RUSSELL HARDING

Five minutes with Russell…

When did you decide on a career in Architecture and why? 

It was never a conscious decision – more a destiny! I remember driving around as a kid in Canada, with my face glued to the car window looking at all of the amazing houses and buildings - trying frantically to draw them from memory when I returned home. Everyone knew I was born to be an Architect, and I’ve never looked back since completing my university degrees and working in private practice for the past 13 years.

Where or who do you look to for design inspiration?

I’m a huge fan of Pinterest – I think it’s a great way to easily discover new ideas and get inspired. I often create and share pins with clients, and encourage them to do the same, to better understand their style and vision. I’ve also been experimenting with AI to generate interesting, blended ideas and concepts. In terms of a person I look up to - Danish Architect, Bjark Ingels. He has an amazing experimental approach and refined process to everything he designs.

Is there a public space or building in Australia or overseas that exemplifies your idea of great design. Where any why?

I lived in Sweden for a semester on exchange, and loved spending weekends visiting Bo01, (also called the “City of Tomorrow”), in in the southern city of Malmö. It is the first neighbourhood in the world to be run 100% by renewable sources. As part of the European Housing Expo in 2001, a group of 16 developers from around the world were invited to collaborate on the project to turn the industrial port into a mixed-use neighbourhood showcasing sustainable design. Each designer was allocated an area to highlight their ideas, however it all works so seamlessly together. It’s a truly remarkable place to visit.

What’s the first question you ask a client when meeting for a design brief? 

“What’s the one activity most important to your family’s daily life?” – the best designs are born out of having a deep understanding of how central areas in a home bring people together.

How do you think sustainability and environmental impact will change house designs and construction practices in the next five years?

I came across a quote that really rings true for me - “the most sustainable house is the one you already have”. Design today and into the future will be more focused around sustainability – recycling and upcycling as many products, materials and resources as possible rather than starting from scratch. It’s all about “continuity of habitation” – reshape what you’ve already got, and make it better. 

What’s the best piece of advice you can give someone thinking about a major renovation or a knock down rebuild?   

When it comes to a renovation, don’t lose sight of what’s already working. Clients tend to get fixated on what they don’t like about their current house, and whilst some of those areas may need fixing, bringing the good areas of the house into better focus can often work wonders.

Career highlight / most memorable project to date?

Probably one of the first projects I worked on out of university – designing a section of a school. It was such a surreal feeling seeing what I had drawn come to life during the construction phase.

Is there a difficult project you’ve worked on? How did you overcome the obstacles?

A recent project in Hunters Hill springs to mind. Set within a council under very stringent heritage conservation and planning requirements, there were lots of obstacles in obtaining our DA approval. Trying to navigate the rules and come back several times with new solutions was frustrating and time consuming. However, we got there in the end and were granted approval for a design that everyone was happy with – which made the process all the more rewarding.   

This or That?

• Traditional / classic or modern and edgy? Traditional and classic

• Open plan or defined spaces? Open plan

• Renovation or new construction? Probably renovation from a sustainability perspective

• Hand-drawn sketches or digital modelling? I really like both – I always start with hand drawings to conceptualise broader ideas, then move to digital modelling to test concepts.

• Coffee or tea? Neither – I’d usually opt for a juice or smoothie.

“The best designs are born out of having a deep understanding of how central areas in a home bring people together.”