Brisbane-based practice JDA Co has built one of Australia's leading teams of specialist architects for heritage buildings and precincts, bolstered by the appointment in February this year of internationally recognised architect David Gole as a Principal.

Gole now leads a 15-strong group that brings national and international expertise to all aspects of heritage architecture and adaptive reuse, from assessment and advisory through to restoration, repurposing and contemporary additions.

JDA Co Founder and Principal, James Davidson, says the practice has strategically expanded its heritage team over the last 18 months to become one of the country's largest, most experienced and creative. It is poised to meet future demand driven by the 2032 Olympics and the growing interest in the upgrade of ageing building stock.

"JDA Co's heritage portfolio is grounded in local projects such as 'Home', the Princess Theatre, Shop Row and Craigerne," says Davidson. "With our team's additional capacity, we're keen to work with building owners and organisations nationally and also collaborate with other architects whose projects can benefit from our specialist heritage expertise."

The expanded JDA Co heritage team combines the knowledge of senior architects and Principals Gole and Ben List with the fresh energy of talented younger architects including Tamarind Taylor and Simon Boundy. The team's end-to-end heritage architecture services dovetail with JDA Co's wider traditional and specialist climate-resilient design offer.

Gole says this end-to-end skillset is the heritage team's strength. "Unlike most heritage practices that are purely advisory, our team designs, documents and delivers projects,” he says.

“We offer a full range of architecture services for heritage buildings and precincts, from initial advisory through to upgrades, new additions and interpretative storytelling. We deliver all stages and at every scale, taking projects from start to finish."

An example is JDA Co's work on 'Home' (previously Lamb House), a rare surviving example of a grand Federation residence in Brisbane. While at Conrad Gargett, Gole worked with JDA Co on ‘Home’ since the project began in 2021, and it was this collaboration that led him to join the practice.

The extraordinary two-storey house had fallen into near-ruin after sitting vacant for almost a decade. JDA Co's restoration involved painstaking assessment, conservation and repair, and more recently, the design of sympathetic modern additions.

"It's been challenging and rewarding to bring this special property back to life," says Gole. "Documentation is underway on the new additions, which are contemporary while respecting the scale and proportions of the original."

Supporting the owner's needs for present-day living on the site, the new wing includes open plan living, wellness and guest spaces. Gole's broad international experience is unrivalled locally.

It includes the $90M renovation of the United Nations' Africa Hall in Ethiopia, with Conrad Gargett now Architectus, recipient of a 2025 AIA International Chapter Commendation for Heritage, and a year spent in Myanmar as a senior heritage architect with the Yangon Heritage Trust.

Here, he advocated for the heritage-led development of downtown Yangon, providing expert advice to support the reuse and development of over 60 significant heritage buildings. Gole brings this valuable heritage precinct masterplanning experience to JDA Co.

Another focus for JDA Co is modern heritage, an emerging area of practice at a time when the re-use of existing buildings is essential to retain embodied energy and reduce carbon-intensive construction.

"Modern heritage includes postwar and contemporary places of high cultural value that we want to retain for future generations," notes Gole. "Understanding the embedded value of heritage places is something we're passionate about. We're advocates for unlocking their potential and helping people to connect with their stories."

He cites the $100M Thomas Dixon Centre for Queensland Ballet, which he and Taylor delivered whilst at Conrad Gargett. The imaginative adaptive re-use of an old boot factory with a large contemporary addition, the national award-winning project bridges past and present to provide a rich and engaging experience.

Gole draws attention to JDA Co's recognised leadership in climate-resilient design as a further value add.

"Climate resilience is now critical to every built environment project, and in a heritage context, this requires a new lens that we are uniquely skilled to apply."

Image: James Davidson and David Gole / Mindi Cooke

Clémence Carayol

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