The University of Tasmania’s School of Architecture & Design
2015 Australian Timber Design Workshop - Public Lecture
As a part of our Summer ATDW program we are hosting a series of public lectures regarding timber building and digital construction methodologies. All lectures are held at the University of Tasmania’s School of Architecture & Design.
Jack Birrell
Birelli: art + design + architecture, Tasmania
Thursday 5th February 2015, 6pm – UTAS School of Architecture & Design
Jack Birrell is the director of Birrelli Architects and has led the highly awarded Tasmanian
design-based practice since 1994. His considerable experience and architecture are highly
awarded across a broad range of arenas including: 21C educational facility planning and
design, heritage adaption & conservation, public architecture, residential, access and
inclusion for social equity, and environmental sustainable design. His memberships and
representations include: Tasmanian Representative, Association of Consulting Architects of
Australia (ACAA); Australian Institute of Architects (AlA), Examiner, Board of Architects of
Tasmania, and Interpretation Australia (lA).
Jack's twenty-seven years experience in practice, along with ten years as an educator
Architecture UTAS direct his leadership in collaborative design processes, which he regards
as critical to the delivery of major projects he manages, such as: the $40M Carisbrook
Independent Living Units, the $11M Scotch Oakburn College Maths/Science Centre of
Innovation and the Nigel Peck Visitor Centre and Francis Mary Archer Gallery, which is an
earth coupled, timber core composite structure.
Jack was Project Manager and Design Director for master planning and design for two
Australian Technical Colleges: one within the highly significant lnveresk Railyards (National &
State heritage listed historic site bounded by the North Esk River), and the other sister
educational facility located at Burnie. He was responsible for the urban design, heritage and
ESD consultancy for the conservation, adaptive re-use, and interpretation of James Boag and
Son nine year $80M staged redevelopment (also a National & State listed heritage site).
Boags is the oldest brewery in continual operation in Australia, and now covers three historic
blocks situated on the Esk esplanade and within in the CBD of Launceston.
Recently Jack provided architectural heritage services at the World Heritage Sites; Cascade
Female Factory, Port Arthur, Coal Mines, Woolmers and Brlckendon Estates in Northern
Tasmania, focusing on conservation, interpretation, and access for social equity and
inclusion. The Cider and Wool stores and dairy heritage conservation directly contributed
towards the recent World Heritage Site Inscription on the World Heritage List. The Woolstore
is arguably the oldest timber building in Australia dating back to the 1830s.
Jack (is to his knowledge the only architect to have) received a National Disability Service
Award for Access and Inclusion, awarded for design services to people with Intellectual and
Physical Disabilities - St. Michaels Launceston. St. Michael’s was also awarded 4
sustainability timber design awards. Jack regularly volunteers his architectural services to
regional community projects such as the Bicheno Surf Life Saving Club Boathouse. The
Boathouse has been awarded 12 state and national prizes, including the Nick Murcott award
for Small Projects in the 2014 Australian Institute of Architects National Awards, the Peter
Willmott Award for Small Project Architecture in the 2014 Tasmanian Architecture Awards
along with a number of timber design awards.