Career moves across the Australian architecture and interior design landscape in January 2024 reflect new directions for studios and businesses into the new year.

Buchan expands health sector team with two senior appointments

Buchan has appointed two new senior team members to support its continued growth in the health and wellbeing sector. 

Sandra Stewart joins Buchan as principal and sector head – health. With 30 years of experience across health and mixed-use, Stewart’s focus will be on building projects across public and private health, drawing on her expertise in the growing area of health precincts.

Elisa Nakano also joins Buchan as a senior associate. Nakano is an architect and creative design thinker with over 15 years of experience, specialising in the delivery of large-scale healthcare projects with a focus on clinical planning. She is keen to challenge the status quo and find unique solutions.

“With our greater understanding of how public spaces, retail and amenity can contribute to community health, a new wave of energy is taking traditional hospital design beyond clinical requirements,” Nakano says.

HDR appoints principals to supercharge capability in health, major projects

HDR has appointed two new principals to similarly steer its health and major projects capability. 

The new health principal Conor Larkins (formerly BVN) and major projects principal Zig Peshos (formerly BVN and Woods Bagot) will empower HDR’s high-performing teams to design major health projects that transform models of care and deliver complex, city-shaping social infrastructure programs in a climate of innovation.

With a background in precinct masterplanning, acute services buildings and medical research facilities, Larkins will oversee the delivery of complex hospital projects, steer the stakeholder engagement process, and champion design and technical leadership.

“We know that good design has a pivotal role to play in improving community well-being,” Larkins says.

“By co-designing equitable and regenerative hospitals with deeper connections to both place and the local community, we can elevate healthcare outcomes for future generations.”

Peshos’ 30 years of transdisciplinary experience across a range of building typologies will similarly inform the trajectory of large-scale, complex projects across HDR’s health, science, education, civic, transport and defence portfolio. 

With experience leading major projects such as Atlassian Headquarters, Central Station Metro, the new Sydney Fish Market, Greenland Tower, Wynyard Walk, Two Melbourne Quarter, and Brisbane Square, Peshos will exercise his knowhow in project team management, change management, design development, documentation and delivery to embed innovative structures and systems that enable design teams to thrive.

Armadillo welcomes first-ever global CEO

Mark Haysman has taken on the newly created position of global CEO as of January 2024 at the Australian-born global rug brand Armadillo.

It’s a strategic move that marks a “pivotal moment in the brand’s history”, according to a statement from Armadillo, signifying a bold step towards international expansion.

In his capacity, Haysman will not only spearhead Armadillo’s expansion initiatives in the US and Europe but will also be based in Australia, where the brand’s global functions and roots are deeply embedded. His leadership is expected to be instrumental in navigating Armadillo through expansion plans, synergising global operations while strengthening the brand’s ties to its Australian heritage.

Read HDR’s six architecture and design trends for 2024.