design.engage

“We believe listening to and engaging with our clients is an integral part of the design process.”
– Jim Chrisp

We have decades of experience designing beautiful, functional buildings for a variety of community-oriented projects. You won’t find any stock designs in our portfolios though. Our passion has always been reflecting our clients’ unique desires.

creative.sustainable

“We enjoy working with people who are going to enjoy the building.”
– Jim Chrisp

We work hard to ensure our designs are striking and viable for years to come. That’s because, as owner-occupiers, our clients need buildings that both work for the community and work for them.

experienced.innovative

Experience steadies the ship. Innovation sends it further. At Vincent Chrisp Architects we combine both, drawing upon our team’s decades of combined practical experience while constantly improving our capacity with the latest technology. We’ve seen the fads, the could’ve-beens, the next-big-things. We’ve settled on a path that’s going to take us forward with confidence.

BUILDING INFORMATION MODELLING

We were an early adopter of BIM software, which we use to create highly realistic and complex 3D models from scratch. BIM helps us improve the quality of projects, easily explain internal layouts to clients and improve cross-discipline coordination. Over the years we’ve built our own extensive BIM family warehouse. As a result, all of our projects are currently documented at a minimum Level of Development 400 (LD400).

FLY-THROUGH ANIMATION

Because we take care to model small details and real world conditions in each of our designs, we’re able to create realistic 3D fly through animations in house. This give us the opportunity to showcase the special aspects of each project and allow clients the chance to get a sense of a building before construction has even begun.

Team members
Our team

Here at Vincent Chrisp Architects we’ve put together a team who together have over a century of creative and practical experience. We come from broad backgrounds, but we’re specialists in community-minded buildings. Think healthcare and aged care. Science and research. Justice and law enforcement. Education from prep to tertiary. Civic centres, cultural centres, community centres. Whatever the need, our old-hands and young-guns work together with the client to produce something unique, memorable and practical.

Jim Chrisp
Registered Architect: VIC, NSW, TAS
B. Arch, AAIA

I really enjoy when people are happy about the building they’re getting. That’s really why I started the company 30 years ago; I decided I wanted a direct line between the client and myself to ensure their needs were being met. I’m an architect, but I’m also a facilitator ensuring I understand what the client needs. With a diversity of project types, you need to be flexible, inquisitive and interested, otherwise you get caught up doing the same thing each time around. That’s not what we want. We need to talk about the real issues, the real problems, and how the design can overcome these. I think very much that’s the core driver of what we do. We want to make sure the client is happy and they are getting what they want, because they’re the one’s living and working in these buildings. So for me, architecture is an applied art. It’s a passion.

Graeme Hill
Registered Architect: VIC
B. Arch (Hons), B. Planning & Design

I started with Vincent Chrisp in 2003 after returning from Chicago, where I’d worked for a time. As a principal I do everything to keep the projects rolling along, meeting their budget, time and quality. I tend to do the special projects; one-offs that we haven’t done before. I like my role because you get to meet clients at the outset, learn what they do, learn the problems they have as well as opportunities, then deliver a built outcome that really improves the way they operate. We’re solid and reliable. We park our egos and don’t bring preconceived styles to the table. We know our niches – education, health, justice, police, etc – so we know how to design those spaces & deliver those projects. I love attending the openings of the buildings because you get to see how all the stakeholders see the spaces, and how they go ‘wow’ – it helps you keep sight of what you’re doing and why

David Jones
Principal
Dip. B. Design

I’ve worked here since February 1994, when Vincent Chrisp Architects was just starting out. Since then I’ve witnessed and been a part of the successful growth and evolution of the office to what it is today. Its success and my longevity here can both be measured by the scale, diversity and variety of projects the company is able to undertake. I have developed a niche working on the justice and health side, and as Principal, I run projects from design through documentation through to construction.

Julie Kelly
Registered Architect: VIC
B.Arch (Hons), B.Arts [Arch].

I’ve been based in the Shepparton office for about 15 years now. My role is around contract administration, so liaising between the client and builder. The client liaison side of things, you learn a lot about what other people do. No two jobs are the same and I love that diversity, and because of the type of buildings we do, it’s quite a complex range of clients we’re dealing with. Not just who has commissioned the building, but all the user groups. I live here too so it’s a real community thing for me, because a lot of the work we do here directly or indirectly benefits me, my family, my friends, my community. So it’s always pretty important that we pay attention to the detail and get things the way the client wants them to be. It’s really satisfying to do that.

Chris Sourlos
Registered Architect: VIC
B. Arch

I’m one of the longest-standing ones here, having started in 2004. I’d been working on commercial multi-storey projects but wanted to get back into the high-tech science and health projects because I have a passion for the challenges that come with them. My skills are in the construction phase of the project; the nuts and bolts end of project delivery. The construction phase of the project relies on good communications to achieve a collaborative effort with builders and consultants to get the project across the line. Anything that needs to be tweaked gets identified early and incorporated to ensure it gets constructed properly. I think that in this industry, attention to detail sometimes gets lost a little. That’s why, when revisiting a building two or three years later, I get immense pride from seeing it hasn’t changed – the quality of the built environment is settling gracefully.

Bernie Raso
Associate Principal

As an experienced Associate Principal overseeing the construction of multi-million dollar infrastructure in Victoria’s health, education and justice sectors, it is the variety of projects, people, design challenges and construction issues that always piques my interest. I have a broad range of skills and extensive project and site experience which provides me with the knowledge to foresee and understand construction challenges and in doing so, quickly establish rapport with the project team and builders. Successful project delivery is investing the time in genuinely understanding the needs of the client and each stakeholder invested in the project, be that emotionally or financially – or both, and applying this knowledge when working through the project phases including project programming, team management and consultant coordination.

Kate Balloch
Registered Architect: Victoria
B. Arch, B. Building Planning & Design

I started at VCA in 2006 as a graduate. My role is a creative one, working in both Architecture and Interiors. I work with materials, colours, textures, patterns, furniture, and fixtures, to help bring our buildings to life. I enjoy the collaborative side of the job, working closely with clients, consultants, builders and in house teams to solve problems and keep projects on track for completion. Every new job is a new adventure and opportunity for growth. It’s great to see everyone’s hard work result in built outcomes that clients love, and the project team are proud of. Creating quality spaces that are environmentally responsible, comfortable, and inviting for the users is important to me. As is, keeping in tune with new trends and technologies.

Jeremy Parker
Registered Architect: VIC
M. Arch, B. Environmental Design

An Associate and long-standing member of Vincent Chrisp, Jeremy has been a driven and highly regarded part of our team since 2013.

He has project architect skills across the full spectrum of the design documentation and contract administration process, and has firmly proven his ability to manage project teams through all stages of project delivery.

Leading the charge on complex, large-scale projects as well as, smaller, complicated refurbishments in the Health and Education sectors, Jeremy is adept at working closely with both clients and builders on a variety of project types, to create successful outcomes that value the vision of the clients and users. 

Joel Cruice
Registered Architect: VIC
M. Arch

What drew me into architecture is its incredible diversity. The way it keeps evolving means there’s always something new to explore – and that’s exciting. Yet, what truly fuels my passion is collaboration. Architecture is a collective effort, where different perspectives come together to create something extraordinary. Moreover, my commitment to reconciliation and designing with a deep respect for country is something I take very seriously. It’s about honouring our land and heritage through thoughtful design.

Yvette Dumergue
Interiors Lead
PhD Arch & Design

I joined the team in 2017 and have since found my feet as Interiors Lead and a senior member of the firm.  My approach to interior architecture and design, involves dynamically animating all project environments across the full spectrum of project types.  I have been working in interiors since 1999, with a committed and multi-faceted goal of crafting vibrantly energised learning environments, through to calming & welcoming health facilities, and engaging community spaces.  I believe my adept spatial awareness and sound understanding of architectural building systems, industry standards and an extensive product knowledge, have formed the basis of a proficiency which extends from schematic concept all the way through to documentation and on-site implementation.