CKA is pleased to bring you a seasonal update from our firm, including a selection of exciting new projects and news.
2025 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION COSTS
In conjunction with Rodney Vapp Quantity Surveyors, CKA has released the 2025 Cost Guides for home renovations, new homes and aged care facilities.
Construction costs have remained relatively stable in recent months, with some easing in material and subcontractor pricing balanced by modest labour cost increases. This trend is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
Check the cost guides out: https://caulfieldkrivanek.com/resources/
COMMUNITY
Left: Robert Caulfield, former National President of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Right), pictured with winners of the Robert Caulfield Graduate Research Scholarship, Tahj Rosmarin and Jimi Connor (Middle), and Victorian President, David Wagner (Left) during the AIA Victorian Honours Event. Right: Robert Caulfield Graduate Research Scholarship commendation recipient, Hannah Zhu.
The most recent Robert Caulfield Graduate Research Scholarship winners have been announced. CKA extends congratulations to Tahj Rosmarin & Jimi Connor, whose research proposal, “Responsive, adaptable and community-led – The role of the architect in the postdisaster Australian context,” will provide a critical and timely insight into specific tools, approaches and methodologies employed by architects in a very specific Australian post-disaster context. We extend further congratulations to Hannah Zhu, for her he proposal, “Fire Water, Building.” This is an outstanding achievement and is the first commendation that this scholarship has awarded.
HERITAGE
Invergowrie, VIC
Invergowrie.
Proposed additions.
CKA, working with Heritage Victoria, has achieved a planning permit and endorsement for an extension to Invergowrie. Built in 1851, Invergowrie is one of Melbourne’s most significant historic houses and is home to owners who are passionate about sharing the property with the public. The proposed development of education spaces is designed to accommodate visiting school groups and people interested in Melbourne’s architectural history. CKA has other heritage projects underway in Canterbury and Kew.
Flockmill Apartments, Brunswick VIC
CKA has been appointed to convert a historic industrial building into three bespoke townhouses. To preserve the character of this former flockmill factory, the design proposes retaining the existing shell, whilst retrofitting the interior to provide contemporary living spaces. This is achieved by carefully inserting independent lightweight structures within the original external brick walls.
RESIDENTIAL
Caribbean Style Home, Mont Albert VIC
Left: Lead Architect, Song Yang (Left) and Architectural Assistant, Chelsea Fisher (Right), captured visiting the site during framing. Right: Front facade and living room visualizations in conjunction with Varcon Group.
CKA designs many homes and alterations. A house we designed for a family of four is currently under construction and is set to be completed early next year. The home’s terracotta-tiled roof and arched openings take inspiration from the client’s love of the Spanish Caribbean architecture they grew up with. A generous full-length balcony will overlook a landscaped pool area and alfresco dining space, providing a seamless connection between indoor and outdoor living. We have many other residential projects underway in Kew, Canterbury, Glen Waverley and Sorrento.
COMMERCIAL
Healing Centre, WA
Our concept for a clover-shaped wellness centre along the coast of Western Australia, has been designed to support the client’s passion for holistic healing. At its core, a glass-domed roof over eight metres high, brings natural light into a circular communal dining space and acts as an anchor for the building’s four wings. These wings house an auditorium, birthing suite, medical clinic and dental facility, each with a spectacular glass atrium. Outside, spaces for meditation, therapeutic herb and fresh produce gardens, orchards and market stalls, facilitate community health and engagement.
RETIREMENT + AGED CARE
Ferntree Gully, VIC
After an incredibly long and complex battle with local council and two water authorities regarding flood levels, we finally have planning endorsement and are ready for construction to begin on the extension we designed for a retirement village in Ferntree Gully. We have also undertaken further preliminary planning work in Victoria, including for an ageing in place development in Deanside and a retirement project in Seymour. Further work in the retirement sector is being done by CKA in Cairns, Queensland and India.
SPECIAL PURPOSE
Suburban Out of Home Care House
This residence, which CKA designed to provide safe and comfortable accommodation for children in out-of-home care, has just reached completion. This is the eleventh project of this type that we have recently completed. Thoughtfully planned with a focus on dignity, independence, accessibility and robustness, the four spacious bedrooms, all equipped with en-suites, provide each child with space to make their own. To support greater autonomy, one suite is designed to be fully self-contained. This suite contains its own private kitchenette, lounge area and workspace. The home also includes a generous backyard and features high-quality fixtures and finishes throughout to create a secure and welcoming environment that is tailored to the needs of its residents.
INTERNATIONAL
The People’s Theatre & Hotel, Chengdu, China
Exterior visualizations in conjunction with CKA’s Shanghai office.
Theatre lobby.
CKA’s Shanghai office have recently produced updated views of The People’s Theatre and Hotel that our Melbourne office designed in Chengdu, China. This project has now been built and was inspired by the iconic skyline of 1920s New York. A mixed-use development, this building contains offices, hotel rooms, retail spaces, function areas and an exclusive theatre. The theatre’s lobby is a soaring atrium that spans the full height of the building. Designed by Ivo Krivanek, it features a glass ceiling and a dazzling chandelier. The indented façades were designed to conjure an illusion of a building within a building, whilst also echoing the appearance of theatre curtains being drawn. Similarly, the façades’ mirrored panels and transparent glass culminate in a shimmering veil that reflects the vibrant street life surrounding it, akin to how its theatre mirrors the stories it tells.
INTERIORS
Collins Street Office Refurbishment, VIC
CKA’s Design Director, Ivo Krivanek, is working on numerous interior design commissions, including for offices in Sydney and Melbourne’s CBD. The foyer of the Collins Street office draws inspiration from the elegant architecture of the Art Deco era, with a material palette of brass, warm stone, dark timber and glass panelling that creates a sophisticated yet welcoming atmosphere.
UPCOMING PROJECTS
High-rise aged care development, India.
We are also undertaking preliminary work on projects in several of Australia’s premier holiday destinations, with discussions underway for waterfront apartments along the Mornington Peninsula, a luxury retreat in Daylesford, an
accommodation development in Western Australia and a 150-unit workers’ accommodation development in Far North Queensland. We have also been engaged in projects across the globe and are currently adapting a previously designed multi-storey aged care scheme to suit a new site in Pune. This project will be among the first of its kind in India, setting a new benchmark for high-quality retirement living and addressing the needs of India’s ageing population.
We’re excited to share more with you soon, so stay tuned!
From the CKA team; Robert, Ivo, Vic, Song, Philip, Chelsea, Keryn, Kaye, Ann and David.
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