June 5, 2026 — 5:00amDark years of anxiety and depression prompted award-winning architect Stephen Collier to nearly abandon the profession he loves and his passion for architecture.Collier’s first major project in five years shows what an architect can do with a block that most buyers would reject as too hard.Stephen Collier in the home he designed that has been shortlisted in the 2026 Houses Awards.Mathieu RavierDesigned as a home for Collier and his partner, Mathieu Ravier, the new house in Scarborough, south of Sydney, adjacent to a train line, has been shortlisted in two major architecture awards.The nickname of the small dwelling – OK House – is also a clue to Collier’s improved health.The home has been restorative, said Collier. “It is a bit of cliche – there is a lot of bad shit in the world, but is important we have places that reinvigorate us.”Resembling a rectangle that has been bent out of shape, the 158 sq m home with a 32 sq m square courtyard in the middle is one of 170 homes across Australia shortlisted for the 2026 Houses Awards by Houses magazine on Friday.Collier’s home is an unusual shape to catch the sun and provide privacy on a tricky block. Tom FergusonIt is also among a handful of new homes in NSW shortlisted for best new home by the Australian Institute of Architects’ NSW chapter.Collier said the block dropped 15 metres from the top, where trains run between Sydney and Wollongong. “It was steep, narrow, exposed, with bushfire source right beside it, and it has railway noise and vibrations. There was a landslide in this area some years ago, so you know it’s a very tricky place.”A combination of anxiety and depression, some dating to his youth and some related to the stress of running Stephen Collier Architects, a practice of seven employees, prompted him to take time off work.That is not unusual, yet few architects talk publicly about the high rate of industry burnout. Successive surveys have found that depression and anxiety among architects is higher than for many other professional groups.Architect Stephen Collier at home in the house he designed. Called OK House, it has been shortlisted in the 2026 Houses Awards. Mathieu RavierRachael Bernstone, the founder of Sounds Like Design, which provides business and communications advice to the profession, said many architects’ livelihood is under threat. “They haven’t adapted to this new operating environment very well,” she said.That backdrop is one of falling revenues, small practices are vulnerable to economic shocks, staffing changes, the undercutting of fees and increased risks, she said, citing recent findings.Bernstone said architects didn’t charge enough, considering they had to manage increasingly complex regulation, more bureaucracy, threats from climate emergency and the changing nature of the profession with AI.Collier wanted a home that was private and protected, one that was bright and colourful inside and supported everyday wellbeing through daylight, colour, and connection to nature.As an owner-builder and architect, who was building a new home for the first time, Collier opted to simplify construction by using prefabricated walls and floors that were craned onto the site.The structure is on four stilts, which helped to reduce the amount of excavation.The interiors were designed to be flexible. The kitchen cabinets were on wheels so the kitchen could grow or shrink in size. The courtyard is used for bathing (it has a bathtub), eating and, if mosquito numbers can be reduced, sleeping in summer.Collier said they loved living in the home. “It’s very calming, and it’s lovely to follow the sun from morning to evening.”While the exterior is muted, the interiors are far from beige: “People are very surprised when they come in to see how much colour and life is inside.”Houses jury chair Alexa Kempton said the shortlisted homes, 170 across a range of categories, reflected how architects were responding to economic and environmental pressures.Like Collier, many were using prefabricated or modular elements, which Kempton said made construction costs more predictable and was an efficient construction method, particularly in regional and remote areas.Some of the projects were also shortlisted on the NSW Architects’ shortlist, including Casa Dos by Lippmann Partnership, which is also on a very steep and tricky site.From our partners