Paul Magro

Bachelor of Design (Architecture)

My names Paul Magro, a final-year Bachelor of Architecture student with a foundation in Building Design which I completed at RMIT. My path into architecture was driven by a commitment to innovative and sustainable design solutions that respond to both the environment and client needs. In my current role as a Project Coordinator at Crosier Scott Architects, I work across BIM management, design, interior design, construction systems, building services, and ESD/sustainability. This experience has enabled me to contribute to master planning for schools across Victoria, as well as managing site measurements and documentation for residential and commercial projects.

Architecture, for me, is a blend of creativity and precision, from the earliest design concepts to the final stages of development. I approach each project with a strong focus on functionality, aesthetic coherence, and environmental performance, aiming to create spaces that are both innovative and practical. My recent work explores sustainable materials, adaptive reuse, and energy-efficient systems, reflecting my dedication to environmental responsibility in design.

This year, I am focused on advancing my skills in conceptual design and digital documentation, while refining my public speaking abilities to enhance client engagement and clearly communicate project visions. I aspire to be an architect who not only delivers thoughtful, high-quality work but also fosters collaborative, trusted relationships with clients, ensuring each project is tailored to its unique context and purpose.

NEWPORT JUNCTION: INDUSTRIAL & INTERCULTURAL MUSEUM

STUDIO 5 | The design proposal for the Newport Junction: Industrial and Inter-cultural Museum envisions a dynamic community hub that bridges Newport’s industrial heritage with sustainable and forward-thinking initiatives. Showcasing a structure that seamlessly blends historic and contemporary design elements. The museum’s layout, framed by lush landscaping and integrated green spaces, invites both community interaction and reflection. This proposal not only preserves and celebrates local history but also creates adaptable, interactive spaces that foster learning, community engagement, and environmental responsibility.

NEWPORT JUNCTION: SITE PLAN | FLOOR PLAN

STUDIO 5 | The site and floor plan for the Newport Junction project illustrates a dynamic interaction between indoor and outdoor spaces, creating seamless connections that promote natural lighting and boosts community engagement. Key spaces like the gallery, workshop areas, library/study, education, and community spaces are oriented to open towards outdoor zones, enhancing accessibility and the user experience.

DOCKLANDS FISH MARKET: MIXED USE | STUDENT ACCOMMODATION

STUDIO 4 | The Docklands Fish Market proposal aims to revitalise the area of North Wharf docklands. Combining the necessities of student accommodation with a place of social interaction. Aiming to cater for an effective market space on the ground level, with docks for commercial and recreational boats. A connection between North Wharf and Ron Barassi Park across the Yarra via a bike and footbridge aims to create a greater sense of community and accessibility. Complementing these features will be recreational spaces located within and around the site.

THE GRID: RETROFIT

INTERIOR DESIGN | In this project I was tasked to retrofit a site in Melbourne's CBD. This stems from the ideation of using a simple object and exploding it to create a more dynamic space. This design explores the dynamic potential of a geometric shape, expanded and reimagined to form a multi-level, mixed-use office building. The exploded shape creates an engaging spatial hierarchy, allowing light, circulation, and visual connectivity to flow seamlessly between levels. Each floor is uniquely configured to encourage collaboration and flexibility, making the building adaptable for a range of professional and communal uses.

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN: IRRIGREEN WALL

CONSTRUCTION 3 | For this final assignment, I developed a water-harvesting green wall using the words “water,” “harvest,” and “wall.” The wall features triangular shapes attached to chains, which help aerate the plants while also collecting and filtering water. The design incorporates a water collection system for public use, providing filtered drinking water as people walk past.

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.