Community: In Conversation with Amy and Shahar from Second Edition
Second Edition looks at what already exists — and what it could become. Founded by architects Amy Seo and Shahar Cohen, the Sydney-based practice began through research into salvageable materials within architecture and construction. Today, Second Edition works across architecture, furniture, material consultancy and procurement, exploring how existing materials can be retained, reworked and incorporated into new projects.
“Second Edition started on the back of a research thesis looking at salvageable materials within architecture and building. Five years on, as we move into larger opportunities and projects, our offering and approach is ever adapting.” — Amy Seo
Second Edition's work has since expanded across architecture, furniture, material consultancy and procurement, working alongside architects, builders and fabricators to explore new ways of sourcing and working with existing materials.
Second Edition working with salvaged stone. Image by Traianos Pakioufakis
A large part of this process happens before a material enters a project. Second Edition works with construction and demolition sites, suppliers and fabricators to identify materials that can be salvaged or reused — from timber and stone to existing building components.
“End-of-batch timber is one example. Flooring suppliers can be left with small quantities at the end of a production run — sometimes only a box or two. For Second Edition, these leftover quantities can become the starting point for furniture, joinery or other applications.”
“Rather than designing first and sourcing materials afterwards, the available material can influence the design itself. Quantity, dimensions, colour, condition and variation all become part of the process.”
Surry Hills Terrace, completed in 2025, is one example of this approach. The inner-city terrace was reconfigured to create a stronger connection between the kitchen and new paved entertaining terrace, alongside reworked wet areas, an attic master suite, joinery and loose furniture.
The material palette combines natural and lime-washed oak, sandblasted limestone and concrete with a number of reused materials, including raw bricks, recycled timber external doors and end-of-batch timber flooring.
Featuring our Sequence Oval Dining Table
Timber flooring boards were sourced from suppliers holding small quantities left over from production runs. The boards were colour-graded before being repurposed across the home's fixed joinery and loose furniture.
This is a useful example of how sourcing and design become intertwined. Rather than treating the available timber as a substitute for a new material, its particular qualities became part of the finished design.
Images by Hamish McIntosh
The result is a home where the reused materials sit naturally within the broader architectural palette — considered alongside new materials rather than treated as a separate element.
The approach extends beyond residential projects. At URO Bookshop, salvaged perforated metal desk dividers were reworked as shelving, giving an existing material a new application within the space.
For Second Edition, these kinds of projects are part of a broader investigation into how materials move through the built environment — and how design can create opportunities for them to remain in use.
Images by Hamish McIntosh.
Alongside their own architectural and furniture projects, Second Edition continues to develop its material consultancy and procurement work, connecting architects, builders, suppliers and fabricators with materials available for reuse.
The practice is also researching design for disassembly — considering how materials can be retained and reused beyond the life of a building or object.
What began as research has developed into a practical way of working: looking closely at the materials already around us, and considering what they might become.