SONIA SARANGI
Atelier Red+Black
SAY IT LOUD - Naarm Melbourne Exhibitor
MELBOURNE/AUSTRALIA Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
Zaha Hadid for proving that a brown woman can have a seat at the big boys' table and succeed on her own terms, women of colour (writers, academics, activists) who spoke up and continue to speak up about our lived experiences at great personal cost.
SONIA SARANGI
Bio:
Sonia is a co-director at Atelier Red+Black, an award winning emerging practice in Carlton. She is a registered architect in Victoria with over 16 years of combined industry experience, which spans across South-East Asia and Australia. She is also a Board Member with the ArchiTeam Cooperative and a sessional tutor with the University of Melbourne. She is a parent, partner, photographer and a podcast tragic.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
For as long as I can remember I observed spaces intently. I would be the kid taking in every home that I visited and I can still recall most of them from memory and draw their plans for you. It simply felt, to me, as natural as breathing.
What do you do?
I'm a co-director of my own small architecture practice in Melbourne. We are a small practice but do not shy away from big ideas, discussions or projects.
What excites you in the work you do? Who or what inspires you professionally?
I love how true collaboration lifts an initial idea to even greater heights. Also the iterative nature of the design process where something gets gradually honed over time. The best ideas do not emerge perfectly formed.
Who or what inspires you professionally? What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
Zaha Hadid for proving that a brown woman can have a seat at the big boys' table and succeed on her own terms, women of colour (writers, academics, activists) who spoke up and continue to speak up about our lived experiences at great personal cost.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
Every single time we handover a project and then return to see the project being truly embraced is an incredible feeling, whenever I have been given an opportunity to advocate for diversity (in all forms), the profession, our city or the environment.
Featured Project Name:
Cascade House
Featured Project Location:
Northcote (suburb of Melbourne)
Featured Project Completion Date:
2019
Role in Featured Project:
Architect
Featured Project Description:
This is project for a young family of four explores two themes - "identity" and "what is enough?". As recent immigrants, this project is strongly shaped by our client's cultural background. Growing up they were surrounded by brick architecture, which has an extensive history in South Asia. It's chameleon-like ability to be skin, brise-soleil, thermal mass, ornament and monumental. The project allowed us to explore a bigger conversation - how to change the typical suburban approach to a brief.
