Demonstrated delivery of social and affordable housing from single dwellings to 400+ unit developments. Deep understanding of community housing provider requirements, funding structures, and the balance between cost efficiency and resident dignity.
CLAD
Architecture & Design
Architecture that works today while making a positive impact for years to come.
About Carey
Carey Landwehr is a registered Australian architect, academic, and advocate for sustainable and socially conscious architecture based in Naarm/Melbourne.
He is the founding principal of CLAD, a practice focusing on humble, sustainable, and community-focused architecture. With fifteen years of experience across practice, education, and research, his expertise lies in social housing, regenerative design, and housing policy. Carey advocates for moving from 'designing for' to 'designing with' communities, bridging the gap between architectural practice, education, research, and advocacy.
Born in Yamatji Country. Currently living and working on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung People. I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this land whose sovereignty was never ceded, and pay my respect to their enduring connection to Country.
Professional Affiliations
Education
Awards
Experience
Core Values
The principles that guide our practice and inform every project.
Collaborative
Delivering projects with you, not just for you. Creating genuine partnerships between clients, communities, and a diverse group of designers.
Regenerative
Our Living Future-accredited designs actively regenerate Country and enhance ecological cycles, building climate resilience regardless of scale or budget.
Meaningful
From educational spaces to community housing, we create living buildings that adapt and respond to users changing needs over time.
Our Approach
Whether designing a flexible home for your family or a welcoming place for community, we combine careful thought with efficient work. The result? Architecture that works — designed with you, delivered with care.
Connect
We sit down and really listen. How do you live? What drives you? What's not working in your current space? Understanding your world shapes every design decision that follows.
Gather
Your project gets the specialists it needs, landscape architects for your garden, engineers for tricky site conditions, artists for something special. We know who does what well and when to get them involved.
Make
Together, we turn your vision into something real. We talk budget early, not to limit dreams, but to focus them. Every idea gets tested against how you'll actually use the space.
Build
We introduce you to builders who've earned our trust. We know the difference between good work and good marketing, ensuring quality delivery when everyone's aligned.
Guide
Construction isn't a black box. We're on-site regularly, catching problems early and explaining what's happening in words that make sense. Our hands-on approach ensures quality at every stage.
Complete
We walk through your completed space together, ensuring everything works as intended and we stay in contact to ensure the space continues to work for you over the years to come.
Services
Comprehensive architectural services from concept to completion.
Listen and understand
We sit down and really listen: how you live, what matters to you, what's not working. We study your site and local planning requirements and give you a frank assessment of what's possible. You'll receive a formal Client Architect Agreement and a detailed fee proposal showing what each stage costs. Nothing happens without your sign-off.
Explore and test
We develop initial concepts, testing different layouts, orientations, and spatial arrangements. You'll see drawings, models, and material samples. Sustainability is embedded from this phase onward. Costs are checked against your budget before we go further.
Develop and refine
Your chosen concept is refined into something detailed and buildable. We resolve tricky junctions, coordinate consultant input, and develop material selections. You'll see what you're getting before any builder is involved.
Secure planning approval
We handle the council planning process as your agent. All drawings, reports, and conversations go through us. We manage pre-application meetings, formal submissions, and responses to council queries.
Document for construction
Your design becomes a complete set of construction documents: plans, sections, elevations, specifications, and schedules. This is what builders price from, what the building surveyor assesses, and what the trades build to.
Obtain building permit
We prepare and lodge your building permit application with a registered building surveyor. We coordinate all required documentation, including energy rating reports and structural engineering certificates.
Select your builder
We run a competitive tender: issuing your documented project to selected builders, evaluating submissions on quality and price, and carrying out financial due diligence.
Build and advocate
We're on site regularly, reviewing progress, assessing whether the work conforms with the documents, reviewing the builder's progress claims, and helping resolve issues as they arise.
Complete and hand over
We walk through your completed space together, checking everything works as intended. We prepare a defects list for the builder and formally certify practical completion.
Settle and sustain
Your building is complete, but our involvement doesn't stop at handover. We stay available during the defects liability period and beyond to help manage any issues that arise.
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Let's Discuss Your Project
Every project begins with a conversation. Tell us what you're working on — we'd love to help.
