sydneyarchitecturefestival.org)
What is the most important thing you learnt during your architectural degree?
To learn…and be rigorous about it.
What has been the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
My first boss, Tone Wheeler, always said, "One should start how they intend to finish". It’s something we practice every day here at Carterwilliamson.
What has been one of the most innovative initiatives you’ve seen or been involved with so far?
Our [Carterwilliamson] relief shelter. It’s a flat pack house that is designed to be medium to long term housing for areas around the world that have been devastated by disaster. They are simple buildings that lift local communities out of the rubble and water and gives them the ability to have their township back, pretty quickly. Its origins come out from tsunami disaster of Aceh/Asia. Unfortunately, it has never been more relevant than now. We are about to build the first prototype.
What do you see as the future of the industry?
I think here at home, architects are more valued by the day. People are realising that the bars, cafes, workplaces and restaurants they spend their time in are better spaces than their homes, and that, in my opinion, is giving rise to the understanding that people’s homes should be better and more inspiring than the standard, minimal, cookie-cutter project homes that is served up to them. This is creating a conversation loop that seeks to have all buildings involved in the conversation design to be better.
This is nowhere more evident than in Melbourne, where it is clearly more a design culture than the rest of the country [that’s not to say a design culture doesn't existing in other areas, it’s just much more obvious in Melbourne]. And from my understanding, design is much more supported in Victoria with progressive planning codes and planners, and the general public’s desire to "love" their place more.
