Architect Canterbury

Canterbury is one of Boroondara's quietest, most established suburbs: wide leafy streets, large blocks and Federation and interwar homes, many of them held by the same families for decades. Around Maling Road the village feel has barely changed, and that is exactly why people stay.

Zen Architects has worked across Boroondara for over 30 years, including next door in Surrey Hills, Camberwell and Kew, where Contour House follows the contours of a steep site. Every project is led by our directors, Ric Zen and Luke Rhodes. We design custom homes, extensions and whole-of-home transformations for Canterbury owners who want a house that suits how they live now.

Keep the house, build the home.

Crescent House is in neighbouring Surrey Hills. Zoe and Daniel loved their postwar clinker-brick house and their garden of fruit trees, but the property had far more potential than they were using. Rather than replace the original, we designed a new home behind it, between the trees, following the fall of a long, narrow, sloping site.

The new house steps down with the land to a sunken lounge beside the deck and pool. The original home was kept and converted into an office and studio.

Project shown: Crescent House, Surrey Hills. Builder Parallel Group. Photography Derek Swalwell. View the project

Custom New Homes

Designed for your site and your brief. Nothing predetermined.

Federation and Interwar Extensions

Additions that respect the original house and the street.

Making More of a Large Block

Second dwellings, studios and garden-led layouts for Canterbury's generous sites.

A private conversation with one of our architects about your Canterbury property. Arrange a design consultation

Questions worth answering.

Does Zen Architects work with Boroondara's heritage controls in Canterbury?

Yes. Much of Canterbury is covered by heritage and neighbourhood character controls under Boroondara's planning scheme. We have worked with Boroondara for over 30 years and build the heritage response into the design from the start. You can check your own property's overlays with a free planning property report from VicPlan.

Can I build a second home on my Canterbury block and keep the original?

It depends on the block and the planning controls, but it can work well. At Crescent House in neighbouring Surrey Hills, the owners kept their original home as a studio and office and built a new family home behind it.

Should I extend or rebuild my Canterbury home?

If the house is well built and the street values it, extending is often the better answer. We look at the condition of the house, its heritage value and your brief before recommending either.

How do you design for a sloping Canterbury block?

By following the fall of the land rather than fighting it. Stepping the floor levels with the slope creates natural changes in ceiling height and outlook, as it did at Crescent House.

What kind of clients does Zen Architects work with in Canterbury?

Long-term owners ready to make the house fit how they live now, and families who have found the right block in a suburb they plan to stay in.

We also work with clients in neighbouring Surrey Hills, Camberwell and Kew.