Since co-founding Benson McCormack Architects, David has immersed himself in a growing number of medium and large-scale residential and corporate developments and master planning major infrastructure projects
April 22nd, 2013
Your top 3 influences.
All the senses, although I’m sure that’s more than 3.
The moment you knew you wanted to be a designer.
As a kid getting muddy in a local creek with my brothers. I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking at but I definitely liked it. As I was to find out later, studying architecture, it was Harry and Penelope Seidler’s House in Kalang Ave Killara. Australia’s ‘Fallingwater’.
Favourite local landmark/building.
Orange Grove Public School, Lilyfield Sydney. Not so much a landmark but a weekly meeting place for the local community to share in the rich spoils of a framers market and local gossip. Everything from nuts to nutters.
Favourite material.
I love everything that comes from the earth but have a soft spot for terra cotta. A traditional building material still very much relevant today for its inherent environmental qualities but more so I think for its beauty. A local example of a contemporary use of terracotta is Renzo Piano’s beautifully crafted Aurora Place in Sydney’s CBD.
Favourite international landmark/building.
La Ramblas in Barcelona. Again perhaps not a landmark but certainly the soul of the city.
Biggest career moment.
Starting Benson McCormack Architects. I like being accountable and running your own business, there is nowhere to hide. Your conviction is everything.
Dream project to work on (real or imaginary).
The Bays Precinct in Sydney. It’s just a drop in the harbour, then again the Opera House wasn’t built in a day.
Dream person to collaborate with.
I think someone outside of my chosen profession of architecture. Perhaps Uma Thurman.
Favourite decade of design.
60’s definitely. It’s the decade that we all still talk about and not only for design.
Favourite chair.
I have thousands but any one on a plane will do, although technically that’s probably a seat rather than a chair. I have an old captain’s chair in my house that I love looking at but rarely sit in.
#1 concern for the design industry in the coming decade.
That we lose our sense of place, purpose and optimism because it is continually being questioned, governed, litigated, eroded, mass produced and therefore undervalued by a very simplistic, consumerist view of how the world works. That’s a cynical view, but locally we could be doing a lot more to support and encourage our creative industries.
Which items in the workplace can you not live without?
Seriously my lunch, laptop, MP3 player and Simon because he goes to Lattacini’s for coffee.
The most unusual/interesting thing about the way you work.
It’s all about the left side. If that doesn’t work then borrow someone else’s. Design is a collaborative process.
Benson McCormack Architects
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!
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
As the Official Platinum Partner of the 2017 INDE.Awards, Zenith brought the entire Asia Pacific region together with an INDE.Awards Viewing Party live from their stunning Singapore showroom!
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Lacquered in warm timber tones and complemented by high-quality furniture and fixtures, the new HQ for Salta Properties is a home away from home.
A south coast escape that redefines hospitality architecture.
2024’s theme, “Reawaken,” calls for a journey through reinvention and sustainability.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.