At HACK ARCHITECTURE we believe that listening to the client and transparency in the design process are essential to creating real world architecture that feels fantastic to live in.
Based in Newcastle, NSW, HACK ARCHITECTURE uses collaborative design to create residential and small-scale commercial projects. Our primary collaboration is with the client, but we also work with quality builders and suppliers to realize the best possible results for you. Great ideas can come to nothing without excellent execution.
We like to explore the possibilities the existing built environment has to offer. It’s part of our commitment to sustainability. Why destroy effort and investment when old buildings and spaces can be adapted to fit the needs of contemporary life?
This is where the name HACK comes in. Borrowed from the IT world, it’s about hacking into preconceptions and the established way of doing things to create the best solution for each unique set of circumstances.
The question of sustainability is not an add-on, but is an inherent part of what we do. Put simply good design is inherently sustainable. It will feel as good to live in decades later as it does now.
Good architectural design creates spaces that improve the everyday life of their inhabitants. We think good design should lead to buildings that feel as comfortable as your favourite pair of boots. Without this quality, architecture risks becoming sculpture.
The Team behind HACK architecture
David Kidston
Founder and
Nominated Architect NSW 8732
David Kidston grew up in a small town in central west NSW. His interest in architecture began with Lego and before long he was building his own cubby houses. School took him to Bathurst, university to Sydney. Coming from a flat town where space was cheap, the denser spaces of the urban environment and the challenges it created fascinated him. David developed a particular interest in refiguring and recycling urban spaces that informs his practice today.
Upon graduation as an architect, David worked for a BVN architecture on significant large-scale projects such as Darlinghurst’s St Vincent’s Hospital and the upper entry and forecourt of Taronga Zoo. However, it was when he began to take on private commissions in 2009 that David discovered his calling.
Big architecture can be abstracted from the people who will use it. With smaller scale, mainly residential work, the client often spends their own hard-earned cash and wants greater involvement in the project. The satisfaction David got from these more personal collaborations inspired him to start HACK.
David moved to Newcastle with his young family in 2011 and started HACK the following year. He has enjoyed the opportunity to create homes that fit their owners in this rapidly developing region. He continues to work with clients from Sydney, the central coast, throughout the Hunter and on the mid-north coast.