The Australian Institute of Architect is pleased to announce that Ellen Buttrose, Sarah Lebner, Tiffany Liew, Bradley Kerr and Edwina Brisbane have been selected to join the 2023 Australian Institute of Architects Dulux Study Tour. This year the recipients will embark on a tour of Helsinki, Lisbon, Zurich and Venice Biennale.
Selection for the study tour acknowledges early-career architects for their individual achievements and contribution to architectural practice, education, design excellence and community involvement. It is one of the Institute’s most coveted awards, celebrating the importance of experiencing architecture first-hand.
This year’s Australian Institute of Architects Dulux Study Tour marks the return of the landmark event following COVID-19 restrictions in what is its 15th year.
The jury was impressed by the depth of skill, talent, passion and the dedication to the architectural profession exhibited by all who submitted. They highlighted the diverse backgrounds and interests of the candidates, noting a demonstration of a shifting dynamic within the next generation of the profession.
We thank Dulux for it generous ongoing support of the tour and encourage those eligible members not successful this year to reapply in the future.
We also thank the generous support of the jurors for the contribution to the selection process.
- Shannon Battisson FRAIA (Chair) | National President | The Mill: Architecture + Design
- Jevan Dickinson | General Manager – Dulux Trade, Dulux
- Barry Whitmore | Interim CEO, Australian Institute of Architects
- Pete Wood | National Commercial Business Manager, Dulux
- Qianyi Lim RAIA | Past Dulux Study Tour Recipient | Sibling Architecture
- Erin Crowden RAIA | Immediate Past EmAGN President | Proske Architects.
Ellen Buttrose
Ellen Buttrose is an associate with POD (People Oriented Design) in Cairns, working across the diverse climates and cultures of Queensland and the Torres Strait. Her practice has been shaped by the unique and varied histories, identities, cultures, climates, seasons and landscapes of the regions in which she has lived and practised. Upon graduating from high school, she volunteered in construction in Madagascar with non-government organization Azafady before completing her bachelor and master degrees in architectural studies at the University of South Australia.
Buttrose is a registered architect in Queensland and Victoria, with experience in practices across South Australia, Victoria and Queensland. Her experience includes work on the Gindaja Treatment and Healing Centre, Yarrabah and the Umpi Korumba First Nations social housing project, Zillmere (both in Queensland); employment in the Office for Design and Architecture South Australia (ODASA); and civic, institutional and cultural practice with Six Degrees Architects in Melbourne.
Buttrose sits on the Sustainability Committee for the Queensland chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects and was the recipient of the Queensland Emerging Architect Prize in 2020.
Sarah Lebner
A director at the newly established practice Cooee Architecture in rural New South Wales, Sarah Lebner has made a huge contribution to the architectural profession in Canberra and beyond. Through her previous role as principal architect at multidisciplinary firm Light House Architecture and Science, she worked to educate both clients and the wider public on the benefits of good design and quality building.
Lebner was awarded the Institute’s Emerging Architect Prize in 2020, in recognition of the support she has offered the next generation of architects through her national platform and mentoring scheme My First Architecture Job. Her dedication to this work has only continued to grow, and her book, 101 Things I Didn’t Learn in Architecture School (and wish I’d known before my first job) is an invaluable resource for those starting out in practice.
She has contributed widely to the profession through various roles with the Institute, including as a SONA representative, and a member of EmAGN, the Practice Committee and the ACT Chapter Council.
Tiffany Liew
An associate at Andrew Burns Architecture, Tiffany Liew completed her degree with honours at the University of Sydney, and has worked in a number of firms across a variety of project types. A recipient of many awards and accolades throughout her career to date, Liew continually strives for achievement, balance and new opportunities.
Liew’s dedication to the wider architectural community is evidenced through her involvement in all aspects of practice, including research, talks, editorial writing, exhibitions, jury contributions and sessional teaching roles at UTS and the University of Sydney. With her infectious personality, she encourages others to become involved in the wider profession.
In her role as national president of EmAGN, Liew has worked collaboratively to introduce new initiatives for the betterment of graduates and recently registered architects, with a focus on acknowledgement, equity and supported parental programs.
Bradley Kerr
Bradley Kerr, a Quandamooka man working on Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country, studied at the University of Canberra and the University of Queensland before establishing his career in Melbourne, where he has developed a genuine passion for understanding how people respond to the built environment.
For more than eight years, he worked with FJMT, where he made a significant contribution across the studio through his sense of collaboration, his dedication to design excellence, and his commitment to producing work of the highest cultural and ethical values. This philosophy has only strengthened during his time with Kennedy Nolan Architects, where he has further refined his skill as a senior project architect with a strong design focus. He is now branching out to establish his own practice, Winsor Kerr.
An active member of the architectural community, Kerr has participated generously through roles on the Institute’s First Nations Advisory Working Group, the Australian Accreditation Standing Panel and awards juries, as well as writing for Architecture Australia on the topic of Indigenizing practice.
Edwina Brisbane
Edwina Brisbane has established a consistent and dedicated commitment to design excellence through practice, education and community. Having built up a diverse portfolio of project experience, from hands-on crafting and building to large-scale commercial projects, she now leads Cumulus’s Melbourne studio, where she is expanding her role into business development, and as a mentor and leader. As an architectural educator, she has led various design studios at the University of Melbourne and Monash University.
Brisbane’s contribution to the architectural and design community is prolific. Her ongoing engagement with the Australian Institute of Architects through various roles with EmAGN and, more recently, as an awards juror –including as chair for the sustainability category – demonstrates her dedication to the profession.
Further, she has worked to expand architectural and design discourse beyond the immediate professional community through her facilitation of events such as Process and the Better Living Forum.
