Emma Butterworth Architects

09/08/2026

18/06/2026

The challenge for this house was to remove just enough of the pre 1947 house in order to shift it to one side of the block, leaving space for someone else to build their dream home.

Everything is ready for the raise tomorrow, can’t wait to see this one with some height

27/01/2026

One thing I learnt last year was that it takes time to build a relationship with a hairdresser. I would dread sitting down in the chair and hearing the question ‘so, what are we doing today?’. Such a simple question, but one that drove fear into my heart. I felt put on the spot, like I had to whip out a presentation, filled with concept sketches and reference materials that would somehow convey the fact that all I really wanted was long layers and curtain bangs. I sat through the discomfort and over the course of a year, I got the haircut I wanted.
 
Hairdresser and architect are different services in scale, but at the heart of it they are the same. When you take on a building project, you take a seat in the same chair. You’re headed somewhere new and it feels uncomfortable and uncertain. It can feel daunting to have someone come into your home and analyse the way you live.  
 
When we’re feeling discomfort that means we’re usually getting to the right answer. It would be easier for me to simply draw exactly what you want, but this creates less impact, less change. A good architect will challenge you, guide you and help you through this transition. Just like choosing the right hair stylist, it can take some time to choose the right architect, one who will help you translate the vision in your head.

26/01/2026

Have you ever seen a Queenslander being moved? It is a sight that is relatively common in Queensland, where weatherboard houses are placed onto the back of trucks and moved to more convenient locations. The story of this house began a few streets away from where it lives now. Knowing that it had been moved, the new owner of this house searched Google Street view, travelling from street to street, until finally, she found its original location.

There it had sat, a pre 1946 Queenslander, until it was moved in 2016 to make way for new apartments. The story of this house is long, and many people had called it home. Now, lovingly painted a sparking sapphire blue, all it was missing was a back deck.   

At this house lives a couple, their playful dog and a very sleepy cat. Their journey had led them to a bayside location where their Queenslander house was making the most of the cooling sea breeze. The backyard is bookmarked by the house and a large Poinciana tree that provide privacy and shade to the cuttings and newly potted plants underneath. The new deck will sit to the north-east of the yard, capturing the morning sun.

20/01/2026

As a first-year architecture student, one of my jobs was to deliver the Christmas presents to clients. Like Santa, I traipsed all over Brisbane carrying my goodies. My sleigh? Our Honda CRV, the trusty work car. My gifts? Not personalised wine bottles or boxes of chocolates, no, the gifts I carried were wheels of cheese, the signature Christmas gift at the firm I worked at. Back in the office, the venetian blinds would start to grow heavy with Christmas cards, and a silent competition began brewing over which director received the most. The steady march of Christmas hampers filled the reception as we haggled over who would get what.

See link in bio to read more about the things I learnt while making Christmas Cards.

20/01/2026

Finishing touches at Camp Hill

18/01/2026

Briefing notes from a few days spent west of Ballarat last week - now moving into Concept Design

This is a house that looks in on itself, it’s closed off to the beauty surrounding it

It wants to be opened up to the big great gums in the sheltered front lawn where rose garden remnants show the promise of what’s to come

It wants to be opened up to the old water tank, waiting to become a plunge pool, sheltered by the cypress wind break

It wants to be opened up to the eastern sun and views over the valley, and to the north where a sea of grass draws your eye up the endless hill

But it also wants to be warm and cosy, a refuge from the cold

10/01/2026

Brick set out on site at Camp Hill ☀️

10/12/2025

Site visits at Camp Hill