Tribe is known for thoughtful and innovative design outcomes in heritage projects.

Established in 2003, Tribe Studio Architects is recognised for design excellence in its built and conceptual work in residential and urban design, education, commercial, heritage, installation and interiors.

Hannah Tribe, Principal, is an energetic and innovative designer and leader, who works across all scales from city planning to detailed design.

Tribe Studio Architects is passionate about heritage on many levels. Old buildings tell a story of who we are and where we come from, and track our changing values as a society across time. Retaining and adaptively reusing buildings is our most effective sustainability principle. The practice has also effectively used design excellence in heritage precincts and projects to negotiate additional floor space, and/or changes of zoning. Tribe relishes the challenges of making old buildings relevant again.

The studio’s capabilities have been recognised with over 30 awards including the 2019 NSW Institute of Architects top award for Heritage, the Francis Greenway Award for Heritage, for Darlinghurst House.

In 2023 Hannah is chairing the jury for the NSW Institute of Architects Award for Heritage.

A new 14 storey retail and commercial building at the Wynyard Light Rail stop on George Street, Sydney.

Development Type / Commercial and Retail Value / $45 million

Local Government Area / City of Sydney Site Area / 553.9m2

FSR / 10.1:1

GFA / 5570m2

NLA / 5082m2

DA Approval / 2022

Collaborator / Matthew Pullinger Architect

A significant new mixed commercial building situated in the heart of Sydney’s revitalised George Street precinct is designed in collaboration with Matthew Pullinger Architect. The boutique 14-storey office building is situated at 317 and 319-321 George Street and includes the adaptive reuse of an existing heritage building, new retail spaces linking George Street with Wynyard Lane and commercial office space above.

Massing studies revealed an opportunity to leverage nuanced design and urban outcomes for extra floor space.

Based on the City’s support of our urban design approach and quality of heritage-responsive design, we achieved an additional 784m2 of premium, George Street-facing lettable commercial floor area. This is almost a 20% uplift in floor area from the permissible DCP envelope. The additional area comes as a result of strategic design excellence and nuanced response to heritage and context.

Achieves additional 20% floor area above City of Sydney DCP

Through close collaboration with consultants and using agile design, we were able to remove the need for a dedicated basement substation, substantially decreasing development cost and basement size and complexity. We saved over $2 million in construction and 150m2 in basement area.

Delivering this value was a sophisticated dance between energy loading, sustainable building fabric performance and achieving excellence in thermal performance through facade expression.

A heritage-listed Interwar bungalow in a heritage-listed garden is massaged to yield 10 dwellings and preserve all high value trees.

Development Type / Multi-Unit Residential Value / $10 million

Local Government Area / Ku-ring-gai Council

Site Area / 5135m2

FSR / 0.3:1

GFA / 1540.5m2

Status / Under assessment, supported at formal Pre-DA

The site was almost undevelopable due to heritage overlay, heritage landscape overlay, mature tree protection zones and ecological diversity protection control. Tribe worked collaboratively and iteratively with the consultant team towards the maximum permissible GFA and a spot rezoning, based on heritage incentive.

The garden setting is also heritage listed, containing extraordinary remnant redgum forest, a massive kauri pine, majestic figs and protected native grasses. In addition to the endemic species, the garden contains an eclectic range of exotic plants, including what is potentially the largest Aloe tree outside of Madagascar.

Highway

Everett Way

Interior of heritage-listed home

The heritage-listed 1930s bungalow on the site has a rich and intact interior, with robust and ornate timber mouldings and details throughout. Tribe’s design includes the sensitive and innovative inclusion of joinery and amenity in such a way that the old is both enhanced and intact.

Two new buildings house 8 dwellings and 16 car spaces. The material language and form-making is a sensitive response to the heritage, while also being recognisably contemporary.

Image right / Five new townhouses sited to the Western edge of the site

Tribe has a portfolio rich in innovative responses to heritage houses and houses in heritage conservation areas, as well as the adaptive reuse of redundant typologies into dwellings.

Development Type / Single Residential - Adaptive Reuse

Local Government Area / City of Sydney

Built / 2018

Site Area / 59.30m2

GFA / 147.35m2

2019 NSW Chapter AIA Awards: Heritage Category Francis Greenway Award Winner

2019 Houses Awards: Alts and Adds Under 200sqm Winner

2019 Houses Awards: House in a Heritage Context Winner

Tribe transformed this historic electrical substation, located in a densely built lane in East Sydney, into a glowing three-bedroom home that maximises the compact 59 square-metre site across three levels.

Celebrating the face brickwork of the building, and of its neighbouring terraces and early factory buildings, Tribe extended the brick volume with Venetian glass bricks, concealing the roof-top terrace and pool in the shade of a mature gum tree. The top of the building now glows like a lantern at night.

A dramatic internal stair, suspended in metal mesh at the upper levels, reveals the volume of the original building and allows daylight to filter from the roof to the ground floor. The view upwards through the mesh shows the juxtaposition of the original brickwork and glowing Venetian glass brick and recalls the building’s industrial heritage.

We were able to achieve parking on this compact site through close collaboration with the City’s heritage team and a nuanced design solution where the garage door is concealed beneath an original pediment (see front cover image).

This

The Roseville house addition sits politely in its heritage context and embodies the playful spirit of the original house. In this celebration of heritage craftsmanship, the rear elevation speaks to the glorious brick sunburst over the original front door.

Local Government Area / Ku-ring-gai Built / 2017

2017 Think Brick Awards / Horbury Hunt Residential Award Winner

2017 Houses Awards / Alteration and Addition under 200sqm Commendation

2017 AIA NSW Residential Architecture Houses Alterations and Additions / Commendation

The extension of this eclectic bungalow in Sydney’s Inner West was a careful curation of restoration and reinvention.

Shortlisted / Grand Designs Australia House of the Year 2022/23

A new infill to a large Victorian terrace responds to the existing masonry and cast iron with a contemporary language of offform concrete and filigree steel.

Hannah Tribe is the Principal of Tribe Studio Architects and established the practice in 2003. Under her leadership, the practice has been recognised for design excellence in its built and conceptual work in residential and urban design, education, commercial, heritage, installation and interiors. Hannah is an energetic and innovative designer, who works across all scales from city planning to detailed design. Hannah currently sits on the NSW State Design Review Panel (SDRP) and NSW Health Infrastructure SDRP, as well as chairing the NSW Australian Institute of Architects Heritage Awards.

AIA NSW Architecture Francis Greenway Award

Heritage Architecture 2019

Darlinghurst House

Houses Awards

Alts and Adds Under 200m2 2019

Darlinghurst House - Winner

Houses Awards House in a Heritage Context 2019

Darlinghurst House- Winner

AIA NSW Architecture Awards

Residential Architecture

Houses - Alterations and Additions

2017

Lindfield House - Winner

Think Brick Awards

Horbury Hunt Residential Award

2017

Roseville House - Winner

Houses Awards

House Alteration and Addition under 200m2 2017

Roseville House - Commendation

AIA NSW Architecture Awards

Residential Architecture

Houses - Alterations and Additions

2017

Roseville House - Commendation

AIA NSW Architecture Awards

Heritage Architecture

Creative Adaption 2015

McMahons Point HouseCommendation

Australian Interior Design Awards

Residential Design 2014

Willoughby House - Best House NSW

AIA National Architecture Awards

Residential Design 2014

Willoughby House - Commendation

IDEA Awards

Designer of the Year 2013

Tribe Studio Architects - Winner

IDEA Awards

Single Residential Award 2013

Willoughby House - Winner

AIA NSW Chapter Residential Architecture Small Projects 2012 Bardwell Park House - Winner

Houses Awards

Best Alterations and Additions under 200m2 2012 Bardwell Park House - Highly Commended

AIA NSW Chapter Residential Architecture Houses 2011 Rose Bay House - Highly Commended

Houses Magazine Awards

Best House under 200m2 2011 Rose Bay - Winner

Houses Magazine Awards Sustainability Award 2011 Rose Bay House - Winner

Australian Interior Design Awards Rose Bay House - Highly Commended 2011

Australian Interior Design Awards Eat Green Design 2010

Environmentally Sustainable Design - Commendation

Tribe Studio Architects