ALLEN KONG ARCHITECT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Australian Institute of Architects
Kirsty Bennett is an architect with over 25 years of experience designing for older people and people living with dementia. Kirsty's architectural career has focussed on designing small scale residential environments which are enabling and empowering. She has pursued her commitment to improving the design of environments for older people through architectural practice, writing, research and speaking engagements.
Kirsty has been responsible for the design, documentation and construction of many small scale residential aged care facilities for older people and people living with dementia in different parts of Australia. Over the years, Kirsty has spent much time with people living with dementia, their families, staff and managers of residential aged care facilities, seeking to understand the issues they face. Kirsty has undertaken a number of study tours in Australia, Europe, Japan and Canada, meeting with older people, staff and architects to explore design and management issues.
Kirsty is the co-author of a number of environmental assessment tools, including the EAT, EAT-HC, EAT-DFC and the Indigenous EAT. She has written or co-authored a number of publications on designing for people with dementia, including Dementia Training Australia's Environmental Design resources, and had projects featured in publications by others. The Environmental Design Resources is the key resource for the new Aged Care Quality Standard 5.Kirsty is a co-author of the Alzheimer's Disease International World Report 2020 on the Built Environment ‘Dignity, Design Dementia'.
Kirsty has given guest lectures at Swinburne University, RMIT and the University of Melbourne. She has presented at conferences across Australia, and also internationally where she has been a keynote speaker and workshop presenter.
Kirsty was the founding manager of Dementia Training Australia's national Environments Service at the University of Wollongong NSW, and is a Design Associate at the University of Stirling Scotland.
Kirsty is enrolled in a PhD at Swinburne University exploring the topic: ‘What role can design play in encouraging older people in residential aged care to have greater physical contact with outdoors?'
Pete Muskens is an architect with over 35 years' experience ranging in size from small scale domestic works to large size institutional works.
Job Titles:
- Director / Principal Architect