FENDER KATSALIDIS

About FENDER KATSALIDIS

FENDER KATSALIDIS, which now practises simply as FK, is one of Australia's most recognised architecture studios. Established in Melbourne by Karl Fender and Nonda Katsalidis, the practice built its reputation on projects that changed the skylines and cultural landscape of Australian cities, and it describes itself as delivering exemplary work across urban design, architecture and interior design.

The studio's stated ambition is to make quality contributions to the fabric of Australian cities that are innovative, sustainable and enduring. It operates from three studios: Melbourne on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country, Sydney on Gadigal Country and Brisbane on Jagera and Turrbal Country, with the head office at Riverside Quay in Southbank, Melbourne.

Disciplines

• Architecture – the core practice, spanning towers, cultural buildings, workplaces and housing.
• Interior design – interiors developed alongside the base building rather than as a separate commission.
• Urban design – masterplanning and precinct-scale work shaping how buildings meet the street.
• Adaptive reuse – a distinct discipline within the studio, reflecting the shift from new build toward extending the life of existing stock.

Treating adaptive reuse as its own discipline rather than a subset of architecture is notable. FK frames it around unlocking the potential of renewable real estate, a position that matches where much of the Australian commercial market has moved as owners weigh refurbishment against demolition.

Landmark Projects

Two buildings define the practice's public profile. Eureka Tower in Melbourne, completed in 2006 and standing around 300 metres, was for years the tallest building in the city and remains one of the defining residential towers in Australia. The Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, better known as MONA, is a subterranean gallery cut into the sandstone of the Berriedale peninsula; it received the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture in 2012 and transformed Tasmania's cultural economy.

Current and recent work spans a wide spread of typologies and locations: West Tower at Melbourne Quarter, Fitzroy Gasworks Parcel A, 500 Bourke Street and 14-16 Yarra Street in Victoria; Novus on Victoria at Chatswood and the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney; 91 Lytton Road at Balmoral in Queensland; NewActon Nishi in Canberra; and hotel and workplace projects at Melbourne Airport including the Novotel and Ibis Styles and the Aerofoil workspace.

Sectors Served

FK works across build to rent, commercial, cultural, education, hospitality, mixed-use, residential, retail, seniors living, social and affordable housing, and workplace. Projects are located across the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria, as well as internationally.

The presence of both premium residential towers and social and affordable housing in the same portfolio is worth noting; relatively few studios of this profile work at both ends of the housing market.

Sustainability

FK positions sustainability as a rigorous, evidence-based practice rather than an aspiration, working with specialist consultants to design, measure and deliver holistic architecture and interiors. The studio has delivered large-scale projects achieving five and six star Green Star ratings, and carbon neutral design sits alongside its core disciplines as a stated capability.

The practice frames the reasoning in terms of scale: its work affects not only the immediate local context but interconnected global systems, and the aim is to work with clients, colleagues and partners toward a more sustainable built environment.

Culture and Recognition

Alongside its design work, FK maintains programmes covering social initiatives, workplace culture and awards, and publishes acknowledgements of the traditional custodians of the lands on which each studio operates. Nonda Katsalidis has been recognised as an Indesign Luminary for his contribution to Australian architecture.

Why FENDER KATSALIDIS Matters to the AEC Industry

FK is a useful case study in how a practice moves from a single-city studio to national scale without losing design identity. Eureka Tower and MONA demonstrate range that few firms achieve: one a technically demanding supertall residential building, the other a largely underground gallery driven by an idiosyncratic private client brief. For architects and developers in Australia, the studio's current emphasis on adaptive reuse and Green Star performance also tracks closely with where the market is heading, making its published approach a practical reference for anyone weighing refurbishment strategy against new construction.