In Conversation with Tom Robertson Architects

How would you describe your practice and its philosophy? 

We are a Melbourne-based practice dedicated to residential architecture. I established the practice to create a studio where the relationship with each client matters as much as the architecture itself. We are not in pursuit of a signature aesthetic, but of the most appropriate response to each site and family. 

Your work is often characterised by restraint, warmth and a strong connection to place. What principles guide your approach? 

Restraint is central. We would rather execute a small number of ideas with precision than introduce a multitude that compete for attention, favouring a disciplined material palette and details that serve the design. Connection to place matters equally: each home should feel as though it could only exist on its site, shaped by orientation, light and context. Warmth serves as the counterbalance to restraint: a pared-back approach should never be mistaken for austerity. A home must still feel generous and inhabited, regardless of how disciplined its material language may be. 

What are the first questions you ask when beginning a new project, and why are they so important? 

We begin by understanding how a family genuinely lives, as distinct from how they imagine they should live: daily rhythms, practical demands, the qualities they want to feel entering the home. These candid answers shape the design far more than any early sketch. In parallel, we interrogate the site itself, its orientation and its light. Clear answers to both ground every decision, rather than an arbitrary design impulse. 

Your projects feel timeless rather than trend-driven. What does "enduring design" mean to you? 

To us, enduring design is architecture that does not depend on prevailing trends to feel relevant; it is confident enough in its own internal logic to remain resolved over time. This is achieved primarily through a commitment to proportion, materiality and light, ahead of ornamentation. Any detail included purely because it is fashionable is, in our experience, the first to appear dated. We therefore ensure every decision is justified by the site and the brief rather than by prevailing style. This is also why we favour honest, robust materials, timber, brick, concrete and steel, which age with dignity rather than losing their relevance. 

Is there a recent project that best encapsulates the ethos of the practice? 

Marraweeney, our off-grid retreat in country Victoria, is the clearest expression of our ethos. Rather than the vocabulary of the traditional barn, we designed a low, quiet pavilion that settles into the ridgeline rather than asserting itself over the landscape. It rests on a recessed plinth, allowing native grasses to grow beneath it, with a narrow palette of charred timber, dark steel and burnished concrete, so the landscape remains the focus. Marraweeney represents the practice in microcosm: attentiveness to site, an economy of means, and a result that feels inevitable rather than imposed. 

LEARN MORE: https://tomrobertson.com.au/