About the practice
The most
sustainable building
is the one
already standing.
Our conviction
Test Arch 3p is a Newcastle architecture studio led by two registered architects, each bringing fifteen years of experience across residential, heritage, and civic work.
The practice is founded on the conviction that the most sustainable building is the one already standing. We unlock the hidden potential in existing structures, designing additions and adaptations that are site-specific, materially honest, and quietly bold.
"Quietly bold"
Our one-line promise. We believe restraint is not the absence of ambition, but its most disciplined expression. Every intervention should feel inevitable, as if the building had always wanted to become this.
Capabilities
What
we do
Adaptive reuse architecture
Reimagining disused warehouses, shops, and older dwellings as purposeful contemporary spaces without erasing their history.
Residential additions & alterations
Crafting extensions and internal reorganisations that improve daily family life while respecting original fabric and streetscape.
Heritage & approvals consultancy
Guiding complex projects through council and regulatory frameworks with strategic clarity and design advocacy.
Sustainable retrofit strategies
Upgrading thermal performance, light, and airflow to extend building life and reduce operational impact.
Feasibility & site analysis
Testing propositions early to define realistic scope, budget, and design opportunity before commitment.
The principals
Principal One
Registered Architect · 15 years
With a background spanning residential, heritage, and civic projects across Newcastle and the Hunter Region, Principal One brings a forensic eye for existing fabric and a quiet confidence in material honesty to every commission.
Principal Two
Registered Architect · 15 years
Principal Two's practice is rooted in the belief that architecture should advocate for the buildings it inherits. Their work navigates complex regulatory frameworks with patience, precision, and an unwavering commitment to sensitive, inventive change.
Together, they lead a small, focused team from a light-filled studio on Hunter Street, working closely with homeowners, investors, and institutional custodians throughout Newcastle and the Hunter Region.
How we work
Considered. Confident.
Warmly precise.
Listen first
We begin by understanding the story embedded in the structure—the way light falls, how rooms connect, what the street remembers. Only then do we draw.
Design with restraint
We prefer craft and narrative over novelty. Every line serves a purpose. Every material earns its place. The result is architecture that feels inevitable.
Advocate always
Whether navigating council or collaborating with builders, we act as design advocates—protecting the integrity of the idea while finding pragmatic paths forward.
Client words
What they
say
"Test Arch 3p saw narrative in our old corner shop that three other architects missed. The apartment is dramatic, but it still feels unmistakably like Newcastle."
"They shepherded our heritage terrace through a difficult approval process with patience and forensic precision. The house finally flows the way we imagined thirty years ago."
"The addition does not feel like an appendage; it feels like the building finally became itself. Quiet, confident, deeply liveable design."