Ben Callery Architects

22/10/2026

“Our house provides a positive, regenerative oasis amidst a complicated urban and professional world; it reconnects us to the balance we need through modern living…
calming temperatures, flowers and insects, big sky and weather, natural and tactile materials and textures… all of which enables the environment we enjoy with each other, our friends and our families” – Misha & Craig

The living room at curvy cottage is a tranquil inner city oasis naturally lit from above with the curved wall/ceiling drawing light over the roof garden above, down the stair void.

Set back from the original heritage building, this new living wing opens onto a sunny central courtyard providing constant views to garden and access to cool breezes making a naturally comfortable, environmentally connected and energizing space to occupy. ☀️🍃😊

Builder: Homes By Artisan ®️
Landscape designer: CAROLINE HYETT GARDEN DESIGN
Landscape construction: Eugene Klay
BCA team: Mat Westphal Jennifer Payette
Photos: Marnie Hawson
Photo styling: H A N N A H N O W L A N

08/10/2026

Sky Terrace is a finalist in the Architeam awards!

Thanks the jurors and Architeam.
Great work by all who worked on the project.
And of course thanks to great clients who had the vision for a simple but ambitious brief:
Down-sizing without empty-nesting.

A family of four, two parents and two adult offspring, plus a golden retriever, moving from a large suburban property to a compact inner-city heritage terrace.

The challenge was making a generous-feeling, tranquil and naturally comfortable space within a compact footprint and the heritage constraints.
The key is the interlocking spaces that expand and contract while sharing natural light across the levels, complemented by a simple but carefully considered palette of natural and recycled materials.

Photos: Anthony Richardson
Builder: Homes By Artisan ®️
Project lead: Mat Westphal

29/09/2026

Sky Terrace, Carlton North

The stair void in this addition to a heritage terrace acts as a light shaft drawing sun and warmth down into the lower levels.

The upper floor opens onto on a roof deck under an expansive sky, with views over the inner city rooftops and palm trees, creating a sense of space and generosity in a compact footprint.

The cathedral ceiling, echoeing the silhouette of the original heritage façade, provides a feel of both intimacy and grandeur within.

The internal window between the stair and the first floor second-living space allows the levels to be acoustically connected or isolated as needed.

Materiality is deliberately restrained to amplify light and space. Existing hundred year old brickwork was retained, while new walls use recycled bricks, painted white to reveal their texture and history while reflecting natural light.

Circulation through the house is made generous by way of small curves in stair treads, cabinetry and furniture. These tactile timber touchpoints express the beauty of the natural materials.

Photos Anthony Richardson
Builder Homes By Artisan ®️
Project lead Mat Westphal

03/09/2026

Mud Brick House, Eltham
We love mud brick homes and their beautiful connection to place, built from the earth, embodying the ethos of natural building championed by Alistair Knox.

This house began life as an unremarkable 1970s brick veneer, before receiving a Knox extension in 1973. That addition introduced two beautiful mud brick walls among other beautiful defining elements of that era: a basket-weave recycled brick floor and exposed structural timbers

But alongside these qualities were some of the less successful hallmarks of the era including low ceilings, dark rooms, long corridors and poor thermal performance, leaving the house cold in winter and hot in summer.

Despite its strong visual and emotional connection to nature, the house didn’t perform well environmentally. And its small, dark, poky rooms didn’t meet the needs of a modern family.

50 years on, our renovation and extension retains and celebrates what was great about the original: the mud brick walls, brick floor and exposed timber posts. At the same time, the house has been opened up, with raised ceilings drawing in natural light and warming winter sun, while creating view lines to the surrounding trees.

The original Oregon floor joists were carefully retained and, through the huge efforts of our builders, reappropriated as exposed rafters within the new raised ceilings, giving the old timber a new life.

Thermal performance has been dramatically enhanced with new double-glazed composite windows and new insulation throughout.

New materiality reinforces the sense of natural tranquility, with with blackbutt cabinetry and silvertop ash ceilings sitting comfortably alongside the original palette, while being clearly legible as contemporary.

The result is a home that retains and enhances the spirit of the original and the ethos of Knox’s ‘Living in the Environment,’ while bringing it forward to meet the lifestyle and thermal expectations of today.

Builder Truewood Constructions
Photo Marnie Hawson
Photo styling H A N N A H N O W L A N
Project team Mat Westphal Jennifer Payette Tim Shallue

01/09/2026

Creating space and light in Carlton North for a family of four downsizing without empty-nesting, into a single-fronted heritage terrace house.
Roof deck, skylights and a stair void that doubles as a light court all combine to connect the house to the sky and natural light, creating an expansive sense of space within a compact footprint.

17/08/2026

14/08/2026

Mud brick House, Eltham
Truewood Constructions

10/08/2026

Serene and spacious bathroom at Trapeze Terrace.
In a 5m wide terrace house, spatial efficiency is everything, but that doesn’t mean rooms have to feel compact or tight.
This bathroom uses natural light, vistas to greenery and complimentary finishes, to create a sense of space, light and tranquility.
All while also providing a family sized euro-laundry behind the blackbutt veneer doors.

Great work FERNE BUILT
Marnie Hawson
H A N N A H N O W L A N

06/08/2026

We’re looking for a new team member!

We have a role for a Masters of Architecture graduate with knowledge of Revit, Enscape and Adobe.
Having had experience in the workplace would be ideal.

Being a deliberately small team, we employ enthusiastic, self-motivated all-rounders.

You’ll have the opportunity to experience all aspects of the architectural process from conception to completion.
All of our team members contribute to sketch design, detailed design, construction documentation and contract administration on-site during construction.
Perfect experience to prepare for your registration with the ARBV.

We’re a small, energetic but easy-going studio in Thornbury/Northcote. We’re passionate about design and sustainability and love working with like-minded people to create beautiful architecture; Buildings that interact with the elements to be naturally comfortable and delightful to occupy, while energy and resource efficient.
Using natural materials and natural light, we design buildings to lift people’s spirits and provide a warm embrace.

Email your CV and folio by Friday 14th August to [email protected]

Looking forward to hearing from you!

05/08/2026

A new extension we’re designing in Northcote’s Sumner estate.
Adjacent to Merri creek, the site is surrounded by established trees that provide habitat to wildlife.
The extension for a nature-loving couple provides tranquil cosy spaces to curl up immersed in the garden, bathed in natural light.
The deliberately compact footprint will leave abundant space for a garden by Emmaline Bowman | STEM Landscape Architecture to provide even more habitat for wildlife and enjoyable space for green-thumb humans. 🌱🌿🐝🪺🦜🦉😊

Great job Nada Khartabil - Architecture