At Alma, we approach each project as a conversation — a slow, deliberate unfolding shaped by listening, testing, and making.

We specialise in small-scale, design-led work across education, adaptive reuse, workplace, and interiors. Every design celebrates the character of place and contributes meaningfully. We shape environments that support communities and demonstrate that thoughtful design can be both humble and enduring.

Working with Alma

We work across four areas:

  • Purposeful, adaptable spaces that nurture students and enable educators to thrive. From early childhood through tertiary settings, we design environments that support pedagogical ambition and foster connection. Our approach balances functionality with the generous, enduring qualities that make learning spaces feel like home.

  • Careful transformation of existing buildings — retaining embodied value while reshaping spaces for contemporary needs. We work with heritage assets, civic structures, and commercial properties through rigorous assessment and thoughtful intervention. Our workplace interiors prioritize wellbeing, daylight, acoustics, and the material tactility that supports focus and collaboration.

  • Strategic spatial planning, material resolution, and custom joinery developed in close collaboration with local makers. We create interiors that support organizational goals and daily rhythms while feeling effortless and well-considered. From furniture reuse strategies to bespoke fabrication, every detail is resolved through hands-on craft and refined detailing.

  • Places for gathering, care, and collective wellbeing — community centers, libraries, neighborhood hubs, and civic facilities. Our work fosters social connection through generous, enduring architecture. We engage deeply with users and context to create spaces that strengthen community life and contribute positively for generations.

Our strength lies in working confidently across scales — from bespoke objects and finely crafted interiors to building design and spatial strategy. We partner with like-minded architects when projects require it, remaining focused on the design stages where careful thinking shapes lasting outcomes.

How we work

We believe the best architecture emerges from genuine partnership — between architect and client, between vision and pragmatism, between strategic thinking and hands-on making.

Our process is deliberate, collaborative, and shaped by deep respect for the people and places we serve. We bring rigour and curiosity to every project, balancing ambition with care.

  • We take on a limited number of projects each year, working closely with clients who value process, craft, and place.

  • Every project begins as a conversation — shaped by deep listening, collaboration, and a commitment to understanding context and need.

  • Our approach is grounded in years of award-winning work across education, heritage, workplace, and civic projects.

  • We actively seek partnerships with specialists and like-minded practices, remaining focused on the design stages where careful thinking shapes enduring outcomes.