Good Design Award winner in the Architectural Design category

Luxury Modernist Inspired Design

Awarded locally, recognised internationally

Building Designers Melbourne

Vibe Design Group offers Luxury Modernist-inspired Building Design services Australia wide.

With national accolades and international recognition – from National Building Design of the Year to the pages of the New York Times, Vibe Design Group is one the most awarded Building Designers in Australia. Based in Mornington Peninsula we work on projects in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and beyond.

Moat’s Corner wins Australia’s coveted Good Design award for design excellence in the Architectural Category

Vibe Design Group’s, Moat’s Corner received a prestigious Good Design Award Winner Accolade in the Architectural Design category in recognition for outstanding design and innovation. The Good Design Awards Jury praised Moat’s Corner commenting:
“The modernist architectural style and light-filled rooms deliver a very high quality internal environment that sits in the rural environment beautifully. This modernist inspired house is carefully designed to engage with its garden at every opportunity.”
The Good design Awards Jury

FEATURED PROJECTS

Australian building designers with an emphasis on biophilic principles, inspired by ‘modernist architectural style.’

With full regard to sustainable practices and generational design, Vibe Design Group has long embodied Biophilic Design Principles that seeks connection with the natural world – embracing a human desire to feel linked to the environment and in turn enhancing our daily living experiences.

PORTFOLIO

Go on a journey of selected works in our 4 part portfolio series with image gallery and project insights from exterior to interior

OUR BUILDING DESIGN PROCESS

The four elements of a successful building design.

01

The site

The context of the project site presents us with its opportunities, usually providing a unique design trigger. The site analysis sets up parameters of what we have to work with – typically the main issues are zoning, existing overlays, orientation and privacy.

02

The client

We are lucky to be given such great opportunities by our clients who seek quality building design outcomes. We draw up a ‘wish list’ in which owners can include every whim and desire for their new property, considering their budget range.

03

Sustainability

Sustainability practices are incorporated where passive design, energy efficiency, life cycle consideration and embodied energy ensure a responsible long-term footprint for our building designs. Sustainability is also achieved organically through biophilic design principles, a connection to the natural environment that offers long term enjoyment and liveability.

04

Our experience

No two sites are the same, and no two clients are the same, therefore a design should ultimately reflect the unique qualities of both the land on which it is sited and the individuality of its clients – and elements of inspiration can ultimately be found in both. Vibe Design Group offers over 30 year’s experience in delivering luxury modernist inspired building design solutions for Australia’s natural environment.

Michael and Kathryn brought a high level of integrity and professionalism while managing the full design process of our home, from an initial chat with Michael prior to purchasing the land through to the furniture procurement with Kathryn. We had full trust in their design expertise from concept to detailed documentation and their construction knowledge during the high-level build. We found the entire process very enjoyable and now have an amazing home.

Serg and Karen, Fawkner House, Blairgowrie

Frequently Asked Questions

Vibe Design Group are building designers with extensive experience designing homes Australia-wide. Talk to us about where your project is taking place, we design homes in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and where ever a project takes us.

How much does it cost for home design and documentation?

Traditionally design studios have based their fees on a percentage of the project budget.
In the engagement agreement it would usually state that this percentage based amount would be adjusted once the actual builders costs are known.
We prefer to offer our clients the security of having a lump sum fee for design and documentation, they can see the up-front the cost of each phase without the worry of more cost owing should the build budget escalate.
The reality is that most budgets are not enough to achieve the actual client wish list. We encourage an honest and upfront conversation prior to engaging to design your home; it is imperative to know early that there is scope for the budget and wish list to align.

The first thing that comes to mind is how long is a piece of string, but that’s not answering the question, we will attempt to shed some light on this subject and put it into some context. It is not worth stating a dollar amount for the reasons given below, however with experience and understanding we can reasonably estimate an achievable budget.
‘$3000 to $3,500 metres square’ estimations should come with a caution; it’s purely an estimation at this point, and here is why.

  • The things that can impact construction cost are, but not limited to:
    Land (location, slope stability, soil conditions even proximity to services, environmental conditions).
  • House (location, size, heating/cooling, electrical detailing, finishes, number of levels, materials interior/exterior and construction method)
  • From the ground up the soil conditions will determine how the engineer designs the footings, things like size and depth even concrete strength can change for any given site.
  • Room sizes and wall placement determine truss or beams spans; in homes that are conservative in design with smaller room sizes there is less demand on structural members which helps with price.
  • External finishes should suit the environment and intended design outcome, ultimately giving the home a low maintenance edge into the future; an example would be a coastal home exposed to the elements versus a dwelling location of inner city, both having very different requirements, some material selections for the coastal home will be a must for its longevity, there are many materials to choose from and all will have different cost implications; even wind exposure can determine a different installation method for the same material.


There are many other important factors such as interior finishes, cabinetry, flooring, sanitary fittings and tapware to name a few; so we would caution taking onboard broad estimates regarding cost and suggest you discuss your specific circumstance and requirements with a trusted Building Designer or Architect.

Generally the Building Designer or Architect will be across the local council guidelines and would  be able to advise on what is possible from a design perspective given your existing conditions and scope of works.

The builder could give a general comment as to the condition of your existing structure and the level of work to make good in order to support a refurbishment or addition.

This would depend on the scale of works or refurbishment to the existing conditions along with site access and working hours for trades etc. Generally speaking the greater access you can give the builder, will allow for better time and cost management of your project. This will often go some way to offsetting the cost of temporary accommodation. Staying at your property during construction of a renovation or addition will usually put a greater strain on client builder relationships than is necessary.

The time it takes to complete either a new home or renovation may vary through the different stages.

A renovation may have a quicker journey through your local council than say a new dwelling proposal. We mention council as it is often the greatest time factor to consider outside the actual construction period.

The scale and complexity of the project will impact the design and documentation as well as the construction time. So leaving council’s timeline to one side, design and documentation broadly speaking would take say 3 to 6 months depending on size. And the build 10 months to 18 months once again depending on the scale of the project at hand.

The risks of being an owner builder increase for the more complex construction tasks. It is possible to achieve a successful outcome for basic construction, but anything large in scale or detail, we would advise using a registered builder.
Owners who employ trades directly rely heavily on unregistered practitioners to control the project and will have little or no comeback should critical structural elements be missed.

Primarily the skill set and offering to the public are the same, however it will vary greatly from one Building Designer/Architect to another.

If you are inspired by work from a particular Design studio or Architect’s office then that would be your starting point. They should be able to provide you with detailed examples of projects and working with previous clients, they would explain their individual processes and help you gain a level of comfort in going forward.

It is important you feel a strong connection with the registered professional who will be designing your new home/project. The more trust you have in them will manifest in greater design freedom and usually a better design outcome.

A sustainable home has always been best practice for any reputable design studio and the level of what constitutes a sustainable home has evolved. A sustainable home that has zero running costs or offset running costs of solar along with water storage, is pitched as a benchmark according to the star rating system, but this is only part of the story.

As well as including the above, the house should also employ use of materials that are environmentally friendly, via re growth forest or low embodied energy production.

We believe in designing for the future with careful planning. Layouts and material selection can play a large part in producing a home that will be truly generational.

Not enough emphasis is placed on our connection with the environment and how our buildings make us feel, either by approach or living within. So a truly sustainable home should offer so much more than the current minimum 7 star energy rated dwelling.

Contact Us

Get in touch to discuss your next project. Fill in the contact form or talk to us on the Phone.

Newsletter Sign Up

Sign up to our free Newsletter to receive project updates, news and exclusive offers from Vibe Design Group.


Free Newsletter

Sign up to our free Newsletter to receive project updates, news and exclusive offers from Vibe Design Group.