About Us
Courteous & Professional Service.
Established in 2006, John Scandurra & Associates is a small practice specialising in residential architecture. This includes new homes, additions & alterations, townhouses and apartments.
We undertake a selected number of projects each year, servicing a discerning clientele with whom we collaborate closely throughout the full architectural procurement process.
Our practice engages emerging technologies, environmentally sustainable design elements, and cost monitoring methods, embodied in an elegant, timeless aesthetic.
We have established productive working relationships with councils, owing to our grasp of planning policies and building regulations, to deliver timely outcomes for our clients.
Our methodology has gained for this practice a valued reputation for design innovation, and for courteous and professional service.
Practice location.
The practice is based in Redcliffe Queensland. The office is strategically located to service the Northern Brisbane suburbs, including the Redcliffe, Sandgate and Brighton districts, and further north to the Sunshine Coast area. The office is located adjacent the Gateway Motorway and also services Eastern Brisbane suburbs, including Hawthorne, Balmoral, Bulimba and Morningside, as well as the City of the Gold Coast.
JSA has the capability to service regional south east Queensland, having delivered architectural services to clients in Gympie, Emerald and Mackay.
Staffing.
John Scandurra & Associates has built up a regular network of secondary consultants, including engineers, building estimators, land surveyors, building certifiers and architectural technicians. JSA will assemble a project team to suit the particular requirements of each project.
A Commitment to Architectural Excellence.
Whether we are producing a Grand Design for a Client’s dream home or providing Architectural services for Affordable Housing Solutions, our work is underpinned by a commitment to Architectural Excellence.
This we can define as a commitment to delivering buildings which achieve the Clients’ stated programmatic goals within their budgetary context, applying our creative design skills to achieve a building of strong Architectural spatial and visual merit, beyond the Clients’ expectations.
Profile: John Scandurra, Director
My post graduate career began in the Queensland State Public Works Department in 1990. Here, I developed the specialist professional discipline of design & delivery of primary & secondary state schools. This experience underpinned my move into the private school sector, where I continued working on projects of complex briefing and design. This work was characterised by a close collaboration with clients who have very specific programmatic, timeframe and budgetary guidelines, whose building programmes would be responsible to a wide range of end users, including students, parents and teachers, extending to the wider community.
Again, the methodology involved in delivery of institutional buildings was easy to apply to the field of multi-residential townhouses and apartments for property development clients. Although catering to mainly unknown end users, these clients' projects are also governed by specific programmatic, timeframe and budgetary controls.
After establishing my own practice in 2006, I brought the same rigour of architectural method to homes for private clients, at the top end of the budget range, whose complexity and commercial type budgets required the services of an Architect.
As the demand for more Affordable Housing increases, Architects are uniquely skilled to provide solutions to the supply of affordable housing of architectural merit. I believe my professional background in institutional & property development work has provided me with an understanding of those issues required to service this market. I am currently seeking to extend my services into this market in response to the growing need for Affordable Housing.
Groups and Associations
- Australian Institute of Architects
- Archicentre consultant
- Timber Queensland
A Principled Approach.
The practice is founded on a commitment to traditional architectural principles:
Sustainable Relationships
We have developed a reputation for establishing positive, productive working relationships with our valued clients throughout the often complex building procurement process. This is underpinned by an inclusive collaborative approach to the process of creating new architecture.
Through regular communication, an interactive, Collaborative Relationship is pursued between the Client and ourselves throughout the project, from design briefing through to final handover of the project. This allows the Clients their rightful sense of involvement in the procurement of their investment.
Rational Spatial Planning
Rational Spatial Planning to achieve economy, elegance, appropriate expression of the owners’ lifestyles, and to relate the architecture to its surrounding landscape.
Budget Management
From the project’s Preliminary Project Consultation, the design is developed within the context of the budget This allows the client to measure changes in design choices against any cost implications for the project budget. With this methodology, financial control is maintained throughout the project’s development. Through the practice’s consultancy work to Archicentre, we are aiming to attract clients who would not normally consider engaging an Architect. Experience has shown that those Clients have found this to have made their building project a rewarding experience, producing a home designed for their specific needs, while delivering great value for money.
Environmentally Sustainable Design.
Research and Specification of New Technologies in order to achieve better economy and style. This includes a preference for use of lightweight materials which is not only for stylistic reasons; lightweight also usually means economical.
This practice pursues a special interest in emerging engineered timber technologies. Research & development in timber structural elements, cladding systems and timber veneers is enabling this material to be used increasingly to resolve architectural, engineering design and environmental footprint issues simultaneously. Our membership of Timber Queensland ensures that we are informed of new developments in this emerging technology.
Our preference is to use Passive Thermal Design through a direct design response to prevailing site conditions and the design of the shape of the building to optimize thermal performance.This is supplemented by the use of Mechanical Services, including systems for rainwater harvesting and solar generated energy with a view to efficient use of natural resources.
Completed Project
The completed project makes a statement beyond its own boundaries, taking its place in the surrounding neighbourhood. Each Design is developed with its potential Urban Contribution in mind so that the new building is a welcome long term addition to the community.