Andrew Parish
Architecture, 2021
I know life can be unpredictable but if you told me when I was a kid that I would be studying architecture in the nation’s capital, I would have assumed you got lost on your way home from the pub. I grew up in a small community in the Northern Territory where our biggest worry was how long it was till the weekend and where we would go camping next. This laid-back lifestyle was shared by the whole town and was an amazing and unique place to live.
Just before starting high school my family and I uprooted and moved to central west NSW. Seeing the variety and complexity in buildings around town alongside our trips to Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra started my interest in architecture. Although I was interested in pursuing a career, I could never see myself heading to university, No one in my family had ever been before and I thought this was out of reach. The following years I spent working in finance and mechanics before I had an opportunity to work as a draftsman in a mixed disciplinary firm. This was the point I made the decision to make the jump and apply to university and commit to architecture.
Fortunately, I was accepted to University of Canberra and never looked back taking advantage of everything that was on offer. Design Canberra festival’s in first and second year, international competitions, drafting for local businesses, coding through Michigan university and tutoring first year digital here at UC. I loved my time at UC and lookforward to what the coming years have to offer.
Selected Portfolio
Civic station masterplan
My design focused around using our site as a catalyst for the activation and utilization of our civic center
Civic Station
My first implementation of the light rail system and station focused on connecting Canberra, allowing easy access to all areas of Canberra but in particular the civic center
Civic Library
The second stage of the design was opening access to the surrounds of the site and adding a notable gathering area. This became the new civic library replacing the current one outside the theater that blocks circulation through the area
Civic Hills
The final step was to activate our site itself. This was achieved through the addition of a multi-use building and connection to city hill. The structure hosts an array of local businesses as well as residents, this along with the ability to safety access city hill will invigorate the area.