Featured Article - City Shapers and Dealmakers
CITY-SHAPERS AND DEALMAKERS: WOMEN MAKING THEIR MARK IN PROPERTY
Women who are shaping the built environment in Australia’s biggest cities.
Women are taking the lead on major projects, planning, proptech solutions and construction, increasing visibility and representation in the property sector. While two female chief executives, Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz and Alison Mirams, are stepping down from their posts this year, The Urban Developer takes a look at the women who are shaping the built environment in Australia’s biggest cities.
Emily Wombwell Studio Director - SJB
Emily Wombwell is studio director at SJB and has some big place-making projects under her belt.
Wombwell has been spearheading design in large mixed use projects for more than nine years, with some significant city- shaping precincts and projects under her belt. She says one of her earliest projects, the award-winning Quay Quarter Lanes in Circular Quay, was influential in her career. “We started working on it in 2014 and it took over seven years to reach completion. Not only did this project have an aspirational brief and a special site but the collaborative process of working with multiple design firms on a postage stamp site, in the heart of Sydney, was highly formative and inspiring for me,” Wombwell says. Wombwell also says designing the Newcastle East End precinct in her hometown, and collaborating with six other design firms on the 16ha Canberra Brickworks project were also highlights. The architect also co-founded Perspectives seven years ago to create a cross-disciplinary platform for women in creative industries. “At the time women were very obviously the minority voice at most industry events and that wasn’t always due to lack of invitation but sometimes also due to lack of confidence or time to get involved,” Wombwell says. “We wanted Perspectives to be a supportive environment for both established and emerging female creatives to present their story.” Wombwell says there is no shortage of brilliant female architects in Australia, paving the way for the next generation.
10 – June / July 2023
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