Heidi Eichler

I’m Heidi and I’m an enthusiastic and driven 23-year-old graduate of the Bachelor of Design (Architecture) at Swinburne University. My journey into architecture began with a year of study in the Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication), where I developed skills in graphic design. This background in visual communication has proven invaluable in my architectural practice, allowing me to present my design work with clarity and creativity.

My passion for design and art inspires me to combine aesthetics and functional solutions, creating spaces that are both beautiful and functional. I am particularly drawn to the renovation and restoration of old homes, appreciating the challenge of integrating contemporary design with the history and character of the existing structures. I am also inspired by the natural environment, and I focus on incorporating nature and sustainable practices into my designs.

Alongside my design interests, I also have a strong interest in project management. I enjoy coordinating different aspects of a project, ensuring that timelines, communication, and collaboration run smoothly. I find it satisfying to bring together creative ideas and practical processes to deliver cohesive and well-executed outcomes.

At Swinburne the programs I’ve been taught and am skilled in include Rhino 8, Enscape, Grasshopper, Revit and the Adobe Suite.

ARC30002 - Time Tales

Newport is an inner-west suburb of Melbourne, located about 7 kilometres from the CBD within the City of Hobsons Bay. It features a mix of residential, industrial, and commercial areas and is well-connected by train and major roads. Key landmarks include the Newport Lakes Reserve and the historic Newport Railway Workshops.

Time Tales is a children's discovery museum that responds directly to the energetic and young spirit of Newport’s neighbourhood families and workers. The museum combines interactive, educational and cultural experiences within a design that also provides open green space for community use. By targeting a younger audience and local families it supports Newport’s new vision. Time Tales will help reactivate the area by introducing activity through play, learning, exhibitions and events.

Project in Collaboration with Madi Evans & Georgia Grimaldi. 2025.

ARC30002 - Time Tales

Hero Render; Project in Collaboration with Madi Evans & Georgia Grimaldi. Render done by Madi Evans. 2025.

ARC20001 - Beyond Isolation

The Beyond Isolation housing competition, held by Buildner Architecture Competitions in 2023, asked entrants to design housing for seniors. In the central location of 80 John St in Brunswick East VIC, my project houses retired veterans. Designed to house 33 apartments and accommodate 57 residents, my project had a focus on the mental well-being and integration of retired veterans (of all ages) into society and the local community of Brunswick East.

My design combats isolation through the inclusion of an art gallery/museum in which residents are encouraged to provide their own artwork and memorabilia from their time serving. The gallery is anti-monumental in nature, etched into the site like a scar in the landscape. The subterranean gallery reflects the scars and trauma felt by veterans and comments on war as being something that should not be celebrated and memorialised.

Project completed individually. 2024.

ARC30001 - Stillness by the Stream

Located at 731-739 Flinders St, Stillness by the Stream is a mixed building featuring co-working space and apartments aimed at work-from-home employees and working professionals and students in the area.

With Southern Cross Station so close by and a high concentration of working professionals in the area, we thought there was a good opportunity for a coworking space in the Docklands, aimed at 25-30 year old professionals and students.

Project in Collaboration with Madi Evans & Noel de Zilva. 2025.

ARC30004 - Tetris AMDC Retrofit

The Advanced Manufacturing and Design Centre (AMDC) is located within Swinburne’s campus. It was built in 2014 by WilkinsonEyre and SKM Architects. They designed it as a hub for “innovation and collaborative learning that embraces state-of-the-art design.”

The AMDC building’s challenges are a lack of private study zones, limited collaborative spaces, and an unappealing façade. Its interior feels anti-social and uninspiring. Our project addresses these issues by introducing flexible, collaborative, and private spaces that encourage interaction while supporting focused work. We have also created an inspiring façade that enhances the building’s ambience and better reflects the creativity of its users.

Project in Collaboration with Madi Evans, James Craig & Linkoln Gulian. Render done by Madi Evans. 2025.

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.