Architecture & Interior Spotlight

From graduate architect to Associate

Carl joined Mode Design around 11 years ago as a graduate architect and has since progressed to his current role as Associate.

During that time, he has worked across a diverse range of projects throughout Perth and Western Australia, with a particular focus on community and local government facilities. His experience includes the Blue Gum Community Centre, as well as projects for local governments including Melville, Rockingham, Kwinana and Rottnest Island Authority.

Working across these types of projects has given Carl a strong understanding of the practical considerations that sit behind architectural specification, from durability and material selection through to procurement, documentation and delivery.

It has also given him a long-standing familiarity with Aqualoo.

“Most of the time, we do specify Aqualoo for the partitions because we know that you guys can deliver and we’re familiar with the products and system.”

For Carl, that familiarity is reinforced by the support available when questions arise during a project.

“It has been great and very helpful with the queries that I’ve asked. You’re also very responsive, very quick, and that’s very much appreciated.”

For architects, particularly when working to project deadlines, that responsiveness can be just as important as the product itself.

What makes a product worth specifying?

For manufacturers and suppliers, being included in a specification is only part of the relationship. Architects also need confidence that the product can be sourced, documented and supported through the project.

That becomes particularly important across community and local government projects, where procurement requirements, project budgets, durability and long-term performance can all influence material selection.

Carl’s experience is that familiarity plays an important role.

When a product and its system are well understood, architects can specify with greater confidence, knowing what they are getting and who they can turn to when technical questions arise.

For WCCI, this reinforces the importance of supporting architects beyond the initial product selection, with technical assistance, samples, specification guidance and project support available throughout the process.

More choice within the colour palette

While familiarity and performance are important, design flexibility remains a key consideration.

One area where Carl sees an opportunity is in the range of available colours, particularly within individual colour families.

He singled out Fundermax as a material range that has caught his attention.

“I do like the solid colours, but I’d like to see more range and more tones. Even with yellow, if you had four shades, we’d have more flexibility.”

It is a simple observation, but an important one for designers. A broader range of tones within a colour family can give architects greater control when developing palettes across a project, particularly where colour is being used to define spaces, create visual identity or complement other materials.

It is also useful feedback for WCCI as we continue to develop our stocked ranges.

Where a project calls for something outside the standard offering, custom colours and patterns can also be sourced for suitable applications, subject to minimum quantities and manufacturing lead times. Early consideration during the design process can create further opportunities for material customisation.

Looking beyond the standard product

The conversation also highlighted the importance of architects understanding what is possible beyond a traditional product specification.

Aqualoo is one part of WCCI’s broader offering, alongside Maica, Fundermax and Cut to Size.

Carl was particularly interested in learning more about WCCI’s Cut to Size capabilities—an area that can open up possibilities for architects looking beyond proprietary furniture systems or standard component dimensions.

WCCI has supplied precision-cut components to furniture manufacturers and cabinetmakers for many years, including tabletops, bench seating, cabinet doors and alfresco applications.

For architectural projects, the same capability can be applied to applications such as outdoor seating, benches, fencing and other custom elements, using materials suited to the intended environment.

The benefit is flexibility: components can be manufactured to projct-specific dimensions, shapes, colours and detailing rather than requiring the design to work around an existing system.

For architects, that can create another layer of freedom between the initial concept and the finished product.

Helping the next generation specify with confidence

Perhaps one of the most important observations from Carl’s experience is that specification knowledge needs to be shared.

Having worked with Aqualoo for many years, Carl is familiar with the systems and materials. For graduates and architects encountering them for the first time, however, the range of options can be less familiar.

“Some of the new graduates need a bit more training. They need to be exposed more to your systems and understand the ranges, materials, colour selection and thicknesses of the board.”

It is a challenge that extends beyond any one manufacturer. As product ranges become more diverse and digital documentation becomes increasingly important, architects need access to clear technical information that helps them make confident decisions. Accessible detailing, Revit families, BIM resources, product information and technical guidance can all make the specification process easier—particularly for those early in their careers.

For WCCI, this is an area of ongoing development, supported by CPD presentations, technical assistance, samples, specification guidance and digital resources.

A partnership built around the specification process

Carl’s feedback reflects an important part of WCCI’s approach after 25 years in the industry: supplying a product is only one part of supporting a project. For architects and designers, the relationship with a manufacturer can begin long before a product is specified and continue through documentation, technical queries, shop drawings and installation. The better that process works, the easier it is for everyone involved. Carl’s insights also provide useful direction for the future—from expanding colour choices and improving digital resources to helping graduates and emerging architects become more familiar with materials and systems.

As WCCI celebrates 25 years, it is these ongoing conversations with the architectural community that help us understand what is working, where there are opportunities to improve, and how we can continue to support better specification outcomes across Western Australia and beyond.

We thank Carl Ko and the team at Mode Design for their continued support and collaboration over the years.

From design intent to specification

Isabelle has been with Hunt Architects for almost four years, working across a range of projects involving Aqualoo products, from bathroom cubicles in all different configurations through to the specification of locker systems.

That understanding of the products  has made Aqualoo a regular part of the Hunt specification process.

“Aqualoo is one of our go-to’s. You’re in a lot, of our projects across many sectors. Whether it’s cubicles, lockers or shower seating, you make our job easier”

For Isabelle, that ease comes from more than simply knowing the product range. It is also about having access to support when a project moves from design intent into technical specification.

The design team can establish the overall requirements — dimensions, functionality, privacy and material direction — then work with the specification team to resolve the details around the chosen system and its components.

That collaboration can be particularly valuable when projects involve different requirements across multiple spaces, from locker configurations and shower seating through to privacy details, locking systems and other project-specific considerations.

Isabelle also highlighted the value of continuity throughout the project. Responsive assistance during specification, together with minimal follow-up once products have been installed, helps create confidence that the solution being documented can be delivered as intended.

For designers working to project deadlines, having a familiar point of contact who understands both the product range and the design intent can remove uncertainty and keep the documentation process moving.

Material selection starts with seeing the possibilities

Technical performance is essential, but material selection remains an important part of the interior design process.

Compact laminate is frequently used across Hunt’s projects, allowing designers to coordinate cubicle systems with joinery, fixtures and the wider interior palette.

For Isabelle, one opportunity is making the full range of material options easier to explore.

She highlighted the value of greater access to Maica and Fundermax samples, particularly compact formats that can be taken into the design process and compared with other materials being considered for a project.

For designers, seeing and handling a finish can make a significant difference. Colour, texture and surface finish can look very different in a digital image or colour chart than they do alongside the other materials selected for an interior.

Making samples readily available therefore gives designers an opportunity to assess how different finishes work together and consider alternatives that may not otherwise be familiar.

For manufacturers and suppliers, Isabelle’s feedback reinforces the value of making material exploration straightforward — not simply providing a colour chart but giving designers practical tools to make informed decisions early in the design process.

Making customisation more visible

Another theme from Isabelle’s experience is the importance of understanding what is possible beyond the standard product. 

“It’s always nice knowing the little custom elements you can do. Having all those features that you can customise readily available would be great.”

What Isabelle is highlighting is not necessarily a need for more custom products, but greater visibility of the customisation that is already available. Details such as rebated doors, privacy and modesty configurations, custom panel arrangements and cut-to-size components can give designers additional flexibility when a standard configuration does not quite suit the project. But those options can only influence the design if designers know they are available.

Project examples, samples and conversations with specification teams can help make those possibilities more visible. They can show where a standard system can be adapted and when a more project-specific solution may be appropriate.

With WCCI’s manufacturing and Cut to Size capabilities, custom concepts can also be explored in relation to practicality, manufacture and budget. For the designer, this means the conversation can start with the design intent rather than having to work backwards from a fixed product.

Giving designers the right information at the right time

Isabelle’s experience highlights a broader point about architectural specification: information is most useful when it is available at the point a design decision is being made. Early in a project, that might mean having physical samples available while developing an interior palette. Later, it could mean quickly confirming a cubicle configuration, shower seat or locker arrangement. For a more bespoke requirement, it may simply mean knowing that a detail, panel or component can be modified rather than assuming the standard option is the only solution.

This is where the relationship between designer and manufacturer becomes particularly valuable. Designers do not necessarily need every technical detail resolved before starting a conversation. They need to be able to communicate what they are trying to achieve and have confidence that the supplier can help translate that intent into a practical solution. Clear technical information, accessible samples, responsive specification support and visibility of custom capabilities can all help designers move from an initial idea to a solution that can be confidently documented and delivered.

From design intent to delivery

For Isabelle and the Hunt team, familiarity with Aqualoo has made the specification process increasingly straightforward. Knowing the product range, understanding what can be customised and having access to responsive specification support all contribute to a more seamless process.

Her experience also highlights an important part of the architect–manufacturer relationship: the role of the supplier is not simply to provide a finished product. It is to help designers understand the possibilities, resolve technical details and make both standard and custom solutions easier to explore.

As WCCI celebrates 25 years, conversations like these provide an opportunity to better understand what architects and designers value and where manufacturers can continue to improve the specification process.

For Isabelle, that includes making material choices easier to explore, highlighting the customisation already available and ensuring designers have the information and support they need at the right stage of a project.

We thank Isabelle Joyce and the Hunt Architects team for sharing their experience and insights, and for their continued collaboration with the WCCI team.