Tony Battersby, director at SJB Architects, joined the firm in 2000.
Since then, he has been involved in a number of significant projects in both Australia and China.
Battersby currently sits on the Victorian Chapter Council of the Australian Institute of Architects and has been a design lecturer and tutor at the Department of Architecture at RMIT.
Architecture & Design spoke to him about the shift in project types at SJB, why the RACV Healesville Country Club was a challenging project and the difficulty in getting the last invoice paid in China.
You've been at SJB Architects since 2000. What key changes have you witnessed in the firm since then?
Over the last 13 years I have experienced a significant shift in the scale and diversity of projects types that SJB has delivered. We have benefitted from the expansion of our group of companies including urban, planning, interiors and architecture in both Melbourne and Sydney. This has enabled our teams to masterplan large scales urban projects, resorts, complex mixed-use and residential developments and hospitality projects.
What has been the most difficult project you've worked on during your time there?
The most challenging project was the RACV Healesville Country Club. The brief included adaptive re-use of the old club, with new rooms, conference and banquet rooms, golf course, pool, gym and wellness centre. We delivered the project in stages over three years and it was an amazing experience – difficult at times, yet it was the culmination of the diverse project types that SJB Architects is skilled in delivering.
You've been involved with projects in China. What do you think of China's approach to design?
China has such enormous challenges as it continues to create thousands of new cities every year. The Chinese desperately need talented local and international designers to assist in this massive undertaking. I have witnessed the best of home-grown Chinese design and also the terrible outcomes when the local design institutes are unable to attract or execute the level of design enlightenment they really need.
What do you think about the country's approach to sustainability?
I have observed some provinces in China with world-class sustainable energy initiatives. I have also witnessed tragic pollution in other provinces. The best example of sustainability I witnessed in China – even the poorest villages use solar panels with evacuated tubes for their hot water. It is sustainability by necessity.
If you could change one thing about the way China does business, what would it be?
There is still a large gap in the business protocols between Australia and China. A handshake or contract still does not guarantee the project is yours and unfortunately the final invoice is usually the most difficult to have paid.
Who is an architect you admire?
I admire Kerry Hill and have carefully watched the refined work that he has managed to procure in Asia. He has engaged with the local culture and workmanship to create a significant portfolio of finely crafted architecture.
