Autor: Austin Maynard Architects
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Before we get started…
We have changed our name. People say that we shouldn’t be messing with our ‘brand’, as it’s ‘bad business’ to do so. Perhaps they are correct, but we are not interested in business. We are interested in life, happiness, fun, family and reward for effort. Mark Austin joined Andrew Maynard Architects in 2007. In 2009 Mark became a director. In 2016 we are transitioning from Andrew Maynard Architects and are now know as Austin Maynard Architects. Exciting times!
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Austin Maynard Architects – Directors Mark Austin and Andrew Maynard
BIO of Andrew Maynard
Andrew is a Tasmanian now living and working in Fitzroy, Australia. Andrew Maynard Architects (AMA) was established in 2002 after Andrew won the Asia Pacific Design Award’s grand prize for his mobile work station, THE DESIGN POD. Andrew Maynard Architects was established to strike a balance between built projects and bold, polemical design studies. The resulting highly crafted built work and socio-political concepts have garnered global recognition.
THE AGE newspaper says of Andrew: “His concepts include a man-eating robot, a bicycle made of plywood and “Poop House” – a structure made from human excrement. Images of the archetypal mad scientist spring to mind, but architect Andrew Maynard, like his designs, comes across as measured and eloquent.” Andrew’s work has been published globally and has been exhibited worldwide from New York, Budapest and Osaka; to Milan, Sao Paulo and Tokyo.
Conversational bio of Andrew Maynard
Andrew is Tasmanian and has a bachelor of Environmental Design and a bachelor of Architecture (with honours), both of which he received at the University of Tasmania. He was invited to undertake a PhD at RMIT university, which he started, however someone at RMIT said something mean to him once so he threw a tantrum and left.
Andrew has won loads of awards. While still at uni he won an international design competition that sent him around the world. A short time later he won the Asian Pacific Design Awards for his Design Pod. Again the prize was a trip around the world, plus other cool stuff. His prefab housing model has received awards and his built work have gone on to win loads of local and international accolades. Last year HOUSE House received a high commendation in the house of the year category at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Singapore. HUGE! Ilma, Hill House and Moor house have also been shortlisted at WAF in the past.
Hill House, Anglesea and HOUSE House have all won at the AIA annual awards. His Zero Waste Table received recognition at the United Nations World Environment Day Awards. Awards, Awards, Awards. But you know what they say, awards are like haemorrhoids, sooner or later every arsehole gets one. Andrew’s work has been exhibited throughout the world, which is nice. His first big exhibition was at the YOUNG Guns exhibition in New York City in 2004. At the moment his Styx Valley Protest Shelter is being exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Venice!
Andrew is regularly asked to lecture, which he loves. A couple of years ago he was a keynote speaker at the Malaysian Institute of Architects conference where he gave a lecture to over 2000 delegates. Next year he’ll be a keynote speaker at the New Zealand Institute of Architects conference. What a show off. Last week he was a speaker at a conference that was all about time. Andrew was asked to speak about the way that old buildings influence, and often confine, the way that we see the city in the present. Other speakers were scientists, academics and philosophers. He wasn’t out of his depth, much.
Andrew has an ongoing love affair with all types of media. He is interested in the way that the ubiquitous nature of media influences culture. TV, newspapers, magazines, books, and various types of new media have been very kind to Andrew. There are loads of good interviews with him here. He’s even been asked to host TV series, which is rather rad. He declined an audition to host Grand Designs Australia (which he kinda regrets). He did an audition to host a show called THE RENOVATORS. The show turned out to be a flop, so he dodged a bullet with that one. He’s currently being pursued to host a new show, but thats a bit hush hush, so pretend that I didn’t mention it.
Andrew is left of centre and can’t keep his political views to himself. He’s keen to see a fair, equitable and generous world. He thinks that there should be an even distribution of wealth and that white middle class people like him should consider their responsibilities more than their rights. After all, the world has been designed in favour of people like him for too long. Andrew’s hero is Peter Singer, the bioethicist, and he attempts to follows Singer’s lead by giving away a healthy chunk of his income to people that could use it more than him. Andrew also tries not to eat meat, because it’s ruthlessly unsustainable, but dead animals are really tasty so he has a lot of trouble with vegetarianism. He’s rather concerned that subsequent generations are going to look back at us and think that we were a bunch of selfish arseholes, and they’ll probably be right too.
Andrew wrote an essay a couple of years ago about Work/Life balance. The essay explored exploitation within the architectural profession and why it happens. The response was huge, making it one of the most read articles of all time on Archdaily. Stoked. All of this make Andrew seem like a bit of a wanker, but he’s alright. Most people seem to like him when they meet him.
Conversational bio of Mark Austin (director of Austin Maynard Architects)
Look at how much space Mark gets compared to Andrew. It isn’t fair really, but that says a lot about Mark. He’s too modest to say it himself, but he’s a fantastic architect and a great project manager. He is, like Andrew, a staunchly proud Tasmanian, who in his diverse career has worked in a variety of capacities including his role as production designer for the English National Opera in London. Mark has a bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Tasmania and a bachelor of Architecture from Melbourne University.
Before joining Andrew Maynard Architects Mark was a rock star. No really, he was. He is a founding member of the PARADISE MOTEL, a highly respected ‘90s band. As an architect Mark worked in London with a number of commercial firms specialising in a variety of building types & project scales, such as urban redevelopment projects in the West End of London, commercial works in the UK’s South East & co-ordination of design team for a large hotel project.
In 2007 Mark joined Andrew Maynard Architects and became a director in 2009. Throughout his architectural career Mark continues to show a incredible balance between design talent and rigorous, pragmatic, technical and organisation skills. He has a fine eye for detail and is respected by clients, consultants and builders for his management (and diplomacy) skills. Mark provides a great balance and rigour to Andrew’s lofty ideas and experiments. You know, ying yang and all that bullshit. He allows Andrew to do what he does best whilst ensuring that projects of any, and all, complexity are managed and completed with diligence, professionalism and care.