Shaping a world class architecture program
With their appointment, our students are introduced to future-looking and socially-engaged perspectives on contemporary architectural practice.
Olivia Hyde, Kate Goodwin and Qianyi Lim are the first Professors of Practice at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning. With ongoing positions in practice, they will be working together to forge the link between the university and the wider community to broaden students’ views - and considerably and positively shape the discourse, collaboration and direction of the school.
“I am excited to welcome three leading public figures as our inaugural Professors of Practice to extend the School of Architecture, Design and Planning’s engagement with inspiring architectural practitioners,” said Professor Robyn Dowling, Head of School and Dean.
Olivia Hyde, a registered architect from the NSW Government Architect’s Office, has previously worked in the USA, Asia and Europe on award-winning public and private developments, infrastructure, urban design and master planning. She is looking forward to sharing her research, strategy and policy work with students and faculty.
“I will involve students in large-scale, practice-based projects that closely align with strategic, urban and policy work of the government office, and so expose them to the vital role that architects and other built environment design professionals can play in government as advocates for good design,” she said.
Kate Goodwin, an alumna of the School of Architecture, Design and Planning, is Head of Architecture and Heinz Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, where she has curated architectural exhibitions and public programs for over 16 years.
“Architects as spatial thinkers have a wealth of expertise to contribute broadly to society”, Ms Goodwin said. “I will champion the cross-fertilisation of ideas and expand student output to include alternate modes of practice, such as curating. As I continue to operate between Sydney and London, I want to celebrate and foster the wealth of local talent with an international perspective.”
Qianyi Lim, a co-director at Sibling Architecture, engages in a research-driven practice through studio works across public sector, private and commercial projects, with a core interest in placing people at the centre of designs.
“I will introduce architecture students to the dynamic approach of emergent architectural practices as an extension of the bandwidth of possibilities for architects. Helping students’ understanding of what it means to be an architect today will largely shape their ideas of practising architecture for the Australian community and built environment and as a global approach.”
Dagmar Reinhardt, the Head of the Architecture discipline at the University of Sydney, highlights the significance of the inaugural Professors of Practice appointment: “Beyond a conventional understanding of the architectural practitioner role, these practice professorships each break the mould and offer new and key perspectives on architecture not as an industry or commercial enterprise but as a civic, cultural and social engagement and action.”