History
Established in 1998, ELIA Architecture (formerly Ehrlich Layton International Architecture) has offices in Toowoomba, Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The practice, which builds on Lester Ehrlich and Steve Layton's many years of extensive experience in regional Queensland and S E Asia, has been providing clients with architecture that is meaningful, responsive and innovative. ELIA Architecture is committed to providing excellence in architectural design whilst maintaining a high degree of 'Marketability' and 'Buildability'.
Our design philosophy is to merge efficiencies of contemporary architectural science with the values of the cultural identity . . . "The Cultural Machine".
The ELIA Architecture Team is continually reviewing quality management procedures to provide the highest quality outcome for clients. Self-assessed QA status was achieved in June 2010.
The Team
Lester Ehrlich / Architect / Managing Director
Lester is an accomplished architectural practitioner in all areas of project delivery from pre-design right through to project completion. He is a highly skilled, aware designer and prides himself in producing buildings that clearly reflect his understanding of his client’s requirements, especially around time and budget conscious project delivery.
Whilst being fresh and unique in their approach, Lester’s designs are nevertheless always mindful and supportive of their context. This approach is reinforced through the use of contextual imagery and sympathetic materials. His empathetic understanding of heritage values, environmental conscience, and use of sympathetic materials sets his work apart, whilst he strives to create buildings which will become valuable architectural examples.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Architecture 1986 (B Arch), Queensland Institute of Technology
- Member of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Reg No 15183)
- Registered Architect in Queensland & New South Wales
Chris Gay / Architect / director
Chris is a senior architect with extensive experience in a wide range of building types, including health care, education, housing, institutional buildings, commercial, leisure and tourism.
After ten years as a partner in the largest architectural firm in Namibia (in Southern Africa), Chris immigrated to New Zealand and then later to Australia. He has worked on residential, commercial and institutional projects in all three countries, and joined ELIA in mid-2006.
Chris delights in designing buildings that are appropriate and well considered solutions to the brief’s requirements. His personal aim is to produce designs that totally reflect their context in terms of location, climate and social and cultural responses. He also prides himself in delivering projects that meet his clients' expectations at all levels.
Many of his previous projects have been located in rural environments or regional centres.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Architecture 1981 (B Arch), University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Member of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Reg No 27153)
- Registered Architect in Queensland
Steve Layton / Architect / Director
Success was recently achieved in winning an international design competition with PKNS, the development arm of the Selangor government. The project, known as 'P J Elevated City' with a GDV of RM1.6 billion, will be developed over 10 to 15 years and become the residential and commercial hub for the adjacent Selangor 'Free Trade Zone'.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Architecture 1986 (B Arch), Queensland Institute of Technology
- Member of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Reg No 15911)
- Registered Architect in Queensland
