Architecture competition Adelaide Creative Community Hub Honorable mention - Kevin Pham and Alex Hoang

We’d like to take the opportunity to introduce you to the winners of the Honorable mention of our “Adelaide Creative Community Hub” competition - Kevin Pham and Alex Hoang from Australia!

Kevin Pham and Alex Hoang from Australia

Kevin Pham is working as an Architect & BIM manager for GHD Woodhead in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1928, GHD which has 8,500 employees and is a multinational technical professional services firm providing engineering, architecture, environmental and construction consulting and management services.

Alex Hoang is working as an Architectural Graduate for BVN Architects in Sydney, Australia which was established in 1997. BVN is one of the largest architectural practices in Australia, with studios located in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne as well as New York City. BVN has 200 architects in its Sydney office.

GHD and BVN have delivered a number of landmark projects in Australia. In GHD, Kevin is getting involved in commercial, residential, and education projects of medium to large scale in Sydney. The significant project which Kevin is handling is a 66 storey complex tower at Pitt Street and Bathurst Street in Sydney, together with Foster + Partner team.

In BVN, Alex gets involved in architectural competitions, education, commercial and residential projects in Sydney and Melbourne from medium to large scale.

What does architecture mean to you and what is the role of an architect in your society?

For us, architecture is not only about designing a space, but also about addressing social issues. A good architect needs to be driven by social causes and provides answers that not only shape spaces, but also transform the lives of people. Therefore, architects have an important role and social responsibility when they create a piece of architecture. Through practice, architects can be the cause of positive social changes within a community, from environmental sustainability to human well-being and harmonious relationships between humans and the built environment.

Why do you participate in architecture vision competitions?

We want to share our vision of a better life for people and our ideas to make it happen. We are interested in creating architecture that is driven by social causes, context-related, environmentally sustainable, and have positive influences on people’s lives. Competitions are where we have the freedom to implement what we believe without too many constraints. Besides, it give us the opportunities to expand our professional network and potential collaboration.

What advice would you give to individuals who struggle to decide whether it would be beneficial for them to participate in architecture vision competitions?

If you are a young architect longing to make positive changes to our built environment, participating in design competition is one way to make your voice heard, also to give yourself precious exposure to professional networks and a pool of opportunities. If you didn’t win, you gain experience and have your design portfolio enriched. So don’t be afraid to dip your toe in the pool of possibilities and opportunities.