The opportunity of architecture is not just in the creation of buildings. We want to seize this to leverage a new way of practising that knowingly maximizes impact.

Emma is a co-founder and Partner at TheFulcrum.Agency and has nearly thirty years of experience working in practice and as an advocate for social issues related to the profession.

Emma holds Degrees in Architecture and Interior Design and contributes to projects at all scales, from detail to the big picture. She is recognised for her skills in project critique and is a member of the West Australian and South Australian State Design Review Panels, as well as Chair of various local government Design Review Panels.

In 2022, Emma was named a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects in recognition of her contribution to the profession beyond architectural practice. Above all, Emma is committed to expanding design-related conversation beyond the architecture profession, and to breaking down barriers for others to contribute ideas.

Emma maintains a connection with academia through her role as Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Monash University. Her written work appears in national and international publications, and she is regularly invited to present to the profession, government and public on topics such as design, gender equity, leadership and practice management.

I think the big thing really is this idea around social and community impact – it’s a fundamental part of what we’re trying to work out through the Agency. How to measure the work we do and be able to assess the work that we’ve done in terms of its long-term impacts in communities. It would be interesting to know if the way we work could change or not if developed through the lens of social impact, it might change the design process itself – the kind of spatial response might be different – the way in which we engage with clients might be different – or the way in which we collaborate might be different. So, the difference I think is that we’re trying to leverage something else out of the architecture – to open up an opportunity within the realms of work that we do, to make a greater impact. That might be not doing a building at all but doing something else.

Kieran is a co-founder and Partner at The Fulcrum Agency and uses his skills in design, research and advocacy to deliver positive outcomes for communities.

Kieran’s portfolio includes urban design and architectural projects that have been awarded by the Australian Institute of Architects across commercial, public, urban design, interiors, education and residential categories, as well as winning the Australian Award for Urban Design and an International Award for Public Participation. His writing has been published on topics covering urban renewal and densification, Indigenous housing and new models of practice and procurement, and he is regularly invited to speak on these issues.

Kieran is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Monash University, and Industry Partner for the University of Sydney’s Health Habitat Incubator. Kieran has a Bachelor of Architecture from Curtin University and is a regular contributor to university programs in Western Australia.

We have an incredible opportunity to redefine the way we work, the projects we target and the clients we collaborate with – with the singular desire to deliver work that makes a real impact.

I am interested in how, as design thinkers and problem solvers working in the built environment, we can measure the social value that our projects create.

Nick is a Principal at The Fulcrum Agency and a Registered Architect with twenty-five years’ experience delivering projects in Australia and Asia. Nick is focussed on strengthening the relationship between project delivery, profitability and social impact, creating long-term benefits for our clients, communities and practice. He has studied the principles of social impact assessment and was awarded Level 1 Associate Practitioner status by Social Ventures International.

Nick’s project experience includes health and community facilities, schools and aged care facilities across Western Australia and the Northern Territory. He particularly enjoys the opportunities and challenges that come with working in remote communities. Contrasting this work is Nick’s experience delivering high-end resorts, hotels and hospitality venues across Asia. His work in India is highly acclaimed receiving outstanding guest reviews and ongoing commercial success for their operators.

Nick is also passionate about music, he is TF.A’s resident ‘playlister’ and the Founder and Chair of Fremantle’s newest community radio station, freocast. Nick holds an Honours degree in Architecture from the University of Western Australia, is a Studio Practice Tutor for Notre Dame University new architectural course and an active member of SIMNA, Social Impact Measurement Network Australia.

If we are fortunate, each of us will stand before a building or in a public park or at a train station and we will be moved by the beauty and comfort of the space. We will marvel at the effect it has on our bodies and our souls, and on those around us. We will feel as if this place was made for our benefit; that someone was concerned with our well being, with our humanity. The joys of architecture and landscape can be felt in many places: at home, in our neighbourhoods, in our towns and cities. It can help to soothe our health, and allow us to thrive in socially cohesive and culturally mindful communities. My desire is that this experience is open to us all.

Andrew is a Principal at TF.A and leads our Sydney agency, reinforcing our national presence and ability to deliver projects in diverse locations. For fourteen years, Andrew was Managing Director at Tangentyere Design Architects in Alice Springs, one of Australia’s most respected Aboriginal owned, not-for-profit architectural businesses.

To us he brings considerable experience in cross-cultural engagement, strategy, policy making and advocacy. He has a reputation for excellence in client management and brokering positive relationships with all levels of government and bureaucracy. Andrew always works for the benefit of community – sustaining culture first and foremost – whilst delivering award-winning projects.

I’m really interested in the concept of agency, both as a model of practice and sociological tool. We seek to embody both definitions. Our structure is more akin to an advertising agency in that we are comfortable looking to experts outside the practice for input into our projects. I love that the work we are pursuing seeks to empower and build capacity.

As Head of Communications, Emma works closely with both Principals. Over her career she has worked in small, medium and large-sized architectural firms helping to craft a distinctive voice for the practice in language that everyone understands.

At The Fulcrum Agency, Emma is responsible for a range of activities including content development, our social media and digital platforms, as well as reaching our community of clients and colleagues through our bi-annual printed publication.

Emma is the Executive Officer for the Association of Consulting Architects, overseeing membership and events in Western Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts and Italian from the University of Western Australia, a Graduate Certificate in Arts Marketing from Deakin University and is partway through her Master of Business Administration at the University of Western Australia.

What do I like most about the work that I do? The opportunity it’s providing to work with communities to help them become more self-sufficient. We’re trying to find a way to change the path so that there is an impact where there might not otherwise be one with a standard outcome.

Heather is an Associate and Registered Architect at The Fulcrum Agency with experience delivering complex projects in metropolitan Perth as well as remote communities in the far-north of Australia.

Heather brings to the practice a belief in architecture’s potential to enhance lives and empower communities. Through her leadership on a series of innovative housing and community infrastructure projects on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory, Heather has developed skills in consulting with diverse stakeholders and complex multi-disciplinary teams.

As a recipient of the University of Western Australia’s Ferguson Travel Scholarship, Heather lived in Santiago de Chile and worked at esteemed social housing ‘do-tank’, ELEMENTAL. She is an active member of the National Association of Women in Construction and tutors in the Architecture program at Notre Dame University.

I am particularly interested in how tFA seeks to advocate for self determination in remote communities. Through rigorous engagement and design process for housing and community facilities, our intent is to improve existing conditions and support future growth.

Akira is a Registered Architect with skills across architecture and urban design. She was the first point of contact in our role as Estate Architect for the residential developments at Perry Lakes and White Gum Valley, overseeing the approvals process for new homes on these sites. This role has given her a thorough understanding of the complexity of the built environment, in particular regulations, guidelines and the permeable intersection between architecture, urban design and landscape.

Akira is committed to working on projects that deliver social value as one of their key performance indicators. She has worked on numerous education, innovative housing and master planning projects across Western Australia and the Northern Territory, having travelled regularly to Groote Eylandt. In 2013, Akira participated in a construction project in Nepal as part of Architects Without Frontiers.

Akira graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Master of Architecture with High Distinction.