Marjorie Constance (White) Simpson (17 June 1924 - 27 January 2003) was an Australian architect, the first female Life Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in South Australia, awarded in 1993 for her extensive contribution to architecture.
Born Marjorie Constance White in New South Wales on 17 June 1924, she was daughter to an architect Charles Arthur Mortimer White, and younger sister to architect, A.G.M. White (b.1914). [1]
In 1941, at the age of 17, she enrolled in the (non-diploma) architectural course at Sydney Technical College. During her 6 years of study she worked on several architectural projects with her mentor Eric M. Nicholls, including a small factory for Coty's Cosmetics, a Manly coffee shop, a baby health clinic and several houses. [2]
Marjorie White became a registered architect in New South Wales in 1949. The same year she married fellow architect Peter Simpson (1924-1992) changing her surname to Simpson. She began working as an architect for the Commonwealth Department of Works in Sydney in 1950. [2]
While working at the Department of Works she moved to Adelaide in 1951 to work on the design and documentation of the Woomera Rocket Range. The project was predicted to last only 6 months but subsequently took four years to complete. In this time Marjorie designed and built a home in Adelaide. [3]
In 1954 the Simpsons travelled overseas, touring Europe by car. They briefly settled in London where Marjorie worked for Sir Thomas Bennett & Son's office from 1955 to 1956. [2]
On her return to Adelaide in 1956 she worked on projects for the S.A. Brewing Company. Simpson became the Director of the Small Homes Service (later the Architects Advisory Service) of South Australia in 1957, [1] putting great effort into resurrecting the Small Homes Service which had been predicted to fail not long before she was elected as Director. [2] The service was intended to promote better design in South Australian housing. She gave regular talks on ABC radio, and wrote articles.
In 1969 Simpson and Simpson architectural firm was formed and she remained there as a partner till her retirement in 1989. [3]
The Marjorie Simpson Award for Small Project Architecture is awarded as part of the Australian Institute of Architects’ SA Architecture Awards. [4]
The Peter and Marjorie Simpson Collection is held at the Architecture Museum, University of South Australia. [3]
Janet Laurence is an Australian artist, based in Sydney, who works in photography, sculpture, video and installation art. Her work is an expression of her concern about environment and ethics, her "ecological quest" as she produces art that allows the viewer to immerse themselves to strive for a deeper connection with the natural world. Her work has been included in major survey exhibitions, nationally and internationally and is regularly exhibited in Australia, Japan, Germany, Hong Kong and the UK. She has exhibited in galleries and outside in site-specific projects, often involving collaborations with architects, landscape architects and environmental scientists. Her work is held in all major Australian galleries as well as private collections in Australia and overseas.
The Australian Institute of Architects is Australia's professional body for architects. Its members use the post-nominals FRAIA (Fellow) and RAIA. The Institute supports 14,000 members across Australia, including 550 Australian members who are based in architectural roles across 40 countries outside Australia. SONA is the national student-membership body of the Australian Institute of Architects.
Florence Mary Taylor was the first qualified female architect in Australia. She was also the first woman in Australia to fly in a heavier-than-air craft in 1909 and the first female member of the UK's Institution of Structural Engineers in 1926. However, she is best known for her role as publisher, editor and writer for the influential building industry trade journals established in 1907 with her husband George, which she ran and expanded after his death in 1928 until her retirement in 1961.
Woods Bagot is a global architectural and consulting practice founded in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in the design and planning of buildings across a wide variety of sectors and disciplines. Former names of the practice include Woods & Bagot, Woods, Bagot & Jory; Woods, Bagot, Jory & Laybourne Smith; Woods, Bagot, Laybourne-Smith & Irwin; and Woods Bagot Architects Pty Ltd.
John Wardle is a Melbourne-based architect. He graduated from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology with a degree in Architecture.
Louis Edouard Laybourne Smith was an Australian architect and educator in South Australia. Born in the Adelaide inner-southern suburb of Unley, he became interested in engineering and architecture while in the goldfields of Western Australia and later studied mechanical engineering at the School of Mines, serving an apprenticeship under architect Edward Davies. After graduating he accepted a position as a lecturer at the school, and was responsible for developing the first formal architecture course in the State in 1904. Between 1905 and 1914, he served as registrar at the school before leaving to join his long-time friend, Walter Bagot, at the architectural firm of Woods, Bagot and Jory. He remained with the firm until his death in 1965, and over the years was involved in a number of significant projects, including the South Australian National War Memorial and the original Australian Mutual Provident building on King William Street.
Margaret Leonie Edmond is an Australian architect.
Bill Lucas was an Australian architect known well for the houses he designed along the Bulwark in Castlecrag, Sydney. While practicing as a full-time architect, Lucas also worked as a part-time lecturer at the School of Architecture of the University of New South Wales for a decade.
Hassell is a multidisciplinary architecture, design and urban planning practice with offices in Australia, China, Singapore, USA and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1937/8 in Adelaide, South Australia, the firm's former names include Claridge, Hassell and McConnell; Hassell, McConnell and Partners; and Hassell and Partners Pty. Ltd.
Peter Neil Muller AO was an Australian architect with works in New South Wales, Victoria, Adelaide, Bali, and Lombok.
Mary Turner Shaw (1906–1990) was born in Caulfield, Melbourne, Australia. She is one of the first women to be employed as an architect in the early 1930s in Australia and thus pioneered new pathways for female architects. Her career is widely known for her working qualities that made her oversee many projects across Australia. She also became a distinct figure as an architectural historian, when she started publishing books and written articles. Her skills were diverse as she worked as a fashion designer, interior designer, project manager, public works architect and pioneer architectural librarian. As historian Geoffrey Serle described her, she was "a born writer and research historian with imagination, the ability to tell a story and define and ask fundamental questions".
Robert Harold Dickson was a South Australian architect. His many works contributed greatly to various aspects of South Australian architecture, ranging from conservation shelters to school buildings and residential projects. His most notable works are former premier, Don Dunstan's residence, the first townhouses in Adelaide and the University of Adelaide's Union House. He was described by Don Dunstan as the "premier architect".
Ellice Maud Nosworthy was an Australian practising architect for approximately 50 years and graduated as one of Australia's first female architects in 1922.
Professor Virginia Louise Cox is an Australian architect who has made a significant and distinguished contribution 'to architecture as a practitioner, through executive roles with international professional organisations, and to architectural education and heritage conservation'.
Beatrice May Hutton (1893–1990), also known as Bea Hutton was an Australian architect. On 30 October 1916, she became the first female to be accepted into an institute of architects in Australia. This followed the rejection of earlier female applicants, including Florence Taylor in 1907, on the grounds of being female.
Caroline Pidcock is an Australian architect and a prominent advocate for sustainable development, based in Sydney, New South Wales.
Abbie Galvin is the 24th NSW Government Architect. Formerly a Principal of Australian architecture, urban design and interior design practice BVN Architecture. She is a registered Architect in NSW, Victoria, ACT and SA and is also a member of the Australian Architecture Association.
Marion Hall Best (1905–1988) was an influential interior designer in Sydney, Australia. She practiced between 1938 and 1974, mainly working on commercial, domestic and public projects. She was a strong figure in advocating for interior decoration to be recognized as a profession, now known as interior design.
Naomi Stead is an architectural academic, scholar and critic, based in Melbourne, Australia. She is currently the Director of the Design and Creative Practice Enabling Capability Platform at RMIT University, Australia.
Cynthia Mary Teague MBE was a pioneering Australian architect and public servant.
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