Melbourne has gone through many changes since I used to visit the CBD as a child with my mother and younger sister in the 1960s.

Changes in liquor licenses and the development of laneway culture are just a couple of things that have changed the face of the city since then, particularly in the late 1980s when Melbourne after 5pm became a great big doughnut. Postcode 3000 sought to counter the cities doughnut effect by allowing B and C-grade commercial buildings to be developed into apartment buildings, thus activating the city after hours and on weekends.

When I started my working life as a fashion designer, I used to have a studio in the Nicholas Building in the CBD, many years later; a divorce would change this career direction. After the divorce I took over my ex-husband’s business in order to sell it, and once this was achieved, moved into the city with my daughter to fully realise my love affair with Melbourne.

Once settled, I tried to get back into fashion; however I was told I was “too old” in fashion terms. This turn of events lead me to sell real estate and provide intuitive advice to purchasers about what sort of changes they could make and how they could go about it. One such deal I was trying to broker was when seven properties in the CBD came on the market at one time. I was in the middle of a meeting talking about how best to subdivide the office buildings into apartments when one investor questioned my experience. I told him honestly that I had none, however I knew my plans would work. While the deal didn’t go ahead, I decided from that moment on, no-one would ever question my ability again, and that year, I enrolled to study architecture at RMIT.

My change in career trajectory showed me first-hand that you can make a change if you’re passionate about something.

RMIT was the only place I wanted to study architecture, and as a mature aged student my time studying was filled in equal measure by tremendous challenges and inspirational thinking. While juggling parenting, studying and trying to forge a new career, I became involved with the Australian Institute of Architects. Now as a Chapter Councilor I am able to contribute to my profession as well as continue to learn and connect with many other architects.

After graduation I was able to secure a position with an architectural practice where I worked for nearly six years, leaving soon after selling my newly renovated (5^th) apartment. Long story short, the person who missed out on my property, bought another in the building and then commissioned me for its re-design and with this one project, I opened my own architectural practice.

Apartment renovations now form the basis of most of my work.

What clients typically require, following the usual discussions around kitchens and bathrooms, is a greater sense of space and or course storage, and this more often than not is sadly lacking. My challenge has always been to carve out this extra space, either physically or experientially within a finite space. I have found that less is more generally and most often work from a reductionist approach. The quote that best sums this is up is  – “… perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away…” – Antoine de Saint-Exupery Wind, Sand and the Stars. 

Well-designed buildings don’t require extraneous detailing; Total House on Russell Street is a fine example of brutalism and one of Australia’s first examples of mixed use development. Built in the 1960s it has ground level retail, a nightclub (formerly a cinema) in the basement, a multi-level car park with offices on top. Sadly it’s under threat from over-zealous developers who want to tear it down and build a massive high rise apartment building. Currently Total House has a heritage listing proposal coming up and I hope we are successful in this endeavor. Whilst I support development of a high standard, some apartment buildings going up in the city have no light or air to bedrooms, and I believe planning controls should be implemented to prevent this. One particularly fine example of a well-designed apartment building is QV2 by Mc Bride Charles Ryan; each apartment has generous living spaces, excellent ventilation, light and air to bedrooms with large usable balconies – an example of inner city living design done right.

Sustainability… it’s not always about water tanks.  

Adaptive re-use is a term applied to buildings that start life in one form and because they were well designed and solidly built in the first instance are easily adapted to another building typology, warehouse conversions into apartments for example. I believe that if you design a soundly-built building, one that can be used in another way at a later point in time, then this is true sustainability.

I’m working on an alteration and addition to a house in Port Melbourne; it is a challenging project because it falls within The Fishermans Bend precinct which as strong heritage controls. We are conscious to make sure we are not simply imitating the past, but creating something that is forward-thinking as well as enduring. The council was supportive of our plans and accepted our proposal; they understood we were respectful of the buildings past and wanted to ensure its future.

My dream project would be to create an apartment building from scratch.

ALL bedrooms should have access to natural light, cross flow ventilation and ceiling fans would be a must as well as balconies large enough to extend living spaces.  There would be a variety of apartment types within the one building that would cater for families, singles, and everything in between. There would have to be a communal garden and perhaps a café at ground level to foster community interaction.

Hero Apartments on Russell Street, designed by NFK Architects is a great example of a building that fosters a sense of community through its coffee shop on the ground floor, allowing residents to meet and interact with their neighborhood. The building had a previous life as the former postal hall and telephone exchange with additional floors added to the original structure when converted into apartments in 2001. This project is a perfect example of sustainability through adaptive re-use and featured generous apartment sizes, something which doesn’t happen now unless developers are catering to a luxury market.

My favourite projects are ones where the client has absolute faith in my abilities and judgment, but also of the value of architecture in general.

Projects are always enhanced when a client and architect share a vision and they are committed to create something special. This remains true even when the project is as small as shelving to store a client’s treasured objects. Trust of course is paramount to the creative process, and it’s important for clients to understand that the time we have spent studying, researching and honing our architectural craft counts for something. A client must have faith that the architect will respect their ideas and brief, however be able to take them on a journey to create something that surpasses their expectations.

One client told me that while she understood the design process, she didn’t quite realise until after the project was completed that what she had received was well and truly over and above her brief. She remains very happy with the result, telling me that the renovation continues to repay her, over and above the financial investment. I honestly feel that architecture can be life-changing. It’s a journey that is reliant on how the whole project is put together and its success comes down to three main factors:

1. A good architect

2. A good builder

3. An understanding and trusting client

Whilst I love being an architect, my fashion design background will always influence a part of what I do, and of course there are distinct similarities between the two disciplines. It’s about understanding materials and their applications, and what is going to work best for the client.

Good architecture contributes to the enjoyment we receive in life and can change peoples’ lives, and can literally make you sing and dance with joy.

For more information: www.shelleyroberts.com.au

Feature photo courtesy of Peter Glenane.