Since launching Sandberg Schoffel Architects in Sydney + Melbourne in 1994, the practice has thrived over 30 years by providing the best possible service and solutions to our many clients. Sandberg Schoffel Architects is well ensconced on Sydney’s North Shore servicing clients throughout the north shore and beyond including the Hills district, eastern suburbs and rural areas in NSW such as Berry and the Southern Highlands.

While the practice initially undertook a variety of work including commercial, retail and boutique apartments, today the nature of the work is primarily residential – designing new houses, alterations and apartments. With a small but tight team, there’s a strong interest in sustainability, heritage and in understanding the importance of designing for environmental impacts and humanising architecture for those with the greatest need. Working in bushfire zones across New South Wales, including flame zones, has given the practice the skills and experience to understand and minimise disaster risk.

Whether a project takes the form of a new house or the remodelling of an existing home, there’s not a strict house style – but rather a response to the unique site, the broader context and importantly, their clients and the way they want to live, their hopes and aspirations. Irrespective of a building’s provenance, there is a contemporary modernist aesthetic that provides a common thread to all projects, regardless of scale or budget. Many of the practice’s bespoke homes are at the upper end in terms of budget and scale however the team feels as comfortable working on significantly smaller projects, which provide a different set of challenges and levels of complexity. One of our smallest projects was the design of a modest holiday house at Smiths Lake on the mid north coast. Comprising two detached pavilions, one for living and the other for sleeping, the pleasure for the owners comes from experiencing the beautiful natural bush setting and greeting the elements as soon as they wake –in surroundings just a few notches up from camping.

Sandberg Schoffel has chosen to forge direct relationships with our clients, not just over years, but decades, mostly via word of mouth referrals. For the directors and the team, there is a strong sustainable and ethical approach from the outset of every project. A new house in Mosman, for example, using Cross Laminated Timber along with the home’s orientation and siting, exemplifies the practice’s sustainable approach. Our commitment to working with heritage buildings, doing as little as possible to the existing structure, while allowing for these homes to remain viable well into the future, is equally integral to the practice. Being a relatively small practice allows us to provide personal targeted service to our clients, with each member of the team being across all stages – from the initial concepts to handing over the keys.

We aim that at completion, each project will be a refined and lasting solution which exceeds our clients’ expectations.

Words by Stephen Crafti

MICHAEL SANDBERG NOMINATED ARCHITECT

REGISTERED ARCHITECT NSW ARB 5831

REGISTERED DESIGN PRACTITIONER DEP0001983