Halden Road Library annex
A two-storey timber annex behind a listed 1906 library, adding a children's library, a quiet study room and the step-free entrance the old building never had.
Architecture studio · est. 2014
Lathe & Lintel — Melbourne, Australia
Careful buildings for ordinary, important places
Lathe & Lintel is a small practice designing libraries, schools, homes and reused buildings. We work in timber, brick and lime, keep energy bills low, and stay on site until the last snag is closed.
Taking on two new projects from spring 2027
- Buildings completed
- 41
- Avg. kWh/m² a year in use
- 31
- Architects and designers
- 9
Selected projects
Six buildings, from a back extension to a boathouse
Each project has its numbers next to it: floor area, measured energy use, time on site and cost per square metre. We publish them because clients ask, and because they keep us honest.
Brackenford Dairy: 18 maker studios in a 1930s dairy
A locally listed 1930s dairy converted into 18 affordable studios for makers, with a shared kiln room and a café, keeping 86 percent of the original structure.
Orchard Yard: cohousing for 14 households
Fourteen timber homes and a shared common house on a former plant nursery, designed with the residents over 22 workshops and certified to Passivhaus.
Lowther Street rear extension and retrofit
A side-return and rear extension to a narrow Victorian terrace house, with a whole-ground-floor retrofit that cut heating demand by two thirds.
Fernlea timber classroom pavilion
Two classrooms and a covered outdoor teaching space, prefabricated in timber cassettes and assembled over a seven-week summer holiday.
Millrace rowing club boathouse
A boathouse in a flood zone: a floodable ground floor storing 32 boats, with a clubroom and changing rooms lifted clear of the 1-in-100-year flood level.
We have worked with
- Wexmoor Council
- Fernlea Primary
- Kestle Rowing Club
- Orchard Yard Group
- Brackenford Trust
- Tollgate Almshouse
- Harrow Mill Press
- St Brannoc Parish
Services
From the first site visit to the last snag
Clear stages with fixed fees, so you know what each step costs before we start. Most clients begin with a feasibility study and decide from there.
- 01
Feasibility study
A measured look at your site, brief and budget before you commit. We test two or three options, check planning risks and give you a realistic cost range.
- Measured site survey
- Two to three massing options
- Planning risk summary
- Outline cost range
From $4,500
- 02
Full design service
Everything from concept design to completion: drawings, specifications, tendering, and fortnightly site inspections until the building is handed over.
- Concept and developed design
- Technical drawings and specs
- Tender and contractor selection
- Contract administration
10–13% of build
- 03
Planning and heritage
Planning and listed building applications, pre-application meetings, heritage statements and neighbour consultation for sensitive or protected sites.
- Pre-application meeting
- Planning drawings
- Heritage and design statement
- Consultation support
From $6,800
- 04
Interiors and joinery
Kitchens, built-in joinery, lighting and finishes, designed alongside the architecture so the shelves, windows and light switches all line up.
- Joinery drawings
- Lighting plan
- Finishes schedule
- Maker coordination
From $85/m²
Testimonials
What clients say about working with us
“They told us honestly that our first idea would not get planning, and then showed us a better one. The extension cost what they said it would, which still surprises our friends.”
Dev RamanHomeowner, rear extension“As a public client we need fixed fees and paperwork that survives an audit. We got both, plus a building the town is proud of.”
Marguerite HolmCapital projects manager, district council“Our hall was a damp shell. They worked out which walls could stay, which could be repaired, and how to heat it for less than we spent on the old boiler.”
Father Anselm PriceParish priest, St Brannoc
Have a site, a building or just a question?
Most of our projects start with a site visit and a cup of tea. Tell us what you have in mind, and we will tell you honestly what it might take.
Free first conversation · Fixed-fee feasibility studies