About us

Our vision is to transform ideas, through an engaging creative process, into quality architecture that supports, inspires and delights, for positive environmental and community impact, and a sustainable future.

Enriching lives, enriching place

Our design process applies creative enquiry and analysis to ideas that explore and express unique project, lifestyle and business opportunities, challenge the norm, and develop appropriate architectural solutions, through an interactive collaborative methodology. We combine vision, innovation and value with creative problem solving, efficient planning, rigorous technical detail, and responsible use of materials. Our core design values of sustainability, access and equity are integral to our process.

Our principles

Our design principles uphold, respect, respond to and enhance our clients’ unique needs, desires and aspirations and the opportunities presented by the site, the brief and the budget. They address context including topography, flora and fauna of the natural landscape; scale, density and amenity of the urban environment. They adhere to best practice conservation or adaptive re-use of heritage buildings and environments. They apply the aesthetics of harmonious visual proportion, form, materials, and the interplay of scale, space and volume.

They integrate energy efficient, environmentally sustainable design (ESD) through passive / active solar design, passive house design, low toxic healthy environments, appropriate storm / wastewater management, recycled buildings and materials. They include socially sustainable design that reinforces culture, a sense of place and identity, and builds community.

Our practice

Directors James Morrison & Yvette Breytenbach migrated to Australia in 1991 and the spectacular World Heritage Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair Overland Track attracted us to Tasmania. We settled in Hobart where we established our architectural practice, which operates from the repurposed Halls Machinery Building and demonstrates our commitment to sustainable design. We bring worldwide cultural and architectural insight and experience to our practice, gained in South Africa, UK and USA.

The practice is pre-qualified with Department of Treasury and Finance for Strategic and Project Services. Both directors and all professional staff are members of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA). Being an AIA A+ registered practice we comply with AIA Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements, which keeps us informed and inspired by relevant, up to date information and skills.

James Morrison, Director, B.Arch., FRAIA, RIBA

James Morrison

Director
B.Arch., FRAIA, RIBA

James Morrison’s all round expertise includes design, documentation and specialist skills in energy efficiency and environmentally sustainable design. In practice since 1987, James is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, an Australian architect registered in Tasmania (No. 510) and a registered British architect. He is an accredited Tasmanian Building Service Provider (Category – Architect) #CC1005 U as per the Occupational Licensing Act 2005, and is highly experienced in the Green Star Environmental Rating System. He is a longstanding, active member of Learning Environments Australasia (LEA). James is happiest sketching en plein air, whether in graphite of the built environment, or in charcoal of Tasmanian rock and landscape formations.

Yvette Breytenbach, Director, B.Arch., Hons.Soc.Sci., FRAIA

Yvette Breytenbach

Director
B.Arch., Hons.Soc.Sci., FRAIA

Yvette is an architect with a passion for people-centred design. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) and a Past President of the AIA Tasmanian Chapter. An Australian architect registered in Tasmania (No. 570), she has been in practice since 1981. Her experience serves her well as the Institute representative on Hobart City Council’s Urban Design Advisory Panel (UDAP). Yvette combines urban design, architectural and socio-spatial expertise in her role developing big picture ideas, design concepts, and team processes that value-add to the brief. As a hands-on maker in clay, her training in ceramics in London translates to her architectural delight in the use of materials, texture and the play of scale in carefully crafted buildings and spaces.

David Johnston, Associate, B.EnvD., B.Arch., RAIA

David Johnston

Associate
B.EnvD., B.Arch., RAIA

David joined Morrison & Breytenbach Architects in 2019 as a senior Project Architect. He completed his Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Tasmania in 2007 and achieved his Australian architect registration in 2013. His prior experience includes projects across a variety of scales, budgets and climatic conditions set in diverse locations ranging from the remote Kimberly region of Western Australia to the Hobart waterfront. David is a family man, a keen paddle boarder and enjoys the occasional sailing adventure.

Dominique Petterwood, Architect, B.EnvD., M.Arch., RAIA

Dominique Petterwood

Architect
B.EnvD., M.Arch., RAIA

Dominique is passionate about community-led design and loves working with people to create a well designed outcome. She became a registered architect in 2022 working on residential and hospitality projects in Melbourne. By contrast her recent work on The Anganwadi Project and with Architects Without Frontiers in India has given her invaluable experience in Third World community consultation and educational design. Outside of work, Dominique spends her time in the garden and hiking in the mountains, her most recent travel adventure having been to hike through South America.

Michael Bamford, Graduate, B.EnvD., M.Arch., RAIA

Michael Bamford

Architect
B.EnvD., M.Arch., RAIA

Having initially embarked on Computer Science training, Michael discovered his passion for architecture while traveling overseas. He completed his Master of Architecture at the University of Tasmania in 2018. He has a particular interest in place based architecture, sustainability, and parametric design which led him to join us at Morrison & Breytenbach Architects after graduating. Here his role includes design development, documentation and project administration. Beyond architecture, Michael has a broad range of interests, from computers and cars, to martial arts and bushwalking.

Our practice, located in the old Halls Machinery Building in Hobart, which has been adapted for re-use by inserting conference room, library/staff room and work stations into the open volume workshop at street level.