The leading design practice takes things up a notch, expanding its footprint, adding new talent to and promoting more from within its teams, in several states.
Times are swell, right now, at Davenport Campbell.
The preeminent practice has been at the forefront of innovative design since its establishment in Sydney in 1977. With game-changing milestones such as the first workplace campus, the invention of the business lounge for Qantas and the creation of the first Computer Aided Design system in Australia, this studio has some serious clout in Australia’s design heritage.
But this is one organisation that isn’t basking in its former glory. The drive to create high performance and truly transformative business environments has never been stronger.
“Now more than ever our work is about providing the direction and confidence to businesses to not only survive, but to flourish in times of upheaval and rapid change. We want to give our clients every advantage.” says Neill Johanson, Davenport Campbell principal.
Powered by a collective mindset, relentless curiosity, intellectual openness and the quiet confidence of a clear purpose, the leading practice is working with organisations in Australia and around the world to help redefine the spaces we need now to meet the flexibility necessary in an ever changing world.
“We put people at the centre of design and live to ask; What’s the next big thing that will make life better? We don’t follow the crowd or conventional wisdom, we think differently, deliberately,” says Johanson.
Based on recent awards’ shortlists—the 2021 INDE.Awards shortlist being one of them—Davenport Campbell has honed itself a winning approach. And now, the announcement of studio expansions, global appointments, a string of new recruits and significant team promotions, gives further evidence of that.
Here’s who’s who and what’s what, these days at Davenport Campbell…
Adding to the stable of Davenport Campbell studios, a new opening in Melbourne and expansion of the Canberra office gives Davenport Campbell physical presence on the ground in more locations to better serve a host of national clients. Between the two, there are 3 promotions and 3 new additions to commend.
Polly Schofield, senior designer
Jane Alexander, director
Suzanne Lind, senior designer
Bradhly Le, associate director
Alison Gibb, senior designer
Fransiska Sylvana, designer
The Davenport Campbell team in Sydney has 4 new additions and 9 internal promotions to celebrate (9.5, actually, when you include Suzanne Lind – now a senior designer, working across both Sydney and Canberra studios).
Kirsty Argyle, managing director
Emma Davenport, director
Lisa Munao, director
Natasha Chance, associate director
Oscar Iturra, associate director
Dan Mathias, associate director
Tracey Schofield, associate director
Ben Voorderhake, associate director
Sean Willcock, associate
Emily Capel, communications co-ordinator
Grant McLean, senior designer
Jenny Shao, designer
Garth Hsu, BIM manager
All this is in recognition not only of the team’s outstanding achievements to date but also looking towards the future.
“Reconnecting with purpose is not just something we’re talking about with our clients right now – it’s a really important driver within our studios also. These promotions are all about making sure we are always in touch with what we value, that we don’t lose sight of our achievements over the decades but that we are always looking ahead to the next opportunity to make a difference”, says Johanson.
“Our track record of great work is only possible because of our incredible team and our investment in everyone’s continuous improvement. We have a collective mindset and are proud of our culture of learning and excellence. We are deeply committed to doing something great for each other and our clients.”
INDESIGN is on instagram
Follow @indesignlive
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Aeron Chair’s new shades, Nightfall and Jasper, arrive with a sense of quiet cohesion – no bells and whistles, no loud technicolour; just two timeless, perfectly versatile near-neutrals. But the new hues aren’t just about colour – and their significance is much more profound than their surface-level subtlety might suggest.
As Woven Image celebrates 40 years, it introduces a new collection developed in collaboration with Australian artist Ben Goss, inspired by his original artwork Where the Kookaburra Sits into a vibrant collection of digitally printed EchoPanel® murals and patterns.
The magnetic pull of certain spaces comes down to how seamlessly they work and, more importantly, how they feel. Recognising this, Kettal Workplace draws on the uplifting codes of other sectors to deliver contemporary workplace design.
A recent gathering hosted by Wilkhahn brought designers together to discuss flexibility, technology and the changing role of the workplace.
Davenport Campbell’s Neill Johanson argues that, in a hybrid era, the office is no longer justified by attendance alone.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
As the Living Cities Forum returns to Sydney and Melbourne this August, Kundoo — appearing alongside international speakers such as Finn Williams and Ludwig Engel — tells us about time, abundance and care in her work.
KFive Furniture and Finnish design brand, Nikari, invite us into a world of Finnish folklore and exquisite woodworking traditions. As we step through this moody, magical forest of culture and contemporary design, we discover what makes Finnish design distinct from its Scandinavian counterparts.