‘Colourful, passionate’ advocate wins 2018 Emerging Architect Prize

‘Colourful, passionate’ advocate wins 2018 Emerging Architect Prize

Up and coming practice leader Monique Woodward has been named the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2018 National Emerging Architect at the National Architecture Awards in Melbourne tonight.

The Emerging Architect Prize, is Australia’s most prestigious prize awarded to future industry leaders and celebrates the work of an emerging architect making an exemplary contribution to architecture and the wider profession.

The Institute’s National President Clare Cousins described Woodward as a passionate architect who had demonstrated excellence in practice, leadership, education and community engagement.

‘Monique is recognised for her entrepreneurial spirit and exploration of alternative modes of project procurement and advocacy, including self-initiated projects,’ Cousins said.

‘She is a passionate advocate for architecture who has embraced emerging forms of media, harnessing video, podcasts, radio, election campaigns, crowd-funding and Instagram to communicate the importance of architecture in shaping the built environment.’

After graduating from RMIT with a master’s degree in Architecture – also winning the Glenn Murcutt Student Prize – Woodward established Melbourne architecture practice WOWOWA in 2011 in collaboration with Scott Woodward.

The practice’s vibrant work has been widely published and awarded at a state and national level, with WOWOWA recognised for its commitment to exploring a uniquely Australian approach to architecture. In 2015, Woodward was awarded a place on the Institute’s Dulux Study Tour.

Elected as an Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter Councillor in 2016, Woodward has served on the Victorian Heritage Committee and is the co-chair for the chapter’s Small Practice Forum and EmAGN.

Since 2011, Woodward has combined tutoring design at RMIT and Monash University with speculative projects that offer alternative solutions to local sites, and has been an active contributor to the Nightingale Housing project

‘Monique is a deserving winner of the 2018 National Emerging Architect Prize and we look forward to her continued and colourful contribution to Australian architecture,’ Cousins said.

The jury for the Emerging Architect Prize included Clare Cousins FRAIA (Chair) – President, Australian Institute of Architects and Clare Cousins Architects; Thom McKenzie RAIA – 2018 EmAGN President and Winwood McKenzie; Christina Cho RAIA – 2018 National Emerging Architect Prize winner and Cox Architecture; and Sam Moorhouse – Marketing Manager, AWS.

The Emerging Architect Prize is supported by Corporate Partner AWS.