“Being an Indigenous person in architecture is essentially two jobs in one, the architecture and the educator. The most important thing to me is to enable Indigenous people in the built environment, to create connection and community so that we can all thrive and influence the reshaping of Country with the integrity that our cultures demand of us.”

Congratulations to Sarah Lynn Rees on receiving the Australian Institute of Architects’ Victorian Chapter 2023 President's Prize.

Accepting her award, Sarah thanked the Institute for giving prominence to Indigenous voices in the built environment as a pathway to the future of architecture. Acknowledging personal recognition sits uneasily with her belief that Indigenous design is about the collective, she attributed the prize to mob and their allies. She thanked mentors including Jon Clements, Veryan Curnow, Will Alsop, Alison Cleary and Justine Clark, Elders including N’arweet Carolyn Briggs, Uncle Dave and close friends Daniele Hromek and Bradley Kerr.

Here at JCB, Sarah is enormously influential in shaping our approach to Designing with Country. She’s made an exceptional impact across the industry “running in fifth gear” as an architectural practitioner, educator, and member of committees and boards. Well done Sarah, you’re one of a kind!