Hugo Leo

Bachelor of Design (Architecture)

Hi, I’m Hugo Leo. I am a graduating Architecture student at Swinburne University of Technology. Within the next few years I aim to complete my Masters in Architecture and begin working in industry hopefully one day also gaining a builders licence, then being able to design and construct my own developments.

Throughout my degree I have been able to acquire many skills that I will be able to bring as tools into future work, some of the skills I have gained throughout my Bachelor of Design (Architecture) is learning to think critically and creatively but also the how to use software as tools to convey my ideas and thoughts, these include programs such as Rhino, Grasshopper, Revit, Adobe Creative suite programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign as well as many other applications to express ideas and concepts.

In my spare time I work as a structural and decorative steel designer, fabricator and installer for domestic developments around Melbourne, for this reason I have a grown fond of the construction and hands on side of Architecture, seeing how things are built.

Coming from and Italian background I’ve always had a fascination with the built environment especially classical architecture and construction that can be seen through the many famous cities in Italy and Europe. In recent years I have grown an admiration for more modern and various architectural styles, as I have been able to create ideas of my own doing several design studios and units during my degree.

Studio 5 - Fusival, Melbourne Park

Studio 4 - Flowville, Docklands

Studio 3 - Ebrington Station, Londonderry

Studio 2 - IS Buiding Retrofit, Swinburne

Acknowledgement of Country

The School of Design and Architecture respectfully acknowledges the Wurundjeri peoples of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Owners and knowledge-keepers of the lands, waters and sky that surround us, where we work, learn, create, communicate and make place. We recognise that sovereignty has never been ceded and this always was and will always be Wurundjeri Country. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who continue to make a better world through design.

We extend our acknowledgement to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, students, alumni, real-life clients, and knowledge keepers, who have contributed to our own education diversity and growth. We will continue to ensure that staff and students respectfully honour ancestral connection to Country and Place in everything that they do.

We are dedicated to the notion of design to make a better world and we acknowledge that making tools, shaping place, sharing stories, making meaning, wayfinding and collaborating have long been and continue to be both central and integral to First Peoples' cultures. We recognize that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ cultural contributions have continued relevance to design practice and commit to: reconciling ancestries of design and contemporary practice as well as pursuing culturally and professionally appropriate ways to engage with a diverse population of colleagues, industries and clients. In a time of treaty-making and voice we understand that there are overlaps between caring for Country and the sustainable production of goods, services, experiences, products and buildings.

Guided by the principles of respect, reconciliation, and reciprocity we undertake to indigenising and decolonising design practice by dismantling colonial structures and challenging biases that have marginalised Indigenous voices and design.

As students of SoDA you will be given opportunities to both engage with and educate yourself in Indigenous creative practices and cultural protocols through a lens of inclusivity, diversity, respect, mutual understanding, inter-cultural dialogue in all aspects of design practice. Indigenous people have been telling stories, making tools, and connecting to Country through visual media, placemaking and place marking for more than 60,000 years and these practices are part of an ongoing, evolving and live tradition.