Riverview Luxury House in North Sydney
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Waterfront House in Northwood
Elegant Nail Bar in Dubbo
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LVA Architects, Sydney

Livability. Viability. Aesthetics.

Homes, duplexes, apartments and SDA housing across Sydney and NSW, designed to be approved and built.

Tell us about your project See our projects
Homes and renovationsRiverview Luxury House in North SydneyView project
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  • 7competition awards and prizes
  • 17years in architectural practice, since 2009
  • 2009first international award
  • 3years a business awards finalist

Our design process

What we do for your project

DA approved CC approved Issued for construction

Consultants

  • Civil engineer
  • Structural engineer
  • MEP engineer
  • Fire engineer
  • Acoustic consultant
  • Traffic consultant
  • Landscape designer
  • BCA consultant
  • Town planner
  • Interior designer

  1. Stage 00

    Feasibility Study

    Know what your site allows before you design. We map the boundaries, setbacks, height limit, floor space ratio and the sun, then draw the building envelope your site can carry.

  2. Stage 01

    Concept Design

    The first idea of your home rises from the site. We sketch the layout and massing inside the envelope, so you can compare directions early, before detail costs time.

  3. Stage 02

    Design Development

    Your design, modelled in 3D. Plans, materials and details are developed in one model, and every height and setback is measured from it before it is drawn for approval.

  4. Stage 03

    Development Application

    From the model to the street view council will see, then a complete DA set drawn from it: plans, elevations, sections, shadow diagrams and the planning controls checked.

  5. Stage 04

    Construction Certificates

    Construction Certificate drawings. Sections, elevations and details are coordinated with the engineers and the certifier, so the approved design can be built.

  6. Stage 05

    Construction Services

    Construction documentation that builds the house level by level: detailed roof and facade sections for the builder, then tender, contract administration and support on site.

Every project starts with stage 00. Find out what your site allows.

Start with a feasibility study

Recent work

Designed, approved and built across Sydney and NSW

A few of the projects in our portfolio. Each one links to its own page.

See all projects

Why LVA

A registered architect who knows the rules, on your side from the first sketch

  • Registered and accountable

    Led by Kevin Pham, Registered Architect NSW No. 11683, Design and Building Practitioner and member of the Australian Institute of Architects.

  • Approvals specialists

    We know the DA and CDC rules well and tell you plainly what your site allows, before you fall in love with a design that cannot be approved.

  • Clear fixed fees

    A lump-sum fee proposal, stage by stage, with what is included and excluded set out in writing. You approve each stage before the next starts.

  • Award-winning design

    International competition winner since 2009, Green Award Sydney 2018, and a business awards finalist in 2023, 2025 and 2026. See the awards

Livability.Viability.Aesthetics.

Homes that work well every day, make sense for your budget, and look good for years. That is what the three letters in our name stand for. About the practice

How we work

From your first idea to the keys in your hand, in clear stages

  1. Feasibility StudyStage 00 · What the site allows
  2. Concept DesignStage 01 · The first design direction
  3. Design DevelopmentStage 02 · Resolved in a 3D model
  4. Development ApplicationStage 03 · Lodged and followed through
  5. Construction CertificatesStage 04 · Detail the builder can price
  6. Construction ServicesStage 05 · Builder selection and site visits

See the full process and what you get at each stage

Not sure where to start?

Check your address with our free planning apps

Each one reads live NSW planning data for your property and gives you an instant answer on screen, with the full report emailed to you as a PDF.

CDC vs DA Checker

Which approval pathway your project is likely to need.

Open app Duplex Checker

Whether your block can take a dual occupancy.

Open app Granny Flat Checker

Whether a secondary dwelling is possible on your land.

Open app Site Checker

Zoning, overlays and key controls for any NSW address.

Open app

From the journal

Straight talk on building in NSW

Approval pathways, planning policy, SDA housing and lessons from projects as they are approved. Written by the people who do the work.

Read all 26 articles

Ready to talk about your project?

Tell us your address and what you have in mind. We check the planning controls before we reply, so the first conversation is about what you can actually build.

Contact LVA Architects

LVA Architects, Sydney NSW. Kevin Pham, Registered Architect No. 11683 (NSW), Design and Building Practitioner, Qualified Access Consultant, Accredited SDA Assessor.