Meet the 2024 ACT Architecture Awards Jury

Jess established de Rome Architects over 10 years ago in 2013. She has a background in a variety of scales and typologies of architecture, including urban design, mixed-use, multi-residential, commercial, heritage, and single-residential. Jess has since focused her design direction on the creation of sustainable, innovative, and thoughtful housing opportunities.

A number of Jess’s design projects have been recognised by the AIA, including an Award at the ACT Chapter Architecture Awards for residential alterations and additions in 2022, and an Award at the NSW Chapter Architecture Awards for multi-residential housing in 2023.

Jess has been involved in various Institute of Architects initiatives, including roles in various committees, jury panels, presentations, and advisory groups. Across a number of years Jess has been a sessional tutor and jury panellist at the University of Canberra. Jess was also awarded the ACT Chapter Emerging Architect Prize in 2017 for her contribution to the profession.

John Guida has over twenty four years experience working on a broad range of architectural and masterplanning projects in Australia, USA, Europe, Korea, Taiwan and China. His portfolio includes a diverse range of projects such as Art Museums, Libraries, Law Courts, University Buildings, Luxury Residential & Commercial Developments and Transport facilities. He joined Guida Moseley Brown in 2013 as a Partner and lead designer.

Since joining the firm, John has provided design leadership on a number of significant projects in Canberra, including the award-winning International Operations Fitout at Canberra International Airport, The ANU College of Law Redevelopment and the Australian War Memorial Main Building Refurbishment. John’s international projects include the Suzhou Second Workers Centre in Suzhou, PRC and Samoa’s new Parliament House in Apia, Samoa.

Prior to joining GMB John spent over five years at Asymptote Architecture in New York where he was a key team member on a range of projects, most notably two award winning cruise terminals in Taiwan, two iconic commercial towers in Arata Isozaki’s masterplan for Zhengzhou, China, a pair of visionary luxury residential towers in Seoul and the ARC culture pavilion in Daegu, Korea. Further to this John worked on the cutting edge Strata Tower and award winning YAS Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Craig Tan is the director of Craig Tan Architects (CTA), which he established in 2011 after leading major projects locally and internationally for Adjaye Associates (UK) and Fender Katsalidis Architects (AUS). CTA has received recognition for its contribution to urban design, architecture and interior design in Victoria, the ACT and nationally. 

With over 25 years experience, Craig is fascinated in making communities and creating the ‘social glue’.  By creating connective experiences that link from the interior scales to the urban scale, he seeks to create the memorable places where people really want to be.  CTA’s human centric work covers commercial, residential, retail, hospitality, wineries, schools, universities, public realm, and mixed-use adaptive re-use precincts.

Whilst based in Melbourne, Craig has worked in the ACT since 2008, and is proud of helping to create precincts such as the ANU Pop-Up Village, and the Dairy Road makers precinct.

Craig was recently selected for the Melbourne Design Review Panel and is excited at the opportunity to help elevate quality public realm outcomes.

Vassiliki studied at the University of Canberra, graduating in 2020 and gaining registration in 2022. Her academic pursuits led her to Finland in 2019, where she completed her masters in architecture and developed a passion for the expression of raw materials, textures, and the joy brought by a simplified concept. This educational experience has significantly influenced her design philosophy, adding depth and sophistication to her projects.

Through her work with local and national architecture firms and as a sole practitioner, her commitment to the seamless integration of architecture and interior design is developed early in the design process and carried through to the final built form. This holistic approach combined with an attention to detail is the driver behind many of her designs.

Vassiliki has had experience leading the design and delivery of a diverse range of projects. These sectors in architecture and interior design include high-end single residential (including heritage listed projects in Canberra’s inner-south), commercial, education, master planning future schools and high-security workplaces. This varied portfolio has equipped her with expertise in concept development, design documentation and project delivery.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Vassiliki’s creativity extends into her personal life. She enjoys building furniture and designing homewares – anything to keep her hands busy! This dual commitment to professional excellence and personal craftsmanship defines Vassiliki’s multifaceted approach to architecture and interior design.

Dr. Sally Farrah is a Lecturer (Architecture) in the School of Design and the Built Environment at the University of Canberra (UC). After studying and teaching at the University of Western Australia (2013-2022), Sally joined UC in 2023 to convene units across the undergraduate and postgraduate streams, with a focus in visual communication; history and theory of Australian architecture; and the Masters design studio. Her Ph.D. (UWA, 2021) examined key case studies from the last pre-digital moment of post-modern transatlantic architectural production, focusing on parallel projection and the model, identifying how these representational modes exhibited extraordinary visual complexity, absorbed theoretical complexity, and combined the traditional and the new to reframe architectural theory. In addition to continued practice and research into drawing, emerging research directions include the architectural and urban heritage of twentieth-century Canberra and Australia, and testing and research into material and prototyping possibilities in the age of decarbonisation. Alongside traditional research, Sally has been collaborating with colleagues, government, arts, and industry partners, in the production of exhibitions and events.