NSW Architects Registration Board Members:
President: Dr Deborah Dearing
Deborah Dearing is an architect with over 30 years’ international experience in urban design, planning and property development within both government and private organisations, including 15 plus years in management and executive roles. Dr Dearing is a District Commissioner with the Greater Sydney Commission, and sits on the Heritage Council of NSW. She brings a strong record of personal commitment to fostering positive, collaborative relationships within teams and with all stakeholders - in executive roles with Stockland and Architectus, and as an Executive Director, Place Development and Place Renewal with the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.
Dr Deborah Dearing is the 11th President elected to the Board since it was first constituted in 1923, and the first woman to hold the role.
Deputy President: Peter Poulet, NSW Government Architect
Peter Poulet is NSW Government Architect and General Manager of the Government Architect’s Office. He has over 25 years experience in Australia and Japan in both private and government architectural offices. Peter provides strategic and independent advice to Government on the built environment and provides Government Agencies with design review and advice on specific projects through commissions, boards and committees.
Peter is a member of the Sydney Opera House Trust Conservation Council and the NSW Architects Registration Board. He is Chair of the Sydney Olympic Park Design Review Panel, the Sydney Opera House Eminent Architects Panel, the Sydney International Convention Exhibition & Entertainment Precinct Design Review Panel and the North West Rail Link Design Review Panel. Peter is appointed as a Trustee of the ANZAC Memorial and provides advice to the ANZAC Memorial’s Board of Trustees on issues related to the protection and conservation of the Memorial.
Shaun Carter, Immediate Past President, Australian Institute of Architects (NSW)
Shaun is the founding architect of Carterwilliamson Architects. He is the Principal Architect of the practice, overseeing all projects, large or small. Shaun came to architecture with a Structural Engineering degree and many years working in the construction industry. In his Architecture studies he won a Board of Architects Award and the Alexander Lloyd prize for design. By the time he graduated with 1st Class Honours in Architecture from the University of Technology, Sydney, he had a comprehensive understanding of design, structure and construction. Shaun brings this knowledge to every design project.
In 2012 Shaun won a place on the Dulux Study Tour [ DST2012 ] visiting the architects and architecture of London, Berlin and Dubai. This prize acknowledges the best and brightest of the generation of eligible architects. Later that year Shaun won a Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship for Carterwilliamson’s GRID lightweight, transportable, relocatable, flat-packed Housing project, visiting disaster sites in Asia and America, culminating in meetings in New York with the UN. He has tutored at the University of Technology Sydney, The University of Sydney and the University of NSW. Shaun has delivered TEDx talks on why we should "Let Architecture In" , and "why we should value or brutalist Architectural History". He regularly presents and lectures at the Australian Institute of Architecture, Architecture on Show, public and government forums on architecture, sustainability, the built environment, design excellence and the public interest.
Nigel Bell, Architect
Nigel is principal of ECOdesign Architects + Consultants, based in Katoomba Blue Mountains. He has been a registered architect for over 30 years, having worked for small and medium practices before commencing his own. From early days working on heritage projects, he moved on to become an early champion of sustainability and now, community engagement. He has won various personal and professional awards at local, state and national level, all from a regional base.
Melonie Bayl-Smith, Architect
Melonie Bayl-Smith is a registered Architect in NSW and Victoria, and Director of Bijl Architecture. Over the past 15 years, Melonie and her practice have undertaken many design-led projects across residential, educational and public sectors. Her considered and purposeful approach to architecture and design is evident in Bijl Architecture’s award-winning and widely-published projects. Known as an outspoken advocate for architectural education, gender equity and good design, Melonie is Adjunct Professor at UTS School of Architecture where she teaches in the M.Arch. program, lecturing in professional practice and tutoring in the design studio. Melonie has recently completed a two-year term as Chapter Councillor for the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects (2015-17). Melonie is an active researcher; evidenced by the publication of peer-reviewed academic papers and presentations at conferences worldwide, includes “BuildAbility”, a large-scale international research project examining the future of construction education for architects and associated professionals. This project was supported by a Byera Hadley Scholarship (2009) and a NAWIC International Women’s Day Scholarship (2010). A Part 3 APE examiner for the ARB NSW since 2007, Melonie has a deep understanding of the processes and interactions around the registration process. In 2015, Melonie co-authored the new Overseas Qualification Assessment (OQA) process for the AACA and is an appointed assessor for the NPrA, LEP and OAA assessment and registration pathway.
Prof Gerard Reinmuth, architect, academic member
Gerard Reinmuth is a Founding Director of TERROIR, an architectural practice which emerged from conversations around the potential for architecture to open up questions of cultural consequence. TERROIR’s work encompasses projects, research and regular contributions to the profession through exhibitions, teaching and writing. Gerard’s current role is split between his Directorship of TERROIR’s Sydney and Copenhagen offices and his Professorial role at UTS. This crossover of practice and research is centred on questions around the agency of the architect in making our cities and the future of the profession in a globalised interconnected world where the traditional conception of the architect are not always valid and have been replaced by new forms of architectural work.
Of the non-architect members, four are individuals knowledgeable about the architectural profession and respectively, represent the views of the building industry; the property development sector; local government; and home owners. One is a legal practitioner with expertise in building and construction law. Ministerial appointments to the Board are generally for a two-year term.
Matthew Curll, Lawyer and Legal member
Matthew is a very experienced law practitioner who specialises in advising architects and other building industry professionals in the management of risk through their consultant contracts and in the management of claims that arise against them from time to time at various stages of the building process.
He also acts for building professionals in disciplinary claims and is familiar with the operation of relevant legislation such as the Building Professionals Act 2005 and the Architects Act 2003. Matthew advises various building professionals including architects in relation to their consultant agreements in the building industry especially where those agreements are non-standard and involve a more complicated regime in relation to allocation of risk through indemnity clauses, assumption of liability, and associated insurance arrangements/obligations
Sarah Marshall, representative of the building sector
Sarah Marshall is the Executive General Manager, Operational Support, Engineering with Lendlease - one of the world's leading providers of fully integrated property and infrastructure solutions. Her role has oversight across the Engineering business for Human Resources; Industrial Relations, Environment, Community and Sustainability, Safety and Marketing and Communications. Sarah brings a hands on, consultative style with extensive experience leading multi-disciplinary teams (up to 20 direct and 60 indirect) and facilitating mentoring/coaching/training, as well as an understanding of different organisational cultures. Sarah is also a Board Executive Director of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia, which is the peak industry body for advancing sustainability outcomes in infrastructure.
Milly Brigden, representing the property sector
Milly Brigden’s career has been characterised by over 7 years’ experience as a Property Investment Specialist, Licenced Real Estate Agent as well as 20 years as a property investor. During this time Milly has developed a wide range of real estate knowledge, including the ability to identify and assess new opportunities for investment Australia wide. Milly is currently the Co-Founder and Licensee-in-Charge at Property Investor Solutions where she provides investment-grade property opportunities to approved industry business partners. Milly Brigden also assists relevant Stakeholders with the development and review of projects performing thorough and concise market research, analysis and due diligence across Australia.
Sue Weatherley, representing local government
Sue has comprehensive experience in senior level planning, management, and the direction of broad based directorates in medium to large local governments in NSW and Queensland. Sue is currently Group Manager Outcomes and Development at Parramatta City Council in the centre of western Sydney, the twelfth largest local government in NSW, with the second largest CBD. As Group Manager, Sue is responsible for preparation and management of a budget of $12 million, and the management of 150 staff across 4 service units.
Peter Salhani, representing the views of the public
Peter Salhani is a freelance editor, writer and curator, based in Bondi, in Sydney’s east. His interviews and articles exploring Australian architecture and design, urban space, sustainability and landscape, are published in magazines, journals, books and online. He is a former editor of Monument, Architecture Bulletin (Australian Institute of Architects NSW) and architectureau.com. In June 2017, Peter was invited to be Writer in Residence at the Australian Design Centre in Sydney. He was on the Sydney Architecture Festival curatorial team in 2014–2015. Peter holds a Bachelor of Arts (behavioural sciences / law) from Macquarie University, a Diploma of Company Directorship from The University of New England, and did post-graduate industrial and graphic design studies at UTS.
The Board meets every third Wednesday of the month.
Administrative officers and staff
Tim Horton, Registrar
Mae Cruz, Deputy Registrar /Examinations, Education and Scholarships
Nadine Roberts, Finance and Compliance Lead
Gabrielle Shina, Part-time Para-Legal
Contact the Board
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