Jury

2018 National Architecture Awards Jury

Richard Kirk – LFRAIA
Immediate Past President & National Jury Chair
Director, KIRK

Richard Kirk is the founding Director of KIRK, which was established in 1995. With studios in Brisbane and Kuala Lumpur, the practice works across a diverse range and scale of projects throughout Southeast Asia.

The work of the practice has been widely published and has received recognition through a number of prestigious professional and industry awards.

Richard is the Immediate Past President of the Australian Institute of Architects and Life Fellow of the Institute, Adjunct Professor at The University of Queensland, South Bank Corporation Board Member and Queensland Urban Design and Places Panel Member.

Richard has been involved with the Institute for over 20 years and was previously the Australian Institute of Architects Queensland Chapter President and a Chapter Councillor since 2008. Richard has also served on the Board of Architects of Queensland and was a member of the Brisbane City Council Independent Design Advisory Panel.

Jill Garner – LFRAIA
Victorian Government Architect

Jill took the helm of the Office of the Victorian Government Architect in 2015, stepping into the role as a public advocate for architecture and design after more than twenty years in practice. As an architect, her practice – Garner Davis – has received numerous industry awards for delivering sensitive, crafted public and private work. As a design advisor and advocate in government, she strongly promotes the value of contextual, integrated design thinking and a collaborative approach across design disciplines.

Jill has taught at both RMIT and Melbourne University, she is a graduate of the innovative practice-based Masters by Design at RMIT; a past board member and examiner for the Architects Registration Board Victoria; chair of the Venice Architecture Biennale Committee and Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects.

Kevin O’Brien – RAIA
Principal, BVN

Kevin O’Brien is a Brisbane based architect. In 2018 he joined BVN as a Principal, becoming part of one of Australia’s largest and most highly acclaimed architectural practices. In 2017 he was appointed the Professor of Creative Practice at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. He is also a Board member of La Boite Theatre and the Institute of Modern Art.

Kevin’s expertise over the past 20 years in artistic, educational, health and commercial projects has generated a reputation for achieving meaningful architecture and authentic outcomes for the communities and clients they serve. Since 2013, 9no. projects have been recognised through 19no. Australian Institute of Architects awards and commendations in regional, state and national categories.Of significance is the Finding Country project that began in 2005 and continues to this day as a guide for practice, teaching and thinking about architecture, place-making and terra nullius. In 2012 this endeavour took the form of the Finding Country Exhibition as an official collateral event of the 13th Venice Architectural Biennale, enjoying international attention, and winning the 2013 Australian Institute of Architects Karl Langer Award for Urban Design in Queensland.

Between 2015 and 2017, Kevin was a Queensland Chapter Councillor committed to the restructuring of the Australian Institute of Architects, and the establishment of the Philip Y Bisset Planning (Architecture) Scholarship and the Dunbar Fellowship. He has previously served on Brisbane regional juries for public buildings and education categories.

Kevin continues to search for an architecture that reveals a tension between seemingly apparent opposites.

Katelin Butler
Editorial Director,
Architecture Media Pty Ltd

Katelin Butler is a writer, editor and curator. She is the editorial director at Architecture Media. Prior to her appointment as editorial director, she was design portfolio manager at Architecture Media (2018), editor of Houses (2010–2018) and the assistant editor of Architecture Australia (2005–2009). She has coedited three books, The Forever House: Time-Honoured Australian Homes (2014), The Terrace House: Reimagined for the Australian Way of Life (2015) and The Apartment House: Reframing the Australian Dream, all published by Thames and Hudson. Katelin holds a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Tasmania and a Master of Architecture from the University of Melbourne. She has been a peer juror, exhibition curator, guest university critic and speaker at various industry events and conferences.

Charles Wright – RAIA
Director, Charles Wright Architects Pty Ltd

Charles Wright leads a contemporary design practice with offices in Melbourne, Victoria and Port Douglas in Queensland. He possesses award winning major project experience and specialist technological capabilities to develop iconic and sustainable solutions to complex problems. Since establishing Charles Wright Architects (CWA) in 2004, he has directed a discipline focused on innovative outcomes with enduring and inspiring qualities. The practice’s approach to design and integration of ESD strategies has acquired CWA unique recognition with a number of world class buildings and extensive publication both nationally and internationally.