Honour roll - Design Institute of Australia

No.21
spark_Winter 2011
The Voice of Professional Design
Honour roll
Australia’s best designers strive for glory at
2011 Australian Interior Design Awards.
Winners of Australia’s most prestigious Interior Design
award programme – the Australian Interior Design
Awards – were announced for 2011 at the Peninsula in
Melbourne on Friday 15th April.
An internationally recognised programme
that highlights the work of Australia’s leading
professional interior designers and architects,
the Awards are self-funding, not-for-profit
and adhere to a strict judging procedure
based on peer review and overseen by the
Design Institute of Australia.
Bursting with talent
Now in its eighth year, the Australian Interior
Design Awards is a joint awards programme
co-hosted by the Design Institute of
Australia, designEX and Artichoke magazine.
Event Manager Jacinta Reedy said that the
awards ‘provided a unique insight into the
ability and quality output of Australian
designers’ and ‘demonstrates the creative
skills that drive world-leading interior design
practice in Australia.’
This year’s awards received nearly five hundred
entries, and for the first time included a
Sustainability Advancement Award, taken
out by BVN Architecture for its work on the
Puckapunyal Military Area Chapel.
Out of the ordinary
The Premier Award for Interior Design
Excellence and Innovation went to
Wolveridge Architects for the Hill Plain
House, a rural Australian home in Victoria.
The architects were commended for their use
of materials and lighting in a rural residence
which, according to the jury, ‘… represents
a confident interior design philosophy that
achieves regional identity and connection in
a fresh and unprecedented way.’ >
www.design.org.au

:to kindle,
excite or
animate
Getting Religion
Winter_2011
There is a beautiful land, far from the
shores of Europe and America, deep in
the Southern Ocean. Its people are smart,
hardy and productive. The people in this
land have a great education, stable and
transparent government, and a knack for
bright ideas.
That land is New Zealand. But spare a thought for the people who run a world
class nation at the end of the world with the population of greater Sydney.
Most NZ foreign currency is earned from the land, but raw materials are
comparatively poor earners and not kind to the environment. Well aware the
cards are not in their favour, the Kiwis have had a very good think about how
to improve their lot and came up with an obvious goal: earn lots of foreign
currency. Common sense and business studies 101 teaches that the answer
to creating wealth is to supply unique things people want so much they are
willing to pay significantly more than it costs to make them.
New Zealand’s Department of Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) knows this very well
of course, and to their eternal credit identified ‘design’ as the creator of that
key differentiation.
Designers have known this for a long time and many of us have shouted
ourselves hoarse that design creates sustainable competitive advantage. This
usually falls on deaf ears: designers spruiking the benefits of design is naturally
perceived as self-serving.
‘Design’ is also difficult to define, usually confused with quick-fix, ‘lipstick on a
pig’ styling. No company will manufacture and sell a well-designed product in
parallel to badly designed one just to evaluate the difference.
NZTE defined the desired outcome as increasing the country’s wealth and
decided that design was the key to achieving this – but the real genius was
in how they made it work and got it to stick. They did it by working on the
demand side of the equation. They created a program called ‘Better by Design’
which squarely targeted the customer audience, the Chief Executive Officers
of companies with the highest potential to earn export dollars.
Fast forward nine years and I’m standing in a large conference room with 200
Kiwi CEOs at a beautiful vineyard in Auckland. We have just been through
two intense days of presentations by IDEO, the CEO of Air New Zealand Rob
Fyfe, and speakers including Marty Neumeier (The Brand Gap), Dick Powell
(Seymour Powell) and Peter Senge (The Fifth Discipline).
It is the closing forum and the roving mike is earning frequent flyer miles.
Questions about the benefits and ins and outs of the program are answered not
by the panel but spontaneously by the CEOs in the crowd who had been through
the program: ‘Our profits are up’, ‘We’ve employed another three designers’,
‘We’ve ripped out the board room and installed an idea space where employees
and customers come together to create and evaluate new ideas’.
They got it: they got design, they got religion.
In eight years more than 130 NZ companies have gone through the program.
From an initial government investment of NZ$12 million, the program is well on
the way to creating an additional one billion dollars. Pretty good investment.
The Queensland government was the first in Australia with their licensed
version of Design Integration called ‘Ulysses’. I just attended a lunch where the
first eight CEOs of companies that had been through the pilot program were
presented to the heads of department and got to tell their story in their own
words and you know what? They got religion.
‘State of Design’ is piloting Design Integration in Victoria on a smaller scale.
New South Wales and South Australia are about to enter pilot phases of
the program, organised by the federal Creative Industries Innovation Centre
(CIIC). The DIA is working with AGDA on strategically coordinating with the
respective state and federal bodies to ensure designers are represented. The big
accounting firms can see the great opportunities ahead; now it’s down to all of
us to make sure the design profession is heard at the business and strategic end.
Those hard-bitten business folk got design, now we have to get business!
Strong DIA presence
As is often the case, DIA designers featured
prominently in the awards with individual
and practice members achieving several
Category Winners, Best of State awards and
High Commendations on the night.
The 2011 AIDA jury comprised Daniel Dalla
Riva (6 Hats), Pascale Gomes McNabb
(Pascale Gomes McNabb), Libby Guj (JCY
Architects and Urban Designers), Greg
Natale (Greg Natale Design), Susan Rossi (DBI
Design),
Matthew Sheargold (Sheargold),
Ninotschka Titchkosky (BVN Architecture)
and
Kirrilly Wilson (John Wardle Architects).
ESD Chairperson was John Gertsakis (WSP
Environment & Energy) and Jury Convenor
was Joanne Cys LFDIA, DIA Immediate Past
National President.
Congratulations to all the many
DIA members detailed below:
Retail Design Winner
Project: Crumpler.
Designer: Ryan Russell MDIA for Russell
and George.
Hospitality Design Winner
Project: Crown Metropol.
Designer: BATES SMART (Practice Member).
Corporate Design Winner
Project: Wilson Architects Office.
Designer: Lauren Cameron MDIA for
Wilson Architects.
Residential Decoration Winner
Project: Federation Revival.
Designer: Meryl Hare FDIA for Hare + Klein
Interior Design.
Best of State – Commercial Design
Project: Norton Rose Canberra.
Designer: Sue Carr FDIA for Carr Design
Group (Practice Member).
Project: Wilson Architects Office.
Designer: Lauren Cameron MDIA for
Wilson Architects.
Project: National Australia Bank Adelaide.
Designer: Woods Bagot (Practice Member).
Highly Commended – Retail Design
Project: Joy Cupcakes.
Designer: MIM Design.
Project: Saxony World Square.
Designer: Louise Bell MDIA for INTERNI Pty Ltd.
Highly Commended – Hospitality Design
Project: Capital Kitchen.
Designer: MIM Design.
Project: The Spicers Balfour Hotel.
Designer: Coop Creative (Practice Member).
Highly Commended – Corporate Design
Project: ANZ Centre.
Designer: Hassell (Practice Member).
Highly Commended – Installation Design
Project: New010.
Designer: Nexus Designs (Practice Member)
and ACCA in collaboration.
Project: Shells Architects of the Ocean.
Designer: Amanda Henderson MDIA for Gloss
Creative Pty Ltd and Chris Bosse for Lava.
01
02
03
Oliver Kratzer FDIA
DIA National President
www.design.org.au

3
Cover_Bates Smart, ‘Crown Metropol’.
01_Russell and George, ‘Crumpler’.
02_Hare + Klein Interior Design, ‘Federation Revival’.
03_BVN Architecture, ‘Puckapunyal Military Area Chapel’.
04_Herbert & Mason, ‘Bleu’.
05_Wolveridge Architects, ‘Hill Plain House’.
06_James Russell Architect Pty Ltd, ‘Home’.
07_Wilson Architects, ‘Wilson Architects Office’.
spark_Winter 2011
05
Highly Commended – Installation Design
Project: Norton Rose signage installation.
Designer: Sue Carr FDIA for Carr Design
Group (Practice Member).
Highly Commended – Residential Design
Project: Barwon Heads House.
Designer: Christopher Hansson MDIA for
Inarc Architects.
Highly Commended – Colour in
Commercial Interior Design
Project: ANZ Centre.
Designer: Hassell (Practice Member).
04
Project: Design-B-Shed Ferry Port Terminal.
Designer: Brooking Design Practice Australia
(Practice Member).
Project: Joy Cupcakes.
Designer: MIM Design.
Project: Crown Metropol.
Designer: BATES SMART (Practice Member).
Project: Crumpler.
Designer: Ryan Russell MDIA for Russell
and George. SPARK
Images courtesy of Australian Interior Design Awards
(www.australianinteriordesignawards.com) and
the designers concerned.
06
07
Obituaries
Merell Jean Browne and Keith Miles
Merell Browne
Merell Browne,
a longstanding
member of the
Society of Interior
Designers, died on
January 30th 2011.
After an early career in banking with the old
National Bank of Australia in Sydney and
London, and later in market research with
John Clemenger, she attended the Gloria
Goldsmith School of Design in East Sydney.
Her decorating career included time
working in Hong Kong and London, and she
continued in Melbourne on her return from
the UK in 1985 when she joined SIDA.
She involved herself keenly in the Victorian
chapter of SIDA and hosted many
functions held by SIDA, working tirelessly
in the promotion of her profession and her
professional body.
She continued as a supportive member of the
Design Institute of Australia on the merging
of the two professional bodies in 1998.
Merell is survived by her husband Marshall
and their daughter Justine.
Keith Miles
Well known Melbourne Interior Decorator,
Keith Miles, died on February 12th 2011,
aged 86.
After early training with Myer Melbourne,
he commenced his business, Keith Miles
Interiors, in Ivanhoe in 1953, later moving to
Hawthorn. He will be best remembered for
his large and glamorous showroom in Toorak
Road, South Yarra.
Keith became a member of SIDA on the
establishment of the Victorian chapter in the
1970’s and served on the chapter committee
for years, including five years as State Convenor.
He contributed in many ways and his wisdom
and common sense were greatly valued by all.
Keith enjoyed a large and very loyal client
base and did extensive work for Henley
Homes, furnishing their prestige display
houses for many years. His son Simon worked
closely with him and is also well known for
his work in interior decorating.
Keith is survived by his wife Beth, and their
sons Christopher, Simon and Andrew.
The DIA will miss both members, and extends
its condolences to both families. SPARK
www.design.org.au

4
spark_Winter 2011
Close scrutiny
Australasia’s top student design work goes
under the microscope
The annual Australasian Student Design
Awards (ASDA) is arguably Australasia’s
leading student design awards programme,
and aims to elevate the profile of the region’s
high-achieving undergraduate design students,
apprentices and graduates by publicly
recognising their outstanding design work.
Rich prize pool
This year’s hotly contested programme was
on display at designEX at the Melbourne
Exhibition Centre until Friday April 15th, 2011.
Prizes for winning students included cash,
products, art and design supplies, publicity,
courses and DIA memberships.
Emerging talent
01
01_Christina Fogale
The ASDA Overall Winner and recipient of
the Award of Excellence was recent Interior
Design graduate from RMIT, Christina Fogale.
Christina – who also won Runner-Up award in
the recent Victorian/Tasmanian GOTYA awards
(see story elsewhere in this issue) – impressed
the judges with her exceptional levels of
creativity and versatile approach to her work.
New Zealand entrants also featured strongly
in this year’s ASDA, winning three of the
design categories available.
Congratulations to all winners and their
entering design institutions.
Christina Fogale, ‘Responsive Oscillation’, RMIT University, VIC.
Todd Hislop, ‘Parasite’, University of South Australia, SA.
Full details can be found on the DIA website
at www.design.org.au
Mercia Tawhiri-Kerr, ‘Te Tiriti o Waitangi’.
Inari Kiuru, ‘Winter Thoughts’, RMIT University, VIC.
Michael Grobelny, ’Clean Waves’, Auckland University
of Technology, NZ.
Overall winner:
Award of Excellence
Christina Fogale, ‘Responsive Oscillation’,
RMIT University, VIC.
The judges determined that this outstanding
entry displayed a very high level of creativity. The
concept demonstrated a wonderful expression
of changeable form and an immense versatility
of application. The project also demonstrated
an innovative approach to material usage and
a sensitivity to sustainable design practices.
Krisztina Gabor, ‘Flux’, TAFE NSW - Sydney Institute,
Design Centre Enmore, NSW.
Hayden Dewar, ‘Alive with Wonder’, Northern
Melbourne Institute of TAFE, VIC.
Johannes Collopy, ‘Bud - National Park Service Vehicle’,
Monash University, VIC.
Other winners
Interior Design
Elizabeth Scott, ‘Theatre Memoire’,
Queensland University of Technology, QLD.
Interior Decoration
Krisztina Gabor, ‘Flux’, TAFE NSW - Sydney
Institute, Design Centre Enmore, NSW.
Exhibition / Display Design
Christina Fogale, ‘Responsive Oscillation’,
RMIT University, VIC.
Mercia Tawhiri-Kerr, ‘Te Tiriti o Waitangi’.
Lopamudra Parekh, ‘MultiCultural Food Collective’,
University of South Australia, SA.
Elizabeth Scott, ‘Theatre Memoire’, Queensland
University of Technology, QLD.
Shenaz Engineer, ‘A Kaleidoscope Perspective’,
Queensland University of Technology, QLD.
Visual Design
Hayden Dewar, ‘Alive with Wonder’,
Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE, VIC.
Furniture Design
Lopamudra Parekh, ‘MultiCultural Food
Collective’, University of South Australia, SA.
Digital Media Design
Todd Hislop, ‘Parasite’, University of South
Australia, SA.
Fashion Design
Shenaz Engineer, ‘A Kaleidoscope Perspective’,
Queensland University of Technology, QLD.
Industrial Design
Michael Grobelny, ’Clean Waves’, Auckland
University of Technology, NZ.
Jewellery Design
Inari Kiuru, ‘Winter Thoughts’, RMIT
University, VIC.
Transport / Automotive Design
Johannes Collopy, ‘Bud - National Park Service
Vehicle’, Monash University, VIC.
Textile Design
Catherine Cookson, ‘Kasuri’, Massey
University, NZ.
Catherine Cookson, ‘Kasuri’, Massey University, NZ.
www.design.org.au

5
Baptism of fire
spark_Winter 2011
NSW/ACT and Vic/Tas GOTYA entrants run the
gauntlet of some rigorous judging
The winners of the 2010 NSW/ACT and
Vic/Tas Graduate Of The Year Awards (GOTYA)
were announced recently, with the awards
reinforcing their reputation as a venue for some
of the brightest design talent in those states.
01_Oliver Kratzer (right), National President, and
NSW/ACT Industrial Design winner Andrew Elliott.
02_MC and NSW vice president Todd Packer.
03_GOTYA exhibition.
01 02 03
Multiple award categories
The NSW/ACT award presentations were held
at the Stylecraft premises in Darlinghurst,
Sydney, where the 18 finalists mingled with
over 100 guests, including design educators
and industry representatives from the broad
range of design disciplines that the
DIA represents.
Todd Packer, DIA NSW Vice-President,
explained that what made GOTYA different
from many other student award programs
was that the entrants were all recent
graduates, nominated not for their response
to a single design brief, but for excellence
across their entire academic career.
‘Another difference is the GOTYA selection
process, in which each finalist has to face an
interview by a panel of judges – a daunting
experience for anyone!’ said Todd.
Passion and enthusiasm
‘Interior Decoration graduate Matthew Grand
was named Overall Graduate Of The Year.
‘Matthew’s depth of design understanding
and design thinking made him stand out
against some fierce competition, and his
passion and enthusiasm reminded us all of
why we enter the design profession.
‘The standard of entrants was extremely high,
so being nominated is a great achievement
in itself.’
NSW/ACT GOTYA winners
Overall Graduate of the Year
Winner – Matthew Grand
Judges’ comment: ‘The best way of describing
this year’s winner is enigmatic. The winner’s
depth of design understanding and design
thinking was excellent; his presentation
captivating; his passion and enthusiasm
reminded us of why we all entered this
wonderful design profession. We hope that
by being given the recognition that this award
brings he’ll be encouraged to continue to
develop his design skills.’
Textiles Encouragement Award
Jiah Harrison
Fashion Design
Louise Pierina Murer
Interior Decoration
Winner – Matthew Grand
Runner-up – Hien Tran
Finalist – Paula Borges
Interior Design
Winner – Bradhly Le
Runner-up – Sally Westren
Finalist – Alison Lysaught
Industrial Design
Winner – Andrew Elliott
Runner-up – Julian Lombardo
Finalist – Simon Schwartz
Graphic Design
Winner – Paul O’Connor
Runner-up – Diana Chirilas
Finalist – Sophie Zetterberg
DIAS Prizes
Julian Lombardo and Diana Chirilas
Victorian and Tasmanian
GOTYA winners
The DIA’s 2010 Victorian and Tasmanian GOTYAs
were announced at the Bathe Showroom in
Melbourne on 17th of March, 2011.
Overall Graduate of the Year
Overall Winner of the Victorian and Tasmanian
GOTYAs was Textile Designer Julie Newton.
Judges’ comment: ‘Julie Newton has
used transdisciplinary practices to achieve
appealing outcomes beyond the convention
of textile designs. Her confident approach
to different materials displays a maturity of
thought and impressive skills, and suggests a
strong future for this graduate. Her attention
to detail and her exceptional finishes to her
work were most impressive.’
Runner-Up was Jess Eisenhauer, and Georgie
McKenzie received an Honourable Mention.
Interior Design
Winner – Lauren Hepner
First tied runner up – Cara Gabriel
Second tied runner up – Christina Fogale
Interior Decoration
Winner – Hannah Lake
Runner up – Jennifer Potts
Honourable Mention – Anna Hauser
Graphic Design
Winner – Hailey McKenzie
Runner up – Holly Canham
Honourable Mention – Luke Ryan Dawson
Industrial Design
Winner – Edward Linacre
Runner up – Carla Zampaglione
Honourable Mention – Christina Heggie
Sponsors
The DIA and NSW/ACT GOTYA
gratefully acknowledge the invaluable
support of many organisations
and individuals, including the SIDA
Foundation for major cash prizes in all
categories, plus Stylecraft, Top 3, SJB
Interiors, Blurb and the ISCD, GOTYA
judges and Convenor Clive Solari.
Sustainability Prize Winner
Bradhly Le
Textile Design
Winner – Julie Newton
Colour Prize
Sally Westren
www.design.org.au

6
spark_Winter 2011
Clean slate
Clever bathroom design competition
thrusts the design process into the public eye
The recent 2011 designEX event in
Melbourne was the venue for a number of
interesting DIA activities, including a novel
three-day public design competition.
Full view
But it wasn’t the public doing the designing
– rather, a group of four young industrial
designers were invited to design a bathroom
of the future – in public.
The ‘Hettich Mystery Box Challenge’ was
organised in conjunction with the Victorian
branch of the DIA, and provided a great
opportunity for the selected designers to
apply their skills and talent to solving an open
design brief over a fixed three-day period.
Hettich Australia provided the brief, venue,
tools and support, and the designers set about
their task in full view of designEx visitors.
Ingenious design solution
Judging was carried out by Daniel Dalla Riva
and James Harper of the Victorian Branch
of the Design Institute of Australia, with the
first prize being a cheque for $1,000 from
Hettich Australia.
The winner was Michael Denham from
Outerspace Design, who designed an
‘incredibly well resolved, all-in-one bathroom’.
According to James Harper, DIA Victorian
President and DIA National Vice President,
Michael’s combined shower, basin and
toilet ‘symbolised the flow of water and
the aesthetics of the solution were as well
considered as its complex function.
‘Through a series of sketches, CAD models
and prototypes, Michael considered every
aspect of the product and produced a
stylish, sustainable, hygienic and spaceefficient
solution,’ said James.
Inspired by nature
Dean Beansted from JonesChijoff took the
broadest approach by thinking about what
the bathroom of the future might be and
how water exists in nature.
He emulated this with a hand basin that
operated like a pond, being constantly filled
by a recycled source of water.
Treated wastewater was filtered through
a series of wall hung planters that acted
like bio-sand filters creating a closed-loop
system, with the design addressing the cold,
clinical appearance of modern bathrooms
with a softer, more natural approach.
Diverse approaches
Carla Zampaglioni of Invetec created a
compact, functional bathing system for
high-density living.
Her design process was clearly
demonstrated and she considered a wide
range of options, eventually focusing on the
design of a shower head that investigated
the use of hydrophobic materials which
repel water.
Andrew Beard from Cobalt Niche took a
purist product design approach, designing
the most production-ready solution with a
new approach to the bathroom ceiling fan.
He researched the market to identify a need
and used architectural inspiration to create
a sculptural feature piece that also provided
an important function.
The judges also commented that Andrew’s
prototype, which was beautifully modelled
in 3D by Formero, looked remarkably close
to a finished product.
Valuable experience
All designers were enthusiastic about the
challenge and the high visibility given to the
design process.
‘I’d encourage any young industrial designer
given the opportunity to take part in such an
event,’ said Andrew.
Carla Zampaglioni said that it was ‘such a
rewarding experience that she thought it was
like all her Christmases coming at once!’
03
04
Excellent outcomes
‘The Hettich Mystery Box Challenge
produced some great product outcomes,’
concluded James Harper.
‘Just as importantly, it also helped to
communicate to designEX visitors the design
process employed by professional industrial
designers, including thinking, researching,
sketching, reviewing, modelling and
prototyping.’ SPARK
Images courtesy of Hettich Australia, designEX
and the individual designers concerned.
05
01 02
01,02_Winning all-in-one bathroom and toilet
design concept by Michael Denham.
03,04_Integrated bathroom ceiling fan concept
by Andrew Beard.
05,06_’Bio-filter’ basin and bathroom concepts
by Dean Benstead.
06
www.design.org.au

7
Serving the
community
01_RAE SME memorial.
02_Kiama memorial.
The second project is a ‘Recognition of Service’
walkway for members of the Australian
Defence Forces (ADF) currently engaged
in military operational duties who have a
connection with the Kiama region in NSW.
Grim reminder
Harry, an ex British and Australian Army
‘Sapper’ officer himself, was engaged by
the ADF to design a memorial in Casula to
honour the achievements of the Tunnel Rats,
who earned their nickname the hard way by
crawling down narrow, often booby-trapped
tunnels in South Vietnam to engage in deadly
hand-to-hand combat with the Vietcong.
A bed of red roses was planted at the apex
of the wall as a traditional metaphor for
‘undying love’, and was included at the
request of the widows and children of the
deceased soldiers.
Harry’s second design concept was a
Recognition of Service Walkway for the
Kiama Council and Kiama RSL Sub-Branch,
to whom he has just presented his ideas.
Merging identities
The proposed walkway will adjoin an existing
Memorial Arch, with Harry’s design utilising
a low scale and ‘landscaped approach’ of
a paved walkway flanked on both sides by
gently angled Kiama basalt stone walls,
thereby providing a surface to place the
plaques of serving ADF members upon.
spark_Winter 2011
The paving stones provide a lateral
connection and juxtaposition between the
two aspects of the memorial, each of its
own time and design aesthetics.
DIA member helps
commemorate the
sacrifice of ADF
soldiers
With Anzac Day 2011 having recently
passed, DIA architect member Harry Sprintz
has supplied details of two proposed
projects he has worked on involving the
Australian Army in NSW.
One is a memorial to commemorate the
Vietnam War exploits of Number 3 troop,
1st Combat Engineer Squadron, Royal
Australia Engineers (also known as ‘The
Tunnel Rats’).
01 02
Harry’s proposed memorial design incorporates
a low curved wall or ‘bund’ that represents
Vietnamese rice paddy walls, with the
memorial plaques of Sappers attached to it.
Regional focus
Each plaque is placed in identical horizontal
alignment to signify absolute equality of
each soldier, regardless of rank, and the
wall has a facing of Hawkesbury stone
representing the region of NSW from where
most of the Tunnel Rats originated.
According to Harry, the two projects are
examples of the ability of some designers
to take positive, honorary roles in
community projects.
‘Projects like these hopefully go some way
towards offsetting the often incorrect
perception of designers’ work being primarily
directed towards profit-motivated commercial
enterprises,’ explained Harry. SPARK
Images courtesy of Harry Sprintz Architect,
www.harrysprintzarchitect.com
Great Australian designers recognised
Three new inductees
for DIA Hall of Fame
announced
01_Geoffrey Stewardson LFDIA
02_Meryl Hare FDIA
03_Derek Hooper LFDIA
The latest entrants into the Design Institute
of Australia’s Hall of Fame for 2010 were
announced at a cocktail function at
Melbourne docklands on April 15th this year.
Welcome additions
Some forty selected guests attended to
witness Derek Hooper, Meryl Hare and
Geoffrey Stewardson join the ranks of
fifty-two other distinguished Australian
designers in the DIA’s Hall of Fame.
Presiding over the event was DIA National
President Oliver Kratzer FDIA, with citations
for the new inductees announced by
Geoff Fitzpatrick FDIA, Chair of the Hall of
Fame Committee.
The new inductees were also acknowledged
later as guests at the official dinner to
celebrate the Interior Design Awards 2011.
www.design.org.au
Distinguished history
01 02
03
The DIA Design Hall of Fame had an
initial emphasis in the 1990s on Victorian
designers, but was relaunched in 2005 with
a national Australian emphasis.
As such, it is an important repository of
Australia’s design history, recognising and
rewarding notable Australian designers and
design industry figures who have made an
outstanding contribution to Australian design.
Derek Hooper LFDIA graduated from the
RMIT Industrial Design Course in 1954 and
joined what is now the DIA in 1956.
He has worked almost exclusively during
his career as a consultant on the areas of
exhibition design and product development.
He has designed for many companies
and many major projects, including the
Stockman’s Hall of Fame, Great Barrier Reef
Aquarium, ANZ Banking Museum and the
Sydney Opera House Retail Shop.
Derek also designed the Koori Cultural
Centre in Melbourne, which contains a
library, retail space, exhibition centre and
interpretive centre, providing a significant
resource for indigenous elders to educate
their children in their culture and history.
Derek has contributed strongly to design
education and developed the Swinburne
Industrial Design Course where he was
Lecturer in Charge.
In 1974 he was elected as DIA Federal
President and served in this role until 1978.
Derek was recognised with a Fellowship in 1970
and was awarded a Life Fellowship in 1991.
Geoffrey Stewardson LFDIA has a career
in design that has spanned many spheres
but his most notable role was as a director
of the eminent firm of Riddle Marley, which
focused on the area of residential interior
design and decoration.
Geoffrey was strongly engaged in the
Society of Interior Design [SIDA]and served
as National President from 1994 to 1995,
subsequently assisting in the establishment
of the SIDA Foundation.
As a national director of SIDA, Geoffrey
played a pivotal role in the successful
amalgamation of SIDA with the DIA in 1998.
He then continued to serve on the board of
the DIA and was national treasurer of the
Institute from 2000 to 2002.
Geoffrey’s dedication to the profession
has been exemplary and he continues to
contribute strongly. He was awarded a Life
Fellowship in 1998.
Meryl Hare FDIA is the Managing Director
of award-winning interior design practice
Hare & Klein, which she established in 1989.
Meryl was born in Johannesburg and trained
in Durban, South Africa in Graphic Design.
She worked as a Graphic Designer in Natal and
then in Marketing Management for Barclay’s
Bank in Johannesburg, following which she
spent ten years as managing director of Gallery
Interiors before coming to Australia.
A full professional member and National
Councillor of the South African Guild of
Interior Designers, she joined SIDA on her
arrival in Australia, becoming SIDA President
from 1996 to 1998.
Meryl joined the DIA in 1989 and was a
National Councillor from 1998 to 2000.
Meryl has contributed enormously to the
practice and reputation of Interior Design
and has regularly won awards at a National
level, being highly regarded by her fellow
professionals.
She was awarded a Fellowship in 2001.
SPARK
Full citations for these DIA Hall of Fame inductees
along with all previous recipients can be found on
the DIA website at www.design.org.au

8
spark_Winter 2011
High flyers
DIA members
prominent in new
interior design award
A new interior design award hosted by
Belle magazine and furniture and design
brand Coco Republic has just announced
its inaugural winners, with three prominent
DIA members winning three out of the five
award categories.
DIA member, interior designer and architect
Greg Natale FDIA won the major overall prize
of ‘Interior Designer of the Year’ award.
Jeffery Copolov FDIA, Interior Design Director
with DIA Practice Member Bates Smart, won
the Best Hospitality Interior award, and Matt
Gibson MDIA, architect and interior designer,
won the Best Residential Interior award.
Greg Natale won his ‘Interior Designer of
the Year’ award for his work over a range of
residential and retail projects, with his work
on the Twomey Country House, the Uscari
premises and ‘The Optometrist’s’ office at
Sydney Westfield clinching the major prize
for him.
‘I am absolutely delighted,’ said Greg.
‘This is an honour and a privilege that goes
above and beyond the satisfaction we get
from our work – which we love.
‘Being recognised by our industry peers
promotes solidarity
among design
creatives and sets
the bar higher
every year.’
Greg wins a return business class flight
to London with seven nights luxury
accommodation and the opportunity to
meet two of the UK’s leading interior
designers, Kelly Hoppen and Andrew
Martin, at the London Design Festival from
September 16 - 22nd, 2011.
Jeffery Copolov FDIA of Bates Smart won the
Best Hospitality Interior award for his work
on the Crown Metropol and Maze projects
in Melbourne, and Matt Gibson MDIA won
Best Residential Interior award for his work
on the Mary Street Residence in Melbourne.
Congratulations to all DIA winners.
Images courtesy of Greg Natale,
www.gregnatale.com
SPARK
03
02
04
01_Greg Natale.
02_Twomey Country House.
03_The Optometrist.
04_Uscari.
The Voice of Professional Design
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Need more information?
Design Institute
of Australia
ABN 12 004 412 613
National Office
Level 1, 175 Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia
GPO Box 355
Melbourne VIC 3001
Phone 1300 888 056
Fax 03 9662 4140
Web www.design.org.au
Email admin@design.org.au
Thanks to the following
people and/or organisations
for contributions to the
Spark newsletter:
James Harper
Greg Natale
Geoff Fitzpatrick
Harry Sprintz
Todd Packer
Caroline Caneva
Jacinta Reedy
Michael Denham
Hettich Australia
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available from BJBall Paper.
Winter_2011
SPARK is the National Newsletter of the DIA.
©2011 DIA
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