We’re thrilled to announce that Shannon Wark has been awarded the prestigious Jack Hobbs McConnell Travelling Fellowship in Architecture for 2025, presented by the Australian Institute of Architects (SA Chapter). The Fellowship supports emerging architects to travel internationally and bring fresh insights back to South Australia.
Shannon’s compelling research proposal, “Upstream Design – An Evolution of Architectural Practice,” explores how architects can shift from solely designing buildings to shaping systems that influence better outcomes for people and the planet. Through a global investigation of Strategic Design practices across public, private, and academic sectors, Shannon aims to uncover new roles for architects as orchestrators of decision-making, not just purveyors of physical form.
The Fellowship will see Shannon travel to design-forward cities like London, Brussels, Malmo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Venice, New York, Providence and Detroit to learn from thought leaders including Marco Steinberg, Indy Johar, Pooja Agrawal, and Reinier de Graaf (to name a few). Her research will culminate in a publication, public events, and a zine to spark broader conversations around the evolution of architectural practice in South Australia.
Shannon currently works at Das Studio and teaches at the University of South Australia. Her passion for reshaping practice through design thinking, community engagement, and innovation makes her a standout recipient of this honour.
We look forward to following her journey and the impact her findings will have on our local design landscape.
Learn more about the Fellowship: architecture.com.au/jack-hobbs-mcconnell-travelling-fellowship-2025
Photo: Sia Duff
