What environa studio does

environa studio is an Australian multi-disciplinary architectural practice founded in 1986 by Tone Wheeler and headquartered at 224 Riley Street, Surry Hills, Sydney. The firm operates as a small team of approximately 10 professionals integrating architecture, planning, interiors, and landscape disciplines under one roof. Its design philosophy is anchored in Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) and a "triple bottom line" framework balancing social, environmental, and economic responsibility, expressed through a "five fundamentals" methodology (purpose, place, proposition, precedent, patterns). The practice serves public, community, and private clients across Australia and New Zealand, with a portfolio spanning urban design, masterplanning, civic, commercial, and multi-residential buildings, eco-tourism facilities, group housing, and retirement villages.

The studio's services are organised across eight categories: apartments, multi-dwelling, masterplanning, seniors living, community facilities, houses, build-to-rent, and commercial projects. Revenue is generated through professional design fees billed on a project-by-project basis, with pricing quoted privately according to scope and complexity rather than published. Clients include T2 Tea (retail interiors in the late 1990s), Kingspan (commercial buildings 2010-2016), Newmarket Marrickville (build-to-rent residential 2015-2017), Wayside Chapel (community facility 2000-2013, AIA National Award for Sustainable Architecture 2014), and Uniting (Hawkesbury Village seniors living 2018-2022). Projects are sourced through direct engagement, competitive tenders, and design competitions such as the NSW Department of Planning's Missing Middle Competition (2016-2017).

Leadership comprises Principal Architect Tone Wheeler (LFRAIA, 50+ years in sustainable architecture, AIA Life Fellow since 2022, contributor to NatHERS, BASIX, and the Your Home website) and Managing Partner Jan O'Connor, who previously co-founded the T2 tea brand and served as Retail Design Manager at Myer. The firm is privately held with no external investors, parent company, or institutional ownership. Its geographic footprint covers projects across all Australian states (NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS) and into Auckland, New Zealand, though operations remain centred on the single Sydney studio.

Name

environa studio

Legal name

environa studio

Website

https://environastudio.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

environa studio is an Australian multi-disciplinary architectural practice founded in 1986 in Sydney, integrating architecture, planning, interiors, and landscape design with a specialisation in environmentally sustainable design and triple bottom line principles, serving public, community, and private clients across Australia and New Zealand with a 10-person team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Surry Hills

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Professional architectural services for residential, commercial, community, and masterplanning projects. Revenue generated through design fees for projects spanning urban design, masterplanning, civic, commercial and multi-residential buildings, eco-tourism, group housing and retirement villages.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

environa studio is a multi-disciplinary architectural practice that delivers professional design services across residential, commercial, community, and masterplanning projects. The practice integrates architecture, planning, interiors, and landscape disciplines under an Environmentally Sustainable Design philosophy grounded in a triple bottom line (social, environmental, economic) framework. Services are sold directly to enterprise, government and community clients on a project-engagement basis.

Product overview

environa studio is a multi-disciplinary architectural practice offering a comprehensive portfolio of design services. The practice operates across eight distinct service areas: Apartments (multi-residential), Multi-Dwelling (townhouses and duplexes), Masterplanning (urban design), Seniors Living (retirement communities), Community (civic and public facilities), Houses (residential homes), Build to Rent (purpose-built rental), and Commercial. Founded in 1986, the studio integrates architecture, planning, interiors, and landscape design, with a strong emphasis on environmentally sustainable design (ESD) and triple bottom line principles (social, environmental, and economic responsibility). The practice is led by principal architect Tone Wheeler (LFRAIA) and managing partner Jan O'Connor, with a team of 10 professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Apartments (Multi-Residential Architectural Design) Multi-residential apartment design services spanning various sizes and locations across Australia; provided to developers and property investors under the practice's sustainable design methodology.
• Multi-Dwelling Design Design services for townhouses, duplexes, and multi-dwelling residential projects with a focus on sustainable design; for developers and housing co-operatives.
• Masterplanning (Urban Design) Urban design and masterplanning services for large-scale developments and communities; provided to government bodies, developers and community organisations.
• Seniors Living Design Design of retirement villages, seniors housing and aged care facilities; for community/non-profit operators, retirement village developers, and aged care providers.
• Community Facility Design Design of community facilities including civic buildings, educational institutions, and public spaces; for government bodies, non-profits, housing co-operatives and community organisations.
• Houses (Residential House Design) Residential house design ranging from single-family homes to alterations and additions; for individual homeowners and private clients.
• Build-to-Rent Design Design of purpose-built rental housing developments intended for long-term residential investment; for build-to-rent operators, institutional investors and residential property developers.
• Commercial Building Design Design of commercial buildings including retail, office and hospitality projects; for commercial enterprises, retail brands, hospitality operators and corporate property teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Winner of Australian Institute of Architects National Award for Sustainable Architecture in 2014
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Collins and TurnercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Collaboration with Collins and Turner architects on Winter Sports World project in Jamisontown NSW (2018-2023). Both firms worked together on this community facility project.
• Tone WheelercoreOthersTone Wheeler is the design leader at environa studio since its founding in 1986. He is an architect, author, educator and consultant with abiding interest in environmentally sustainable design.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hassell: Large Australian architecture and design practice operating across commercial, residential, civic, and urban design; competes for similar public, community, and commercial clients with comparable sustainability positioning.
• Cox Architecture: Major Australian architectural practice with similar multi-disciplinary design services spanning commercial, residential, civic, and masterplanning projects; directly comparable in project typology and Australian footprint.
• BVN Donovan Hill: Australian architectural practice with comparable typology mix including public, residential, and community projects; similar design-led culture and direct competition for institutional commissions.
• Architectus: Australian architectural practice with comparable multi-disciplinary offering across urban design, residential, and community projects; directly competes in the same public and build-to-rent segments.
• Fender Katsalidis: Australian architectural firm known for residential towers, commercial, and large mixed-use projects; comparable in multi-residential and masterplanning typologies, though typically larger project scale.
• Jackson Clements Burrows (JCB): Melbourne-based Australian architectural practice with strong residential, multi-dwelling, and community portfolio; similar scale and direct competitor for build-to-rent and community-sector commissions.

Regional players

• Warren and Mahoney: Trans-Tasman architectural practice headquartered in New Zealand with Australian operations; comparable multi-disciplinary and sustainability positioning, directly overlapping with environa in the Auckland market.

Broad incumbents

• Bates Smart: Long-established Australian architectural practice with deep commercial, heritage, and residential portfolio; broader service offering and larger team than environa, overlapping on similar client segments.
• Grimshaw Architects: Global architecture practice with a strong sustainability and masterplanning portfolio; competes for high-profile sustainable civic and transport projects where environa also operates, but at materially larger scale.

Others

• Steensen Varming: Specialist engineering and ESD consultancy focused on sustainable building services; adjacent rather than directly competing, but often engaged alongside architecture firms on environmentally sustainable design projects where environa also operates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/environastudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/environa-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 environa studio