Civic design is a human-centered approach to finding ways we can better design our communal spaces.

We believe in designing healthy, connected, social and holistically sustainable buildings. In collaboration with our clients, we work to enhance social cohesion and increase economic benefit for communities and enterprises.

Our civic design solutions are architecturally engaging, technically advanced, energy efficient and commercially viable for our clients. They explore flexibility, legibility, and fluid edges. Flexibility is important because buildings should be easily adapted to a variety of activities, age groups and interests, ensuring they will be used every day and have ongoing relevance. Legibility is essential to ensure public spaces are simple to navigate and safe to move through. Fluid edges between key facilities and the wider community are important because the spaces on the edges (in between buildings or precincts) attract the highest utilisation and stimulate a thriving inclusive community. 


ARCH advocates for greater communication and collaboration between developers, government and community. Our goal is to bring fresh thinking to development planning and urban design, as well as award winning architectural outcomes.


Our extensive civic experience includes:

• Community hubs including libraries, museums, galleries, theatres
• Civic buildings for justice sectors including courthouses, police stations
• Animal facilities including zoos, equine centres, veterinary facilities