Hames Sharley has appointed Gavin Kain as director and cross-portfolio design lead.
“Gavin’s appointment signifies a new era of growth and further evolution for Hames Sharley,” said Caillin Howard, managing director. “He will help lead the team as we continue to innovate, explore new markets, and further expand our national presence.”
Kain said that time spent teaching abroad and completing several projects across Australia, New Zealand, and several other major cities worldwide have taught him the importance of place, context, and the subtle differences that impact design.
“Understanding and exploring the social, environmental, historical and geographic, and economic context of place excites me,” he said. “As does the idea that, as designers, we are here to help – to make life better. The big issues – social challenges, environmentalism, equity – are central to our work.”
Kain has been involved with the Christchurch Blueprint project, the Adelaide Convention Centre, New Zealand International Convention Centre and CoEx Dubai. He was government advisor for the ICC Sydney project.
He said it is an exciting time to be an architect and urbanist, given the growing appreciation of the role cities and buildings are playing both environmentally and socially.
“COVID has seen many aspects of our lives that were taken for granted reconsidered,” he said. “We see pop-up bike paths in the Sydney CBD, large numbers of people moving to new centres, and the nature of retail and work endlessly debated.
“It is a pivotal moment for the profession and I’m deeply humbled and excited for the incredible opportunity to collaborate with the talented people across Hames Sharley’s studios.”
Source: Architecture - architectureau
