Zac Nathan

Hi, I'm Zac Nathan a graduate of the Bachelor of Design (Architecture) at the Swinburne University of Technology. I have always had a passion for architecture and construction as it combines the ability to be creative, while testing my problem solving and critical thinking skills with constraints and restrictions. This passion of learning has led to different software skills that has led to an affinity to parametric design and BIM, where I am able to create complex geometries based on parameters I've set. BIM is a process and tool that I have learned to appreciate, as it allows for information to be embedded into every aspect of a project, allowing for a strong communication and collaboration with others. I aim to continue developing my passion for architecture and my skill set into the future.

Professional Practice 1: BIM AMDC Retrofit

Group Project I Rafailia Giannaros, Enjie Bakowatun, Rebecca Baglow
This project involved retrofitting Swinburne’s AMDC building between level 5-8. Our goal was to provide private study/office spaces, expanding the variety of classrooms, providing alternative routes within the building and creating comfortable social spaces.

Architectural Design Studio 5 BAMA

Group Project I Blake D’Souza, Noah Sequeira Leo
This project, developed with my two teammates envisions the Bunjil Arts Museums & Agora, a historical and cultural museum in Newport, Melbourne Our goal is to reconnect Newport’s layers indigenous history by adding motifs throughout the building such as gathering spots, connection to water and connection to land, as well as preserving and restoring native landscapes.

Architectural Studio 3 WIKIHOUSE

The Wikihouse Project involved designing a family home using the wiki house system. Our goal was to create a cost saving, efficient and sustainable method of designing a home able to be constructed by a family. The house was located in Flemington to provide a low building cost within the greater CBD.

Architectural Studio 4 TIDEFRAME

Group Project I Suprito Saumik
This project involved designing a hybrid residential and commercial building in the South Wharf district of Docklands. Our goal was to create a mixed-use building combining residential and commercial spaces along the waterfront. We connected the building to the water through interactive features and lookouts spanning over the Yarra River.

Architectural Design Studio 5 BAMA

A detailed section model displaying the relationship with the urban context, green spaces and circulation throughout the site.

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.