30UNDER30’s Awkar Ruel on people, place and purpose

A Sydney-based architect at Grimshaw, Awkar Ruel’s projects focus on spatial and human-centred design. As a member of Australian Design Review‘s 30UNDER30 cohort for 2025/2026, he contributes to forging connections between people and the environment they inhabit.

Australian Design Review: Why did you enter the 30UNDER30 program?

Awkar Ruel: I’ve never really seen architecture as a profession you finish learning. It’s one you grow into, trip through, obsess over and occasionally lose sleep for. You develop this hunger to constantly seek and go beyond the typical curriculum. The 30UNDER30 program felt like the perfect next step, that rare chance to learn from extraordinary designers while being surrounded by peers whose talent makes you want to both applaud and work harder. When I came across the program, it felt like an opportunity to explore creative conversation and secure a ‘money can’t buy’ mentorship, not to mention participate in a bit of friendly intellectual chaos – I knew I just had to be part of it.

What do you hope to get out of the program?

I want to learn (a lot). I’m eager to understand how other designers think, their processors and the design philosophies that drive them and what breaks them open creatively. Most of all, I hope to build genuine relationships with other finalists and mentors. Architecture isn’t linear, and it certainly isn’t solitary. It’s a messy, interdisciplinary conversation. So getting to share that journey with people operating at the top of their game is priceless.

*Curtin University B316. Photo: Grimshaw Architects.*

What do you think are the benefits of mingling with professionals from different disciplines – architects with interior designers with product designers etc?

A multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving and design is at the essence of my practice. Pretty early on, I realised that I do my absolute best work when I’m collaborating and connecting closely with my peers. It’s a way of working that constantly reminds you no single profession owns good ideas, and together you dissect the problem from multiple perspectives. The problems we’re facing now are layered and interdependent, with the most meaningful solutions emerging when different perspectives come together.

What do you think you personally are able to bring to the program?

I bring a perspective shaped by a deep, personal understanding of displacement and belonging. Growing up as an Assyrian across Iraq and Syria, before eventually settling in Sydney, I developed an acute sensitivity to just how ‘place’ impacts the human psyche. I see architecture more than structures; it’s about how spaces hold people, influence them and offer them dignity or a rare moment of calm.

*CBD and South East Light Rail. Photo: Ashleigh Hughes.*

If you could work with any designer, artist or other creative – living or dead – who would it be and why?

Jørn Utzon, without question. His work has inspired many, including myself. Standing before the Sydney Opera House as a young migrant, fresh to Australia and still carrying the weight of displacement, I felt something shift. Utzon didn’t just design a building; he created a piece of architecture so bold, so poetic, so unapologetically imaginative that it reshaped a nation’s identity. I would want to understand how he held on to his vision even when it was challenged and how that clarity translated into something so enduring.

What guiding values drive you and what kind of impact do you hope to make through your work?

My work is anchored in empathy and the belief that good design begins with listening. It’s about creating spaces that people genuinely feel like they belong to, spaces that heal, spaces that carry memory forward. Growing up around displacement taught me that space is never neutral. The environments we move through shape how safe and dignified we feel. Spaces can protect. Spaces can empower. Spaces can change lives. This understanding is why I design. Beyond the work itself, I hope my journey can encourage young creatives, especially those who come from circumstances similar to mine. I would like them to see there is space for them in this profession, and their stories can strengthen the future of our cities.

Australian Design Review’s 30UNDER30 is brought to you by major sponsor Neolith, alongside partners Designer Rugs, Laufen, Krost, Miele, Signature Appliances powered by Miele and Tongue & Groove.