Built on the strong foundations of a longstanding friendship, this studio – based in Sydney and Bellingen – strives to do good work for good people.
Mark Barrow (left) and Sam Horspool established Studio Friend in 2022.
Architecture practices are often built on friendships that bloom while working for others. For the directors of Studio Friend, that friendship started on day one of living on campus at the University of Canberra. Mark Barrow and Sam Horspool were simply introduced to one another as the two guys studying architecture. Sixteen years later, they’re still at it.
Skillion House (2025) in Bellingen is tucked into the fall of the site.
Although they began their studies together, their early career experiences took them on different paths. After an exchange in Finland, Sam finished his undergraduate degree and then worked at Tonkin Zulaikha Greer (TZG) in Sydney. Mark took a break from architecture and spent time as a labourer on a construction site in Kangaroo Valley. Eventually the pair headed back to university to complete their master of architecture, this time at the University of Newcastle. Under the mentorship of lecturers such as Richard Leplastrier, Peter Stutchbury and Lindsay and Kerry Clare, this marked a deeply formative time for Mark and Sam.
Having earned a master’s degree, Sam worked for Matt Elkan (now Incidental Architecture) – a time that instilled in him a strong sense of buildability and a practical approach to architecture where everything drawn was purposeful and legible.
Mark worked at Sydney practice MCK Architects and then moved to a residential design-and-construct company to learn construction methodology more intimately. During his time at MCK, his director generously offered him a project that the practice didn’t have capacity for. Mark partnered with Sam, and together they brought the project to life as Hilltop Studio – an early collaboration that ultimately led to the founding of Studio Friend in 2022.
A limited material palette and exposed steel beams lend the home an elegant efficiency.
Although their education was shared, their approaches differ. Sam is influenced by raw, rural architecture, while Mark’s background is in more contemporary, urban responses. Studio Friend brings these two distinct perspectives together in a shared sensibility that speaks to both.
The studio’s early work includes Skillion House, an elegant and efficient house in Bellingen built over two years by Sam and his father, a builder. Studio Friend then embarked on a project in Brierfield, just south of Bellingen, called Shed House – a customised, pared-back residential refuge for clients who came across their work online and knew they would be the right fit. Shed House is due for completion in September 2026.
Valley Valley House, under construction in Valla, is the renovation of a 1920s schoolhouse built by local farmers who milled the timber themselves with a Lucas mill. Sam cheerfully describes the odd-sized timber, the way the walls have moved over time, and how they’ve found windows in the most unexpected places.
Studio Friend’s first project, Hilltop Studio (2024), is an elevated retreat overlooking Pittwater in Sydney. Artwork: artist unknown.
At a time when the availability and affordability of good quality housing is under scrutiny, Mark and Sam are interested in ensuring architecture feels attainable. Their ethos is simple: do good work for good people and create a practice that anyone feels comfortable walking into. As Sam puts it, “We want to be approachable [to clients] – we can share ideas, we can help prompt you to think about alternative options and show you what can be done with your house, without it becoming this architectural thing that the general public can’t relate to.”
I get the distinct feeling that these two friends, with almost half a lifetime of conversations about buildings behind them, have their best ones still ahead.
Published online: 27 Oct 2026 Words: Chloe Naughton Images: Callan Robison, Clinton Weaver , Prue Ruscoe
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