Tell us about your expertise and experience in built heritage?

My interest in heritage started at university where there was a strong emphasis that architects should learn how to design for existing buildings and in urban contexts rather than solely in idealised greenfield sites. From there, I worked in government and private practice in architectural firms specialising in heritage.

Heritage is a great way to understand ‘places’ more broadly and to gain a wide range of experience. While many architects might work on a few building types like hospitals or schools or houses, practising heritage gives you the opportunity to gain knowledge across all building types as well as urban design, gardens, and civil works like bridges or subterranean structures.

Over almost thirty years I’ve developed expertise in the full spectrum of heritage issues from city shaping development to adaptive reuse and fine-grained building fabric conservation to interpretation and place-making.

Why did you want to work at Biosis?

Biosis has geographical reach and a staff of environmental specialists not just in built heritage but from archaeologists to zoologists and so much in between. That was a major attraction. It’s great to have the ability to seek out expertise in my colleagues and share my own special area of practice.

What do you like about working at Biosis?

Apart from working with a great group of people committed to what they know and love, the diversity of projects and clients across the country is satisfying and you’re always seeing new things.

Also - with Biosis’ eight offices in NSW and Victoria, there are a lot of opportunities for people to work closer to where they live or to work flexibly between offices. I think that makes for happier people. Having the Sydney office close to where I live makes a huge difference.