Outside the Box

The company’s foundations are deeply embedded in a passion for craftsmanship. The eponymous ‘Frank’ is Frank Licastro, who started his career in construction and development by working on his own home, which he scrimped and saved to purchase at the tender age of 18, renovating the house at night while working as an electrician during the day.

He cites his grandfather – another Frank – as his greatest inspiration, a man who modelled hard work and the “do it properly, with care” attitude of a master craftsman. But the grit, determination and self-discipline of the younger Frank is his own; from that first property, he went on to renovate and on-sell a series of homes, putting in hours of hard graft outside of his day job and learning construction skills along the way.

Working solo on his own homes gave Licastro a further edge, providing invaluable insight into intentional design. Taking a house from tired to tidy is one thing, but Licastro’s hands-on renovations cultivated a shrewd vision for spaces that are not only lovely but life-enhancing, with design elements that are inspired by and connected to the way people actually live. He describes it as “blending my grandfather’s old-school integrity with modern luxury”, and it was this philosophy that birthed Frank Developments’ first multi-residential development, Maison, launched in 2020. In an incredibly auspicious beginning for the company, this New Farm prestige apartment building went on to win Development of the Year for Small-Scale Residential at The Urban Developer Awards in 2023.

Maison announced the arrival of Frank Developments, introducing the company as a proponent of clever and inventive design. Working in partnership with architectural innovators including Joe Adsett and ByCulprit, its growing catalogue of development projects displays design excellence in several ways. Luxury is a given – Maison, for example, boasts the privilege of space, with each residence allocated an entire floor, and opulence is expressed through the lavish use of high-end natural materials.

Functionality and flow are prioritised, particularly in the way the buildings answer the challenges of Queensland’s hot and humid climate. “We worked very hard to create a building that breathes,” Licastro explains of Maison, and this emphasis on natural ventilation and liveable outdoor space is a defining aspect of the developer’s designs. This responsiveness to place, particularly to the subtropical context, is expressed through a pervasive feeling of lightness and a thoroughly modern commitment to green spaces throughout the Frank oeuvre.

Finally, creative form signposts each build as a Frank Developments project. “We collaborate closely with our architects and consultants to create distinctive, locally inspired architecture that complements its setting while standing out,” says Licastro. “Projects like Maison and Mira exemplify our architectural DNA: organic forms, lush greenery and sculptural restraint.”

Each design has its own distinct style, but – like cousins – their familial ties are clear. To illustrate, Maison is characterised by sculptural softness, with trailing greenery and curved edges that cup each floor; Della ROSA unfolds like the rose of its name, with petal-like screens curving around each residence; and Gold Coast residence MYST – expected to be completed in late 2027 – imitates the forms of rolling clouds. Each is distinctly different, but each uses organic forms inspired by the surrounding landscape to create something truly architecturally exciting.

That emotive response to a Frank Developments building points to another fundamental value of the company: what Licastro describes as a “generational mindset” – a drive to not only provide prestigious places to live but to demonstrably enhance the neighbourhoods they work within. “Every project is crafted to endure – shaping its street, honouring its neighbourhood and adding value for decades to come,” he says.