SO: Architecture

SO: Architecture is a Hobart-based architectural practice founded in 2023 by directors Liz Walsh and Alex Nielsen. Both bring extensive experience in small and medium-scale design, with a shared interest in projects that are materially rich, contextually responsive, and deeply engaged with their clients. The practice reflects their long-standing collaboration and individual reputations within the Tasmanian design community, Walsh having previously co-directed the award-winning The Barn TAS project.

The studio has quickly established itself through projects that balance heritage sensitivity with contemporary expression, while embracing a broad scope across residential and cultural typologies. Their work spans intimate extensions and houses to more experimental interventions, with a practice ethos that remains open to multiple scales and disciplines, from architecture to furniture and light.

Notable projects include Harriet’s House in Launceston, an extension to a Georgian cottage that explores the tactile interplay of Tasmanian timber and brick; The Barn TAS, a celebrated adaptive reuse project; The Bae TAS; and Kinder House, all of which demonstrate the studio’s ongoing exploration of material honesty and contextual awareness.

SO: Architecture’s work has been widely recognised with numerous state and national awards, including the Australian Institute of Architects Tasmanian Medal in 2023 for Harriet’s House, the Nicholas Murcutt National Award for Small Project Architecture, the Houses Apartment of the Year Award, and the 2024 James Blackburn Triennial Prize. These accolades affirm their position as one of Tasmania’s leading emerging practices.

Their design philosophy is rooted in collaboration, patience, and sensitivity. Guided by values they describe as grounded, sublime, strategic, experimental, robust, and slow, Walsh and Nielsen emphasise processes that allow ideas and materials to mature. Their work demonstrates a careful balance between innovation and restraint, producing architecture that is enduring, thoughtful, and deeply connected to Tasmania’s landscapes, cultures, and histories.