Melbourne practice SJB has announced the retirement of co-founder Michael Bialek and Director Owen Chow, marking the close of a combined 94 years of contribution to one of Australia’s most enduring architecture firms.

Bialek established the practice on 1 April 1976 as Synman Justin & Bialek, alongside Alan Synman and Charles Justin, in what was then a small Melbourne architecture studio. Fifty years on, SJB spans architecture, interior design, town planning and urban design. Bialek, the B in the firm’s name, has remained a constant presence throughout that evolution.

His career traced a sustained interest in residential, commercial and hospitality buildings, beginning with quality-focused houses across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, coastal region and rural Victoria. The commissions that followed extended well beyond domestic scale. Nissan House earned SJB its first Architecture Award, an RAIA Merit Award for Outstanding Architecture in 1983. At 40 Albert Road, Bialek delivered the first office refurbishment in Australia to achieve a 6-Star Green Star Office Design rating, earning the “world leadership” status that came with it under the Green Star framework. The BMW ZQ Import Centre further demonstrated the breadth of his commercial output.

The most significant project of his tenure was the 2006 Commonwealth Games Village in Parkville, Victoria, a competition win that delivered a 1,000-dwelling precinct accommodating 6,000 athletes before transitioning into a permanent neighbourhood of restored heritage buildings, parklands, private homes and social housing.

Beyond the buildings, Bialek’s colleagues consistently point to his commercial judgement, his ability to hold client relationships across decades, and a collaborative approach that shaped how the practice grew and how it engaged with others across the industry.

“The projects matter, but what I’ll carry with me are the friendships,” says Bialek. “Thirty years of working alongside Alan Synman, Charles Justin, Alfred de Bruyne and Owen Chow, and sharing in the growth of every part of the SJB group. The Directors and teams across those firms have been a source of respect, friendship and successful collaboration.”

Bialek will continue with SJB as a consultant on select projects.

Michael Bialek and Owen Chow, SJB, 2026

Owen Chow joined the practice in 1982, near the end of his university studies, as the print boy in the Melbourne studio, producing drawings on dyeline printers. He stayed, and became one of the practice’s most accomplished designers.

His work built the foundations for how SJB approaches tall buildings. As design architect, Chow delivered 580 St Kilda Road, a 13-storey office tower distinguished by a curved roof sheltering a rooftop tennis court, and Clarendon Towers, which at 27 storeys and 250 apartments was the largest apartment building in Melbourne at the time of its completion. As a Director, he led the design of the two commercial towers at CBW on the corner of Bourke and William Street in Melbourne’s central business district. At 480 St Kilda Road, he led SJB’s first adaptive reuse of an office building into apartments, adding six lightweight levels to an existing 10-storey structure.

He worked alongside Bialek on the Commonwealth Games Village masterplan and the 12 stages of Parkville Village that followed. Since 2011, he has led the Caulfield masterplan, a 2,000-dwelling precinct beside the racecourse.

Described by colleagues as generous in crediting those who shaped his own development, including SJB Associate John Allaway, Chow has in turn mentored many of the practice’s current Directors.

Like Bialek, Chow will continue with SJB as a consultant on select projects.

“We thank Michael and Owen for their loyalty and for their significant contributions to SJB, and we wish them both the very best,” the practice says.

Main image: Michael Bialek and Owen Chow, Directors, SJB. Credit: supplied / SJB
Image 2: Michael Bialek and Owen Chow, SJB, 2026. Credit: supplied / SJB

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