A talented architectural draftsman, Woods Bagot’s Harry Charalambous chats to ADR about how drawing has become a “respected, but increasingly rare skill”. Since graduating from the University of Melbourne’s Bachelor of Architecture course in 1979, Charalambous has worked on extensive projects within Australia and throughout Europe and Asia. He has demonstrated a mature understanding of […]
“I knew I was going to be a designer from the age of 16, but I didn’t know what kind of designer I really wanted to be,” Byron Bay-based Ally Marrotte tells ADR. Since launching her spatial design studio in 2018, Marrotte has traversed the Australian design industry solo and solidified in her skills. As […]
Listen, live and learn, ADR talks to three architects embracing Indigenous culture in their design practice. More than a year after Black and Indigenous Lives Matter marches bring a wave of feet to Australian streets, it’s heartening to see so many non-Indigenous allies continuing to stand up. They must speak out against systemic racism more […]
Good design isn’t always a bed of roses. However, Peachy Green founder and landscape architect Fran Hale shares how she gets pretty close to making it one. Since starting her studio in 2011, Melbourne-based Hale has developed a distinct style for buoyantly lush and considered spaces. ADR recently caught up with Hale to discuss her career […]
HOOBA Design and its founder Hooman Balazadeh have been named the RIBA International Emerging Architect 2021. The Iranian practice made the longlist for the prize with The Kohan Ceram Central Office Building – a multi-storey project that stands out with its unique perforated brick “like a glowing beacon on a grey city corner” in Tehran. […]
The three leaders at BKK Architects typify the collegiate nature of Melbourne architecture practices. And it’s been that way since the very start… In days of yore, 21 was when we were given the key of the door and launched out into the world as fully-fledged adults. Things aren’t that cut and dried anymore, but […]
As we get closer to the 2021 IDEA Awards gala in Sydney, ADR is shining a light on the next generation of emerging designers. Today, it’s the turn of Perth-based multi-disciplinary design studio State of Kin. As an Emerging Designer of the Year finalist, State of Kin has two projects shortlisted in the Hospitality category […]
As one of the country’s few female-led practices, Pop Architecture in Melbourne isn’t fixed on gender, but on the absence of ego. “We were both in quite different places when we decided to start; it wasn’t particularly conscious or planned,” says co-founder and director Katherine Sainsbery. “I’d left Wood Marsh earlier that year and had […]
As we near closer to the IDEA gala in Sydney, ADR is shining a light on the next generation of emerging designers. Today, Prue Dabelstein from Dreamers & Shakers is showing us how it’s done. The 2021 winners are set to be announced in person at the IDEA gala in Sydney on Thursday 24 February 2022. Buy […]
It’s official! We’ll be announcing the winners for IDEA 2021 in Sydney on 24 February 2022. Buy your tickets now. From the almost 300 projects shortlisted, there can only be one winner across each of our 15 categories, but there are also five special awards. Of those, the most hotly contested has to be the 2021 Designer […]
Architects and designers are increasingly being forced to choose compliance over creativity to the detriment of their craft, says Japan-born, Sydney-based architect Koichi Takada. “The whole world has become compliant,” Takada tells ADR. “We used to have an element in which we, as architects and designers, would challenge and push the boundaries. For me, that […]
In celebration of the 2021 IDEA Awards, ADR is taking a sneak peek into the people behind the design magic. Today we reach the end of our series, as Yasmine Ghoniem from YSG takes our final bow for 2021. As a Designer of the Year finalist, YSG has eight projects shortlisted in a range of different categories, […]
Elvin Tan loves to design and loves talking about it even more. Since launching his own multi-disciplinary design studio in 2018, Tan has developed a portfolio rich in hospitality and commercial projects. He also happens to be shortlisted for the IDEA 2021 Emerging Designer of the Year, with two projects also up for the Retail […]
Melbourne interior designer Hana Hakin has teamed up with Archie Rose for a limited edition gin that carries the distinctive voice of summer. “We designed the flavours and label around the first drink after a day at the beach,” The Stella Collective founder and design director tells ADR of the label. “Clean and crisp golden […]
Fashion and textile designer Virgil Abloh has died after a two year battle with a “rare, aggressive form of cancer”. The announcement was made earlier today on the 41-year-old’s Instagram page, which also makes mention of the type of cancer – cardiac angiosarcoma, which occurs in right upper chamber (atrium) of the heart. The statement […]
The spread of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns exacerbated the inequities already present in Melbourne, according to Heinz von Eckartsberg. Appointed to Woods Bagot to lead urban design in Australia and New Zealand in July 2021, von Eckartsberg says the pandemic exposed weaknesses in how the city was both planned and developed. “I equate it with […]
In celebration of the 2021 IDEA Awards, ADR is taking a sneak peek into the people behind the design magic. Today interior designer Fiona Lynch is our leading lady. As a Designer of the Year finalist, Fiona Lynch has six projects shortlisted in five different categories. Winners are set to be announced at the 2021 IDEA gala in Sydney […]
With the ethos ‘humans first and architects second’, Maytree Studios’ director Rebecca Caldwell is schooling the industry on how to run a transparent and accessible practice, no high horse necessary. “I can’t go and run a business that’s super profitable and drive my new car, but have my staff still tapping away on $65 grand a year with […]
Designing across Australia and Japan, architect Luke Hayward is an example of transcultural design dexterity. Co-founder of his studio atelier Luke, with his partner interior designer Junko Nakatsuka, Hayward speaks to ADR about his design philosophy and career journey. The past year for Luke Hayward has been a roller coaster of COVID-related innovation and opportunities. […]
Melbourne interior designer Miriam Fanning has teamed up with Archie Rose for a limited edition vodka that evokes a personal response through shape, form and colour. “The artwork is a painting I created specifically for Archie Rose that visually shows vibrancy and excitement,” the Mim Design principal tells ADR of the label. “As such, my […]
The Sydney director at CplusC Architectural Workshop takes us inside his Darlington home, which he describes as a “direct response to the climate emergency facing our country and our planet”. How long have you lived here and what drew you to the property? We’ve been living here now for two years. We purchased the home […]
Design Institute of Australia (DIA) Graduate of the Year Isabelle Kleijn is a dynamic young designer ready to tackle and reinvigorate the Australian design industry. Last month, Kleijn took home the overall Madeline Lester prize at this year’s DIA Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA). From 173 nominations and 27 state winners, seven designers were […]
The first monograph on the Japanese-born, Sydney-based architect Koichi Takada is a love letter to organic architecture, humanistic values and holistic design. Form follows nature in the projects that grace its pages – a smattering of the many Takada has completed to date, scattered across Australia, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East. Projects like […]
“In 2021, someone who’s nonverbal still can’t order a coffee independently because design doesn’t facilitate for that,” Ilianna Ginnis tells me recently. The interior architectural designer, disability advocate and PhD candidate at Monash University is researching how designers can interact with nonverbal communicators to make more inclusive processes. She says this form of participatory design […]
Bringing Australia’s architecture and design community into focus since 2009.