Luminary Oi Choong: “Be Brave. Be Amazing. Be Worthy.”
Oi Choong’s career spans the rise of women in the workplace, and of landscape architecture as a profession.
As the winner of the 2018 Marion Mahony Griffin Prize for a distinctive body of work by a female architect, she addressed the NSW Australian Institute of Architects International Women’s Day breakfast in March.
She spoke of her career, influences, projects and advice to women in design.
Career
Oi graduated from Sydney University in Architecture and undertook postgraduate studies in Landscape Design and Environmental Studies. Her first job was in the Government Architect’s Branch, NSW Public Works. She later ran the Environmental and Landscape Section: then one of the largest landscape practices in Australia.
She established Context Landscape Design in 1990 in association with architects and urban designers Darrel Conybeare and Bill Morrison, directors of CM+. As Managing Partner and Design Director her work includes award-winning projects in Australia, Asia and the UAE. She is currently a freelance consultant involved in Design Excellence Panels, projects and advisory work.
Oi spoke of her public domain and master planning projects. Many interface with Sydney Harbour, including improvements to Circular Quay and Campbells Cove, the Ultimo Pyrmont Public Domain Plan, and concept plans for Barangaroo Headland Park, Goat Island and Ballast Point Park.
In 1994 she was appointed by the Olympic Coordination Authority to a team of architects to prepare the Masterplan for the Sydney Olympic Site, which set in motion the creation of the Millennium Parklands, and later the Sydney Showground.
OC: “Quite a few of the projects are of a strategic nature. This sits well with my philosophy that it is important to get the Vision, the Big Moves, and the urban design diagram right, and to ensure that we protect first what we value in society. We can never go back if we sacrifice open space or the public realm for short term gain.
“My design instincts are for the creation of timeless places that have the bones, infrastructure and flexibility to allow enrichment of different layers over time.”
Sydney Olympic Park Masterplan, Millennium Parklands, 1995. Image: Oi Choong.
Pioneer
Oi spoke of her childhood in Penang, which was enriched by a British colonial education and ‘Sundays with Mother’ – where she and her siblings were taught the writings of Confucius and traditional virtues of self-respect, humility, thrift, hard work, patience, kindness and doing things well.
She was surrounded by a rich architectural legacy of British civic buildings and mansions blending French, classic Palladian and Anglo Indian styles, Chinese vernacular shop houses, timber Malay cottages and the fecund tropical landscape. All these greatly influenced her interest in architecture and landscape.
Her university education in Sydney featured inspiring teachers including Richard Leplastrier, Glenn Murcutt, Jennifer Taylor, Ross King – and revered artist Lloyd Rees.
Together they ignited in her a strong curiosity and passion for exploring the immersive possibilities of Architecture and Landscape as well as Architecture in Landscape.
Oi with Dr and Mrs KK Choong, graduating from Sydney University. Photo: Oi Choong.
Oi’s career has been one of pioneering the landscape profession and of women in leadership roles.
OC: “When I entered university there was a quota on foreign students, only 10% in my year. There were eight girls in our class of 87 students, three from overseas.”
She adds, “When I graduated, the Feminist Movement had gained great momentum; history had also produced some formidable role models for women, including the first female prime ministers in at least four countries.
“However any lofty expectations were quickly expelled by reality. When I first started work, construction sites were still male dominated environments. Construction sheds were plastered with Playboy centrefolds and there were no female bathrooms on site.
“The Government Architects Office was generally enlightened and supportive of women. In the lead up to the Bicentennial Celebrations, the Office promoted the profiles of women, in particular, the landscape architects responsible for the delivery of three of the most significant landscape projects in the State at the time.
“Seen posing with the Minister of Public Works Laurie Brereton at Mount Tomah are Project Landscape Architects Lorna Harrison (Bicentennial Park), Ingrid Mather (Mt Annan Botanic Garden) and myself as Section Head and Design Manager (Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, Mount Tomah).”
Women in landscape, Mount Tomah, 1988. Left to right: Oi Choong, Laurie Brereton, Lorna Harrison and Ingrid Mather. Photo by the Public Works Department, NSW.
Lessons Learnt
Oi spoke of the lessons learnt from working on major projects overseas and the need for good leadership in the design of our future cities.
She also offered some advice in the spirit of empowering women in the workplace.
She urged the audience to: “Redefine your own meaning of success. Be grateful for what you have and the people who helped you get there. Be proud of what makes you unique. Turn your differences to advantages. Never let what you do define who you are.
“You are first and foremost a human being before you are an architect, or the profession you are in,” she says.
“No matter how great your job is, there is more to you. Choose life above your job.”
In concluding her speech, Oi sent out a sparkling challenge to the audience: “Be Brave. Be Amazing. Be Worthy.”
International Women’s Day address by Oi Choong at the NSW Australian Institute of Architects breakfast.
Oi with colleagues from Context, CM+ and Street Furniture Australia.
Nominations for the 2019 Marion Mahony Griffin Prize are open till May 15, 2019. To nominate yourself or a colleague, visit the Australian Institute of Architects NSW Awards website.
Successful products are often followed by copycats. Over the past year we have become aware of an increase in reproductions of the Linea range attempting to create a similar aesthetic at a lower price. This can compromise the overall durability and environmental credentials of projects being delivered, affect ongoing maintenance requirements, and in some instances pose a risk of injury to the public. The design of Linea is deceptively simple while delivering exceptional attention to detail. Details matter not only for beauty, but also for providing durability, and safety, that will last decades. Linea strictly uses the highest quality and sustainable materials, has passed rigorous strength tests, and is designed for longevity, with easily replaceable parts. The product range is the result of hundreds of hours of research and development …
Melissa Gerke, our Communications and Education Specialist, is bringing a fun, interactive and informative presentation about our carbon neutral journey and latest products to customers in cities around Australia and in the US. In 30 minutes (plus Q&A) we will explore materials and finishes, touch and feel samples, and bond with your colleagues over delicious treats. There will also be a mystery prize for a lucky winner (optional). 2024 cities and dates include: Select from three catering options (optional): To book, contact Melissa Gerke mgerke@streetfurniture.com
Street Furniture Australia’s entire product range and manufacturing operation has received carbon neutral certification through Climate Active™. Achieving carbon neutral certification marks a significant milestone in our operation and the culmination of a four year long process of detailed measurement and analysis. Climate Active™ is the only Australian government-backed carbon neutral certification programme for businesses to measure, reduce, and offsets their carbon emissions. It is one of the most rigorous carbon-neutral programs in the world. An approved Emissions Reduction Strategy (ERS) is central to achieving certification through Climate Active. Street Furniture Australia has elected to use SBTi validated science-based targets to ensure their ERS is meaningful and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. For those emissions that can’t be …
An inductee into the Design Hall of Fame and Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, Mark Armstrong was Co-founder and Director of Blue Sky Design Group, the company that designed the Sydney Olympic Torch and Qantas check-in experience. He is now a Practice Professor in Design with Monash University and advises Street Furniture Australia’s design team in an era of great technological change Professor Armstrong provides industrial design expertise to several strategic research projects, utilising user-centered design methods to change outcomes for end-users. When and why did you start Blue Sky Design Group, and what was your vision? Blue Sky is a multidisciplinary design firm based in Sydney. The company was started in the early eighties by myself and partner. When it was founded I was working in Europe with Philips and was …
StreetChat interviews new AILA National President Linda Corkery. Linda is a highly respected landscape architect with a trifecta portfolio of responsibility: AILA National President, Associate Professor at UNSW and Director of Corkery Consulting. We chat about AILA, the future of cities and how women are faring in her industry. Can you tell us about your journey, from the US to Hong Kong, to Australia? My journey to landscape architecture started at Cornell University in upstate New York. At Cornell, I completed master degrees in urban and regional planning and in landscape architecture. There were a few international students in the program, including an Australian fellow I got to know quite well, Noel Corkery. I finished my studies and headed to Chicago, working first in an urban planning consultancy and then in …
Kim Ellis is Executive Director of Sydney’s Botanic Gardens and Centennial Parklands, overseeing a network of seven parks from harbourside to mountaintop. He was Director and CEO of the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust before the parks joined forces in 2014, and was at the helm throughout the operational integration. An advocate for green space, Ellis walks one of the seven parks each morning. Your vision for Australia’s parks and green spaces? Australia is blessed with some of the world’s best public parks and green spaces, but we should not take them for granted. Around 66% of Australians live in capital cities, and this is increasing over time. Population growth pressures and the changes in lifestyle and demographics are already changing the nature and usage of our public spaces. As park managers …
