Studio

Buchan is an acclaimed global architecture, interiors, masterplanning and experiential design studio with distinction in retail, commercial, mixed-use, residential, hotels and hospitality.

For 130 years, Buchan has delivered assets of enduring architectural quality and magnitude, worldwide. Our extensive portfolio spans boutique, intimate settings through to large-scale buildings and urbanscapes.

With a diverse and talented global team of 250 design experts across studios in Australia and New Zealand, our clients benefit from unparalleled experience, cross-sector collaboration and strategic guidance from our leading architects and designers, irrespective of location.

Our creative force is bolstered by our even expanding global presence, with alliances with organisations such as Nikken Sekkei, as well as collaborative partnerships with leading international design firms to strengthen outcomes for our clients.

Our projects are fortified by global design knowledge and data-driven insights to deliver inspired places and spaces of lasting operational and community value into the future.

At Buchan, we understand people and place. We create destinations people are drawn to and feel a rich sense of belonging.

Watch our Buchan video to find out more about how we deliver on our brand promise ‘Design. Realised’.

Buchan acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live, and recognise their ongoing connection to country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging.

Buchan recognises the unique role of Māori as Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa and embraces Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

As designers of the built environment, we all hold a unique position to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples cultures into what we do, to reflect the deep history of the land our designs sit upon.

Buchan’s Reflect Reconciliation Plan marks a key milestone in our reconciliation journey, and our commitment to playing an active role in creating an inclusive and diverse profession.

This includes partnering with The University of Queensland to establish the Buchan Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Architecture Industry Scholarship program which both supports a student though their degree and offers an employment pathway. This is the first scholarship of its kind for the University with the inaugural placement to commence in 2023.

Deepening our connection through education, Buchan engaged local First Nations artist Theresa Bower of Burrundi Design Studio to create an original artwork that reflects our practice’s reconciliation journey from the present and into the future, focused on the pillars of education, inclusivity, connection, and the reconciliation pathway forward.

Our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan.

Our experience is a reflection of our understanding of how cities work, but we still view each new project as a privilege to further enrich our knowledge.

We evolve with time, but never lose sight of the principles that shape relevant architecture and experience. Whether it be a city masterplan or a projection artwork in a laneway, we explore the experience of the individual and the community. Interesting outcomes evolve from layers of conversation and drawing, from boardroom to kitchen. We have leaders within our structure with hierarchy removed allowing a freedom of inquiry, questioning and listening. Humour is always present in our process; it grounds us while fostering a sense of freedom for ideas to emerge. This spirit flows through our work.

We look to forge genuine relationships with our clients which play a significant role in shaping the social, economic and architectural future of the project.

We asked our staff to create our values based on our distinctive culture.

These five values guide how we behave and how we do things at Buchan. We believe our values are as important to you as they are to us.

Our integrated alliance with Nikken Sekkei makes us one of the most connected design studios in the world.

Nikken Sekkei is an architectural and urban design firm headquartered in Tokyo. Number 2 in the World Architecture 100, Nikken has 2800+ architects, engineers, planners and consultants and a portfolio featuring over 25,000 projects in more than 250 cities across 50 countries.

Nikken’s key current projects include the redesign of FC Barcelona’s iconic Camp Nou stadium, designing the world’s tallest wooden building in Tokyo, a 350-metre skyscraper, and creating a new public attraction for Singapore, Lines of Life.

“The creative force of Nikken bolsters Buchan’s offering, providing clients with unified access to unprecedented experience and strategic guidance of the world’s leading architects, urban designers and engineers.” Frank Zipfinger, Non-Executive Chairman