About
Jost Architects was established in 2008 by Patrick Jost. With an enthusiastic approach at the beginning of the global financial crisis of that same year, and by navigating the way through this challenging period it enabled the practice to move into the better years ahead. In the early days like many other practices, was based out the back of his house but it was only a year later that an office in St Kilda East opened, giving the practice a genuine identity and later moving further up the road to St Kilda.
From the inauguration of the practice, irrespective of the scale of a project, Jost Architects understand the importance not only of getting the design right, but the essential requirement for exacting documentation for each individual project. The buildability of a project, the site and its constraints, are considered during this process. Costing and value management methods are also used at particular stages of the project to ensure the desired financial outcome.
While Jost and his team are perfectly adept at hand drawing, today everything produced from the office is through 3D modelling and presentation software from start to finish, assisting both clients and builders. The practice continues to renovate and extend period homes, design new homes, as well as work on larger projects such as apartments developments, cafes, office fitouts and warehouses. It’s the process, as much as the diversity of the projects that continues to stimulate and enthuse the office.
At Jost Architects there isn’t a ‘practice style’ as treating each project as unique, the site, client’s functional requirements and preferred aesthetics results in distinct project styles. The practice produces strong contemporary designs that respond to brief, budget and location, along with the setting in which it’s found. The need to produce sustainable outcomes, irrespective of the scale of a project is a core value of Jost Architects, a focus since the practice was first established. Starting with the adoption of the basic principles of thermal passive design, sustainable systems are integrated within the building fabric to become unnoticed aesthetically. This results in projects which are comfortable to live in, economical to operate and of a high-quality contemporary architecture.
Team
Patrick Jost
Director
Growing up with a mother who is an architect, Patrick knew from an early age that architecture was the direction that he wanted to follow. As well as finding art and maths enjoyable, the many architectural magazines left around the house inspired and influenced his career choice.
Graduating from the University of Melbourne in 1996, Jost appreciated the combination of design and building science and many hours spent making design models. On graduation, he was fortunate to gain employment with a internationally renowned and locally based architectural practice working within a team on a large number of major projects, including apartments and institutional projects. This time was also spent developing practice administration skills, something that remains important in Jost’s own practice, ensuring good management of both the design and construction processes.
From 1997, then becoming a registered architect in 2000 and up until 2008, Jost worked with both smaller and larger architectural firms, at the helm of a range of projects types, varying in sizes and in the institutional, residential and commercial sectors.
Moving from large to small and back to large practices in project and senior architect roles, enabled him to gain experience to further his design skills in combination with the ability to deliver a project on time and budget.
His love of the ocean and the mountains, where he has enjoyed a lot of time, is not only a significant factor in the practice’s sustainable principals but also how his work responds to its environment.
Cameron Greiner
Associate
Like Patrick, architect Cameron Greiner always knew his calling was architecture. Obsessed with Lego as a child and spurred on by his mother’s interest in architecture, Cam was continually looking at how spaces could be conceived well before any formal training.
Raised in Queensland in a small coastal town and later graduating in architecture from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane in 2011, Cam became acutely aware of climate responsive design, subtropical design and early adoption of sustainable building materials. While studying Cam worked in a well-established Brisbane-based practice (2007-2012). He then spent a year traveling, and eventually returned to live in Melbourne. A new challenge, Melbourne was seen as a destination for architecture and his first position was with Jost Architects where he became a registered architect in 2016. Now based in Queensland on the Sunshine Coast, Cam works across urban and rural projects in Queensland and Victoria for Jost Architects.
Cam sees his youth and experience living in Queensland as beneficial to the practice, given the climatic differences found in both regions and the local environmental requirements for each. He also attributes his ability to communicate with clients as paramount in the day-to-day operations of a smaller practice, understanding their real needs when designing a home rather than simply filling a wish-list. Resolving construction details and ensuring the delivery of a project on time and within budget, is as rewarding.
Alexandra Florea
Graduate Architect
Alexandra graduated from the School of Architecture and Urbanism, Cluj-Napoca, Romania in 2012 before moving to the Australian sunshine with her husband in 2013. She gained experience working on a range of architectural projects in the residential, commercial, mixed use and infrastructure sector since graduation. Early on while studying to be an architect, she was interested in exploring structural solutions that enhance the aesthetic qualities of a building and combining her interest in art inspires Alexandra’s approach to architectural design.
Her practical experience has been complemented by studying in depth, theoretical architectural concepts and history as part of her PhD at Deakin University to be completed in 2018. While completing her PhD, she tutored for the design studio and presented papers on architecture at conferences in Canada and UK.
Awards
Manual
