Graham Jago

Director

“My job is to guide clients through the minefield to get the product they’re looking for.”

Over a long career, Graham has seen architecture become ever-more fascinating as projects have become more complex. Known by his clients as a listener, and as someone who doesn’t come to projects with pre-conceived ideas, Graham develops his designs by systematically solving problems to develop and deliver the product the client wants.

A willingness to explore options, and a practised intuition for pitfalls and dead ends keep Graham in demand by clients and appreciated by builders for the work he puts into overcoming time and cost constraints to deliver designs with commercial value.

Gyula Toth

Associate Director

“I come prepared, but open-minded.”

Gyula entered architecture through industrial design, which has made him a detailed problem solver. Industrial designers have to understand how everything about the product works; they learn to pull problems apart and to find ways to make all the elements fit in a way that works for everyone involved. Gyula couples these skills with his considerable expertise in maximising yield and conserving resources, to make places that are better and happier.

For Gyula, the process begins with considering the client’s needs empathetically and thoughtfully, without the filter of presupposition. He combines listening skills with an ability to internalise his client’s ambition and use it as a motivating force to overcome challenges and push projects through.

Mark Richards

Associate Director

“Everything is in the small details.”

Mark practices a client-first approach, listening to what clients need and translating that into architectural design and documentation with thoughtful regard for aesthetics, environment, budget, yield and compliance.

Over the past 10 years, Mark has been integral to the refinement of our processes, including driving improvements in the documentation given to builders, helping them to be more effective and efficient on site.

He is also an advocate of encouraging junior talent in our office. Mark ensures that new architects and other professionals receive the mentoring and exposure they need to see projects in which they are involved realised beyond the drawing board.

Sachin Wakhare

Associate Director

“I need to know projects are sailing smoothly.”

Sachin has a refined intuition for pinpointing areas of a project that need attention. It’s a skill that comes from being immersed in the detail of all his projects. His clients find it reassuring to know that he prefers being comprehensively across the day-to-day.

The rewards in architecture for Sachin continue to be in creating spaces that users appreciate and love. His approach is also about building relationships—with clients who come back again and again, and with builders who appreciate documentation that makes it easy for them to be efficient.

Sachin, who has a Masters in Digital Media from the University of Sydney, is a firm believer in NJA’s continuing embrace of technology to maintain its edge and its ability to deliver dynamic, exceptional designs that will be approved and built.

Stephen Nordon

Director

“You can solve a lot of problems in architecture by changing the question.”

Stephen approaches architecture as a three-dimensional matrix in which every part of the process has to be considered at the same time. It’s easier to see solutions when you view the process as a whole—when you can see it all through the different lenses of everyone involved, not just the architect’s.

The sheer range of factors that can be manipulated in different combinations to optimise a project has kept Stephen excited by architecture since he started in the profession at 19. His career spans the widest variety of projects, through which he has developed a far-reaching approach to problem solving.

An early and enthusiastic adopter of CAD in the 1980s, Stephen has embraced every technological advance since then, and continues to be fascinated by the role of technology in pushing the possibilities of architecture further.