Property
Issue No. 32 - December/January
Practice steps out of the woods
Gavin Kain and Thomas Masullo have made names for themselves as Woods Bagot’s global leaders in sustainable architecture. That they live in Adelaide and work for a prominent international firm is beside the point.
Why would that be so, when they are the two newest partners in a renowned practice?
The answer is complicated — and proof that the modern mode of ‘flatter’ corporate structures is making the people who work within a company at least as important as the identity that may have taken decades to build.
Thomas practices mainly in the educational-workplace sector and Gavin in the workplace-lifestyle sector. Gavin is a returned ex-pat, having lived in Queensland and North America.
For some time the pair had been alarmed at the flight of talent from Adelaide. Many of the architects they trained with have moved interstate or overseas. While the ‘Adelaide mafia’ can be a useful network, it wasn’t hard to see where the talent drain was leading. Adelaide could be left dependent on interstate or international talent for many specialised jobs.
It was also clear the talent drain and the SA market’s small size were making it difficult for the local Woods Bagot office to be globally relevant – somewhat ironic, since the 137-year-old firm was founded here.
Call it enlightened self-interest, but the motivation to break the conventional practice mould and revolutionise the way the whole company works came from an impulse to self-preservation.
The first move was to go out to into the Woods Bagot ‘world’ and promote the expertise based in Adelaide – to make individual architects known for what they did well.
To do that, Thomas and Gavin have delivered Woods Bagot’s showpiece, City Central Tower 1 in Waymouth Street, the first 5 Star Green Star certified building in SA, which showcases an array of sustainable building practices.
“Three years ago, our goal was to ...
