Alumni and Supporters

Image of Stephanie Little
© Katherine Lu
Image of Tony Chenchow
 © Katherine Lu

Name: Stephanie Little
Program: Bachelor of Architecture
Graduation year: 1994

Name: Tony Chenchow
Program: Bachelor of Architecture
Graduation year: 1993

What appealed to you about UNSW and your degree?
We both researched local Universities prior to applying to UNSW. Practicing architects we spoke to all recommended UNSW.

How did you meet?
We met through mutual friends within the Architecture faculty. Other students we met during our time at UNSW are still some of closest friends and form a network of contacts across the world. 

List any highlights during your time at UNSW.
Tony Chenchow won the following awards during his time at UNSW:

• 1988 Royal Australian Institute of Architects Kann Scholarship
• 1991-1992 Royal Australian Institute of Architect’s National Biennale Award
• 1992 NSW Chapter Prize. 

How has your degree at UNSW BE helped you achieve your professional goals? 
Our undergraduate degrees at UNSW provided a solid foundation for our future career. We still keep in contact with some of our UNSW lecturers who continue to provide academic support and professional advice.

How did you go from graduating to owning your own company – what steps did you have to take and was this always your dream?
Due to Tony's design awards and reputation he was offered private projects soon after graduation. We formed a partnership to complete these projects. One project lead to another and our the partnership eventually became a company.

What would be your advice to graduating students seeking work?
Be clear about the experience you would like from your first job. A large commercial company will offer different opportunities and experience than a smaller design practice.

Particular career achievements/highlights
Chenchow Little have won numerous industry awards including the 2009 Australian Institute of Architects Robin Boyd Award, the highest accolade for residential architecture in Australia.  Our practice was recently selected by Architectural Record (USA) for their Design Vanguard 2010 issue for the top 10 emerging practices in the world. Our work has been included in the top architectural journals from around the world including Casabella (Italy), Dwell (USA), Wallpaper (UK), Mark Magazine (The Netherlands) and Architecture Australia.

What projects are you currently working on?
We are working on a variety of projects, including cliff top dwellings in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, new attached dwellings in Mosman and a new fitout for a large inner city office.

What are your plans for the future? In one article you spoke about the possibility of working in other countries – do you have anywhere specific in mind that you’d like to work?
In the future we will continue to focus on maintaining a high quality of design in our work.  We like projects where we are required to challenge stereotypes and look at a design problem in a new way.  The particular country a project is located in is not as important to us as the client and the brief. 

List any awards/prizes/acknowledgements you have received:
Selected List

• World Architecture Festival Awards 2010
  Completed Buildings - House Category
  Shortlist
  Pitched Roof House
• Australian Institute of Architects, National Awards 2009
  Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture - Houses
  Freshwater House
• Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Chapter Awards 2009
  Residential Architecture Award – New Houses
  Freshwater House
• Australian Institute of Architects, National Awards 2009
  National Architecture Award for Small Project Architecture
  Ang House
• Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Chapter Awards 2009
  Residential Architecture Award – Alterations and Additions
  Ang House
• Royal Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Chapter Awards 2003
  Commendation for Interior Architecture
  Rushcutter's Bay Apartment
• Royal Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Chapter Awards 2001
  Commendation for Single Housing
  Mason House

See www.chenchowlittle.com for more information

Name: Richard Wang
Program: Bachelor of Building
Graduation year: 1987

What appealed to you about UNSW and your degree course
Great learning environment and (I think) the only Sydney university offering a Building Degree at the time.

How has your degree at UNSW BE helped you achieve your professional goals? 
Great network of contacts; good grounding in the overall construction industry.

What would be your advice to graduating students seeking work?

Must get construction industry experience whilst you are studying; must be enthusiastic and well presented (first impressions are very important); don’t be overly ambitious; experience is everything; you don’t learn everything at university.

Any particular career achievements/highlights?
Current role as State Manager of a $400m pa turnover business

What projects are you currently working on?

• Museum of Contemporary Arts Building extension and Refurbishment
• Australian Hearing Hub Building at Macquarie University
• Trade Training Centres (Multiple) – Regional NSW
• Woolworth Data Centre, Eastern Creek
• One Central Park Residential, Broadway
• Park Lane Residential, Broadway
• Single LEAP Accommodation project PPP for ADF
• Kamira Court HNSW, Villawood

What do enjoy most about working as State Manager for Watpac construction?

• Growing the NSW business as part of a diverse national construction, property and engineering business
• Providing opportunities for our construction professionals to gain experience and develop their careers within a very nurturing environment
• Being able to put my DNA on the culture of the business
• Having the autonomy to map our CSR strategy
• Ability to mentor some great people within the business

List any awards/prizes/acknowledgements you have received

• FAIB
• Numerous AIB and MBA Awards for projects I have been associated with

Name: Ben McCarthy
Program: Bachelor of Industrial Design
Graduation year: 2004

Why did you choose your degree?
I’ve always enjoyed learning how things are made, taking things apart, and constructing things of my own, right from using Lego as a child. I thought I wanted to be an inventor when I was a kid. When I learned there was a degree in what I was doing at home for fun, it was an easy choice.

What did you enjoy most about your time at UNSW?
University has a great community of creative thinkers inspiring each other. The people around me, be it staff or students were all interesting people and it was a great environment to be immersed in.

What did you enjoy most about studying at BE?
I was able to get into design full time for the first time in my life and I really enjoyed learning about what I always wanted to do. Being able to focus on it was like doing my favourite subject at school 100% of the time.

How did BE prepare you for employment after you graduated?
Straight after I graduated I designed a range of furniture made in China. I had enough knowledge to see this project though to market at 22. I learned a lot more in the following years, but university gave me enough of a skills base to apply to each part of the design process to successfully see a project through immediately after graduating.

How did your degree help you in your current position?
Knowledge of ‘how things are made’ is really important as a designer. Most of this knowledge comes from going to factories. But if you haven’t studied it, and you don’t know what you’re looking at it is much less useful.   I am now based in Hong Kong and its valuable to have a western ‘aesthetic’ ie, understanding what sells in western countries and why, makes your more employable in Asia.

Where have you worked since graduation from BE, and in what roles?
I worked freelance in Sydney for 12 months, for a few different companies before I won a grant from the British Council and moved to London to work for Tom Dixon as a junior designer. I now live in Hong Kong as senior designer for Michael Young.

What have been your career highlights since graduating from BE?
Moving to London and moving to Hong Kong. The world is a big place and it’s great to combine work and travel, whilst gaining experience.

What do you enjoy most about working in your profession?
Doing something different ever day. Working with interesting people. Bringing new ideas into peoples lives. Seeing where everyday things come from. Working in new contexts. Using new technologies to produce new products, and not having to wear a suit or tie.

What is your future professional goal?
I want to start my own studio in a few years time. But I want to work and travel before I do it. 

What advice would you give someone planning to enter your profession?
Be observant of everything that is happening around you.