Kim Crestani

  

Kim Crestani formed Order Architects in 1984. Kim manages the practice and focuses on client liaison, design, presentations and development opportunities.

Kim has given talks, seminars and workshops at both the RAIA and HIA, most recently at the ‘Housing of the Future’ Forum in Perth, May 2006. She has been published in House and Garden, Vogue Living, Belle, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Weekend Magazine, The Real Estate Journal, Architecture Australia, and the Architecture Bulletin. She was also interviewed for the highly acclaimed ABC television series ‘In the Mind of the Architect’ and has been a guest on Radio National’s The Comfort Zone. Recently Kim has appeared on the ABC’s The New Inventors program to present "The Pod System". As the inventor of this new home add-on scheme, Kim demonstrated and explained the invention on behalf of thepodsystem™.

In 2006, the RAIA awarded Kim the prestigious Marion Mahony Griffin Award For A Distinctive Body Of Architectural Work And To Recognise The Contribution Of Women Architects To Architecture In New South Wales. In Feb 2009 Kim was appointed to the NSW Nation Building + Jobs Plan Taskforce to assist in the stimulus package initiated by the Federal Government.

She is one of three architects who form the Design Review Panel for the New South Wales government’s initiative to increase the capacity of the Sydney metropolitan rail network via the North West Rail Link.

This is Kim's second year as a Festival Champion.

What inspired you to undertake a career in architecture?
My dad was a concretor and I preferred making paths to cooking cakes. He took me on Harry
Seidler and John Andrews building sites and I was hooked.

Is there a mission to your work?
Get architecture to the people- houses/public places and domain- make places better and
affordable.

What's your background – what stud/experience was involved to get to where you are?
From the suburbs- Yagoona (only claim to fame – first Mc Donalds store in Aust) and close
to where Paul Keating was born…then went from School to Darlinghurst gaol ! [ Institute of
Technology ]then UTS Broadway then graduated and set up my practice.

Can you describe an "average" working day for you?
Now I am working on the North west Rail Link as part of a team, managing the Masterplanning
and Urban design which is a really exciting and huge infrastructure project – so designing/
collaborating on the best design outcomes for the areas around the stations for the new
generation of customers.

What's the one thing - piece of equipment, toy, security blanket, – you can't work without?
My little black sketch book

Who in the industry most inspires you?
Any architect who is passionate about what they do and is proud of their work. And smart clients
who engage good architects and consultants

What in the industry do you despair about?
Bad apartment planning which is still happening.

What is the best thing about your job?
Being able to make changes to promote high quality environments

What’s the worst?
Marginalistion of good ideas by committee and decisions to abandon projects.

What are the top three skills you need in architecture?
Passion/enthusiasm, skills about how to build and innovative ideas.

What’s your favourite period of architecture?
Modern- case study houses Neutra and Aalto.

What’s your favourite building?
Very difficult to choose one but I have just looked at Frank Lloyd wrights unbuilt work book and I guess there are many many designed projects that never were built so I’ll pick all of those great ones in the drawer!

What advice would you give anyone looking to break into your field?
Start drawing/sketching and “read” the environment we all live in. Read books and see movies
like Blade Runner, Gattaca, LA Confidential - anything with architecture in it + make friends with landscape architects and engineers plus lawyers and bankers.

What do you see as the current trends in architecture?
Smaller and higher quality houses/ shared housing for elderly singles /urban lounge rooms/
Glass that mediates environments/better quality groovy retirement resorts/using existing
buildings and what we’ve got .. better.