Yerrabingin names a new managing director, GroupGSA appoints its first associate principals and Charles Darwin University unveils the professor who will train the next generation of Northern Territory architects in this month’s round up of industry appointments.

Yerrabingin appoints new managing director

Left to right: Yerrabingin CEO Christian Hampson and newly appointed managing director Chris Mercer. Photo: Jessica Lindsay

Aboriginal-owned design studio Yerrabingin has appointed Chris Mercer to the newly created role of managing director.

This follows the appointments of an associate and three new project officers last month and reflects the growth of the practice, which offers services in designing with Country, landscape architecture and urban design. 

Mercer will work closely with Yerrabingin founder and CEO Christian Hampson to help steer the practice as it expands to meet strong demand from clients that include government agencies, private developers, architects and Tier 1 contractors and builders.

Mercer collaborated with Yerrabingin in his previous role as chief experience officer with the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) in Canberra, where Yerrabingin consulted on the renewal of the NFSA’S heritage headquarters. Mercer also partnered with Yerrabingin on several projects during his time at Arup as Australasian arts and culture business leader.

He says these experiences inspired him to join the Yerrabingin team.

“Yerrabingin is an extraordinary organisation doing deeply impactful work,” says Mercer. “It has a unique ability to embed First Nations voices into the built environment and also support the most appropriate and sensitive way to engage with the community. I’m looking forward to working with a great team on regenerative, socially inclusive projects.”

Yerrabingin CEO Christian Hampson says Mercer is a good fit with the practice culture and will help shape the senior leadership team.

“Chris is very experienced in strategic planning and supporting the design and delivery of major infrastructure projects,” says Hampson. “He understands the importance of honouring Country, and his wealth of practical expertise will be really valuable as we navigate the opportunities and challenges of rapid growth.”

GroupGSA reveals first associate principals

Left to right: GroupGSA associate principal architecture Noura Thaha and GroupGSA associate principal interior design Jessica Margiotta. Photography: Jessica Lindsay

GroupGSA has elevated two of its senior design leaders, Noura Thaha and Jessica Margiotta, to the newly formed role of associate principal.

According to the global architecture, interior design, landscape architecture and urban design practice, the new associate principal position was introduced as part of a broader leadership restructure to provide greater internal growth opportunities and celebrate emerging leaders within the practice.

Thaha possesses more than 17 years of experience delivering complex, large-scale, multidisciplinary projects across the multi-residential, commercial, mixed-use and senior living sectors. She currently leads several high-profile urban renewal, mixed-use and social housing projects at GroupGSA.

Meanwhile, Margiotta is an interior designer with 15 years of experience in the workplace and learning sector. She has led transformations of commercial workplaces and building repositioning projects, with recent work including the fitouts for The Executive Centre at Grosvenor Place and Betashares’ Sydney headquarters.

Charles Darwin University announces new professor of architecture

Charles Darwin University professor of architecture Dr Lindy Burton. Photo: supplied

Dr Lindy Burton took up the inaugural role of professor of architecture at the Faculty of Arts and Society at Charles Darwin University earlier in April. An experienced architect and academic, Burton enters her new role having recently deputy chaired the Board of Architects of Queensland.

Her appointment follows the Northern Territory (NT) Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects’ (AIA) launch of ‘Designing for the Future of the Territory’ in 2024. NT AIA Chapter president Miriam Wallace, who championed this campaign, has again emphasised that the Territory faces “complex challenges adapting to climate change, provision of safe and long-lasting buildings, housing for all Territorians and building local capacity for the economy”.

Responding to these priorities, Burton will lead and advocate for the accreditation of the first Master of Architecture program to be offered in Northern Australia, supporting the development of practitioners and local graduate employment in the region. 

Burton was raised and educated in South Africa but later moved to Australia where she commenced working at Cox Rayner Architects in Brisbane. Her extensive architectural portfolio includes over 70 building projects, ranging from hospitals to university buildings. 

Following 18 years of practice in architecture, Burton chose to pursue a full-time academic career and has held a continuing academic position at Queensland University of Technology since 2008. 

While Burton has built a new identity as an Australian architect and academic, her South African foundations underpin her sensitivities to Indigenous perspectives, the challenges of remote work and her approach to design, which is inspired by connections to nature.

“It’s impossible to be raised in South Africa and not be impacted by colonial architectural responses to racial segregation – spaces and places are a constant reminder of the painful past,” she says.

Burton says her time in Queensland has given her an appreciation for tropical and sustainable design and steered her passions towards human-centric design centred on joy, health and wellbeing. 

“I am eager to further develop these areas in collaboration with my colleagues and industry as part of the CDU Architecture program,” she says.

Keen to immerse herself in the tropical way of life in the Territory to authentically co-design a unique architecture program with input from local students, staff, professionals and community leaders, she also hopes to expand CDU’s education offerings to include interior design and landscape architecture. 

“My first few months in this role will be about listening to people and connecting with place and the Darwin community to ensure CDU’s Architecture program is meaningfully designed for and with its community, and respecting Country,” she says.

Related: View last month’s round up of industry appointments in architecture and design here.