Designing beautiful & functional spaces in Marrickville
As you wander through the streets of Marrickville you’ll pass by a wide array of different buildings & structures. Some of these will be very simple, industrial designs while others will be highly complex & beautiful. Marrickville locals, Kreis Grennan Architecture believe these two styles don’t necessarily have to be mutually exclusive.
We spoke with Christian Grennan & Chris Kreis recently about their shared journey with architecture. The pair then gave us their top tips for anybody looking to employ the services of an architect to design a home or workspace.
Developing a passion for architecture
For both men, the passion for buildings was passed down to them by their families.
“I got my passion for building through my father who was a property developer and my sister, an interior architect,” recalled Chris. From there Chris quickly found ways to feed his passion, “Since childhood, I have always liked building things, starting with small hobby projects and eventually progressing to building houses. Whenever I can I love getting involved hands-on, putting things together to make them function and look good.”
According to Christian, this idea of immersing yourself in building & design is exactly how he found his path into architecture.
“I have lived on building sites all my life. My father always wanted to be a builder but was expected to study at university. At the time building was not a university degree so that resulted in us living in houses that were always being renovated. Mum always joked she has never lived in a finished house,” explained Christian. “My brother then became a builder so then I worked alongside him & my father as soon as they could make me productive.”
Forming Kreiss Grennan Architecture
Although both men love to get their hands dirty down on the building site they found their true calling when they delved into the world of architecture & started working together in 2013.
When asked how they came to join forces Christain said, “It all happened quite organically. Chris had a project for the conversion of a warehouse into residential apartments so we started talking and working on the project together. We respected each other's strengths and were able to build upon them to get a better result than if either of us had done the project on our own.”
The decision to form a single firm rather than working as separate entities came down to this idea of building off of each other’s individual strengths.
“Together we have experience in property development, design, architecture and building,” said Christian. “Design is a continual loop of evaluation/ criticism and testing possibilities.”
Since their each had similar, yet divergent backgrounds, the pair could be very open, honest & insightful with their feedback to each other. A process that they ultimately believe leads to better designs.
Tips For Home Buildings Looking To Employ An Architect
In closing out our conversation with the Kreiss Grennan Architecture team we wanted to get some tips to help anybody looking to build their dream home.
According to the duo ultimately the project must cater to the client & their design aesthetic. But most of all, how the client will live or work in the space. In saying that though the biggest tip they have for potential clients is to “find an architect who fits your needs & has a style you like.”
Christian explained that it’s important to keep in mind when approaching an architect that it’s not going to be a fast process.
“You are going to be spending a fair amount of time discussing what’s important to you. Don’t save money on design fees and select the cheapest architect, you will later regret spending a lot of money on something that doesn’t work for you. Good design takes time. The decisions made during the early planning and design stages are the most important ones. Building upon good decisions ensures a smooth and efficient construction stage.”
Check out Kreiss Grennan Architecture at www.kreissgrennan.com.au