Senior architect and urban designer at Brisbane City Council, Ben Hovav, studied in Milan and Delft, and founded a design research collective in Rotterdam before returning to Brisbane, where he also currently teaches at Queensland University of Technology. As a member of the 2025/26 cohort for Australian Design Review‘s 30UNDER30, he’s relishing the opportunity to find out what inspires the rest of the group.

Australian Design Review: What do you hope to get out of the program?

Ben Hovav: Geeking out about design is one of my favourite pastimes. Having the chance to do that with people from different disciplines and places would be invaluable. I want to know what inspires them – the music that makes them draw, the art that makes them think, the kerning they get excited about.

Broadening your plane of reference is so important to refining your design sensibility. The best way to do that, I think, is simply to share space and time with other people.

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

I believe places that give people a stronger sense of connection and agency are ultimately places that shape the future. 

It doesn’t have to be anything grand. The most meaningful work isn’t necessarily the loudest or newest, but the work that feels considered and grounded in its place. A seat on the steps where you can watch people pass while you have your morning coffee. A table under a bit of tree shade to eat lunch at home. Just enough to notice a moment and anchor a place in a memory. 

Over time, it can shift how people relate to where they are; those moments accumulate and a place begins to carry meaning. That’s the kind of lasting impact I’m working towards.

How would you describe your work?

My method is quite curious and exploratory. I’m fascinated by how people live – the small details that shape life. I get a lot of joy out of architectural ethnography, for example.

But in the outcome I often strive for timelessness. It’s not necessarily an aesthetic preference; but more an ethical position. It’s about restraint, durability and respect for context. That doesn’t mean resisting innovation – quite the opposite. When the fundamentals are right, there’s freedom to explore new ideas and to be playful.

I’m still figuring this all out, and that’s part of the excitement at this stage of my career.

What has been a highlight in your career so far?

In 2021, while living in Rotterdam, I co-founded Rare, a design research collective. Our aim was to shift the spotlight away from polished outcomes and toward the messier, more revealing moments of the design process. 

We focused on sketches, prototypes and half-formed ideas, believing that those vulnerable stages reveal the truest expression of a designer’s values and intent. We hosted talk series, community design workshops and exhibitions featuring architects, designers, makers and creatives from around the world.

What I’m most proud of is that it opened design up to audiences beyond the profession – showing how looking behind the scenes and beyond the jargon can inspire people to better understand and engage with design. 

What do you think are the most pressing challenges for designers coming up to 2030?

We’re an industry going through a lot of disruption. While that change can be volatile – maybe even feel existential – it’s also an opportunity to define our role more clearly.

For me, it’s not just about designing well; it’s about communicating why design matters in the first place. As cities grow and technologies change, designers need to be a part of bigger conversations. Because when we are involved in those discussions early, we have the ability to shape outcomes in meaningful ways. 

Clarifying our purpose and role in guiding change, that’s the challenge. 

What would be the opening song to your biopic?

‘Lady Day and John Coltrane’ by Gil Scott-Heron – it’s a soulful reminder that music can rid us from the grind and alienation of modern life. I like to think design can do that too. 

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.

Australian Design Review is also grateful to our 30UNDER30 practice partners AJC Architects, BVN, Cera Stribley, COX Architecture, Genton, GroupGSA, HDR, Richards Stanisich, RIZEN Atelier, Rob Mills Architects, Rothelowman, SJB and Design by WBL for helping us foster the future of Australian design.

Learn more about ADR’s 30UNDER30 here.

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