+ ,e
FEATURE INTERVIEW Care Cowlishaw has
a unique perspective when It comes to
explaining the story
CONTENTS
AR REGULARS
BUSINESS
,O EDITORIAL
,2 OPINION
,4 QUOTES
Penny Graswell looks at small practices that also
33 EM ERGING PRACTICE
work in academia
Sera KirbY meets Jess Hardwick 62
rogerseller 64
..
Deborah Singerinari explores the rise of co- working spaces 30
STRATEGY
SImon Nelson provides
TECHNOLOGY
the first in a series of
Arithony Caruana on the
articles on how to write a
brave new world that is
30 printing
killer business plan
What can and should 26
MARKETING
PR is not a dirty word
THE DEBATE
Can high-rise and highdensity buildings at the water's edge be a positive way to contribute to a cityts growth and culture?
rdfront
WORKPLACE CULTURE
BRAIN TRUST
architects be doing to hello with the affordable housing situat on?
Available from
23
28
.
inity ece S
ISSUE149
australiandesignreview. coin
IF YOU BUI (NOT NECI CATE COWLISHAW BECAfv LAST NOVEMBER, FOLLO\/\ MANAGER. BUT HER INSIGf INFORMED BY THE FACT Tf 10 YEARS PRACTISING THE THE INDUSTRY / MADELEINE SWAIN
I
t's a disappointing moment when you rea Costner may not have been telling us the ago... because when you talk to Cate Cov
apparent that Costner's memorable Field of have been true aher all. You can build it, she
the job. If you want anyone.,. not just Shoele notice, you're going to have to know how to At Bates Smart, Cowlishaw has four key, and the order she lists them is telling. "PR an broadest audience of all of our activities, ma and industry relationships, and then bids anc Marketing (and branding) is something she r conversation. It comes up when she's talkinďż˝ benchmarks itself against overseas architec1 really carefully about our brand and market f do that relatively in isolation. To try and deve we are and where we want to go. But the tes at other firms and see that position relative t, particularly interested in, but we're an Austra practice, so we look at local and internationa marketing strategies." But it's also top of mind when she's discu by the firm to ensure future growth. "We're fc
ISSUE 149
,8 INTERVIEW
"I ACTUALLY Do ENJOY WRITING BIDS AND TENDERS. A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T, BUT THIS !S ALSO WHERE I THINl< tvlY ARCHITECTURAL BACl<GROUND COMES IN. "
that's where you should target to try and get Your work published. And generate a profile. .. Then you can go that step backwards and start to follow the trail through to the end client.
"Be proactive. there^ nothing wrong with being proactive, " she stresses. "I think that a lot of architects feel that if you do great work,
that:s all that you need to do. And You do need to do great work, but You also need to make sure that people know that you do great work. So that's really a lot of what the business development and marketing team do, is make sure that people know the great work that BS does. " EVOLUTION
Spoken like a true marketer. But how did Cowlishaw get there? How does someone train and practise as an architect and then slip over to the dark' side. the business side. And why? Cowlishaw says her interest in the discipline started early. At primary
school in fact. "We were living in London at the time and the primary school that I went to had a program of working with local architects and they would come into the school and do various activities with us. We would walk around the neighbourhood looking at all the different architectural styles of the houses around the school. And then wed do activities like designing a village for 100 people. So we could choose wherever we wanted that to be and I think that mine was in a desert
of the tender documents. And then I when I was probably six or seven
Years out I moved to Canberra and got the chance there to set up a studio for a practice. That was when I started to get more involved in the business side of architecture. And I realised what the hard work
Sometimes in architecture there can be a dist creative and the C suite, who don't share a or
was in finding projects and building up a business. I found that a really
is where Cowlishaw can thrive
That was probably one of the first sparks. I think, that pushed me
interesting challenge. " It was then she began but didn't complete the MBA. "That gave
towards an interest in architecture. "
me a bit more insight into broader business operations and how every
Returning to Australia. she finished her schooling in Sydney and completed her architecture degree at Sydney University. Five Years later though she returned to study. signing up for an MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management - a sign of the way her career would later unfold. So why did she leave the creative practice? " generally worked front end as a grad, so I worked on competitions and bids, " she explains. "And that led naturally into working on the actual preparation
business needs to take all those factors into consideration, " she says.
THE BUSINESS OF ARCHITECTURE
RIGHT/LEFT BRAIN What her career has given her though is that
Does she miss the creative and hands-on side of architecture? "A
little bit, " she admits. " still like peering over everyone's shoulder and
seeing how the projects develop. With big significant projects, you put a lot of effort into winning the projects and so you're naturally interested then in how they develop. I love being in a design studio and being exposed to design every day. "
"It is an advantage having come from arcl
think that has been definitely an advantage re knowledgeably to clients about what their prc we can help them. " Does she see herself as a translator? "Deii
it's understanding the design stories and thint and communicating that in a way that makes industry. For a client that may mean this cleve made this site developable. The clever idea in
developable and the way we have thought ab
ISSUE149
Is. And then I when I was probably six or seven
RIGHT/LEFT BRAIN
In belra and got the chance there to set up a at was when I started to get more involved in
What her career has given her though is that unique perspective
hirecture. And I realised what the hard work
creative and the C suite. who don't share a common language. And this
and building up a business. I found that a really
is where Cowlishaw can thrive.
an but didn't complete the MBA. "That gave to broader business operations and how every all those factors into consideration, " she says. :reative and hands-on side of architecture? "A
still like peering over everyone's shoulder and s develop. With big significant projects, you put rig the projects and so You're naturally interested JP. I love being in a design studio and being y day. "
Sometimes in architecture there can be a disconnection between the
"It is an advantage having come from architecture, " she agrees. I think that has been definitely an advantage for me to be able to talk knowledgeably to clients about what their project might be. And how we can help them. " Does she see herself as a translator? "Definitely, " she says. "I think it's understanding the design stories and thinking behind the projects and communicating that in a way that makes sense to a client or to industry. For a client that may mean this clever idea is actually what's made this site developable. The clever idea may be that this site was not developable and the way we. have thought about it has turned it into a
ISSUE149
commercial opportunity. When you're talking to industry it's more about the design ethos and the way we think as designers. " Communication is clearly key in Cowlishaw^; world, which must be why she relishes one task that many would rather delegate. " actually do enjoy writing bids and tenders, " she says, when asked the secret to writing a great tender. "A lot of people don't, but this is also where I think my architectural background comes in and having worked at the front end, which is all about the potential and the possibility You can achieve with a project. I see writing the tender as one step before that. So it's about: what's the possibility with this project? What^ the potential? What could it be? And communicating that and. obviously, how Bates Smart'S experience will help You achieve that. ' While Cowlishaw can't say definitively how her role will evolve. there
are a couple of areas she believes will grow in importance. 'In the last few Years, content marketing has certainly become a big part of our job
australiandesignreview. coin
+ Cate Cowlisha. w on. .. Areas for future growth. Commercial, residential. hospitality have all been strong. Health, education, aged care as well. We're seeing residential taper off a little in the Australian market and we are seeing commercial and integrated workplace start to pick up. But I think we'll still see opportunities across all of those sectors in the next few Years The secret to writing a great tender. There's a lot of compliance that you have to go through, but if you keep focusing on 'this is an exciting project and what is the best that it could be and how can we help You make it the best it could be' it becomes a much more interesting exercise.
International expansion for Bates Smart. Our client base is becoming more global and we are looking at projects in Dubai, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and New Zealand at the moment. At the moment we are servicing them f rom our Australian studios. But that could change. Social media. We love Instagram! Everyone In architecture loves beautiful images and Instagram is a great way to show that And then Linked In is really great for more in-depth material or reposting articles.
^stment from government in infrastructure, public 31 and we've had a lot of international investors
not just the investors. .. "We've already started to s coining out to Australia, ' she says. "And certainly Ie influx of English architects wanting to come
n through the GFC and we may become even e place for people to invest. " ch interest from overseas can see local firms
"WE' RE FOCUSING On^I CONSOLIDATION As Nit, ,ICH As G RowTl-I. .. To MAI I\I TAI I\I THAT
BRAN D AN D MARKET POSITION THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE. "
50 percent representation in our own right in competitions, otherwise it
does limit the access for local firms to those major opportunities. " And for those local firms that are just becoming established? What advice would she give them? "Take the time to make some decisions about
what your design and business goals are for the practice, so that you've got a good framework for making decisions as your practice grows. And that will inform many things for you: which projects should you do, where
should you have your office. which staff should You employ, " she says.
\e says. "We've seen a lot of international firms ntly with the relatively high level of activity here.
"But the main thing really is that You have to do good work! A clever marketing strategy is not going to substitute for poor performance. I
10sitive in a number of ways. It's integrated
think that should be your number one priority. " ar
Ier global design discourse, which has been re has been a tendency to focus on international 1810r competitions and I think we would like to ite equitably represented there. [There should be]
^
photography Elleni Tournpas
ISSUE149
* Apparently the if you build it he will come' line was actus"y delivered
by an uricredited Ed Herris, whose wife Amy Madigan was the movies femalelead.
australiandesignreview. coin