Hayball

Established in 1983 by founder Len Hayball, Hayball has emerged as a leading national architectural practice in Australia, building a distinguished reputation over more than 40 years with a strong focus on culture, community, and learning. Operating from studios in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Canberra, the firm has evolved into an architectural force with distinctive insights into social value, environmental sustainability, and community wellbeing.

Hayball's practice is built upon the core principle set by its founder that there must be a focus on people, the people and communities they design for, and the people of the firm, through a transfer of opportunity and generosity to one another for genuine collaboration. This simple guiding principle continues to motivate and inspire the team today.

Under the current leadership of registered architects including David Tordoff and Chad Brown, Hayball's design philosophy centers on a user-centered approach underpinned by rigorous research and inclusive consultation processes. By enabling multiple stakeholders to contribute to project visions, the firm creates environments that generate measurable social value through the wellbeing they foster. This methodology recognizes that designs impact the people who inhabit them, ensuring that each architectural intervention operates not merely as functional space but contributes positively to the flourishing of people, communities, and the planet.

The firm's design methodology emphasizes that innovation starts with enquiry. The research-based, user-centered design approach creates more sustainable outcomes for people and the planet. The multi-faceted approach to research, from formal partnerships to internally directed exploration, enhances design processes and significantly de-risks projects from initial design phases through to delivery. The practice believes that the best design results from exploration, research, different ways of thinking, and the open exchange of ideas.

Hayball's design work has received extensive international recognition, including the 2023 Dezeen Awards for both Sustainable Building of the Year and Housing Project of the Year for Nightingale Village, the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) National Architecture Awards' David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture, and the 2022 Spa and Wellness Awards' Best Spa in Australasia category for Alba Thermal Springs and Spa. The firm's commitment to community connection, environmental harmony, and social impact ensures that each architectural work sets new standards for design excellence in the culture, community, and learning sectors.