menu

People and Culture

People and Culture

Let’s shape better places together.

We’re collaborators, not competitors. We like being part of a wider Melbourne design community and we actively seek out opportunities for collaborative relationships with other architects, landscape architects, artists, and designers of many disciplines.

Real collaboration is an attitude and a skillset in itself – one that we’re proud to share.

This attitude brings variety and depth to our practice. It’s how we punch above our weight as lead consultants on major infrastructure projects yet remain small enough to deliver gorgeous and sustainable homes.

Sustainability Action Plan

We’re a NoC02 certified carbon neutral business and a signatory to Australian Architects Declare. Our Sustainability Action Plan maps our journey towards delivering on all the Architects Declare and then aiming beyond sustainability towards regeneration. Read about it here.

Reconciliation Action Plan

As architects our responsibility extends beyond the built environment; it encompasses a commitment to the lands, communities, and cultural heritage intertwined with our projects. In 2021 we launched our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan with Reconciliation Australia, joining thousands of other organisations dedicated to reconciliation efforts. Read about it here.

We helped establish the Architecture and Design Reconciliation Industry Network Group, with Reconciliation Australia and other architectural practices. This has created a platform for shared learnings, relationship building and transparent discussions about our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) journeys.

We have had the opportunity to work with various Indigenous consultants and advisors on projects within the office, and value the process of Collaboration. We believe embedding reconciliation principles into all aspect of architectural practice is pivotal in shaping a more inclusive and respectful industry.

People

Simon Knott

Principal

+

Tim Black

Principal

+

Deb Adams

Senior Associate

+

Jennifer Salter

Associate

+

George Huon

Principal

+

Vaughan Howard

Associate

+

Wendy Lee-Warne

Senior Architect

+

Georgia Hocking

Project Architect

+

Nico Kelly

Associate

+

Hannah Rowe

Project Architect

+

Kelvin Chai

Senior Design & Visualisation

Kate Jenkin

Interior Designer

+

Missy Saleeba

Practice Manager

+

Liz Phun

Senior Architect

+

Elizabeth Mason

Interior Designer

Gerald Low

Graduate of Architecture

Iliya Manasiev

BIM Coordinator

Monet Plant

Business Support

Maximiliano De La Jara Kojak

Graduate of Architecture

Ryan Esselink

Graduate of Architecture

Raquel Maldonado

Graduate of Architecture

Vanda Scarfo

Finance

Mario De Bem

Senior Architectural Technician

Real corporate social responsibility

We don’t just say we’re committed to social ideals, we actually give them our time and skills.

We have a longstanding relationship with FareShare, which provides free nutritious meals for people who need them. We help out with labour and fundraising. We’ve worked with Australian Migrant Educational Services to mentor migrants who are architects or who are studying architecture. We’ve partnered with She Works to offer employment opportunities for women.

Proactively seeking diversity

A diverse team is a wise, well-informed team – a team whose projects are for everyone. We proactively reach out to suitably experienced and qualified individuals whose backgrounds bring a range of perspectives to enrich BKK and the architectural community.

LGBTIQA+ people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply for any vacancy we advertise.

current vacancies
work with us

Bring all your personality, energy and design thinking to a nimble smaller practice.

At BKK, your job title doesn’t determine your contribution to the design process. We listen to everyone’s input. We hold weekly design-review sessions to get the best thinking on all our projects.

Our design philosophy is based on humility: on trust and respect for others’ perspectives. Our role is to curate, not dictate, the design process. We focus on the integrity of the outcome, wherever the ideas come from.

We are always looking for new talent.
Send Missy your CV and portfolio as a PDF to office@b-k-k.com.au

Great contemporary workplace

Our new office is five minutes’ walk from Flinders Street Station. Our kitchen, with its floor-to-ceiling views of ACMI, the Birrarung (Yarra River) and the parklands beyond, is where we meet, cook and eat, and entertain professional friends and collaborators.

Like most architects, we found that designing together was the toughest part of remote work during the lockdowns. So we’ve prioritised spaces for collaboration and meetings. We know that individual work can be done anywhere but, let’s face it, people are territorial, so we all have our own desks.

Our role is to curate, not dictate, the design process. We focus on the integrity of the outcome, wherever the ideas come from.

Professional development

We offer all our people an annual allowance for professional development, providing the career growth and learning opportunities of their choice. Our mentoring and buddying program is available to staff at all levels.

Innovation

Join our innovation working group to develop digital design tools, research sustainable design, and more. Bring along your ideas for new ways to make architecture and contribute to the business, the building and the profession.

Flexible working arrangements

You’re a human being with responsibilities and a life, and Monday to Friday 9 to 6 isn’t always the most effective way to work. Design teams need to work together face-to-face. Apart from that, talk to us about flexible arrangements that suit you and us.

Parental leave

Primary carers of all genders receive six weeks’ leave on full pay (or 12 weeks on half pay) and flexible arrangements for when you return to work. While you’re on leave you’ll receive keep-in-touch days and paid superannuation, and you’ll accrue long service leave.

SUBLEASE A DESK AT OUR STUDIO

Looking for a space to rent?

We love to collaborate and that includes sharing our space with other creatives. We have had some space become available for short term or long term rent in our beautifully lit, central, secure, CBD location.

The opportunity includes access to our fantastic shared amenities such as; kitchen, coffee machine, boardroom, meeting room, meditation room & end-of-trip facilities. With floor to ceiling windows, looking out towards the Birrarung Marr, our level 7 mezzanine is a fantastic space to work.  Our team is friendly, vibrant, creative and we love sharing our space with like-minded businesses.

If you are interested in making an enquiry to rent out a desk, please email office@b-k-k.com.au