Independent Building Designer St Kilda

Who we are

What is Mancini Design?

Mancini Design is an independent building design practice based in St Kilda, Melbourne. It is run by its founder and sole practitioner, Phillip Mancini, a registered building practitioner with 30 years’ experience in the construction industry. Mancini Design does not build. It designs homes, renovations and extensions, prepares planning permit applications (including heritage overlay applications) and produces construction documentation, working with experienced professional consultants.

Because it is independent, there is no builder’s sales target or construction schedule behind the advice. Clients work out what they want, and get it designed and permitted, before they engage a builder. That is how costly mid-construction variations are avoided. Design First.

Based in: St Kilda, Melbourne, Victoria, working across Melbourne and regional Victoria
Run by: Phillip Mancini, founder and sole practitioner, registered building practitioner (building designer)
Services: building design, planning permits, heritage overlays, construction documentation
Getting started: the first conversation is free; a site visit and a professional assessment are charged
ABN: 68 533 443 779

Welcome

Hi, I'm Phillip Mancini

For over 30 years I've worked across every side of the construction industry — as a builder, a designer, and now as an independent building design consultant based in St Kilda, working Melbourne-wide.

As a truly independent designer, I give you the space to properly explore what's possible for your site and lifestyle — before you're committed to construction. There's no competing schedule to protect, no pressure to decide before you're ready. Just honest advice focused on getting you the best result, so that when you do bring in a builder, you already know exactly what you want.

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Phillip Mancini, building designer and founder of Mancini Design, St Kilda

Vision

My Vision

Every home should feel like it was built around the people living in it — not the other way around. Whether I'm starting from a bare block or reimagining a space you already love, the goal is the same: a home that actually fits your life, not just your floor plan.

That means thinking hard about the everyday things — how the light moves through a room, how a family really uses their kitchen, how much a power bill costs ten years from now. Good design and energy efficiency aren't separate conversations for me. They're the same conversation, from the first sketch through to the final fix-off.

Three-storey contemporary home in St Kilda, Melbourne, designed by Mancini Design

How I Work

Consultation

I start by understanding your site, your lifestyle, and your goals — no obligation, no jargon.

Concept

I develop and refine initial design concepts with you until the vision feels right.

Permit & Documentation

I manage full planning permit applications and construction documentation end-to-end, with a team of experienced professional consultants alongside me.

Build (on request)

On request, charged design intent checks at key stages, with a report documenting where the build follows or departs from the design. Not a compliance, structural or permit inspection, and I don’t manage or direct the builder.

Independent building designer in St Kilda, Melbourne. Design first, then build.