SJB

What SJB does

SJB is a privately held, multi-disciplinary Australian design and planning practice founded in Melbourne in 1976 by Alan Synman, Charles Justin, and Michael Bialek. The firm operates as a collective of architects, interior designers, town planners, and urban designers across studios in Sydney and Melbourne, serving federal, state, and local government agencies; private property developers; community housing providers and not-for-profits; and private individuals. Service revenue is generated through professional fees (percentage of construction cost, hourly rates, and fixed project fees) across four integrated core disciplines — Architecture, Interior Design, Planning, and Urban Design — plus specialised practices in build-to-rent housing, affordable housing procurement, heritage adaptive reuse, and hospitality design.

The firm's technical approach combines BIM, parametric design, and 3D visualisation with deep domain expertise in sustainable and carbon-neutral design, heritage conservation, and inclusive housing typologies. Notable proprietary features include a heliostat solar-mirror installation at Rhodes Central, a zero-operational-emissions residential building (Zero Gipps), a flat-pack reusable timber exhibition system (Eucalyptusdom, with Richard Leplastrier AO), and an affordable build-to-rent model (Nightingale Marrickville) delivering housing at 80% of market rent. The go-to-market is sales-led via direct engagement, competitive tenders, competition wins, and referrals, supplemented by an editorial thought-leadership platform (Perspectives) and active participation in industry bodies including the Australian Institute of Architects and Planning Institute of Australia. Customers include Homes Victoria, Property and Development NSW, Nightingale Housing, Fresh Hope Communities, DOMA Group, NH Architecture, and the Paul Ramsay Foundation.

With 50 years of operation and a deep awards record (2023 World Architecture Festival Interior of the Year, 2022 INSIDE Large Workplace of the Year for Yirranma Place, multiple National Architecture Awards, NSW Architecture Awards in 2022/2024/2026, and Australian Interior Design Awards in 2022/2024), SJB operates a multi-studio collective with 101–250 employees. Ownership is inferred to remain with founders and long-standing principals, with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or external shareholding. Recent strategic activity includes a flagship Newcastle Quay partnership with DOMA Group, the Sydney Olympic Park 15,000-dwelling master plan, and the elevation of Adam Haddow to National President of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Name

SJB

Legal name

SJB

Website

https://sjb.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SJB is a privately held Australian multi-disciplinary design and planning practice founded in 1976, with studios in Sydney and Melbourne, serving government, developers, community housing providers, and private clients through integrated architecture, interior design, planning, and urban design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Interior Design Services (541410), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design services
• Urban planning consulting
• Master planning services
• Sustainable architecture design

Headquarters

HQ city

South Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: SJB generates revenue through professional architecture and design consulting fees for residential, commercial, mixed-use, hospitality, and public projects. Fees are typically structured as percentage-based charges on construction cost, hourly rates, or fixed project fees.
2. Interior Design Services: Interior design consulting services billed as part of integrated architecture engagements or as standalone interior design commissions for residential, commercial, and hospitality projects.
3. Planning & Urban Design Services: Town planning and urban design consulting services including master planning, development assessments, statutory controls, and strategic advice to government and private sector clients. Billed on project or retainer basis.
4. Workplace Design Consultancy: Specialist workplace and commercial interior design services for corporate and commercial clients, including end-of-trip facilities, sustainability, and wellness-oriented office design.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SJB is a multi-disciplinary Australian design practice delivering integrated architecture, interior design, town planning, and urban design services across residential, commercial, mixed-use, hospitality, and public sector projects. The firm operates as a multi-studio collective with offices in Sydney and Melbourne, executing projects from concept through construction delivery, with specialisations in build-to-rent housing, affordable and social housing, heritage adaptive reuse, master planning, and sustainable design.

Product overview

SJB is a multi-disciplinary Australian design and planning practice offering integrated Architecture, Interior Design, Planning, and Urban Design services. Founded in Melbourne in 1976, the firm operates as a collective of specialists across Sydney and Melbourne studios. Their service portfolio spans residential (including build-to-rent and affordable housing), commercial, hospitality, and public projects. Key offerings include master planning for urban precincts, heritage adaptive reuse, and sustainable design solutions. The practice emphasizes collaboration across disciplines and a design philosophy grounded in empathy and contextual understanding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 702 build-to-rent dwellings delivered at Indi Footscray, regenerating previously vacant railway land in western Melbourne.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and minor.

• DOMA GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 May 2026SJB and DOMA Group are collaborating on Newcastle Quay, a major harbour precinct development in Newcastle. This is a flagship co-development partnership setting a new direction for Newcastle's waterfront. DOMA Group is a significant Australian property developer, and the collaboration represents a strategic alignment of architecture and development expertise.
• NH ArchitecturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB collaborated with NH Architecture on Richmond Traders — a 12,000sqm build-to-rent project in Richmond comprising 368 dwellings and a revitalised market hall. The collaboration brought together SJB's architecture and urban design expertise with NH Architecture's capabilities on a landmark mixed-use BTR development.
• ASPECT StudiosmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB worked with ASPECT Studios on Newcastle East End Stage 1 as part of a 4-stage masterplan. ASPECT Studios designed the shared green space and landscape across the ground plane and building courtyards, creating an urban backyard for residents in the new neighbourhood.
• Durbach Block JaggersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB was Executive Architect for Newcastle East End Stage 1 in collaboration with Durbach Block Jaggers, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, and ASPECT Studios. Durbach Block Jaggers designed Fabric House, which honours the brick architecture of existing heritage buildings through a tonal gradient of bricks and curvaceous edges.
• Tonkin Zulaikha GreermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB was Executive Architect for Newcastle East End Stage 1 in collaboration with Tonkin Zulaikha Greer. TZG designed Washington House, which cleverly reorients all apartments to capture northern sun and harbour views, while the ground floor lobby and retail celebrates the old-world glamour of Newcastle's beloved former David Jones department store.
• Richard Leplastrier AOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB collaborated with AIA Gold Medal recipient Richard Leplastrier AO on the Eucalyptusdom exhibition at Powerhouse Museum. The collaboration combined SJB's architecture and spatial design with Leplastrier's distinguished expertise in contextual, humane architecture to create an atmospheric exhibition space exploring the cultural history of the gum tree.
• Vania ContrerasminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSJB collaborated with Vania Contreras, 3D spatial designer, on the Eucalyptusdom exhibition at Powerhouse Museum, providing exhibition expertise to complement SJB's architectural design.
• Cornerstone PropertymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB worked with Cornerstone Property on the adaptive reuse of the 1927 First Church of Christ Scientist building in Darlinghurst into Yirranma Place — the headquarters of the Paul Ramsay Foundation. The project involved sensitively adapting a heritage building into boutique offices with alterations, additions, and a two-storey addition to the eastern wing.
• Nightingale HousingflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB collaborated with Nightingale Housing and Fresh Hope Communities on Nightingale Marrickville — the first purpose-built affordable build-to-rent housing project for SJB, Nightingale, and Fresh Hope. The 54-home project provides housing at 80% of market rent with balloting allocation and priority to First Nations Australians, single women over 55, individuals with disability, and key community contributors.
• Fresh Hope Communities (Churches of Christ in NSW & ACT)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB collaborated with Fresh Hope Communities and Nightingale Housing on Nightingale Marrickville. Fresh Hope Communities, a not-for-profit and Public Benevolent Institution of churches of Christ in NSW and ACT, holds the land on a 99-year lease. The project includes commercial spaces with a community gallery and restaurant.
• Studio PrineasmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudio Prineas was commissioned to incorporate the pre-existing Victorian era brick facade of the former Bank of NSW building at the Surry Hills Village & Wunderlich Lane precinct. The heritage facade and structure were carefully maintained to house two food and beverage offerings, maintaining a connection to place within the broader SJB-led precinct development.
• Liverpool City Council (NSW)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB led the Moore Point Masterplan project team through a highly collaborative and iterative design process that regularly engaged with Liverpool City Council. The project involves reconnecting the city to the Georges River and safeguarding Sydney's emerging third City Centre.
• Wolveridge ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSJB provided interior design services for Brighton Residence, with architecture by Wolveridge Architects. Wolveridge Architects set the tone for the home with off-form concrete, timber paneling, and stone that blends into the Brighton surrounds.
• Property and Development NSW (NSW Government)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSJB provided urban design services to Property and Development NSW on behalf of the NSW Government for the Coffs Harbour Jetty Foreshore Masterplan. The project involves a community-led master plan for activating the foreshore precinct.
• Queen & Crawford Design WorkshopminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSJB worked with Queen & Crawford Design Workshop (Sydney) on the Eucalyptusdom exhibition to design a timber joint system for the flat-packed, reusable exhibition terrain architecture.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BVN: BVN (Bligh Voller Nield) is an Australian architecture practice with studios in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide. It is a direct peer to SJB across architecture, interior design, and master planning for education, public, residential, and commercial projects.
• Cox Architecture: Cox Architecture is a major Australian architecture firm with offices across Australia and Asia. Like SJB, it operates across architecture, interiors, and urban design for major commercial, residential, and public projects, and is a direct competitor for premium Australian design commissions.
• Bates Smart: Bates Smart is a 170-year-old Australian architecture and interior design practice with offices in Sydney and Melbourne. It is a direct peer to SJB in heritage adaptive reuse, commercial architecture, and residential mixed-use design, with comparable award recognition and government client base.
• Hassell: Hassell is one of Australia's largest multi-disciplinary architecture and design practices with studios in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, and international offices. It is a direct competitor to SJB across architecture, interior design, and urban design for large-scale commercial, residential, and public projects in Australia.
• Architectus: Architectus is an Australian architecture and urban design practice with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Auckland. It is a direct peer to SJB in architecture, interior design, and urban design, with comparable public-sector and master planning work.
• Woods Bagot: Woods Bagot is a global Australian-headquartered architecture and design practice with studios across Australia, Asia, the Middle East, the UK, and the Americas. It is a direct peer to SJB in multi-disciplinary design and a competitor for the same Australian and international commissions, though at significantly larger scale.
• Fender Katsalidis: Fender Katsalidis is an Australian architecture firm known for high-rise residential and mixed-use projects including iconic Melbourne towers. It is a direct peer to SJB in multi-unit residential and mixed-use architecture, particularly in Melbourne where both firms have strong portfolios.
• Denton Corker Marshall: Denton Corker Marshall is an Australian architecture firm with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, London, and Jakarta. It is a direct peer to SJB in major public architecture, urban design, and master planning projects across Australia.
• Jackson Clements Burrows (JCB): JCB is a Melbourne-based architecture practice recognised for residential, commercial, and hospitality design. It is a direct peer to SJB in the Australian design-award ecosystem and competes for similar high-end residential and mixed-use commissions in Melbourne and Sydney.

Broad incumbents

• Grimshaw Architects: Grimshaw is a global architecture practice headquartered in London with major Australian studios. While much larger and broader in scope, Grimshaw is a competitor for major Australian transport, commercial, and master planning commissions, often partnering with or in competition against SJB for the largest precinct-scale projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sjb-urban
• Instagraminstagram.com/aboutsjb/?hl=en
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SJB