SIMONE BLISS  / Bach. L, Arch (RMIT) (hons)

Simone Bliss is the creative director of SBLA Studio and panel member of the recently implemented City of Melbourne Design Review Panel.

Prior to establishing the SBLA , Simone worked as a senior landscape architect with Taylor Cullity Lethlean (TCL, Melbourne) and then Playstreet design studio in Hobart. She has eighteen years experience designing and project managing nationally and internationally award-winning projects.

Simone has a creative vision with the ability to materialise  colorful conceptual ideas into functional spaces. She is an active member in the discussion of green field development, high and mid density housing and Melbourne’s housing shortage. She has led a series of multi-residential housing projects that are undertaking alternative models to business as usual. She has worked closely with a number of developers and architects who are pushing the urban density and middle ground housing outcomes.

GEMMA PEIRCE COOKE / M.Arch, Bach. Planning and Design, Grad dip Garden Design

Gemma joined SBLA in 2017, following working in architecture since 1997.  A passion for the ecological, environment and social benefits of landscape drew her to work with plants, gardens and at a broader urban scale with SBLA.  She has experience as the lead co-ordinating consultant on range of projects and scales including project budgets of up to $100M.  Gemma has worked on a number of complex multi storey landscape projects, including the AILA National award winning Nightingale 2.0, and at a civic arts scale on the public realm of Collingwood Yards. 

Gemma has experience working as an architect on cultural buildings, hotels, housing developments and single dwellings as Associate Director of Wood Marsh Architects (2005-2014) and as a senior architect at MAA architects (2015-2016).  Earlier in her career she worked at Swaney Draper Architects, Greg Burgess Architects and Bystrup Architects, Copenhagen.  She has tutored and critiqued studios at Melbourne and RMIT university and undertook pro bono work with The Anganwadi Project (India, 2014).  Her housing and interiors work (at Wood Marsh) has been awarded by the AIA and she has been a jury member on AIA awards in Residential Houses - New, 2013 and Public Buildings 2009. 

COLIN CHEN

Landscape Architect

Colin is an experienced photographer, graphic designer and landscape architect.  He has a particular understanding of the constant dynamic nature of Landscape Architecture, exploring and revealing this through his designs. He uses design to address ecological and social issues; seeking innovative ways to bring creativity and heterogeneity into the designed civic / public spaces. 

Colin’s experience in digital media is reflected in his work. He is highly skilled in graphic representation and visualisations. 

As well as practing at SBLA, Colin tutors Design, Constructed Ecologies and Site Tectonics at the University of Melbourne.

CHRISTA COWELL / Graduate Landscape Architect
MA L Arch (UoM), Bach. Journalism & Bach. Arts (Philosophy) (UoQ)

Christa’s love of plants, ecology and art drew her to landscape architecture after 9 years working in communications and marketing. She moved from Brisbane to Melbourne in 2017 to embark on a career change to landscape architecture and hasn’t looked back since.

Her multidisciplinary background makes her a highly adaptable and analytical landscape architect, passionate about designing spaces that convey evocative cultural and ecological narratives to engage and inspire users. In her work she hopes to influence how we interact with each other and how we perceive and value our world. Christa has a keen interest in planting design, sustainability, and social equity.

WADE TREVEAN / Senior Landscape Architect

Wade Trevean has worked within the landscape architecture industry for fifteen years, specialising in active community/youth projects. Experience includes working with numerous local governments throughout all states and territories in Australia from the Pilbara (WA) to the suburbs of Melbourne.

These projects totalling 100+ have ranged from smaller ($50k) to larger ($3m) budgets. In addition he has volunteered his services to design and construction projects from Palestine to Iraq and many other countries, working with international NGO’s and local community groups. The role on these pro-bono projects commences by working with local communities to develop the design onto construction management requirements whilst actively working on the builds. Collectively these projects have included all facets of skills from community consultation, site assessments, concept designs, contract documentation , quantity surveying through to contract administration. A Masters in Construction Management offers further experience in Project Management.

With a passion for inclusion Wade ensures all work is in collaboration with the community from design through to activation, encouraging their personal insight whilst developing the early stages of ownership over their spaces.

SASCHA MARTIN / Bach. LArch (RMIT), Grad.Cert Urb, Des (USYD), Urban Designer

Sascha is a landscape architect and urban designer with experience working within local Government and private practice in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. She has worked on award winning small- scale laneway upgrades, urban interventions and city level precinct plans.

She is passionate about the built environment and utilising design and planning tools to enhance our quality of life within the public and private realms. Sascha is dedicated to researching and promoting best practice environmental, social and economic outcomes through design processes that take into consideration ‘our’ greater landscape.

KATE McCRACKEN / MA Environment (UOM) (current), Bach. LArch (RMIT)

 Kate is a landscape architect and multidisciplinary designer who is passionate about creative problem solving. She approaches a project with the responsibility to create a place that improves the human experience and environmental processes.  

 Kate enjoys collaborating with other designers, specialists, artists and varying communities to produce high quality design outcomes. With experience across a broad range of projects including master planning, infrastructure, play, installation and residential design she enjoys mapping out big picture strategies and getting into the nitty gritty of how stuff works.

AMANDA LEONARDIA / Accounts + Books

Amanda is an experienced administration executive. She has a holistic understanding of accounts and the intricacies of office management. Amanda runs the SBLA finances and keeps the office ticking on a daily basis.

Amanda is passionate about abacuses and, of course, numbers.