Wexhaus

Wexhaus design beautiful residential contemporary & heritage properties in Melbourne, including new home architecture design, home extensions, and heritage renovations. With a desire to promote environmentally friendly home architectural design, Wexhaus Architecture Melbourne always consider you, your family, and the local community to support renewal design practices, and innovative environmental solutions. Wexhaus Architects work with residential property home owners across all Melbourne metropolitan areas, including West Melbourne, Docklands, South Melbourne, South Yarra, Toorak, Richmond, Kew, St Kilda, Yarraville, Parkville, Footscray, Williamstown, Albion, Flemington, Kensington, Middle Park, Brunswick, Fitzroy, and Carlton. Our diverse exposure to Melbourne’s heritage architecture projects, and some of Victoria’s more complex bushfire-prone properties, ​has carved out our niche as problem-solving experts within the Melbourne architects’ community.

Wexhaus Architecture wish to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we create our designs. These include the Bunurong, Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, Wadawurrung and Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation; as well as the Eastern Maar; Gunaikurnai; and Gunditjmara peoples; the Latji Latji and Ngintait peoples; the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagulk peoples; and Yorta Yorta people.

We would also like to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of other communities who reside within Victoria.

At Wexhaus, we specialise in residential architecture, with a primary focus on heritage renovation, restoration, and extensions.

Our approach is deeply personalised – We see each project as a canvas for the client’s character, lifestyle, and aesthetic. One of our recent accomplishments, Eagle House, in South Yarra, beautifully reflects our commitment to collaborating closely with clients and builders to create homes that are true manifestations of the owners.

Our practice is defined by an unwavering commitment to quality and a relentless pursuit of perfection. We don’t shy away from challenges; instead, we see them as opportunities to surpass our own standards.

Our clients are those who seek custom-made homes that exceed their expectations, drawn to our unique aesthetic and the promise of a truly individualised living experience. What sets us apart is our ability to fuse our clients’ personalities with architectural excellence. We delve deep into their preferences while maintaining a focus on essential elements such as functionality, flow, and natural light.

The result. Homes that are not just stylistically unique but also a genuine reflection of our clients’ lives and aspirations.

Download our portfolio

42

Jobs Completed Since 2018

40

Heritage Projects Completed

$4M

Largest Residential Extension

$3M

Largest Residential New Home

Wesley Spencer
OWNER & ARCHITECT

B. Architecture, Deakin University 2006
B. Arts (Architecture), Deakin University 2003
M. Cultural Heritage, Deakin University, 2023

HERITAGE

Blending preservation with elevation.

Wexhaus has over a decade of experience working with heritage buildings.

Our knowledge and sensibility empower us to develop designs in a considered and delicate manner, elevating and honouring the original structure, whilst maintaining its unique and distinct charm.

From initial brief, through schematic designs, planning, and legislation, our knowledge of the local heritage guidelines enables us to obtain the necessary permits and develop the home you truly desire.

HERITAGE RENOVATION

NEW BUILDS

Taking a blank page and applying no rules.

Contemporary architecture can encapsulate dozens of different styles, from postmodernist and high-tech architecture, to highly conceptual and sculptural.

With a blank sheet of paper to play with, we let your brief lead the way on style and choice of materials. From concrete wrapped in glass to aluminium clad in natural fibres, we can create a timeless, unique space that brings your vision to life.

We don’t design buildings simply to impress. We custom design homes that consider you, the aspect, light, and locality, as well as the impact the building will have on the environment.

BUILD A NEW HOME

Victorian Heritage Home Renovation

We specialise in heritage renovations and extensions to existing heritage homes across Melbourne. We can work with you to take the best elements of Victorian heritage living, and create a property that really works for you on a functional level.

We particularly love the Victorian heritage style — the symmetry and height of these beautiful old homes — and creating design solutions that bring them to life with light, air, extra living spaces and gardens.

With a wealth of experience in Heritage renovations and refurbishments, we can help you retain the character features and appearance of a heritage property, and integrate the benefits of modern living to meet your desired style.

Heritage Home Renovation

As the most densely populated cities in Australia, space to build in both Melbourne and Sydney’s inner suburbs is limited. With their proximity to the city, parks, and vibrant nightlife, these sought-after areas often lack adequate space to build, with home owners instead choosing to renovate or extend existing properties.

These charming heritage homes offer a fantastic opportunity to preserve the character and connection to the local environment, whilst optimising the house for 21st century living.

We specialise in utilising limited space, developing innovating designs to maximise the property, and blending innovative new build practices with heritage structures.

Heritage Services

Adaptive Reuse

We follow Victoria’s guidelines and principles for considering change to heritage buildings in the Victorian Heritage Register to ensure that changes are aligned with values held by Heritage Victoria.

Adaptive reuse is a form of conservation by repurposing an existing place for new use as an economic and sustainable approach to preserving Victoria’s heritage buildings. Services may focus on retention and repair of historic buildings, but also on the respectful new and added elements to a historic building to extend its life in a useful way.

Heritage Studies

Identifying and assessing heritage places through a thorough physical investigation of a place, followed by careful and accurate documentation, as well as desktop studies to understand elements of significance within the place.

• Historical research and collation of historical images, plans and maps
• Field investigation of potential heritage places
• Comparative analyses of similar places in order to understand the relative importance of a place
• Assessment of significance

Heritage Impact Statements

Preparation of all checklist items required by Council to satisfy the Heritage
Impact Statement.

This typically includes, but is not limited to:

Establishing the cultural heritage significance of the place by assessing;

• Existing conditions
• Current use of the place
• Constraints and opportunities resulting from the significance of the place
• Analysis of the proposed works
• Alternative options considered
• Impact of the proposal on the cultural heritage significance of the place
• Reasons Council should support the proposal

Design and Documentation of Conservation Works

Design and construction documentation services for conservation and restoration works to heritage places.

Heritage Advisory Services

Consulting and expert witness advice for designs to heritage projects that may be impacted by restrictive controls in Commonwealth or state legislation. Wexhaus appraises heritage values against defined heritage criteria or guidance in relation to development opportunities and constraints.

Heritage Interpretation

We can assist in identifying cultural heritage that is significant to communicate to future users through various engagement techniques, while ensuring these interpretations form a cohesive element to the overall design, use and function.