JDA Co

Photos never do justice to an authentic character of place. One hundred years ago this building was a ceramic tile factory, now a hotel and one of the best restaurants in Triana. I have no idea who the architect was, or even if there was one, but thank you to whoever is responsible for this truly inspiring reuse.

Celebrating 2 Years of the Revived Princess Theatre in Brisbane!

Two years ago, the Princess Theatre in Brisbane reopened its doors, marking not just a building's revival but honouring a living heritage that ties our past to the future.

We're proud to have played a part in its creation and thrilled to see it thriving.

Restoring the Princess Theatre wasn't just about preserving a building; it's about keeping stories alive. Over 200,000 people have walked through its doors, experiencing its timeless charm.

Beyond numbers, this theatre's revival showcases the power of respectful restoration. It brings life to the present and inspires the future.

The Princess Theatre has become more than a venue; it's a cultural cornerstone. It preserves history and fosters a love for the arts within our community.

Let's continue valuing historical buildings as links between generations. They remind us of our past while guiding our future.

Cheers to two years of the Princess Theatre and the stories it holds. Thanks to everyone involved. Let's keep history alive and embrace what's to come!

As part of our role as technical leads for the NSW Resilient Homes Program, JDA Co will be in Lismore today supporting the Housing Expo. If you’re in the Northern Rivers come along at 10am and 1pm to hear about some lessons learned and other important matters to consider when raising your home.

Couldn’t resist…

If not now…when???

There is no debate.

A lovely day for nice surprises when unexpected moments are revealed.

It’s nice when an idea starts to take shape.

JDA Co. was approached to consult on the Bundaberg East Levee design to help protect hundreds of homes and major industries in Bundaberg from major riverine flooding, like that experienced in 2013.

The proposal is a major investment in the flood resilience of Bundaberg and the economic prosperity of the region.

JDA Co. saw the levee design as an opportunity to not only mitigate future flood damage in the city, but to utilise it as a bikeway and pedestrian link to better connect the CBD to the growing Bundaberg East precinct. More in our bio.

We’re proud to be appointed to the new Queensland Urban Design and Places Panel, alongside some very talented individuals. The Panel has been established to advise state and local governments on best practice design and related policy to effect positive urban design outcomes across Queensland.

More info in the link in our bio.

📷 Tile 1: / Tile 2:

Flood resilience in the spotlight in Saturday’s The Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, Courier Mail and The Advertiser. Big thanks to At Home magazine for the feature and to for the recognition. Story linked in our bio.

At JDA Co., we are dedicated to helping homeowners, industry and communities understand their risk and increase the resilience of our urban environments against a changing climate.

We have developed a number of landmark building design guidelines for local and state governments, and their agencies, to better adapt communities for extreme weather events using affordable, achievable and sustainable strategies. These include resources for Queensland Reconstruction Authority, Department of Energy and Public Works (Queensland), Queensland Government, Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation, Brisbane City Council, Ipswich City Council, City of Gold Coast, Logan City Council, Moreton Bay Regional Council and Melbourne Water

You can view all of Climate Guides at our website by clicking the link in our bio.

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JDA Co. and have won a tender to design and construct 12 modular homes for government employee housing at Texas, QLD. The project is part of the Department of Energy and Public Works (Queensland) and QBuild’s Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) program, which seeks to improve the quality and speed of housing construction across Queensland through a better understanding of volumetric or panelised off-site construction systems.
 
We are proud to be part of the MMC panel, working with the Office of the Queensland Government Architect, other architects and prefab suppliers to deliver housing across Queensland through new construction methodologies.

Approximately 56% of the Gold Coast’s land is subject to bushfire hazard. Couple that with a flood risk that affects up to 68% of the Gold Coast and exposes approximately 98,000 buildings and structures, and the threat of multi-hazards is real for some pockets of the LGA.

With the suggesting signs an El Niño may form this winter, it’s important for homeowners to understand their bushfire risk and be informed about strategies to increase the resilience of their properties.

In addition to a flood resilient design resource, JDA Co. has also produced the Gold Coast Bushfire Resilient Design Guideline for the – available now. We worked closely with the (technical advisors) to produce the first residential resilience guide of its kind for the city.

Its purpose is to improve bushfire awareness and resilience throughout the community, and arm homeowners with innovative, practical and affordable best practice solutions to protect their homes.

Download the guide by following the link in our bio.

JDA Co.’s 'Gold Coast Flood Resilient Design Guideline' for is now available on Council’s website.

We are proud to have worked closely in conjunction with Council to produce a tailored guide for Gold Coast homeowners. It includes information on how they can renovate their homes or build new homes using flood resilient design to lessen ongoing costs, concern and inconvenience associated with flooding.

Most importantly, it allows homeowners to prepare for, live through and recover from flood events.

Also published today is the 'Gold Coast Bushfire Resilient Design Guideline', prepared by JDA Co. and Council, to arm property owners with innovative, practical and affordable best practice solutions to improve their bushfire awareness and resilience.

Read the full guides by clicking the link in our bio.

The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) is hosting a free, industry conference on Thursday, at Tweed Heads. Our Director, James Davidson, is among the line-up of speakers and will present on ‘Resilient Building and Retrofitting’ at 1:30pm.
 
Industry events such as these are important to connect trades and industry with local councils and state government to be part of building back better after the 2022 floods.
 
Register to attend at https://regodirect.com.au//northernriversreconstructionconference2023

HOME || KANGAROO POINT, BRISBANE
When we’re not deep in climate adaptation and resilience work, we’re busy fulfilling our other passion and area of expertise: heritage conservation and adaptive re-use. In 2021, JDA Co. set out on a journey with our clients to restore Brisbane’s historic riverside mansion at Kangaroo Point cliffs, known as ‘Home’ (formerly Lamb House). Engaged as the principal architects, JDA Co. is leading the highly anticipated rescue and renewal project of Home, in collaboration with heritage specialists, . The highly anticipated restoration will be completed later this year. Over the coming weeks, we’ll take you on a retrospective tour of some of the milestones reached in the past year. For more information, visit our website by clicking through the link in our bio. You can also follow Home’s journey over at

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📍Turrbal Nation
🔗See link in bio

Last year, JDA Co. designed a series of house designs for best-practice bushfire, storm, cyclone, flood, heatwave resilience and energy efficiency, known as .

FORTIS is led by , in partnership with and , to help people avoid the heartache of losing their home.

It provides free resources, including architectural drawings, specifications and principles for a series of house designs that are disaster resilient.

‘Conjola’ (pictured) is designed for general resilience to extreme weather and disasters, including bushfire sites up to BAL 40, to suit majority of Australian locations.

The simple modular layout of the Conjola design allows it to be adapted to different contexts, such as very steep sites and suburban two-storey settings. Large openings to the north and east maximise light, breezes and connection to nature.

It features a high-performance steel protective outer shell, an aerodynamic roof form suited to high winds, minimal building penetrations and non-combustible structural framing, insulation, external linings, decking, gutters, gutter guard, downpipes, landscaping and storage.

Protective screens and the concealed roof ventilation system provide airflow to improve energy efficiency and protect the home from embers, wind-driven rain, condensation and mould. FORTIS designs are energy efficient, all electric, powered by solar and feature double-glazing, radiant heat shielding and other features that reduce energy consumption and costs.

The free resources are available at www.fortishouse.org

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Architectural Design Spain describes The House at Lizard Island as: “The most spectacular brutalist house of 2023...in the middle of the Australian Great Barrier Reef.”

We are thrilled to see featured in , and Click the links in our bio to read

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In the latest magazine, James Davidson shares how a temple in India built in the form of a lotus left an indelible impression on him and his work.

“It showed me the power of architecture to influence belief and behaviour and, at the same time, to produce an internal kind of beauty, where you can rest and contemplate,” James says.

Thank you to for the write-up.

JDA Co., together with , marked a new milestone today with the commencement of our first commercial flood resilience assessments.

It’s great to see building and facilities managers and building owners investing in flood resilience work for their tenants.
 
Like homes, commercial buildings in flood-prone areas are adversely impacted by disaster, resulting in loss of revenue, displaced staff and lengthy rebuild processes.
 
We are thrilled to be working with Richard Simmons again — a partnership that began at Brisbane City Council five years ago.

We look forward to working with Richard and his team at SLR on this roll-out.

Nice to return to visit an old friend!

Thank you to the hardworking women in our office for their contribution, advocacy and commitment to building a more resilient Australia – and shaping a better future for all.
 

Gotta love a client with his own plane. Flying visit to Warwick for our Dunboggan amphibious house project.

What a privilege it is to be given the opportunity to work on such a wonderful project.

Utility : Beauty

We're hiring! At JDA, our work focuses on climate adaptation and heritage. We are looking for a graduate to join our small dynamic team. Revit and strong communication skills essential. If you are looking to make an impact through architecture, come join us.

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