Tristan Wong is a director of Architecture at SJB in their Melbourne office. Having been there for nine years, and appointed as director after just five, he remembers his progression in the early days as pretty fast paced. But he also describes SJB as a fairly flat office with a strong sense of family.
This makes remote working a challenge for the studio not only in the sense of team-based project work and remote access to files or software – but also in adapting to a temporary hiatus on team lunches, bring your dog to work days, and out of office social activities.
Adjacent to his role at SJB and alongside Jeffa Greenway, Tristan was also appointed creative director for the Australian pavilion at the 2020 Venice Architecture Biennale that has since been post poned. Their project, In | Between, responds to the theme set by exploring the concept of neighbourhood in the Indo Pacific Region. While he acknowledges the uncertainties around how and when they can share their project with the world, he offers comfort in the fact that it’s a not a question of if but when.
On this episode of Dialling In With Habitus, we chat to Tristan about navigating different methods of working, collaborating, and connecting with the industry – and leading a team while doing so.
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Happy listening!