tristan@tristanburfield.au
+61 418 281 314
PO Box 335
ELWOOD 3185
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' The results speak for themselves. Tristan might be in a stage of career emergence, but his work is disciplined and restrained, and already very mature. All his houses do less and do it well, and yet they seem to share a common quality, even while they are in fact quite different when seen together. For these reasons and more, Tristan Burfield is one to watch. '
*Words by Marcus Baumgart - extract from article published in Houses magazine - issue 156, 2024
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I am a sole practicing Architect.
I work with clients that share an enthusiasm for how design and the built environment can enrich their lives.
My work is focused on delivering carefully conceived, thoughtfully detailed, and well-built architecture. I mostly design homes, but I can (and I quite enjoy), working on other similarly scaled projects too.
I started my own practice in earnest in 2019 (bit of moonlighting prior). I am a sole practitioner. That is; I do not employ any staff or contractors, nor do I outsource or contract my work. I work on all aspects of my projects personally from beginning to end; from an initial meeting to handover; I cover it all.
*I do build all the models too. Slowly. : )
I began working in this field at 17 for my first construction tutor and I have been immersed in it ever since. I am incredibly dedicated to my work, irrespective of scale and budget all my projects receive my utmost focus and consideration.
I am 39 years old and live in Elwood, Victoria with my partner and two sons.
The FAQ I have prepared is a good take on the questions I typically get. Please have a read through and give me a call, I enjoy a chat.
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CV
RMIT University in Melbourne
- Masters of Architecture, with distinction
- Bachelor of Architecture
- Diploma of Building Design and Technology
Registered Architect in Victoria, NSW and Tasmania;
VIC #18908, NSW #11391, TAS #1521
A+ member of the Australian Institute of Architects;
#201888.
Prior to beginning my own practice I worked for a range of architectural firms of varying scale, and spent 7 years working for a construction company.
I have designed, and been involved with building, homes located in both Melbourne and Sydney. In Victoria I have worked on both the Mornington and Bellarine Peninsulas, Ballarat, the Great Ocean Road, Macedon Ranges and the Yarra Valley. I enjoy a drive.
The sites that I have worked on have included complexities relating to;
- Severe bushfire threat
- Steep slopes with land slip risk
- Cyclonic wind ratings
- Onerous and restrictive vegetation protection overlays
- Heavily restricted access and difficult terrain
- Rural conservation, green wedge and farmland zones
- Limited on-site services
- Along with more conventional smaller complex inner city sites with difficult access and neighboring constraints
I have built multi-storey projects with basements, rammed earth walls, insitu-concrete walls, elevated concrete slabs resulting in multiple pours, vehicle turntables and stackers, pre-fabricated construction techniques, complex steel framing, swimming pools and elaborate stairs.
The building process for clients is very much a journey. Designing a home involves self reflection, a critical consideration of living and lifestyle, personal goals, honesty, and more. I commit to that journey with my clients and together we design and build buildings to last and grow with the inhabitants.
*Photos by Thurston Empson
SO, WHAT DO YOU DO?
Very short version;
I'm a sole practicing architect. I design and procure the construction of buildings from start to finish.
Slightly more detailed version;
I sought out projects that allow the owners and I to create something very special together.
For a typical project I;
- Help my clients formulate a brief, and further help to refine and evolve that brief through the ongoing design of a proposal.
- Develop that proposal into the makings of a project.
- Manage council related planning requirements, building code requirements, regulations, standards, blah.
- Coordinate any contributing parties; structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, land surveyors, cost estimators, landscape designers and so on.
- Develop the design into a highly detailed documentation set for the basis of a contractual agreement; detailed drawings, selection of fittings, fixtures, materials, finishes, etc.
- Find a suitable builder for the project.
- Prepare the contracts for construction.
- Form the liaison between the owner and the builder through the construction onto completion.
I am a designer, but my role typically becomes more than that; I become a sort of 'spirit guide' for a project from go to whoa.
*I can provide a more serious list of formal ‘project stages’ and more detailed clarity on scope upon enquiry.
WHAT IS YOUR WORKING PHILOSOPHY?
*Totally not an FAQ, but I wanted to write about it.
Most of my work tends to focus on two major contributors; inhabitants and site.
The inhabitants (usually the owners) bring a huge amount to any project. Building is a commitment, and, a bit of a personal challenge. Designing a home (or any kind of space) takes reflection, critical thought, time, honesty, lots and lots of discussion... Thinking about how you live, how you want to live and how a space might contribute to that is a challenge. The owners bring that drive and soul to the table for any project. We talk about function, use, purpose, intent, ambition. Everyone is different and everyone engages with space and built form in different ways. What's right for one might be wrong for another, or just not of concern to the next, and so on. Probably the largest part of any project is teasing this out, finding that core brief from the people that will inhabit the space.
Site begins with literal considerations like solar access, services, views, topography, vegetation, blah. But it extends beyond that; surrounds, locality, weather, access, construction techniques, climatic impact, social impact, not one project is ever the same. Building regulations, planning controls and overlays, are all very real and have a huge impact on building, I tend to want to flow with these contributors, let them in, manipulate them and encourage them to help positively shape things.
For every project take all I can and slowly build it into a narrative. That narrative develops over time into the heart of a project. It starts with initial broader concepts and ongoingly evolves and extends into the the smallest details. I liken the design and construction of any project to the development of a language or miniature world, one that is most directly informed by and speaks to its owners and users.
I very much consider all my work as a commission in the truest sense of the word.
DO YOU HAVE REFERENCES OR TESTIMONIALS?
Yep.
I provide a full list of all previous client contacts. I list the project type and scale for every built project with contact details for all. From there, you can pick and choose who to follow up with.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
It's pretty long haul. A new home or renovation project could take anywhere from 1 ½ - 3 ½ years, building is a long process.
DO YOU DO INTERIORS?
Yes. A very big Yes.
No distinction between inside and out. All part of the overall; space, form, color, texture, light…
Whether we are reviewing options for a render to cover the exterior building, or selecting a fabric for an upholstered built in seat, choosing a sofa, or the height a particular wall light should be installed, all is within my scope.
WHAT IS YOUR STYLE?
*All architects hate this question, but it wouldn't be a real FAQ if I didn't go there...
Contemporary. Probably a bit of a minimalist, but without the strict rules that definition conjures. I want to see stuff and life in my spaces.
On the outside; Bolder, simpler, more rectilinear forms with a 'heavy-ness'. I like substance, thickness, depth. I like my work to convey a sense of sincerity and modest-ness in it's ideals, not loud or challenging (not look at me), maybe a bit more somber or quiet. Serious and permanent. Compositions of small and then large panels of glazing. Lots of masonry, concrete. I love texture, and surfaces that change throughout the day and then further over time. I am playing with more timber lately, but I try to let each project find it's own materials... Some curves here and there, but I don’t go nuts.
On the inside I try to push for a softness and a calmness. Timber, concrete, steel, (all the classics), but I also very much enjoy playing with fabrics, upholstered surfaces and textiles, toning back the masculinity and hardness. I want to imbue a welcome-ness and friendly-ness in my spaces. Built in furniture paired alongside key loved pieces that are old or new alike. Lots of neutrals, warmth. Calm. Pretty serious (I don't tend to get too 'fun' with things). Quiet is a word I like and use a lot, I want my spaces to speak quiet and comfort. Warm greys, timbers, blacks and whites. I set out to design interiors that are to be lived in; accommodate and encourage life and use.
*Yep, I hate that question.
SUSTAINABILITY?
Yes. Very much a Yes. I build quality buildings.
I tend to broadly break it down into passive and active.
The passive starts with common sense; building orientation, consideration of windows and their solar exposure, shading control, thermal massing, cross ventilation. Then things start to get a little more sophisticated; delving deeper in to levels of insulation, separation and thermal bridging, the embodied energy of selected materials, their lifecycle, how and where they are manufactured.
The active for me is generally more in the category of higher standard technological driven outcomes, ‘plugins’ of sorts; higher performing window solutions, additional thermally insulating components, solar panels, low energy consuming heating/cooling systems, air tightness, etc.
The buildings I design are for clients who expect a home to stand the test of time, and the homes ongoing performance is intrinsically linked to that.
*I have been involved with Passive House projects and am familiar with the principals of Passive House design. I engage engineers to help assess the design of a building at an early stage in order to genuinely contribute to how the design may achieve a higher level comfort and lower energy consumption in order to lessen it’s environmental impact.
SCALE?
I will work on anything. I am having fun designing a standalone wine cellar at the moment. I'm pretty open.
Building scale; I have worked on houses that range from 90M² to around the 700M².
90M² is a pretty small, two bedroom apartment-ish scale, anything over 450M²-ish is a pretty serious house. It’s nice to have plenty of space, but it’s not always there, and it’s not always necessary.
JUST HOUSES?
It's less about the building typology and more about an alignment of values. If the scale is manageable for me (and I can manage quite a bit), and I feel there is an alignment of values between the project drivers and myself, then it's suited. I have worked in the past on residential, retail, hospitality, commercial, etc.
But yeah, houses have been about 95% of my focus for the last 4 years.
I just did a nice little physio clinic which I enjoyed, and I have another couple of non typical residential projects in the pipeline.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS?
I started working for an architect when I started studying drafting, I was 17. I have been doing this ever since, I’m 38 now.
WHAT DOES A NEW HOUSE COST?
Crass, but let’s face it; it’s a FAQ.
Building well is not cheap. Invariably the work I do is considered expensive.
The budgets of my projects are private. However; the way I work is not about throwing lots of money at outcomes. I intuitively design to work with how buildings are built. I can’t help it. There is all the grey in between (nothing is black and white), but boiled down; I believe that there are probably two extremes of architects; one that conceives a design freely and then works out how to build it, and then another that builds a design, allowing it to be informed by building processes. I’m sure that I am very much the latter.
DO YOU RECOMMEND BUILDERS?
Yes. Finding the right builder is part of a project.
Building involves many parties, getting the right builder for a project is a huge part of it. Also the right consultants; Structural engineer, environmental engineer, building surveyor, understanding how these parties work and play together is critical to a successful project.
Also the sub-contractors; plasterers, concreters, renderers, metalworkers, roof plumbers, tilers, it’s all a massive part of the process. Identifying the key contributors to achieving a project is part of the project itself.
LANDSCAPE?
I have, and continue to, work with some great landscape architects and designers. They bring knowledge and creativity of a different level to my work. I meddle, and get involved (can't help it!) but I cannot do what they do.
Like with builders; horses for courses.
HOW OFTEN ARE YOU ON SITE?
Once we start building (the building part might only represent half or a third of the overall timeline of a project) then it’s about once a week. Sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on what’s happening at the time. I like to get out on site early in the morning and I typically schedule a full day a week to visiting any active sites, but I duck out at all hours to check things out, it's nice to plod around in late afternoon or very first thing when it’s quiet and trades are not crawling all over it.
HOW DO YOU CHARGE?
Again, crass, but it’s important.
Usually a fixed fee linked to key project stages, but it does depend on the project. My work varies in scale and complexity and each project gets considered accordingly.
WHY DO YOU NOT EMPLOY STAFF?
So far, I really enjoy what I do, being across every part. I can achieve so much as a sole practitioner, and I have not really felt hindered or any pang of missing out just yet. I enjoy what my day to day entails, and I don't want to change it. I love working on the early stages of designing a concept when things are more broad brush stroked, but just as equally enjoy the more detailed moments like finessing a window schedule or some joinery documentation.
*Might change at some point, check in in ten years or so.
Being a sole practitioner enables me to offer a certain level of commitment. Meeting with clients is a journey, we talk about things like cutlery drawers, cooktop and oven preferences, how one does the dishes, sock drawers, folding or hanging, blah, but then over time you go beyond that. For me, a big part of designing is driven by some of the less clear question and answer stuff. Hard to pin-point, but call it channeling an energy or narrative that is gained over time spent together discussing.
The knowledge built up over that time stays with me through the project, I am there from the beginning to end. No changes in staff, no handovers.
*And yep, massive control freak.
WHATS WITH ALL THE MODELS?
: ) They make me happy. Every project gets a model, my self-imposed rule.
It’s a bit of an obsession of mine that began at university, I enjoy designing and building them. They become a little projects in their own right and I plod along on them slowly. At any given time I have a good handful of them ticking along.
I shot a bunch for this website and its shaping up to be a yearly ritual for me to bring them into a studio and photograph them.
No.5
A new home located on a softly sloping forested site at the foothills of a mountain range north-west from Melbourne.
A long extrusion of curved zinc roof, bounded by brick walls that cut into the hillside forming a large northern courtyard garden space.
Heavy timber framed windows are evenly arrayed along the southern elevation framing the views into the forest.
An interior palette of hardwood timbers, clean warm whites, and a black sloped ceiling that disappears into darkness as it softly curves up forming a 5m high peak.
