Design Journal
Designing for generations: a coastal home on the Mornington Peninsula
Sep 2025
Nestled within the established coastal landscape of the Mornington Peninsula, Portsea House is a two-storey residence that represents an evolution in our design thinking - this time with a focus on coastal multigenerational living. Our client approached us with a clear vision: to create a long-term family home that embraces passive solar principles while expanding and contracting to cater for seasonal family gatherings.
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Reviving a railway heritage: South Yarra Station transformation
Sep 2025
In the heart of South Yarra stands a forgotten piece of Melbourne's railway history – a heritage-listed station building that once welcomed top-hatted passengers. Our client approached us with an ambitious vision: to transform this dilapidated former railway station into a vibrant pub and club venue that honours its storied past while breathing new life into the local nightlife scene.
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Planning from the inside out: in-house early due diligence
Aug 2025
Traditional architectural projects can stall for weeks waiting for external planning consultants to assess feasibility and navigate council requirements. Underwood’s integrated approach embeds planning expertise directly into the project team, transforming what's typically the longest, trickiest phase of a project into our greatest competitive advantage.
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Design the world you want: an evidence based approach to sustainability
May 2025
As Melbourne Design Week 2025 challenges us to 'Design the world you want', the question for architects is — what kind of world can we create through our buildings? With this year's theme asking designers to offer solutions that heal, replenish, and enable life, sustainable design emerges as an act of repair and transformation for Melbourne's urban landscape.
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Malvern Heritage: adapting existing housing stock to meet future needs
May 2025
In the face of a growing housing and climate crisis, good architecture is critical to delivering homes that will stand the test of time. At Underwood we are committed to creating spaces that are good for both people and the planet. Our project, Malvern Heritage, which is set to be the first residential project we will deliver as a team, demonstrates this. A careful reworking of a house built in 1920, it balances heritage sensitivity with forward-thinking design to meet the needs of modern life.
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Advocating for gender equality in the built environment
Apr 2025
With a Bachelor of Environmental Science and a Master's in Urban Planning and Sustainability, Cassi Underwood brings invaluable expertise to Underwood's early project processes. Having managed environmental sustainability across the energy and construction industries for more than 13 years, Cassi now leads a team of eight in her pivotal role as General Manager at Underwood.
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The Beehive Hotel in the media
Mar 2025
Our restoration of Melbourne’s iconic Beehive Hotel has not only reconnected a beloved heritage building with its community, but also captured the attention of ArchitectureAU, Architecture & Design, and IndesignLive. Each publication brought a unique lens to the project, exploring the many aspects of what made the Beehive’s transformation so successful.
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