Architecture • Planning • Project Coordination

Proudly based in Western NSW

WAD is a regional architecture (building design) and planning consultancy firm led by Laura Wannan, providing end-to-end design, documentation, statutory planning and project coordination services across Western NSW. As a sole-practitioner consultancy firm, WAD offers a rare combination of professional accuracy, regional understanding, and direct personal accountability, supported by a trusted network or engineers, surveyors, Aboriginal specialists, biodiversity consultants, and other technical professionals.

WAD specialises in delivering complete Development Application (DA), Construction Certificate (CC), and Complying Development Certificate (CDC) solutions, from early concept design through to detailed architectural documentation, planning assessments, consultant coordination and approval management. With expertise grounded in both architectural drafting and statutory planning, the consultancy bridges the gap between design intent, regulatory requirements, and real-world construction outcomes.

Operating locally means WAD provides cost-effective, community-minded consultancy services while maintaining the professional standards expected by government agencies. Unlike metropolitan firms, WAD reinvests its work, time and knowledge back into regional communities.

Click here to see more about our services and how we can help you.

Laura Wannan

Director • Architectural Designer • Planner

Laura is an architectural designer and planning professional with more than a decade of experience across residential developments. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture and will soon complete a Graduate Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning. She has worked in both private practice and local government, including as a Development Control Planner and a Property and Land Development Officer.

Her dual background in design and statutory planning allows her to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical, buildable outcomes. Laura is known for her technical accuracy, clear documentation, and her ability to manage projects from early concept through to DA, CC and construction stages.

Working regionally, Laura has developed strong knowledge of local planning frameworks, council processes, rural site constraints, heritage environments, subdivision design, and the environmental sensitivities that shape development across Western NSW.

She is also an accomplished architectural photographer, drone operator and 3D visualisation specialist, helping clients and stakeholders understand the design outcome before construction begins.

Click here to download Laura’s full curriculum vitae.