ALEXANDRA BUCHANAN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Architect RAIA BArch ( Hons ) MArch
Gus joined ABA in 2021 and is based in the Brisbane studio. After completing his architectural studies at QUT in 2018, Gus worked in Brisbane on a wide range of projects including residential, education and student accommodation. Prior to commencing at ABA, he moved overseas and worked at an architecture and urban design practice in Germany.
His architectural interest was ignited at an early age by his family, who are keen design enthusiasts, and continued as a student while working at a hardware store and several architectural practices. These experiences provided Gus with a client-centric approach to design, a process which engages the client on a rich, rewarding journey from project inception to completion.
Gus is at home on site, whether studying and responding to brief and place during design stages or working with builders during the construction stage. He focuses on a pragmatic approach to resolving his design with the goal of achieving an honest architecture that is expressive of structure and materials with simple, efficient detailing and construction.
Job Titles:
- Associate MArch Prof SACAP
Jacob has a devoted passion for the built-form which he developed though a relentless wanderlust from an early age. Growing up on a farm near a small coastal village on the Garden Route in South Africa and then wide-ranging travels through Africa, Europe and the British Isles he discovered his keen interest in the uniqueness of places, architecture and space-making.
In 2011 Jacob graduated with distinction from the Nelson Mandela University in South Africa with a Masters degree in Architecture. His thesis, focusing on the sensitivity and integration of architecture and landscapes, was selected to represent the university at the National Design & Technology Exhibition in Port Elizabeth. Jacob went on to work in Cape Town over the next 5 years where he was involved in a series of high-end residential and large scale public buildings. In 2017 he joined the ABA team after moving to Brisbane.
As a practising architect, Jacob's architecture is informed by the unique conditions of its environment and ultimately creates buildings of their ‘place'. This philosophy fuels his keen interest in architectonics and material expression which manifests itself in his design work.
Lucía has been with ABA since 2020 and brings with her a diverse range of experience. Born and raised in Spain, Lucia studied at the school of architecture at The University of Valladolid. She moved to Brisbane in 2012 where has worked for a number of leading Australian architectural firms. Lucía is a passionate learner and likes to keep across the latest innovations and products in designs having recently attended the RCR Arquitectes Summer Workshop in Spain
Job Titles:
- Architect. Associate BArchDes MArch RAIA
Shane has a passion for Architecture in its capacity to impact and improve the lives of the people that occupy buildings and their surroundings. He has lived, worked and studied between Brisbane, Australia; London, UK and Lund, Sweden; also partaking in UQ's Japan Studio Masterclass run by RAIA Gold Medalist, Professor Brit Andresen at the Tokyo University of the Arts.
Growing up in the Far North, in a rural, agricultural town characterised by timber corrugated iron homes and the Australian landscape, Shane has a strong appreciation for architecture that intimately responds to the landscape, climate and surrounding context. Working with ABA since 2016 Shane's contagious enthusiasm for the process of design has become a fundamental part of the ABA studio. He brings a wealth of architectural experience and his unique drive and vigor is evident in his projects and his exploration of every brief.
Job Titles:
- Architectural Student BArch ( Hons )
Zac is our quietly passionate Architecture student who we share with QUT while he completes his Masters. Having previously worked on the Currumbin Eco Village he seeks to challenge his creativity through multiple disciplines such as music, art and design.
He chose architecture as he believes in positively impacting people's lives through the pursuit of good design. One that evokes meaning, challenges convention and draws upon connection to environment.