Located in Manly on the northern beaches of Sydney, Watershed Architects specialises in high-quality, modern architecture with a focus on environmental sustainability.
Watershed Architects operates on the traditional land known as Kay-yee-my. We wish to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land; the Gayamaygal and Garigal people. We acknowledge all First Peoples of this land and celebrate their enduring connections to Country, knowledge, and stories.
We originally contacted Mark following a door knock enquiry to a Watershed designed property in Queenscliff that caught our attention. We were attracted to it by the modern, unpretentious style, quality finishes and seemingly good use of space on a tight block. Our brief to Mark for our home was to create an open feel from back to front of the block, while retaining the option to section parts of the house off and maintain privacy or “retreat” areas when required. In meeting the brief Watershed were able to provide a clever solution to a problem and create a practical and inviting living space that we had previously been unable to visualise, or even imagine possible. The layout and proportions of the property are perfectly suited to our needs and the design makes outstanding use of the property’s location and aspect. Mark worked collaboratively with the builder and was flexible and pragmatic when changes were required. All credit to Watershed for designing a beautiful and immensely “liveable” home that will stand the test of time.
Watershed Architects seems to be synonymous with client care, attention to detail and design integrity. It is always a pleasure to work with Mark & Carolyn, their professional yet approachable style coupled with their passion for an excellent outcome, always ensures a successful project and most importantly a happy client.
Watershed Architects did a superb job in designing my new house which was built on a difficult block with numerous restrictions. After the initial brief they provided three colour options which were amazing. We discussed the best features of each to come up with our final design. Both Carolyn and Mark have great vision and care very much about their projects. This was demonstrated by them constantly being available to find solutions to site problems as we conducted the building process and ensuring that their design was not compromised. On completion and to this day I still marvel at some of the design features which add tremendously to the experience of building your own home. My association has continued with Watershed Architects by supplying joinery for other projects through my interiors fit out company. I would highly recommend Watershed Architects for anyone looking to work with a professional company who can provide unique and well thought architecture.
Watershed Architects beat all our expectations in terms of turning our vision into a reality. They listened to our brief and improved on the ideas we put forward. The easy going and collaborative nature of Mark Korgul made the whole experience much more pleasant than we could have imagined. The true test of good architecture is whether it is livable and since moving back into the house we can honestly say we would not change a thing.
I can’t say enough great things about the Watershed Architects team. They’ve undertaken a number of significant projects for us now, and every time I’ve been blown away by their combination of creativity and approachability. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them to anyone looking for the very best design talent mixed with a down-to-earth and friendly attitude.
Thank you for your time, effort and patience on our Manly Project, we got the DA and more importantly you managed to convince Council to remove Car Parking contributions which has saved us a lot of money. We are looking forward to completing the Project which I believe will be the standout Commercial Building in Manly.
We are unbelievably happy in our beautiful Watershed designed home. It is better than we ever expected due to the great team at Watershed who were able to interpret our very detailed brief. They were great to work with, very professional and nothing ever seemed to be a problem. We knew from our first meeting they knew what we wanted. Thanks Mark, Carolyn and Watershed team.
We enjoyed the process of creating our new home together with Watershed. Mark & Evan are friendly, creative and designed a stunning home for us.
When we approached Watershed Architects we were naive about the cost of building and materials. Yes we went over budget and yes we compromised on our wish list but now that we are living in our fabulous home we have absolutely no regrets. It is clear that Mark gave us first class advice and a stunning design that truly leveraged all that building cost. We get endless compliments on how great the place looks and we have no hesitation in recommending the team at Watershed Architects.
I have worked with Watershed Architects on 3 projects, over a period of nearly 10 years and they consistently provide exactly the amount of guidance, support and professional services required for each scenario. Without exception the finished results are fabulous spaces that ooze class and simplicity. I am proud of the way we work together to create the right balance of subtle architectural features that are understated yet just feel ‘right’. There is an ever present influence of natural materials enhanced by clean lines which is the style that first attracted me to Mark and the team.
Watershed Architects were wonderful to work with from the moment we were simply considering the project. The first concepts seemed to nail the brief from the very beginning and we worked as a team to bring the blank space to life. The tiny parcel of South facing, overlooked land was transformed in to a beautiful, private house that made great use of every bit of solar access available. We were thrilled with what great design was able to achieve!
We thoroughly enjoyed working with Watershed on designing and building our new home. At every stage the team was enthusiastic, responsive, and accommodating to our ideas and in meeting the requirements of our brief. They over-delivered on our expectations with superior attention to detail, interesting and innovative use of materials, and a perfectly resolved design. Watershed's experience and expertise in working with different contractors and builders, as well as in understanding government regulations made the entire building process stress-free for us. We couldn't be happier with the final result.
We purchased our home from Watershed's founders Mark and Carolyn almost a decade before renovating. When it came time to add on additional space to our lovely home, we did not even consider 'shopping around' for an architect. We knew Watershed would deliver in terms of quality and professionalism, and we had a high level of trust from the beginning. The existing block and house is a tricky one to work with, but they were able to create a delightful and functional space that is a joy to live in every day. Mark and Charlotte are terrific listeners, very approachable and well-respected by the builders and tradespeople. They guided and supported us in all the decisions and valued our input as clients. It made the whole process run smoothly and we could not be happier with the result.
The Watershed Architects team has done a superb job in designing and overseeing the development of our dream home. They worked hand in hand with the builders, made innovative and practical suggestions throughout the renovation journey. They have taken care to undertake best practice methods to ensure long term quality and integrity of the build. They did this even when it was not in the plan or in their advantage to do so. The marriage of materials - rendered brickwork, black butt wood, aluminium facade and steel was faultless. Similarly for the interior materials and colours, they were seamlessly put together, in a minimalist, modern, and very classy way.
Watershed accounted for seasonal light, shade and wind in the design, to maximise usability of the house all year round. As a result, the inside of the house feels almost like you are outside and vide versa. They were thorough, accurate, hard working, and very responsive to the changing environment and requirements throughout the journey. Mark Korgul, CEO and owner of Watershed Architects, coolly and calmly managed his team of skilled architects, who were professional, hardworking and very courteous. His team also did all the necessary liaison with council staff no matter how challenging the assignment.
They worked to schedule and have completed an excellent project for us. Our builders Mink Building Group has also publicly praised and showcased Watershed’s work. We have no reservations in highly recommending Watershed Architects to future clients.
We love our Watershed-designed renovation! Mark and Evan took our brief of wanting more space, light and storage, and delivered a design that surpassed our expectations. Our renovation is just beautiful, as well as being functional and liveable for our family. Mark and Evan had so many great ideas to maximise the outcome we were looking for. They are highly professional, talented, passionate and dedicated to delivering an excellent result for their clients. We also appreciated their respect for our budget, always offering us different options so we could make informed decisions.
Mark is highly commercial and provided excellent oversight of our project start to finish, resulting in a very enjoyable and low-stress process for us. Watershed have an excellent reputation in the industry, not only because they deliver beautiful and quality outcomes but also because they work hard to maintain their relationships across the various stakeholders involved in a renovation, which directly benefits us as clients. We are so delighted with our Watershed-designed home and would not hesitate to recommend Mark and the team to others looking to renovate or build.
It was a privilege to work with Watershed Architects in the creation of our home which has turned out above and beyond everything we hoped and dreamed it would be. Every corner, nook and cranny has been so well designed and thought through and we love living life in this beautiful home.
The past two and half years have been an incredible experience; we have learnt so much about architecture, design and building. We appreciated all the support, inspiration and encouragement from Mark and Nikki along the way. Nikki was super organised and available to take my many phone calls and answer my many questions and did it all with a smile - every time! Mark offered us guidance and inspiration and was a problem solver supreme… we appreciated all the early morning treks over the Spit Bridge for site meetings.
We will miss the energy, the journey and the fun of it all.
Mark - I know you said give it a few years and then do it again - I never say never but I can say that if we were to go again, it would be Watershed all the way!