Recently the practice has completed the Elsternwick Penthouse residential project in Melbourne which was shortlisted for the 2023 Houses Awards Apartment or Unit category, as well as Glassworks &#8211; a retail project for an innovative eyewear label set in a Unesco listed white city building in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Prior to establishing Office Alex Nicholls, Alex worked for RSHP (formerly Rogers Stirk Harbour Partners) where he was Senior Architect for the Taoyuan Airport Terminal 3, Taiwan as well as developing prototype prefabricated low cost housing for temporary infill sites in the UK. In London, Alex also worked for Alison Brooks Architects where he was Project Architect for Windward House which was awarded the 2021 RIBA House of the Year award and the 2021 Manser Medal /AJ House of the Year. Alex also worked on the award winning large scale multi-residential Kilburn Quarter and Greenwich Peninsula projects.
Before moving to London, Alex worked for Guillermo Vazquez Consuegra in Seville, Spain where he worked on numerous awarded competitions in Spain and throughout Europe. He also worked on the documentation and delivery of the 16th Century Atarazanas renovation project and the Gardens of the Hospital annexing the Muvim gallery in Valencia. Alex also worked at Studio Fuksas in Rome, Italy where he worked on the construction stage of the Shenzhen BAO terminal 3 airport in China, the Montecatini Bathhouse in Tuscany and the awarded Federal National Council competition in Abu Dhabi. At Fuksas, he also developed a number of industrial design and furniture pieces for Alessi and Murano of Venice.
In 2008 Alex graduated from the Masters in Architecture with honours at the University of Sydney having received an entrance scholarship and the CHL Turner Memorial Prize for the best architectural design in the graduation studio. He also received an International Exchange Scholarship to study a semester abroad at the University of California, Berkeley and received a site specific grant and material sponsorship to exhibit his work at Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney. In 2006 Alex graduated from the Bachelor of Design in Architecture at the University of Sydney with the Australian Institute of Architects, New South Wales Chapter Prize and the Elizabeth Munroe prize for the highest weighted average mark. He was also part of the winning team in the state-wide Superstudio competition and completed his practical experience at the renowned Australian practice, Denton Corker Marshall in Melbourne.
Alex Nicholls is a registered architect with the Architects Registration Board, United Kingdom and the New South Wales Architects Registration Board as well as a registered Principal Designer under the Design Building Practitioners Act 2021. Alex also teaches architecture studios in both the Masters and Undergraduate programs at the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney.
NSW Architect Registration Number: 12435
Nominated Architect: Charles Alexander James Nicholls
Architects Registration Board (UK): 086964C
Principal Designer Registration Number DBPA (class 2 buildings) : PDP0001239

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Our experience crosses various project typologies from small scale single family houses, interiors, objects and retail spaces to large scale multi residential, infrastructure and public cultural projects.

Our approach to sustainability is interrelated with our approach to context. Passive sustainability measures including solar access, insulation, thermal mass, daylighting, ventilation, wind, views inform our designs. These are paired with high tech methods including operable and automated facades and shading as well as solar energy production and storage. Durable details and material choice as well as flexibility are also key to ensuring a sustainable long lasting project.

We work across all project stages from feasibility studies and concept design through to detailed design, construction and handover.

We work collaboratively and hands-on with clients, planning authorities, suppliers, consultants and contractors to jointly deliver projects that are well designed, detailed and constructed.

Our work is an ongoing investigation into the built and natural environment. It is a spatial exploration of geometry, form, structure, materiality, detail, colour, atmosphere, light and composition according to the specific project context.

About

Office Alex Nicholls

Office Alex Nicholls is an architecture studio based in Sydney and London working internationally across projects large and small.