How Nature Shapes Great Architecture and Design

Rob Mills, founder and creative director of Rob Mills Architecture, has spent three decades developing a design philosophy informed by place. In this masterclass, he joins head of interiors Louy Bell to explore how land, nature and craftsmanship come together to shape sustainable, high-performance homes.

A deep connection to land is central to every project by Rob Mills Architecture. “Great land is precious and rare,” says Rob Mills. “We understand that the essence of every great build is drawn from the quality of the land.” Whether it’s a clifftop residence or remnant land, Mills sees the power of architecture as the ability to transform and unlock the potential of a site.

Louy Bell notes how important land is in influencing interior design. “The interiors are a reflection of the land that surrounds the residences that we craft. It’s in the materials from the landscape that we can bring inside to create that really seamless transition,” she says.

Their work aims to combine performance, beauty and craft, and they see luxury as integral to liveability and longevity. Rather than excess, Mills says “luxury is considered to be craftsmanship.” Bell says that having a home as a space of respite is also a luxury for a lot of their clients. “Luxury doesn’t need to be loud. It’s a feeling of contentment and peace.”

While for Mills a building has to be beautiful and truly inspiring to live in, it also has to be high performing in terms of durability and sustainability. Designing these high-performance homes begins with collaborating closely with clients and sketching out their ideas by hand. “We offer our clients a really bespoke and tailored outcome,” says Bell. “It’s established from the beginning of the process, when we look at the architecture and the land and then the interiors, and slowly evolves into the furniture and the styling as well.”

Designing with a changing climate in mind is also essential. From selecting bushfire-safe materials to designing homes that operate off-grid, the goal is to ensure each structure endures both physically and emotionally. “We are encouraging our clients to invest in water storage, water collection, solar energy,” says Mills. “We do fire automated systems to give the building the best chance of surviving a fire.”

Sustainability is a top priority. Bell says that the firm has a responsibility to specify materials that are durable, healthy and will stand the test of time. “Longevity is a really important factor of sustainability,” she says.

Ultimately, Mills sees an architect’s main role as both a curator and a steward. “We understand it’s a privilege to build on that land, and we also understand we’re just a custodian of that land for now,” he says. “If we built a building that is loved and durable, then it’ll serve the next custodian.”