The first firm of architects registered in Victoria was Young Lehmann & Company on 9 April 1973. A 1970 amendment to the Act had made provision for the registration of corporations or firms of architects, on the basis that a majority of the directors were registered architects in their own right, starting at a minimum of half (to 1980, a ten-year transition period) and rising to two-thirds thereafter. It was not until a further Act amendment in 1976 that provision was made for the publishing of the list of registered firms, after which the number of registered firms rose quickly. This legislative change enabled firms of architects to adopt titles that were not only the names of the partners and still be able to promote and advertise themselves as architects in the State of Victoria.
Young Lehmann were formed in April 1972 when Richard Young and Paul Lehmann commenced practice together at 616 St Kilda Road, just as the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (Victorian Chapter) and the ARBV were relocating from that address to new premises in South Melbourne. Prior to forming their partnership, both Young and Lehmann worked for Clarke Gazzard & Partners at their Victorian office: Young had come from Sydney in the late 1960s to set up the Melbourne branch of Clarke Gazzard , leaving early in 1972 to form RM Young & Associates; Lehmann also then left and joined him soon afterwards. The fledgling firm soon recruited others from Clarke Gazzard, with Andy Robertson joining later the same year. Robertson had completed his architectural education at RMIT and he, in turn, recruited two of his former classmates to the firm: Laurie Evans, from November 1972, and Ray White, from c1975.
The practice initially focussed on high rise and community building projects, later expanding scope to include significant work for airports, retail and schools. In 1979, seeing an opportunity for quality architectural services in regional Victoria, Robertson and White moved to Shepparton to establish a branch of the firm; both, alongside Evans, were made directors of the firm the same year. Key projects included the Pinaroo Retirement Village in St Kilda (c1979); additions to the Rusden campus of Victoria College (c1982); technology facilities at the junior campus of Castlemaine Secondary College (c1994); Tongala Recreation Centre (c1980); Broadmeadows Basketball Stadium (c1984); and the Springvale Shopping Centre (1994). The firm’s approach to building a client base, particularly across Victoria, meant working closely with regional councils. These engagements saw the Shepparton office grow quickly and the firm built a strong list of projects, particularly in educational facilities, in Melbourne and throughout the regions.
The firm’s name has changed over time, becoming Young Architects in the 1990s, then Y2 Architects, and is now known as Y2 Architecture, directed by Garry Thompson and Matthew Dwyer. Their dedication to straddle both metropolitan and regional practice has continued, with offices now in Melbourne, Bendigo and a Gold Coast office (opened 2024). The firm maintains its focus on community and educational work, with projects across Australia as well as Timor-Leste and the Middle East. In 2020, the firm was awarded the international Association for Learning Environment’s James D MacConnell Award for their Marist College project in Bendigo.
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