Breathe’s co-founder and design director Jeremy McLeod is one of the 30UNDER30 mentors ready to impart his signature ethos on the next generation, writes January Jones.

When it comes to taking on any new project, Breathe‘s co-founder and design director Jeremy McLeod begins by asking himself, “Is it important to humanity and is it important to the planet?” 

If it’s a casino or a data centre, the resounding answer would be no. “We don’t care how much money there is to be made in those things, we’re not interested in them. It’s a distraction for us,” McLeod says. 

When it comes to the projects the practice would say a firm yes to, it’s those that involve social housing or services for First Nations people. 

“We’re advocates for the city, the people that live on this planet, and for the planet. We try to use design as a weapon for good to deliver on those things. Humanity matters to us.”

Growing up in the Victorian town of Bethanga, McLeod’s entry into the world of architecture is something he describes as a “happy accident”. Inspired by the historic Bethanga Bridge, a young McLeod was originally interested in bridge building. However, after a conversation with a high school careers teacher, McLeod found himself incorrectly advised to study architecture instead of engineering. By the time he discovered the mistake, McLeod recalls it was too late: “The hook was in. I loved architecture and I stayed.”

Since then, McLeod has risen through the ranks to become a force in the industry. In 2001, he founded his practice Breathe with Tamara Veltre, which has gone on to become Australia’s most awarded sustainable architecture and design firm. The practice won a whopping 43 awards in 2023 alone.

When it comes to the importance of awards, McLeod says in the beginning it was about acceptance and belonging in the industry.

“In 2010 I remember winning the sustainability award, and I think what that meant for me was that we were accepted into the architecture community,” he says. “I didn’t feel at the edges anymore. I felt like I finally belonged.”

Bright young things

Being a part of the community, and giving back to it, is essential to McLeod’s principles, and is the reason why he teaches a semester at The University of Melbourne every year. Through teaching, he is able to impart his wealth of experience and channel his hope for the future onto the next generation of architects. 

“Why do I do it? Because it’s hard. I’m exhausted at the end of semester, but I see these bright young things coming through who understand climate change,” he says.

“They think about the future and I know that if I can impart a little bit of knowledge, help them or propel them forward, I think they will be able to amplify this message of doing good.”

McLeod’s latest opportunity to give back to the next generation is through his appointment as a mentor in Australian Design Review’s 30UNDER30 program. The program selects 30 of the most promising architects and innovators of the built world under 30 years of age and pairs them with a mentor in the industry. 

As a mentor in the program, McLeod was given the difficult task of narrowing down a long list of people to a final 30 participants. “It was really challenging for us because there were 60 super bright young things and how do you choose?” he says. “It was so hard, but I know the 30 people that are going to be there are all going to be exceptional.”

The importance of humanity is one of McLeod and Breathe’s core values, so it’s no surprise that it’s at the centre of what he hopes to impart on this group of inspiring young mentees.

“We are humans first and architects second, and we have a broader responsibility to our fellow human beings on the planet than the client that pays us.”

Humanity and sustainability

When it comes to recent work he’s particularly proud of, McLeod speaks enthusiastically about projects imbued with his signature ethos – humanity and sustainability. One such project is Milieu Park Street in Brunswick. The 1970s motel was in desperate need of a reimagining, which is where McLeod and Breathe came in. McLeod describes the work as “light touch” with the design and building work all completed in under four months.

“We did this quick adaptive reuse, which was more about an incision and reduction than addition,” he says. “We kept lots of the initial building and added to it. We cut into the ground floor plan – which was all cars and concrete – and inserted landscape in there with these great landscape architects, ARCE.” 

Sustainability was essential to the reimagining of the Brunswick block of flats. As part of the project, the building was converted from gas to electricity, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems were introduced, as well as a solar rooftop array.

“We’ve taken something that’s a forgotten relic and turned it into these beautifully re-imagined flats in the forest,” he says.

Another project McLeod speaks about proudly is Nightingale Village, a collection of six architecturally designed neighbouring buildings. This was the first Nightingale project that went beyond an individual building and instead brought in five other practices to design a building each. The village included the same community-minded spirit as the previous Nightingale developments and as part of this, 20 percent of the apartments were allocated to social housing. 

A glance into the future

A self-described optimist, McLeod believes the future of architecture is at an inflection point and architects need to stop, pause and ask themselves who they really want to be. He thinks it’s time the industry turns its attention to the medical profession and begins to consider themselves similarly as service providers. 

“We need to serve the community and the planet that we operate on. We need to acknowledge that we build on stolen land without treaty,” McLeod says. 

“I’m hopeful that we stop seeing architecture as a playground to spend people’s money on vanity projects, and instead see it as an opportunity to start curing the ills of the world.”

When it comes to upcoming projects for Breathe, McLeod says he’s taking everything he’s learnt from Nightingale and pushing it on its side. Deriving inspiration from a variety of sources, including architect Robin Boyd’s work on the Small Homes Service, and the work of city planner David Yencken and architect Graeme Gunn with Merchant Builders, McLeod is on a mission to collaborate with volume builders to bring about change on the city’s fringe.

“If we cannot affect policy change about sprawl, then God forbid we are going to roll up our sleeves and get in the muck,” he said. “We’re going to change the trajectory of the city’s edges and turn them into beautiful places and homes in a forest, not homes in a sea of asphalt.

“We are going to make places for people and for biodiversity, not places for cars. That’s what’s next for us.” 

Featured Image: The Oxley Lodge. Photography by Tom Ross.

This article originally appeared in inside 119. Click here to subscribe and receive future issues.