In Profile: Claire Broun

Claire Broun, senior landscape architect with JMD Design. Photo: Anna Sinclair

Claire Broun, senior landscape architect with JMD Design. Photo: Anna Sinclair

Well travelled: Claire Broun, senior landscape architect with JMD Design in Sydney, takes StreetChat through designing for Copenhagen and Sydney.

Tell us about yourself. What drew you to landscape architecture?

My father is a fifth generation wheat farmer and my mother an artist. I grew up in an old homestead on a property in Western Australia’s wheatbelt.

A flourishing garden surrounds the verandahs where, as a child, I would often forage for plants to dissect and draw. I realise now, looking back, that these environments, both within and beyond the garden fence, are fundamental to who I am today.

I showed talent as an artist throughout high school and was enthusiastic about continuing my interest with studies at university. This, combined with a developing interest in the land, lead me to enrolling in Landscape Management at UWA.

A second year elective sent me to the Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts (ALVA) campus for a lecture on ‘a sense of place.’ I walked through the landscape architecture studio, full of drawing boards, and decided then and there to switch courses.

For a new graduate, how was the experience of working in Scandinavia?

Winning a scholarship upon graduating from university took me to Copenhagen for three years. My first job as a graduate, in the Scandinavian city known for its ‘livability’ was a bit of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale–like dream.

I embraced my position, thoroughly enjoyed the Copenhagen lifestyle and took every opportunity to travel. It was an exciting time for me as a young graduate, often flying to meetings in Paris or London.

Overall, the projects I worked on varied in scale and location. Memorable projects were Aalborg’s Opera House, a 50ha park in Amman Jordan, residential developments in London and a number of competitions throughout Denmark and Europe.

Most of these projects were documented in English however the first project I worked on was for some deep-sea baths in Sweden. Like most Scandinavian interactions my boss spoke Danish and the client Swedish so I spent initial meetings focusing on differentiating the two languages.

My first job as a graduate, in the Scandinavian city known for its ‘livability’ was a bit of a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale–like dream.

Model for King Abdullah II Park, Amman Jordan. Photo: Jeppe Aagaard Andersen

Model for King Abdullah II Park, Amman Jordan. Photo: Jeppe Aagaard Andersen

How does Scandinavian design compare to Australian?

The general population of Scandinavia has a good understanding of design and importantly landscape architecture is a much more established profession there, so people are more aware of the contributions we can make.

I can only speak for one Danish firm, though there were some noticeable variations in the design approach. A great awareness of the nuances of materials and of place informed concepts, often leading to responses that would embody a classical quality, with an element of timelessness, naive to a style or trend.

The adjustment between countries was not so much in the design process, but more in the consideration of local, cultural and environmental factors.

Which Australian projects have you been working on?

I was fortunate to be involved in the early masterplan stages of Central Park, working through concept and design development from 2007 while I was in Denmark.

I then relocated to Sydney for the documentation and construction of the main park, adjacent plaza and streets, along with various other areas throughout the precinct. Like any project, seeing it come to life after so many years in the making was rewarding.

This was especially so when Balfour Street was opened up, providing a connection to the park from Broadway through to Chippendale and beyond. Seeing such large numbers of people use a space that was previously walled off to the public is really something.

Chippendale Green, Central Park. Photo: Claire Broun

Chippendale Green, Central Park. Photo: Claire Broun

What influences your designs?

I’m mostly inspired by travel. Experiencing how other cultures use space, noticing ecological differences, different plant characteristics and assessing how my own behaviour changes in response to new environments.

I love spending time in galleries, and revisiting favourites to notice details I hadn’t seen previously. I’ll never tire of places like Louisiana Museum’s sculpture garden.

The social media scroll has become my part of my commute though there’s a lot of information out there to process.

The social media scroll has become my part of my commute though there’s a lot of information out there to process.

What are you excited to be working on at the moment?

I’m currently working on Parramatta Square. JMD is part of a great lead design team consisting of TCL, TZG and Gehl Architects.

Many of the projects I’ve worked on have been collaborations, which is important in striving for a unified and integrated outcome. I find the initial stage we’re in, when everyone is throwing ideas around, an exciting part of the process.

Claire Broun, senior landscape architect with JMD Design. Photo: Anna Sinclair

Claire Broun, senior landscape architect with JMD Design. Photo: Anna Sinclair


make an enquiry

Opening hours are from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

enquire now

recent news

Top 10 StreetChat stories of 2023

Did you catch these most-read case studies, furnishing tips, new product announcements and special industry events in your StreetChat updates in 2023? Each month our StreetChat enewsletter publishes new projects, products and trends from the public domain; subscribe to receive it in your inbox. 10. Which design firm can see Longhorn Cattle from their office window? 2 countries. 9 cities. 300 landscape architects. Street Furniture Australia and USA partner Spruce & Gander visited offices in Australia and Texas. There were key similarities and some notable standouts. 9. Jazz at The Mint: Product and Book Launch Sydney landscape architects gathered at the iconic Mint Courtyard to launch a design book by our founding directors Darrel Conybeare and Bill Morrison, and expansions to the Linea collection. 8. 2023 Good Cause Giveaway goes to …

  • 18 jan 2024
read more

Book your spot on a 2024 Factory Tour

The Street Furniture Australia factory, in Regents Park, Western Sydney, is both a manufacturing hub and R&D studio for our Australian-designed and made street furniture products. We run fun and informative group events for customers throughout the year, to share how products are designed, tested and built, and the latest products and projects. This tour is open to design specifiers such as landscape architects and architects, and place custodians including Councils, government agencies, developers and other place managers. Director of Tract Julie Lee said: “It was a great opportunity for our team to look behind the scenes and understand the innovation, research and climate positive outcomes Street Furniture Australia is focusing on. Thank you for having us!” Place Design Group Associate, Liam Isaksen, said: “The factory tour is a fun …

  • 20 nov 2023
read more

Western Sydney train stations kickstart prototype ‘Power Spots’

Street Furniture Australia has designed and built prototype charging stands as part of a Transport for NSW program to deliver free phone chargers at 15 Sydney train stations. Developed by Street Furniture Australia’s inhouse industrial designers in collaboration with Transport for NSW, the prototypes offer wireless, USB-A and USB-C charging, and can power 7 devices at once. They were built at the Street Furniture Australia factory in Western Sydney. Two Power Spots are now installed at Liverpool and Campbelltown stations. The $1 million Power Spots Project rollout to 15 transport hubs including Bankstown, Hurstville, Lidcombe, Penrith, Wynyard, Central, Town Hall and Bondi Junction will be completed by late 2024. NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the Power Spots provide peace of mind: “In the modern world, our phones are our …

  • 18 jan 2024
read more

related news

In Profile: Nathalie Ward

Nathalie Ward, director of Brisbane’s Lat27, shares with StreetChat her love of the craft, working locally and abroad, and creating a new home for the Ekka. Tell us about yourself. Why did you pursue landscape architecture? Four colleagues and I established Lat27 five years ago, looking to create a practice focused on contextually based design; hence our name. Over the past 20-plus years I have lived and worked in the UK, Hong Kong and Australia and am passionate about the role that design can play in revealing the story of a place and in creating places that are environmentally responsible and inspire people. Landscape architecture is deeply ingrained in my family. My great-grandfather and grandfather were both garden designers and artists, my father was a landscape architect, as is my brother. My earliest memories include nature walks …

  • 25 oct 2015
read more

In Profile: Damian Schultz

Street Furniture Australia chats to Damian Schultz, co-director at landscape and urban design firm Taylor Cullity Lethlean (T.C.L.) in Adelaide.  Tell us about your path to becoming a landscape architect. I was very fortunate at the young age of around 12 years old to realise my passion for the built environment and design. I focused my school studies in art, design, physics, geography, woodwork, metalwork, plastics, agriculture and technical drawing, as well as maths and English, to prepare myself for a career path in architecture, landscape architecture, graphic or industrial design. Any part-time work I undertook was also related, working in hardware stores, paint shops or labouring (paving, landscaping or painting) to develop such skills I deemed appropriate. I was privileged to enrol in Architectural Studies at university and then …

  • 14 sep 2015
read more

In Profile: Blake Farmar-Bowers

Street Furniture Australia chats to Blake Farmar-Bowers, landscape architect and Associate at ASPECT Studios in Melbourne. Tell us about yourself. What led you to pursue landscape architecture? In searching through the Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre guide as a high school student, RMIT’s Landscape Architecture course was the only course that clearly stood out. Fortunately for me, intake was via interview so I strove to learn as much as I could about landscape architecture. As a year 12 student I attended ‘The Culture of Landscape Architecture: Edge Too’ Student Conference held in Melbourne in 1992, which became the start of my landscape architectural education. I realised here that landscape architecture was a young, energetic and exciting profession to become a part of. In hindsight, this career path isn’t such a surprise, …

  • 17 aug 2015
read more