Multi-Residential & Apartments
Apartments, townhouses, build-to-rent and social housing.
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Architects · Geelong & Melbourne
Architects in Geelong and Melbourne.
JAM Architects is a multi-disciplinary practice of architects, interior designers and 3D visualisers with studios in Newtown and Richmond. Since 1998 we have designed homes, apartment buildings, workplaces and whole precincts that are resolved to their context, careful with resources and grounded in commercial reality.
1998
JAM Architects founded
2
Studios, Richmond and Geelong
900+
Apartments planned at East Brunswick Village
78
Projects in our portfolio
Our practice
Integrity, quality and beauty
Every new project is a unique opportunity in its context of time, people and place. We explore a range of solutions for each brief and look for the one that gives the client, the street and the people who will use the building the most.
Our directors stay personally involved from the first sketch through planning and construction. That continuity is how we keep design quality, technical detail and the commercial realities of a project in balance, whether it is a coastal house in Point Lonsdale or a 900-apartment precinct in Brunswick East.
We work across residential, multi-residential, mixed use and commercial architecture, with master planning, interior design and 3D visualisation in the same studio.
What we design
Four sectors. Two studios.
From a single house to a city block, each sector has its own team experience, project record and way of working.
Mixed Use & Development
Precincts, urban renewal and mixed-use buildings.
Learn moreCommercial & Workplace
Offices, retail, hospitality and tourism.
Learn moreResidential Homes
New homes, coastal houses, renovations and heritage.
Learn moreSelected projects
Built, approved and underway
The Mill
The Mill is an urban infill project that adapts the historic Returned Soldiers and Sailors textile mill buildings for new mixed uses.
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Hampton Quarter
A mixed-use urban renewal development that consolidates several under-used parcels and an existing car park.
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Yarra Valley House
Built several years after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires destroyed the original house, the home connects people and building to the surrounding...
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Nicholson Street (EBV)
Part of East Brunswick Village, a large mixed-use precinct built around the '20 minute neighbourhood' idea, where residents meet daily needs...
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Mt Eliza Residence
Set in an established Mount Eliza neighbourhood on a site sloping west to east with all-day northern sun, the house was designed to be shielded...
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Nicholson Offices
Sited on the northern edge of East Brunswick Village along Nicholson Street, this is the only office building in the masterplan and completes the...
View projectHow we help
Before, during and after design
The services that take a project from a site to an approval and a finished building.
Planning Permits & VCAT
Planning applications, council negotiation and VCAT representation.
Learn moreMaster Planning & Urban Design
Precinct and site master plans that connect to their place.
Learn moreFeasibility Studies
Yield, planning and design testing before you commit to a site.
Learn moreInterior Design & Fit-Out
Workplace, retail, hospitality and residential interiors.
Learn more3D Visualisation
Renders, animation and VR for design, planning and sales.
Learn moreOur studios
Melbourne and Geelong
Two studios, one practice. Our Richmond and Newtown teams share projects, people and standards.
How we work
From brief to built
01
Brief and site
We meet on site, listen to the brief and test it against the planning controls, the budget and the context.
02
Feasibility
Yield and massing options, early planning advice and 3D studies, so you can decide with confidence.
03
Design
Concept and design development, with the director who began the project leading it.
04
Planning
Planning application, council negotiation and, where needed, VCAT representation.
05
Documentation
Detailed documentation coordinated with engineers, ESD and specialist consultants.
06
Construction
Contract administration through to completion, protecting the design and your budget.
Sustainability
Sustainable by default
ESD is part of how we design, not an add-on. We apply best practice from the brief through to post-occupancy, and our projects have been assessed under Green Star and NABERS.
At East Brunswick Village that means rooftop solar, passive design and water-efficient fittings across the precinct, with 149 Nicholson Street recognised as an operational carbon neutral building and an average NatHERS rating of 7.5 stars.
7.5★
Average NatHERS rating at 149 Nicholson Street
5★
NABERS target that shaped Nicholson Offices
0
Operational carbon at 149 Nicholson Street (EBV)
3
Pavilions of rammed earth and recycled timber at Yarra Valley House
Questions
Asked and answered
Where are JAM Architects based?
We have two studios: Level 2, 7 Howard Street, Richmond, in Melbourne, and Suite 8, 400 Pakington Street, Newtown, in Geelong. The teams work together on projects across Melbourne, Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula, the Surf Coast and regional Victoria.
What kind of projects do you design?
Residential, multi-residential, mixed use and commercial architecture for private, corporate and government clients, from private homes and heritage alterations to apartment buildings, offices and whole precincts. We also provide master planning, interior design and 3D visualisation in house.
Can you help with planning permits and VCAT?
Yes. We prepare planning applications, negotiate with councils and represent clients at VCAT. Our founding director Chris Manton has appeared at VCAT as an expert witness. See Planning Permits & VCAT.
How long has JAM Architects been practising?
JAM Architects was founded in 1998. The Geelong studio opened in 2020 to complement the Melbourne practice.
Do you design sustainable buildings?
Yes. Environmentally sustainable design is part of every brief, from passive design and material choice to projects assessed under Green Star and NABERS. Nicholson Offices was designed with a 5 Star NABERS rating as a key driver.
Next step
Tell us about your project.
A site you are buying, a planning permit, a new home or a full precinct: start with a conversation with one of our directors.
Contact
Start with a conversation
Tell us about the site and what you have in mind. A director from our Melbourne or Geelong studio will come back to you to talk it through.
Phone
Melbourne studio
Geelong studio