Simon Hayward Design

About

Specialising in site-responsive & energy-efficient houses with a focus on cost-effective planning, solar gain, daylight, natural ventilation & the spatial experience of the occupants.

After completing a Masters of Architecture in 2010, Simon moved back to the coastal town of Lake Cathie and started freelancing for many leading architects, builders, and engineers on the Mid North Coast of NSW. This gave him exposure to a wide range of architectural projects and to be mentored extensively.

Simon experienced varied approaches to architecture and the built environment, learning the most efficient and effective ways to design, communicate and document buildings. Outside of “designing buildings” Simon’s interest in “construction” led him to work on building sites in both Australia and Canada.

An important aspect of every project is Simon's intimate understanding of Spatial Syntax, a unique subject that Simon studied for in his Masters of Architecture thesis. The study of Spatial Syntax, explores the relationship of spaces, both internal and to the environment and is considered in every project that Simon designs for his clients.

The clients brief, goals and budget are at the forefront of his thinking. Simon strives to provide economically planned buildings to save on excess space, materials and construction costs. His knowledge of site and climate, critically inform his projects.

Qualifications

Testimonials

Simon did an excellent job of designing our new rear covered in deck with self contained studio underneath! He did all the ground work on getting our DA approved and helped us in finding local engineers and certifiers. Will definitely be using Simon Hayward Designs on our next project!

Eddie G

Simon has designed 2 homes for us now and does an amazing job! He is very thorough with the design process and the final product always exceeds expectation!! Would highly recommend Simon Hayward Designs.

Tarryn H

It has been a pleasure working with Simon on our house reno and extension. Simon quickly understood what we were trying to achieve and the constraints we had. He was able to turn these ideas into a constructable and well thought out design. Simon is passionate and dedicated to his work and communicates very well. Highly recommended.

Matthew S

Simon was the ultimate professional to work with in designing our new home. His ability to advise, offer insights and gently guide us throughout the design process while keeping to our Feng Shui brief has resulted in our building the Coastal home of our dreams. We are delighted to recommend Simon Hayward Designs to anyone wishing to commence their next project.

Dennis and Karen

I would highly, highly recommend Simon based on our project with him.

Whilst our location was a short walk from the beach, the block itself was a standard suburban block in a new land development. There were a number of project homes going around us, so we challenged Simon to create something unique that suited our adventurous style and allowed us to inhabited the space in line with our values of living as natural a lifestyle as possible.

The end result was an incredible home, which incorporated a number of influences from our travels yet blended smoothly to ensure we wake up everyday feeling like we’re in an AirBNB.

The thing that struck us the most with Simons design was how he moved away from the front to back conventional suburban layout on the block, to running the house horizontally to ensure we make the most of our beachside climate. We have a north facing aspect with front and rear outdoor areas to ensure we have a sunny spot for winter cups of tea outdoors as well as a luxurious garden area at the rear. We have NE sea breeze blowing through the house in Summer which negates the need for air conditioning (one of our asks!) and we have a suspended fireplace against a rammed earth wall to leverage the critical mass to warm the house in winter. Genius architecture reflecting our brief of a natural in home existence. Another huge, unexpected plus was how Simon used the form of the house to ensure incredible privacy in a packed suburban environment.

We have enjoyed working with Simon so much in fact, that we’re just about to kick off another project together!

Willy T