In Trimester 1 of 2017 several Deakin students got the chance to get up close and personal when they visited the offices of architecture firms in Melbourne.

The participating students were part of a multi-disciplinary collaboration where architecture students volunteered to act as peer tutors to occupational therapy students introducing them to practical skills in architectural drawing. The workshop served to extend architecture students’ learning experience into the realms of architecture and health.

As the final part of the program, students visited four architecture firms in Melbourne including NMArchitecture, Woods Bagot, Jackson Architecture and a leader in healthcare design Thomson Adsett. During the visits, students had unique opportunities to gain insights about the professional practice environment from both well experienced practicing professionals as well as well more recently graduated professionals.

NMArchitecture provided a unique experience of a site visit where the students observed the works on a small residential project, followed by an interview with the client. Woods Bagot exposed students to a high end international corporate environment where they saw collaboration between specialised teams. Jackson Architecture presented an intimate session with students, discussing the definition of ‘innovative’ and ‘intellectual’ design. Lastly, Thomson Adsett challenged the traditional architectural thinking – moving beyond architecture, opening doors of possibilities for thinking architecturally.

The aim of these sessions was to inspire the students and give them an insight into the professional practice environment while also building confidence through early contact and engagement with practitioners.

Through different approaches, the firms conveyed their passion for architecture and inspired the students not just to meet requirements but to exceed them. The sites visits were a memorable experience for students bridging them from their architectural studies to professional practice by having the opportunity to getting ‘up-close and personal’.

Thank you to Susan Ang, Senior Lecturer for organising these office visits and for making these unique opportunities available to students, and heartfelt appreciation and thanks to the offices for their generosity of time and interest to Deakin students.

Thank you to:

  • Nikhila Madabhushi, Principal of NMArchitecture;
  • Leong Ho, Senior Architect and the team at Woods Bagot;
  • Patrick Ong, Director of Thomson Adsett; and
  • Daryl Jackson, Founding Director of Jackson Architecture, along with Associate Directors, Mikel Roman and Huan Borland, at Jackson Architecture.

Student reflections:

Jack Hirini

“I found the opportunity to visit some of Nikhila’s work and being able to talk to her client assuring that this was the industry that I’d like to work in.  She spoke of the importance of the designer/client relationship and how essential it is to have a trusting and mutually respectful rapport with them. “    

Ben Mckenzie

“The office visit was an eye-opening experience where students got the chance to expose ourselves to architectural practice and discuss with architects key topics surrounding the world of architecture.”

Billy Yue Nam Yoong

“It was a wonderful experience as I got to see how those firms differ in their ideas, communication, work and also atmosphere. The real value I got from these visits were what type of firm I would like to work at in the future.”

India Wolfe

“The Architects were so happy to see us and willing to have a chat about anything architecture and answer ANY questions we had. It was such a great experience, I can’t emphasise how lovely and welcoming they all were.”

Ned Mcdonald

“The visits were extremely beneficial, giving me great insight into the way a small office and a large office operate. “