The Weekend Edition - Sleep In. Slow Down. Enjoy.

Nicholas Skepper

Nicholas Skepper, Architect


Success is having the opportunity to determine your own creative path ...

In Short ...

As a child, he daydreamed of shooting hoops in the NBA, but as Nicholas Skepper notched up the years and edged towards adulthood, the creative and technical overlaps of architecture revealed a tempting new career pathway. After meeting fellow architecture student Zuzana Kovar while studying at the University of Queensland, the pair formed a professional partnership after graduation and the Zuzana&Nicholas studio was born. Working across architecture, product and exhibition design, the studio navigates a broad range of projects on different scales, while also inspiring the next generation of architects as teachers at UQ and QUT. The pair recently completed a redesign and DIY build of their own studio space, converting a shopfront underneath a worker’s cottage in Red Hill, which will no doubt be the birthplace of many new additions to Brisbane's urban environment. The Weekend Edition called upon Nicholas this week to talk public spaces, dream projects and creative folk to watch.


You’ve got a keen interest in urban design, what do you think Brisbane is missing in terms of public spaces?
Brisbane has plenty of large-scale public spaces, however sometimes we miss out a bit on the fine grain, small-scale urban spaces that everyone loves about other larger and denser cities. There has obviously been recognition of this in recent years in Brisbane – by the city council and developers – however, I think we have to be really careful that we’re not just making a poorer version of another city’s ‘laneway culture’. At the moment it seems to be very developer driven, rather than organic growth.

Where do you see the urban landscape of Brisbane heading in the future?
I hope that the city can find ways of increasing density in the inner suburbs without necessarily compromising its character. Increased density means more people and therefore more demand for amenities and services that everyone benefits from – ie an increase in the intensity of use in our suburban high street shops and cafes.

What would be your ultimate dream project to work on?
I’d love to design a public building. Not necessarily a large one; it could be a tiny shop, so long as it’s something that is publicly accessible and provides the opportunity to make a tiny part of the city.

Which has been your favourite project to work on so far?
Last year our practice was a finalist in a major urban design competition in Adelaide to rethink the soon-to-be vacant Royal Adelaide Hospital site. This gave us the opportunity to travel to South Australia and contribute to a significant project for that city. It was a scale that we hadn’t had the opportunity to work at previously, so it was a huge learning curve and something we’d like to do more of in the future.

What influences and inspires your work?
Usually it comes from everyday humble spaces, buildings or objects that often haven’t seen the hand of a designer or architect. There’s something very beautiful about a building that’s been crafted over many years by many hands to cater to a specific function.

What can you tell us about your studio, Zuzana&Nicholas?
This is our business where we bring together all of our professional and creative endeavours, which include our architectural practice, alongside our doctoral research in architecture through RMIT. We have an ambition to apply our capacity as architects to a broad range of design problems from private residential architecture, retail and commercial work, urban design, through to exhibition design and even product and furniture design. We feel strongly that the same set of design sensibilities can be applied effectively across many scales.

What’s the best thing about working with Zuzana?
We studied architecture together and have continued to work closely together since. As a result, we’ve developed similar attitudes and tastes in architecture, and are able to give each other an objective critique of what the other is doing – hopefully without getting offended!

What’s your favourite Brisbane suburb, and why?
Red Hill – partly because this is where we’re based, but also because it still feels a little dormant and has room for exciting things to happen in the future.

What’s your favourite building in Brisbane?
I always really enjoy spending time in Robin Gibson’s original Queensland Art Gallery.

What are you working on right now?
Right now we’re working on a number of small residential projects, both locally here in Red Hill and Kelvin Grove and another in Sydney.

What can you tell us about your doctoral research through RMIT?
My PhD is project-based design research, broadly looking at processes of design and more specifically at how architects interact with materials when designing. The practice work and the research happen simultaneously, and it’s hard to separate the two.

How do you like to start your weekend?
Taking our greyhound Max for a quick walk before heading out for breakfast.

How do you like to unwind?
Spending the afternoon cooking with a drink in one hand.

What are you reading at the moment?
Italo Calvino’s Mr Palomar.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far?
Taking the leap to leave behind stable employment in favour of establishing our own practice.

What is success to you?
Having the opportunity to determine your own creative path.

What are your words of wisdom?
I feel that a lot of people sacrifice their day-to-day happiness for long-term goals. I’m not sure it’s always worth it …

Which local creative folk have you got your eye on?
Screen printer and graphic designer Matt Deasy from #7th Disaster, industrial designer Sarah Deasy from Ask For Oompa and artist Alex Gillies.

FAVOURITE WEEKEND SPOT TO:
Perk up …
Scout, Petrie Terrace.
Relax … At home.
Dine … Crosstown Eating House, Woolloongabba.
Indulge … Junk Bar, Ashgrove.
Shop … Künstler magazines and books, Fortitude Valley.
Catch-up … The End, West End.
Be inspired … Mild Manners gallery.



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