 1990s. From there, it can be followed to a similar working relationship at both Ashton Raggatt McDougall and then Minifie Nixon Architects before they co-founded MvS Architects in 2007— where they authored the design of a series of award-winning projects in Melbourne and overseas. While their practices have now once again diverged, they continue to work together as co-supervisors in RMIT Architecture & Urban Design’s Creative Practice Research PhD program. . In this lecture, they will separately and jointly discuss the theoretical, architectural, and practical engines and underpinnings of their entangled professional and academic working lives — including how Minifie’s work pioneered new orders of architecture arising from the application of mathematics to the design of buildings, and how van Schaik’s expanded the role that architecture plays in the cultural valuation of cities. The talk will be peppered with insights into their architectural values, fascinating architectural histories, and fractious professional gossip. . Image 1 Credit: The Gillespie infill building at RMIT New Academic Street by MvS Architects. Designed in conjunction with Lyons, NMBW, HAW and Peter Maddison. Photo by Peter Bennetts . Image 2 Credit: Paul Minifie and Jan van Schaik, photo by Albert Comper . . #rmit #rmitarchtecture #MinifievanSchaik #MvS #MvSarchitects @jan.van.schaik paul_____ie @mvsarchitects

#Repost @union.magazine ・・・ The @wama_foundation , Australia’s first national centre dedicated to environmental art, opened its doors to the public in June 2025. Situated in Halls Gap, Victoria, on the doorstep of the Gariwerd/Grampians National Park, Wama is a unique convergence of art, ecology and cultural heritage. ⁠ ⁠ Melbourne-based artist and architect @jan.van.schaik , designer of the Wama Foundation building, approaches form and place with sensitivity. His practice bridges art and architecture, treating the surrounding landscape as an essential component of the design. ⁠ ⁠ architect @mvsarchitects @jan.van.schaik @bytaut ⁠ landscape architect @tractconsultants @ochrelandscape ⁠ words @miya.sywak

A fully operational veterinary hospital designed to offer both world-class animal care and an immersive public experience. Organised around a central gallery, the building allows visitors to observe real-time diagnosis, surgery, and recovery, supported by rich multimedia displays that deepen understanding of wildlife health and rehabilitation. ------------------------------------------------------- Built to high ESD standards, the design includes a central ventricle that passively ventilates the public gallery, eliminating the need for mechanical cooling. Clad in a shimmering membrane and visible from the surrounding landscape, the structure is as striking as it is sustainable. Recognised with the William Wardell Institutional Architecture Award and the Premier’s Design Award, the project redefines the intersection of healthcare, education, and architecture. ------------------------------------------------------- Photography: Peter Bennetts and Shannon McGrath

A heritage-listed Victorian-era school reimagined as a two-level residence with vaulted ceilings, leafy garden, and a refined palette of handmade Japanese tiles, fluted glass, and bespoke steel detailing. The upper level features a generous open plan living space and a fully functional below-bench kitchen, designed for a client who loves to cook and entertain. ------------------------------------------------------- The ground floor includes two bedrooms with en-suites, a powder room, laundry, and ample space for a treasured collection of art and furniture. Custom steel-framed doors and a layered lighting design bring softness and warmth, while the plan maximises function within the building’s original footprint and heritage constraints. ------------------------------------------------------- Photography: Peter Bennetts

A new two-level building at Jalan Bellamy creates a welcoming gateway to the Alice Smith School, supporting students, parents, and the wider school community. At ground level, a shaded open-air cafeteria replaces the existing deli, relocated for better access and connectivity with the campus. ------------------------------------------------------- Above, a sunken play area is embraced by an arched stair that leads to the new parents’ centre, complete with a social deli, informal meeting spaces, and views across the assembly area and southern balcony. Designed for inclusivity and community engagement, the building includes accessible circulation and thoughtful spatial relationships. Awarded the 2015 PAM Gold Award for Collaboration, the project was delivered in partnership with iPartnership. ------------------------------------------------------- Photography: H. Lin Ho

A compact inner-city apartment reimagined into a refined and highly functional home with a walk-through wardrobe, hotel-style bathroom, freestanding bath, powder room, custom lighting and clever storage solutions. The redesign works entirely within the original footprint, making smart use of space without moving walls. ------------------------------------------------------- A reoriented entry corridor now houses new joinery, while subtle shifts in openings enhance flow and natural light. Carefully chosen materials and detailing elevate the everyday, transforming a once-cramped interior into a calm, considered place to live. ------------------------------------------------------- Photography: Peter Bennetts

A new entry lobby for Hero Apartments, designed by MvS Architects and Fiona Abicare in association. ------------------------------------------------------- Originally the Russell Street Telephone Exchange and Post Office, completed in 1954, the cream-brick building reflects European Modernist influences, particularly the Amsterdam School and Scandinavian Freestyle Classicism. The redesign layers intersecting planes, green columns and soft light with custom furniture and artwork, creating a foyer that is both functional and refined.

A transformative adaptive reuse project at the centre of RMIT’s city campus. New Academic Street introduces an entirely new library, student services, flexible learning environments and a series of public spaces woven through the reconfigured Swanston Street buildings. By creating new connections between Swanston and Bowen Streets over multiple levels, the project dissolves barriers between university and city. ------------------------------------------------------- Designed in collaboration with Lyons, NMBW, HAW and Maddison Architects, the project was widely awarded at the 2018 AIA Victoria Architecture Awards, including the Melbourne Prize and the Victorian Architecture Medal. ------------------------------------------------------- @lyonsarchitecture @nmbw_architecture_studio @maddisonarchitects

Completed in 2014, this custom table seats six and is crafted from a single sheet of laminated European Pine. ------------------------------------------------------- A reversed-grain diamond at its centre marks the timber’s original width. The grain wraps the super-ellipse form, distorting beautifully at the edges. Legs finished in automotive black taper from solid steel rods into delicate fingers that cradle the top. ------------------------------------------------------- Part Art Deco, part industrial, the table balances mass and refinement in one continuous gesture