turning 17
Seventeen is a strange age; we’ve outgrown the nervy optimism of a startup but still carry the relentless curiosity of remembering what it felt like to build things from scratch. For DBRDS, turning 17 is exactly that: a quiet celebration of resilience, craft and a practice that has kept pushing the edges of architecture and design while staying deeply grounded in making thoughtful, responsive places.
DBRDS began when two Australians who shared a belief that good design is both practical & inspirational, decided to see what they could make happen during one of the toughest global economic moments of recent history. Founded amid the 2008 recession, our firm’s early years were lessons in resourceful thinking: doing more with less, listening carefully to clients, and finding creative solutions without diluting design intent. Those lessons are still visible across our studio’s work today - the economy taught the practice to value adaptability, and adaptability became part of our studio’s DNA.
What started as a compact studio driven by craft and clear thinking has grown into a full-service practice. DBRDS expanded our offerings to include architecture, interior design, master planning, adaptive reuse, and consulting. We've been able to weave these threads together so projects benefit from a joined-up approach rather than siloed disciplines. That growth wasn’t purely about scale; it was about deepening expertise so that our studio can shepherd projects from first idea through to the details that make buildings real.
One of the things we enjoy about our work is its variety. Our studio has taken on projects across a wide spectrum from intimate residential renovations and inventive adaptive reuse projects to hospitality, civic work and commercial spaces. Across all scales the same approach shows up: careful attention to context, materials chosen for longevity and tactile comfort, and a design rationale that prioritizes the end-user without compromising development goals.
That breadth matters. Working in multiple disciplines gives our studio a cross-pollinating perspective: spatial solutions learned on a small residential job influence the spatial relationships at a larger multifamily scale; lessons from hospitality activations inform commercial planning and vice versa. The result is a body of work that feels cohesive without being repetitive.
Over 17 years DBRDS has earned recognition from peers and award juries, not as an end, but as an encouraging signal that the studio’s choices about craft, restraint and experimentation resonate beyond the drawing board. Awards and honors have highlighted the studio’s technical clarity, thoughtful materiality and the way projects engage their communities. More important than plaques, though, are the buildings and interiors that continue to be used, adapted and loved. This is proof that restraint + intelligence often outlast flash.
DBRDS’ culture is a big part of our firm's longevity. We encourage curiosity using our weekly Tangents sessions to share experiences, influences, and to keep ourselves learning new things through monthly topics. Collaboration is central: clients, consultants, craftspeople and community stakeholders are part of the conversation from early conceptual stages. There’s a practical optimism that runs through the studio’s approach and an attitude that great design should be attainable, durable and useful.
Turning 17 gives us a moment to reflect and to ask what parts of the practice still feel fresh, which systems need sharpening, and where new opportunities lie. The future will likely include deeper commitments to adaptive reuse, sustainability-forward design, and projects that contribute meaningfully to their neighborhoods. If the last decade-plus is any indication, our studio will keep balancing fidelity to craft with a willingness to experiment.
An anniversary is a good moment to thank the people who make a practice more than a label: the clients who trusted ambitious ideas, the consultants and builders who bring designs into reality, and the colleagues who return every morning ready to think and sweat and refine. For a firm that began with two Aussies sketching through a recession, 17 years of sustained work is a testament to collaboration, persistence and a deep love for making.
Seventeen may not be an anniversary with fireworks, but for DBRDS it’s an honest, confident milestone and proof that steady, thoughtful design practice endures. Here’s to the next chapter: more careful experiments, more surprising solutions, and more places that feel like they were made with purpose.
