Join

Creative directors, speakers, mentors & jury

2026 Creative directors & national jury

This year, we’re thrilled to announce that Madeline Sewall and Keith Westbrook of Up to Something will be the Creative Directors for Super Studio 2026. They’ll be collaborating with Zoeanna Upadhyay, SONA VP, on this year’s incredible studio, aptly named “Pause, Gather, Feel”

Zoeanna Upadhyay | SONA VP Professional Development 

Super Studio Creative Director & National Juror  

Zoeanna Upadhyay

At Swinburne University, Zoeanna is currently studying a Master of Architecture.

"Zoeanna is a Master of Architecture student at Swinburne University of Technology and the SONA Vice President for Professional Development. Alongside her studies, she works in practice, gaining experience at McBride Charles Ryan and Bates Smart, where she has contributed to projects across multiple stages of design and construction.

She is passionate about fostering studio culture, bridging the gap between education and practice, and shaping conversations around the future of the profession. As Vice President, Zoeanna advocates for the student voice, ensuring peers have access to the networks, mentorship, and opportunities crucial for professional growth beyond university.

Through Super Studio, she aims to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and ambitious architectural ideas, while cultivating a collaborative community where students can take creative risks and discover new perspectives through design."

Read more

Madeline Sewall | Up to Something

 

Super Studio Creative Director & National Juror 

Madeline Sewall

Madeline Sewall is a registered architect and co-founder of Up to Something Architecture, a practice operating across Tasmania and Victoria. As the former Director of Housing at Breathe Architecture, Madeline spent over a decade leading award-winning, sustainable housing projects with significant impact. Her contributions have helped shape the residential landscape of Victoria, including the nationally and internationally celebrated Skye House at Nightingale Village, alongside dozens of well-loved bespoke homes across Australia.

With Curious Minds

Up to Something is an architectural practice that explores with curiosity and designs with intent. At its core, the studio is driven by curious minds, always asking, wandering, and discovering new possibilities. The practice views design as a journey, not a formula; a process shaped by people, place, and imagination. Every project is approached as an opportunity to learn, to experiment, and to create something meaningful.

At Up to Something, curiosity is combined with craft, intuition with intention, and creativity with care. The result is architecture that feels alive, thoughtful, joyful, and deeply connected to how people live. Always exploring, always creating, always up to something.

Practising across Melbourne and Tasmania, Up to Something was founded by Keith Westbrook and Madeline Sewall. Expanding on established careers at acclaimed architecture practices, Keith and Madeline bring decades of combined experience, practice leadership, and sustainability expertise to their emerging studio.

Read more

Keith Westbrook | Up to Something

 

Super Studio Creative Director & National Juror

Keith Westbrook

Keith Westbrook is a registered architect and co-founder of Up to Something Architecture, a practice operating across Tasmania and Victoria. With over 15 years of experience, Keith has delivered projects spanning the residential, public, tourism, and commercial sectors. Prior to establishing Up to Something, he was a Director at Cumulus Studio, where he led the Melbourne office and delivered award-winning projects across Australia.

Keith is passionate about architecture that is thoughtful, sustainable, and deeply connected to people and place. He brings a collaborative and strategic approach to design, with particular expertise in regional architecture, visitor experiences, housing, and adaptive reuse.

With Curious Minds

Up to Something is an architectural practice that explores with curiosity and designs with intent. At its core, the studio is driven by curious minds, always asking, wandering, and discovering new possibilities. The practice views design as a journey, not a formula; a process shaped by people, place, and imagination. Every project is approached as an opportunity to learn, to experiment, and to create something meaningful.

At Up to Something, curiosity is combined with craft, intuition with intention, and creativity with care. The result is architecture that feels alive, thoughtful, joyful, and deeply connected to how people live. Always exploring, always creating, always up to something.

Practising across Melbourne and Tasmania, Up to Something was founded by Keith Westbrook and Madeline Sewall. Expanding on established careers at acclaimed architecture practices, Keith and Madeline bring decades of combined experience, practice leadership, and sustainability expertise to their emerging studio.

 

Read more

Thank You to Our 2026 Mentors and Jurors

Super Studio is one of the most dynamic events on the student calendar, and its success relies entirely on the strength of our professional community.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible architects, practitioners, and design professionals who have generously given their time, expertise, and energy to support the next generation of architectural talent. By bridging the gap between university and practice, you have helped shape the future of our profession.

Thank you for your invaluable contribution to Super Studio 2026.

State and territory jury members 

ACT | Sergio Geuna

ACT | Erin Rogers

ACT | Rowan Dunkley

ACT | Milica Muminovic

NSW | Sean Wong

NSW | Tom Rivard

NSW | Liz Donovan

NSW | Ben Allen

NSW | Nicholas Mielczarek

QLD | Kirsty Volz

QLD | Matthew Reynolds

QLD | Bianca Serrano

QLD | Myron Monteiro

NT | Rossi Kourounis

NT | Dima Maurice

NT | Andrew Swenson

NT | Marc Pilla

SA | Wilfred Cheung​

SA | Chris Rowlands​

SA | Ben Pitman​

SA | Bronwyn Marshall​

SA | Shannon Wark​

​TAS | Helen Norrie​

TAS | Mark Sawyer​

TAS | Jacob Tripp​

​VIC | Marc Dixon​

VIC | Michael List​

VIC | Nikita Bhopti​

VIC | Thom McKenzie​

VIC | Joel Polychronopoulos​

​WA | Chris Mewburn​

WA | Fred Chaney​

WA | Alice Ford​

WA | Marco Da Trindade​

Mentors 

ACT | Sarah Farrah​

ACT | Lyn Norton​

ACT | Charles Kemp​

ACT | Tash Bonney​

​NSW | Nettie Ni ​

NSW | Brandon Pais​

NSW | Yen Nhi Nguyen​

NSW | Luke Grey​

NSW | David McCrae​

NSW | Abhiraj Jundre​

​QLD | Sebastian Smith​

QLD | Maryam Khalil​

QLD | Sara Tan​

QLD | Paul Lee​

QLD | Kate Jones​

QLD | Jake Martin​

NT | Paul Bartsch​

NT | Andrew Swenson​

NT | Lindy Burton

SA | Eddie Omondi​

SA | John Boscoyu​

SA | Lachlan Mensforth​

SA | Andrew Lymn-Penning​

SA | Maddison Lewis​

​TAS | Matthew Collins​

TAS | Josie Pinkterton​

TAS | Taj Allen​

TAS | Josh Fair​

​VIC | Cesar Taboada​

VIC | Jessica Board​

VIC | Isabel Solin​

VIC | Sherina Suhartanji ​

VIC | Zachary Bradford​

VIC | Mizanur Rashid​

VIC | Stacie Mg​

VIC | Indra Liusuari​

​WA | Yang Yang Lee​

WA | Louis De Saran​

WA | Kristen Camacho​

WA | Adrian Iredale

Virtual | Tash Bonney (ACT)​

Virtual | Rod Brown (QLD)​

Virtual | Flynn Carr (NT)​

Virtual | Jessica Broad (VIC)​

Virtual | Sherina Suhartanji (VIC)​

Virtual | Nettie Ni (NSW)​

Virtual | Gunjan Shah (QLD)​

Virtual | Brandon Pais (NSW)​

Virtual | Senlina Mayer (QLD)​

Virtual | David McCrae (NSW)​

Virtual | Natalie Chiodo (VIC)​

Virtual | Cesar Taboada Perez (VIC)​

Virtual | Agatha Partyka (TAS)​

Virtual | Mark Jones (QLD)​

Virtual | Youssef Ibrahim (VIC)​

Virtual | Abhiraj Jundre (NSW)​

Virtual | Callum Senjov (QLD)

Virtual | Megan Baynes (TAS)​

Virtual | Louis De Saran (WA)​

Virtual | Levi Fletcher (NSW)​

Virtual | John Ng (NSW)​

​

NATIONAL JURY AND CREATIVE DIRECTORS 

National | Madeline Sewall

National | Keith Westbrook

National | Zoeanna Upadhyay

 

OFFICE IMMERSIONS AND HOST VENUES

ACT | COX Architecture​

​NSW | Charlotte Bryant – Welsh + Majo ​

NSW | Brandon Pais ​

NSW | Yen Nhi Nguyen​

​QLD | Buchan​

QLD | Architectus​

QLD | Burau^Proberts​

QLD | Fulton Trotter​

​VIC | Archimarathon Studio​

VIC | Clarke Hopkins Clarke Office​

VIC | Buchan​

VIC | Wardle​

​WA | SPH Interiors ​

WA | Hames Sharley​

WA | Hassell​

WA | TRCB

Call for Mentors & Jurors: SuperStudio 2026

Super Studio is back, and we are looking for passionate members to guide and inspire the next generation of architectural talent. Whether you want to foster creative thinking as a mentor or evaluate ground-breaking concepts as a juror, your expertise is invaluable to our students. 

Please complete the form to register your interest and help shape this year’s competition.

Your involvement directly contributes to a vibrant, collaborative architectural community. Once you submit this form, our team will review your details and reach out with further scheduling and briefing information.

2025 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."

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

Thank You to Our Past Mentors and Jurors

Super Studio is one of the most dynamic events on the student calendar, and its success relies entirely on the strength of our professional community.

We extend our deepest gratitude to the incredible architects, practitioners, and design professionals who have generously given their time, expertise, and energy to support the next generation of architectural talent. By bridging the gap between university and practice, you have helped shape the future of our profession.

Thank you for your invaluable contribution to Super Studio 2025.

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 | Suheri Purnomo 

VIC | Aleksander Borek

VIC | Lauren Garner

VIC | Dian Wang 

VIC | Emily Sproule 

VIC | Mary Ann Jackson

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 | 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 | Alex Brown 

VIC | Athiqah Ahmed

VIC | Harvey Male 

VIC | Dong Uong 

VIC | Hayden Djakic 

VIC | Tara Nosko 

VIC | Jarrod Agent 

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 2026 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.

learn more
contact us

Please contact SONA with any queries: 
[email protected] 
Phone: 03 8620 3910

This form is now closed.