Here Studio Architects - Ballarat

We live and work in Shanghai and discovered Ammon and his team in late 2018. It was important but for us to have someone who “gets” Ballarat heritage properties but also has the chops when thinking through the international design requirements and lifestyle expectations of returnee expats. That translates into “dealing with highly demanding and dynamic overseas clients”.We have been working with Ammon and his team for over a year now and we are now currently in the thick of things with final build stages. It’s been a highly collaborative process which was clearly mapped out from day one.Here Studio has been particularly good with breakthrough design with our heritage space in Ballarat (1911 federation home). Our concept is a major addition to the old home consisting of double story back section with sunken living room with 4mtr ceilings, new bedroom on top, new kitchen with butlers pantry, two new bathrooms and cosmetic touches to the old house. Furthermore there are design requirements including mid century furnishings that the space had to take into account.There is also extensive glazing throughout and dramatic designer cladding work in the back section (probably a first of its kind outside major cities). I am pleased with the engineering thought and planning that has been put into the staircase work and also the overall structure to keep this predominantly wood and save on costs.Now that we are in the build stage it’s great to see strong levels of documentation around schedules, site meeting notes and briefings to the builder. We’ve also started Zoom meetings weekly to review schedule inputs and planned purchases which is starting to be the really fun part of the project.I’m looking forward to sharing some photos of what the final concept looks like mid year. In the meantime if you’re looking for an experienced team with all the high-touch yet practical requirements of architects call Ammon and his team. I’m happy also to act as a client reference.Key attributes for Here Studio include:Conceptual designTender processBuilder and partner selectionActive negotiationOutward and frequent communication including follow upProcess and planningDocumentation and managementFlair and pragmatismClient management (believe me, if they can deal with me they can deal with any caliber of client :)

We chose here studio in comparison to other architects we looked at because they showed style and imagination. They lived up to our expectations and have delivered outcomes which are much more than we had hoped for. There have been difficulties due to all the problems associated with covid by Ammon and the team have gone out of their way to be helpful and cope with them. All I can say by way of recommendation is if you don't use here studio you're nuts.

We have worked with here studio for more than a year now.They have consistently supported and interpreted our visions, and responded to our need to reflect our personality in our design (when we had no clue how that would work on the real world).They have supported our desire for sustainable solutions and worked extremely hard to fit everything within an increasingly tight budget in the difficult financial climate we now face.Communication has been open and timely.I recommend them to work with on your project.

Very knowledgeable, very professional and very adaptable to whatever projects are thrown at them. My partner and I were incredibly impressed at the suggestions and expertise throughout our consultation.

Ammon and his team work are really knowledgeable and accommodating. Can vouch for their work!

Ammon and the team have helped make our dream a reality by working with us to design our dream home. They have been professional and easy to work with, keeping our needs at front of mind throughout the whole process to deliver a project on time and within our budget. We would highly recommend here studio for your next build or renovation project.

As a business owner, Ammon is focused on getting the best outcome for all Here Studio clients. Ammon and his team are superb listeners and are passionate about achieving sustainable outcomes that are aligned with their clients vision.

We worked with Donal at here studio as the principal architect, and he provided us with some great concepts that hit our brief and showed us some different compromises to suit our budget. He was really responsive to our feedback and was great at guiding us through the process. We also dealt with Lewis on the administrative side, and he was excellent at helping us understand different points. I definitely recommend using here studio for the quality of the plans and the time they spend with you.