About
A boutique practice, built on relationships.
Zion Architects is a Leichhardt-based architecture studio delivering considered residential and boutique commercial design across Sydney's Inner West and beyond.
We believe good architecture starts with listening. Every project begins with understanding how you live, work, and want to feel in a space — not with a template we reach for by default. From there, we shape a design that responds to your site, your budget, and your brief, and stays true to all three from concept through to completion.
Our
Story
Meet the Directors
Zion Architects is led by two directors whose skills sit either side of the same coin — one shaping the design, the other making sure it gets built. Together, they carry every project from first concept through to completed construction, with nothing lost along the way.
Christiane Hall
Director — Registered Architect, NSW (ARB Reg. 10825)
Christiane leads Zion Architects with a design philosophy grounded in listening first — every project begins with understanding how a client lives, works, and wants to feel in a space, not with a template reached for by default. She stays hands-on with every project, from first sketch through council approval and into construction, so the original intent of the design is never lost in translation.
Christiane holds a Bachelor of Architectural Science and a Master of Architecture, both from UNSW. Before founding Zion Architects, she worked at Prescott Architects, Woods Bagot, Urban Link and Design Corp Architects, building a strong background working alongside developers on residential flat buildings and mixed-use developments — experience she now brings to projects of every scale at Zion.
Jean Claude Saliba
Director — Business Development, Client Relations
Jean Claude brings a builder's eye to Zion Architects' design process. With hands-on, on-site construction experience, he understands how a drawing actually becomes a building — and shapes design decisions with buildability, sequencing, and cost in mind from the outset, not worked out after the fact.
As Director of Business Development and Client Relations, Jean Claude is the first point of contact for new projects and the steady hand throughout — making sure every client is clear on where their project stands, what's next, and what it will take to get there. He also leads compliance across the practice, keeping projects aligned with the National Construction Code, council requirements, and Australian Standards from concept through to completion.
How we work
Good design takes the right process, not just a good eye. Here's how a project with Zion typically unfolds.
01 — Discovery
We start with a conversation about your site, your brief, and your budget — understanding not just what you want to build, but how you want to live in it.
02 — Concept Design
We develop initial design concepts and sketches, refining the direction with you until the concept feels right before any detailed work begins.
03 — Design Development
Once the concept is approved, we develop the drawings in detail — materials, layout, structure — preparing everything needed for approval and construction.
04 — Approvals
We prepare and lodge your DA (or CDC) documentation and manage the approval process with council on your behalf.
05 — Documentation
We produce detailed construction drawings and specifications, coordinating with engineers and consultants so your builder has everything they need.
06 — Construction
We stay involved through construction, working with your builder to make sure the design is delivered as intended — right down to the details.
CDC
Complying Development Certificate
DA
Development Application
CC
Construction Certificate