Rising to the challenge with Martyn Weaver

Martyn Weaver chose to become an architect because he loves a challenge. “From a young age, drawing has always been a positive experience for me,” says Martyn. “Of all the creative professions I considered, architecture seemed like the longest and most difficult path, and I liked the thought of taking up the challenge.”

Martyn founded architectural practice Weaver+Co Architects in Melbourne in 2018 with the goal of producing bespoke spaces that respond to the light and rhythms of natural environments. The firm’s design approach is focused on cultivating collaborative relationships with clients and contractors alike in order to craft design solutions that utilise geometry, colour and proportion to solve problems while working within briefs and budgets. However, the path to establishing his own business has been a long and varied journey.

Martyn grew up in Wales and graduated from London’s Bartlett School of Architecture in 2003. A desire to live overseas fuelled an international move to New York in the USA, where he worked at a design practice that specialised in residential and institutional projects. “It was a great experience and after several years there, my future wife and I decided it was time for a new adventure,” says Martyn. The pair moved to Melbourne with a handful of suitcases in 2012, and despite knowing no one in the Australian architecture and design industry, he landed a role at a well-respected local architectural business.

“After several years running projects, I became more interested in the idea of merging great design with sustainable buildings and made the leap to start my own practice,” says Martyn. “The journey so far has definitely not been all mapped out. Embracing change has been very rewarding for me and I’m looking forward to seeing the business evolve.”

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Given that Martyn didn’t strike out on his own until he was 40 and had a wide variety of experience behind him, he was well-equipped to deal with the many hurdles that establishing a new business presents. The true challenge was figuring out what his key message was, and what he stood for - a problem that was solved by tapping into his pre-existing interest in passive house design and becoming a certified passive house designer.

“We holistically consider architecture, interiors, landscaping and the greater surroundings or neighbourhood in how we respond and propose solutions; In doing so we aim to foster connections with the natural environment,” says Martyn. “This could be winter sunlight hitting the floor, a breeze through the house or a view out to a tree changing colour in the garden - encouraging these moments prompts us to slow down, look up and be present."

An intimate examination of how light moves throughout the day is one of the fundamental drivers of how Weaver+Co Architects design a space, says Martyn. “Many inner-city homes in Melbourne suffer from a lack of daylight and we work hard to not only provide solutions that deliver more natural light, but also consider the different qualities of daylight, shadows, artificial light and their combined effect on the mood of spaces over the course of the day across the seasons,” says Martyn.

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Martyn’s creative process requires him to spend a lot of time getting to know his clients to better understand how they live and what is important to them. “You can’t beat a back-and-forth face-to-face discussion to develop an understanding of people,” says Martyn. “At the start, we like to ask questions about everything except what architecture and interiors they like. We prefer to talk about art, books, hobbies, their profession, holidays and how they grew up to form a picture of what drives them and what they value. Clear communication and establishing trust are critical ingredients to a successful project.”

Ultimately, it is Martyn’s genuine love and enjoyment of his craft that fuels his works. “I enjoy sharing the (long) journey with the client, from the early sketches all the way through to a finished house, which is one of the reasons I focus on residential work,” says Martyn. “When you see the spaces you’ve been working on slowly become a reality, it’s always rewarding.to share that excitement together."

Learn more about Weaver & Co on ArchiPro.