Creative directors, speakers, mentors & jury

Super Studio could not go ahead without the generous contributions of volunteers from the architectural community who contribute their time and expertise to help deliver this program for our SONA members. We acknowledge and thank all those who have contributed this year. 

Creative directors & national jury

This year, we’re thrilled to announce that Joel Alcorn and Chloe Middleton of Alcorn Middleton will be the Creative Directors for Super Studio. They’ll be collaborating with Senlina Mayer, SONA VP, on this year’s incredible studio, aptly named “Where nothing moves, everything begins.”

Joel Alcorn and Chloe Middleton are the Co-Directors of Alcorn Middleton, a design office working across architecture, interiors, and concept-led projects. Known for their rigorous yet intuitive approach, the duo leads a practice that champions design as a thoughtful, exploratory act—responsive to people, place, and the evolving conditions of contemporary life.

The Queensland-based office creates purposeful, enduring spaces across private and commercial projects of all scales, guided by a design ethos that is agile, collaborative, and conceptually driven. With a diverse portfolio of work locally and abroad, the practice continues to explore how meaningful design can enrich both the everyday and the exceptional.

With decades of combined experience, together they bring deep industry insight, sharp design instinct, refined clarity and curatorial eye to the creative process. Together, they foster a collaborative culture that encourages curiosity, critique, and the pursuit of ideas with lasting impact. As the 2025 Creative Directors for the Australian Institute of Architects’ SONA Super Studio competition, Chloe and Joel bring a generous, idea-led ethos—encouraging emerging designers to be bold in their thinking, clear in their intent, and imaginative in their response to the world around them.

Senlina Mayer | SONA VP Professional development 

Super Studio Creative Director & National Juror  

Senlina Mayer

At Bond University, Senlina is currently studying a Master of Architecture.

  "As Vice-President for Professional Development, I am eager to ensure individual student successes have a platform to be recognised and celebrated, and members are enabled in their architectural journey through unique opportunities to access the professional industry. SONA as a leading student body offers a multitude of opportunities to build student portfolios that contribute substantially to employability. Having personally benefitted from the mentorship, office crawl and competition programs through SONA, I look forward to advocating for more opportunities to grow industry-relevant skills on a local and national level and forming new student connections to architectural practice.

I believe that by working collaboratively across academia, practice, community forums and research, the exchange of knowledge (from both top-down, and bottom-up approaches) urges all levels of professionals to engage positively in forging our shared futures. I am committed to challenging conventional paradigms and fostering a holistic approach to architecture. The Vice-President for Professional Development therefore offers a platform for reducing the disparity between university content and work experience by presenting SONA members with the opportunity to be better equipped with tools, experience and exposure to professional practice. This includes organising conversations with architects and designers, fluency with software, mentorship with a professional, mock interviews, portfolio reviews, office immersions, site visits, student competitions and networking opportunities."

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Chloe Middleton | Alcorn Middleton Architecture Office 

Super Studio Creative Director & National Juror 

Chloe Middleton

Chloe Middleton is Co-Director of Alcorn Middleton, an architecture and interior design studio based in Brisbane. Together with her partner Joel Alcorn, Chloe has shaped a practice defined by a spirit of creative exploration and a deep respect for context, people, and materials. Their collaborative process favours intuition, listening, and continual iteration—anchoring each project in a clear idea and a deliberate sense of purpose.
With qualifications in both architecture and interior design, Chloe brings a holistic sensibility to the studio’s body of work, which originated in residential design but now extends to commercial, educational, and urban environments. Her design ethos centres on clarity, contrast, and coherence—working with composition, materiality, and rhythm to evoke a quiet complexity and emotional resonance.
At Alcorn Middleton, innovation is not about novelty for its own sake—it’s about designing spaces that offer enduring value, respond intelligently to place, and open up new possibilities for how people live and work. Chloe is committed to architectural practice as a form of cultural (and personal) contribution: one that welcomes experimentation, reflection, and responsiveness to change.
Alcorn Middleton’s work has been recognised both nationally and internationally, including the Queensland Architecture Medallion and selection for Wallpaper’s Architects’ Directory. Chloe continues to advocate for thoughtful, design-led responses that challenge convention while remaining grounded in lived experience and social context.

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Joel Alcorn | Alcorn Middleton Architecture Office

Super Studio Creative Director & National Juror

Joel Alcorn

Joel Alcorn is the Creative Director and Co-Founder of Alcorn Middleton, a design office he leads alongside Chloe Middleton. With over two decades of experience in architecture and design, Joel brings a deep, intuitive sensibility to the studio’s diverse portfolio. His career has been shaped by early exposure to construction, design, and close collaboration with both builders and architects—laying the foundation for a pragmatic yet imaginative approach to practice.
Joel’s leadership is grounded in attentiveness and originality. He often draws creative direction from the earliest client conversations—translating emotive cues, material references, and spatial intentions into concepts that are both distinctive and highly attuned to context. His strength lies in pushing beyond the expected, unafraid to challenge norms or propose unconventional solutions when they lead to more meaningful design outcomes.
From large-scale commercial projects to finely tuned private spaces, Joel’s ethos reflects an ongoing commitment to clarity, adaptability, and conceptual rigour. At Alcorn Middleton, he helps shape a design culture that values curiosity, collaboration, and responsiveness to change—balancing ambition with precision.
Joel’s experience spans residential and commercial work across Australia, Southeast Asia, and Europe—built and conceptual. His ongoing focus is on design that is grounded, original, and enduring.

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State and territory jury members 

ACT | Mark Brook

ACT | Sally Farrer

ACT | Alex Lawler

NSW | Kimberley Angangan

NSW | Harsha Rajashekar

NSW | Jacky Chen

NSW | Harry Kealy

NT – To be announced!

QLD | Naomi Edson

QLD | Kieren Dolores

QLD | Erin McDonald

SA | Chris Morely

SA | Christie Bailey

SA | Simon Frost

SA | Heather Wasley

TAS | To be announced!

VIC | To be announced!

WA | Matt McGivern

WA | Adrian Iredale

WA | Dimmity Walker

WA | Lisa Hunt

Mentors 

ACT | Sergio Geuna

ACT | Gunjan Shah

ACT | Nicholas Eccles

NSW | Sumeeka Farooqui

NSW | Harsha Rajashekar

NSW | Jacky Chen

NSW | Rod Brown

NSW | Levi Fletcher

NSW | Sarah Slattery

NSW | Tom Rivard

NT | Marc Pilla

NT | Rebecca Adams

NT | Phillip Pender

NT | Mike Sneyd

NT | Jo Rees

NT | Flynn Carr

NT | Rebecca Adams

NT | Miriam Wallace

QLD | Liehan Janse van Rensburg

QLD | Maryam Khalili

QLD | Owen Cafe

QLD | Shaun Gallagher

QLD | Cameron Conwell

QLD | Callum Senjov

QLD | Sebastian Smith

QLD | Martin Ziarmal

QLD | Zachary Bradford

SA | Conor Mannering

SA | Andrew Lymn-Penning

SA | Edward Omondi

SA | Renae Schulz

SA | Benjamin de Bricassart

TAS | Sam McQueeney

TAS | Uta Green

TAS | Megan Baynes

TAS | Felix Blackman

TAS | Lucia Wellington

VIC | Cesar Taboada

VIC | Trisha Karkhanis

VIC | Jinal Gandhi

VIC | Sherina Suhartanji

VIC | Lucinda Owen

VIC | Youssef Ibrahim 

VIC | Lauren Garner

VIC | Dian Wang

VIC | Chelsea Keeley

WA | Marco Da Trindade

WA | Kieran Murnane

WA | Chris Mewburn

WA | Emily Van Eyk

design day speakers 

National | Chloe Middleton

National | Joel Alcorn

National | Senlina Mayer

National | Matt Drysdale

National | Guled Archive

Super studio partner

Super Studio 2025 is sponsored by Alspec.

Australian owned and operated, Alspec is the market leader in the design and distribution of innovative aluminium systems to the architectural, residential, industrial and home-improvement markets. Continuous investment in research and development ensures the latest technologies and design principles are applied in their extensive range of aluminium systems and products.

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contact us

Please contact SONA with any queries: 
sona@architecture.com.au 
Phone: 03 8620 3910

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The Institute

The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.

We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.

We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.

© Australian Institute of Architects

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