Having worked together for close to a decade, in early 2017 we found ourselves asking “what’s next?”
Our shared passion for a “quiet” approach to architecture, where the voice of our client and their community is heard and the design carefully and thoughtfully responds to their needs, led us to found Novum in 2017.
Before we launch into thinking about buildings, we focus on getting to know our clients. We begin by asking a lot of questions with the goal of deeply understanding them and their community.
This understanding goes well beyond the project brief, because in order for us to design a solution that is bespoke to our client, our aim is to develop a detailed, nuanced and holistic picture of their culture, history, geography and people.
Our goal is to understand them so that as we piece together possible design solutions, they are inspired by, and respond to, their individual challenges and unleash exciting new opportunities. We call this approach "quiet architecture."
It’s not just about ideas, though. Our team has decades of experience bringing communities along a journey from concept through to completion. We love handing over beautiful buildings that have been carefully designed to respond specifically to the needs of the communities they serve.
Novum is a culture-led company, where we speak openly about our values and how they permeate and enrich all that we do.
Our team has been carefully assembled so that we are diverse in our individual talents and perspectives, yet aligned in our values and vision.
Our passion is creating incredible environments that support thriving communities.
As architects, we believe we have a very real responsibility to improve lives and we’re enthusiastic and optimistic in rising to this challenge.
In the same way that we have assembled our like-minded team and office culture, we seek out genuine partnerships with “for purpose” organisations that have a primary mission to improve lives.
We’re passionate about the power of great architecture and are continually improving our skills to better respond to design problems. But we know that we don’t have all the answers and that our clients know their communities better than anyone else.
In our rigorous exploration of potential design solutions, we reiterate, reinforce and refine our detailed understanding of what they do, how they do it, and most importantly why it matters.
We’re eager to understand why our clients do what they do because it is our belief that once we’re aligned in this vision, together we can achieve incredible outcomes.
Based in Brisbane, Novum has grown to a team of 10+ and we continue to partner with community focused clients throughout Queensland and New South Wales.
Thanks for being a part of our journey!
Peter Boyce and Joel Ridings