I began studying Architecture at the University of New South Wales in 1989 direct from school. I chose UNSW because at the time the Architects I asked said it was the best of the three courses available.

In reflection I realise that my years at university were very much a self directed enterprise. It is up to the individual to make the most of the resources provided and a lot of the learning happens outside of ‘face teaching’ time.

I found my time at university was a serendipitous affair. Coming in contact with interesting, intelligent and challenging students and teachers, often not within the intended structure of the course, that formed areas of interest at the appropriate time in my education.

The most memorable aspect at my time at university relates to my friends and colleagues, one of whom I married. The group have developed to be quite diverse given we studied the same course. With careers as artists, academics and architects following varying professional models we still continue to collaborate and share ideas on everything.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture with honours in 1995. Along with my degree I graduated with

• The ‘Frank Fox Memorial Prize’ for historical research for my undergraduate dissertation,
• Winner of the student track of an international design ideas competition for the design of a resort hotel by the Dead Sea run by the Passive Low Energy Association (PLEA) with my final year project.
• The RAIA (NSW) prize for best performance by a graduate in the final two years at the UNSW.

1994-96 Puflett Associates Architects
1996-1997 Grose Bradley Architects
1997-1998  Peid-a-Terre as a construction manager
1998 – Office of Durbach Block Architects
2001 – Associate at Durbach Block Architects
2006 – Director of Durbach Block Architects

Durbach Block Architects is a practice that fulfils what as a student you imagine an architecture practice should be. Design is primary in all decision making and experimentation and innovation drive each design. The office has through private commission and competition undertaken an array of projects ranging through residential, commercial and public buildings.

When offered the opportunity to work in the office of Durbach Block I was at the time attempting to establish up my own practice and the thought of working elsewhere was not a real consideration. However I was very familiar with the work of the office and felt that almost singularly within the architectural practices in Sydney and Australia, Durbach Block’s work stood apart as fresh, playful and international in it’s context.

My time working with Durbach Block has seen a series of diverse and interesting projects, with challenges that have kept me engaged thoroughly in the architecture process. At the time of finishing university, emerging at the tail end of the recession we had to have, I had always thought that when and if the work ran out again I would go and study overseas to broaden my architectural and general experience. That hasn’t eventuated and in the meantime I continue to attempt to broaden my experience and understanding of architecture through the old fashioned means of research, exploration through design, constant testing of ideas until there is nothing left to change, the resisting of repetition or standardising, and the pursuit of an original expression of site, client and program.