Meet Nonda Katsalidis, founding partner of Fender Katsalidis, and director Nicky Drobis, the architects behind the inimitable Seafarers.

Specialists in multi-residential, cultural, commercial, aged care and hotel typologies, Fender Katsalidis produces cutting-edge design with sound functional planning. Their monumental buildings have come to define Melbourne’s skyline and have earned the international design firm many awards for urban design.

Long-term collaborators of Riverlee, Fender Katsalidis’s shared ethos around design excellence, appreciation for heritage, and respect for the natural environment has culminated in a landmark design that embodies a new era of luxury apartment living in the city.

“It’s about moments where you can have privacy and sanctuary, but it’s also about celebrating our time that we have together, which is so important for everyone’s health,” explains Nicky.

We sat down with Nonda and Nicky to learn about how the design responds to its location and context, while discussing the impact Seafarers will have on the regeneration of the wider city precinct.