Alyssa Dowsett

Hello! I’m Alyssa Dowsett, I am 21 years old and currently in my third year of architecture. I am passionate about expanding my horizons within this field and pursuing a meaningful design career. Inspired by the enduring elegance of mid‑century architecture, I strive to create spaces with timeless charm that resonate emotionally and endure beyond trends.

I’m fascinated by how architecture shapes people’s feelings, why a place can feel like home, or why certain built environments motivate and inspire. My design philosophy centers on crafting spaces that tell stories and foster meaningful emotional connections.

While grand pavilions and striking buildings excite me, my deepest ambition is to design homes that not only serve practical needs but also fulfill clients’ dreams of a true sanctuary. In pursuit of this goal, I’m eager to gain hands‑on experience at a respected firm, particularly one specializing in residential architecture, to refine my technical skills, project management, and client‑centered approach. Ultimately, I aim to channel this experience into building my own architecture practice in the future.

Blank Canvas Domain Age Care Facility

“An Artistic Approach to Senior Living” The Blank Canvas Domain, shaped like an artform molded by hands, reimagines senior living at 117 Vere St, Abbotsford. Blending housing with public spaces, it fosters connection through shared kitchens, lounges, and creative hubs. Promoting art therapy and cultural engagement, the project integrates galleries and communal activities to combat isolation while enriching residents’ lives and strengthening community ties.

CURRENTSIDE

“Reflecting the Spine of Melbourne, the Yarra river” CURRENTSIDE is a residential and community hub at North Wharf, Docklands, inspired by the Yarra River as Melbourne’s central spine. The design reflects the river’s three sections: active, dynamic upper zones; flexible, adaptable middle spaces; and urban, integrated lower levels. Through this, CURRENTSIDE fosters community connection while harmonizing natural inspiration with the city’s evolving urban fabric. Inviting people to the area by providing familiarity and a sense of belonging.

Surfers Coast Community Center

The Surfers Coast Community Centre, located at the intersection of Northcliffe Terrace and Laycock Street in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, is designed as a hub for community engagement and event hire. Its architectural concept originates from two stacked circular forms, later manipulated into a dynamic structure that fosters connection, versatility, and a strong civic presence within the urban beachfront context.

The Nexus Era, AMDC RetroFit

The Nexus Era is a group project proposing a retrofit of the Advanced Manufacturing and Design Centre at Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn. The project focuses on fostering connection, collaboration, and creativity within an academic setting, embedding these values into both the interior spatial design and the architectural expression of the building.

Key design objectives include strengthening the connection to nature by blurring the boundaries between indoor and outdoor environments, and enhancing natural light, ventilation, and views. The design also prioritises sustainability and longevity, ensuring the building remains functional and adaptable for over 50 years without the need for frequent retrofits. Additionally, the retrofit aims to promote collaboration and social interaction through flexible, shared spaces that inspire productivity and creativity. The interior is organised into four colour-coded zones based on colour theory: red for collaboration (energy and focus), green for offices (balance and concentration), blue for labs and balconies (calm and clarity), and yellow for studios (creativity and optimism).

Wiki House - The Solution to housing

For this project, we were asked to use WikiHouse components to create residential housing and urban planning. WikiHouse is an open-source building system that allows anyone to design and construct affordable, sustainable homes using CNC-cut plywood parts. It aims to make housing more accessible, reduce costs, and promote open innovation. The system simplifies construction, encourages the use of local materials, and supports environmentally friendly, community-driven design and building practices. My group member and I collaborated to use these components to create three different categories of housing based in the area of Albion, Sunshine. These include the “standard home” targeted towards singles and couples, the “townhouse” for couples looking to extend their family in the future, and finally the “family house” for established families with growing children or teens seeking a long-lasting home with minimal changes. The end result of this project was a series of simple yet pleasing houses and interiors with the flexibility to adapt to future needs.

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.