Having grown up in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales where a passion for the environment and outdoors started, Hayden has gone onto work in landscape design, urban design and master planning for infrastructure, residential, tourism, commercial and open space projects. His project experience extends both locally and globally, including widely across Australia and New Zealand, the UAE, Oman, Algeria, Caribbean, Hong Kong and China. Through that experience, Hayden has worked for the Sydney, Abu Dhabi, Canberra, and now the Gold Coast office, having recently moved back to the Northern Rivers.

The one thing that remains a focus through every project, is a drive to design for people, and delivering positive community outcomes through ‘people-centric design’.

Where did this drive for designing for people come from?

My passion for people-centric design didn’t start at a single point in time, it evolved over the years. My first project at ArchTam was the One-horned Rhinoceros and Otter Exhibit at the Dubbo Western Plains Zoo. This involved curating both the visitor experience and the animals’ enclosures, addressing the unique challenges of keeping rhinoceroses safe in captivity. I vividly remember spending countless hours researching African villages and landscapes. Our goal was to interpret that quintessential character into an immersive experience for zoo visitors. This exhibit marked a shift for the zoo, allowing visitors to experience larger animals up close.

Over the years, working in various locations and among different cultures, my drive to deliver engaging and community-valued projects grew stronger.

Every project is an opportunity to find solutions that lead to positive outcomes. For me, a project isn’t complete until I see people interacting with it. There’s a unique satisfaction, an internal smile for a designer, when people start using and engaging with what you’ve envisioned and delivered.

How does your passion for people-centric design influence your projects?

Over the years, ArchTam has evolved its focus from a collection of singular design disciplines to large interdisciplinary projects where we collaborate to solve complex challenges. I find these kinds of projects that involve a diverse group of design disciplines, backgrounds, ages, identities and ethnicities most enjoyable. I’m fortunate to work at a company that prides itself on inclusivity.  

As a landscape architect, I advocate for outcomes that prioritise both People and Place — ensuring our designs are not only functional and beautiful, but also meaningful and impactful for the communities we serve.

Is there an ArchTam project that sticks in your mind?

There are many, but one in particular that I take personal pride in. Initially, it wasn’t a project.

I was working on a new bus station that connected to a new light rail terminus. With the new terminus, buses were no longer operating on the main street. I saw an opportunity to transform the main street into a space where pedestrians were prioritised, enhancing street activity and benefiting adjacent shopfronts. I was confident that by focusing on people, the north side of the street could transition from service outlets to on-street dining and eateries. Three design options reached the transport minister’s desk, and the project was created. I led all design disciplines to create a new people-centric street.

Today, that street safely connects school students to public transport, features outdoor dining, public seating, street furniture, mature trees and rain gardens, all while retaining car parking and car movements.

How does the role of the landscape architect fit with people-centric design?

The ‘traditional’ role of the landscape architect, varied in its definition, is someone who designs and plans outdoor spaces, blending functionality with aesthetics to create beautiful and sustainable environments.

I have learnt over the years, that landscape architects have such diverse roles in the natural and built environment. The typical design process of a landscape architect goes beyond considering environmental factors of sun, shade, wind and slope. We consider the existing desire lines of the local communities, connections, nearby facilities and demographics to understand our target users. We’re also relatively unbounded by rules. We have a few standards that deal with access, trips, fall heights, ramps and stairs, but we aren’t overly prescribed on the shape and size of what we create. We immerse ourselves in understanding the user, how our design will function, how people will engage in it, how it will benefit health and well-being and its economic, cultural and social value.

This process is what makes us acutely people-centric designers.

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Elisabet Olle Amat is a versatile urban designer, architect and planner, leveraging her multidisciplinary training to innovate across various fields and tailor optimal solutions for urban environments. She draws her urban experience solutions from living in Barcelona, London and a few cities in the U.S. Elisabet demonstrates a profound understanding of the complexities within urban landscapes, particularly in cities like Los Angeles where she advocates towards more inclusive, plural, livable, walkable and people-oriented environments.

Tell us a bit about yourself – your role and career journey.  

My background in architecture and urban design allows me to cross-pollinate between both disciplines to develop effective solutions for urban environments. My career began in Barcelona, then I spent four years in London, and eight years ago, I moved to the United States to attend UCLA. Along the way, I had the opportunity to experience living in two different cities, Chicago and Los Angeles. Changing geographies exposed me to stark differences in urban design philosophies, particularly coming from a pedestrian-friendly environment to car-centric cities in America like Los Angeles.

Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, ranging from large-scale city master plans to smaller neighborhood designs and public spaces. My focus has consistently been on creating more walkable, human-centric environments that prioritize safety and livability. This often involves reimagining suburban models to foster pedestrian-friendly spaces. I’ve also contributed to transit projects, including station designs and transit-oriented developments. My work reflects a commitment to enhancing urban landscapes through innovative design solutions tailored to the needs of individual communities.

Talk to us about a project that has impacted or been a major highlight of your career. How is it solving the challenges and issues our clients and communities are facing today?

A pivotal project in my career was the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) master plan for the Compton Artesia station on California’s Blue Line. This project tackles the challenge of transit infrastructure being disconnected from its surrounding environment.

Situated in a suburban area alongside an industrial zone and outdoor mall, the station suffered from wayfinding issues and underutilized lots, causing low ridership due to its isolated location. Funded by Los Angeles Metro, the project aimed to revitalize the station through a transit-oriented development plan. By introducing diverse programming, it aims to benefit Compton through housing, retail, and open spaces enhancement. It involved thorough assessments, conceptualizations and community engagement sessions. Initially held at a city-owned space, engagement efforts expanded to include various stakeholders as identified by the local community.

Our inclusive approach enabled direct dialogue with residents, offering insights into their needs and aspirations for the neighborhood. Engaging with Compton’s residents proved both challenging and rewarding. The process highlighted the importance of inclusive planning and getting to know what residents want for their community. Directly hearing the voices of the people and helping them articulate their vision for their neighborhood was incredibly interesting and hugely rewarding for me.

How do you incorporate green infrastructure into your designs to promote sustainable practices and positively impact health and well-being?

Incorporating green infrastructure into our designs involves various strategies aimed at capturing and managing stormwater, which plays a vital role in addressing urban climate challenges by working with nature. Depending on the project, whether that be urban design or planning initiatives, we employ diverse approaches which are always tailored to the specific context. For instance, when designing streets, we prioritize permeable surfaces, integrate bioswales, and plant more trees to mitigate stormwater runoff and enhance water absorption. In a recent project focused on urban forestry in Los Angeles, we investigated the disparities in tree distribution across different neighborhoods, particularly noting that low-income areas tend to have fewer trees compared to wealthier neighborhoods. Through community engagement and research, we highlighted the significance of tree preservation policies, as seen in cities like Pasadena, which have stricter regulations when it comes to protecting trees. As LA faces densification and increased construction, preserving trees is crucial to maintaining urban greenery and mitigating heatwaves. All these elements make up part of our sustainable practices and improve overall community health and wellbeing.

How does the unique culture and character of Los Angeles influence your approach to urban design?

I’d like to highlight two key aspects of Los Angeles. Firstly, it is a remarkably diverse community, comprising people from various cultures and backgrounds. Secondly, the city’s character, which is primarily designed for cars rather than for people, poses a significant challenge. Understanding these two elements of Los Angeles is paramount in the design process. Empowering the community and actively soliciting their input are essential steps in ensuring inclusivity and responsiveness to their needs. As an urban designer, my role is pivotal in reimagining urban spaces to prioritize pedestrian experiences and community connectivity. This involves fundamental shifts in how we conceptualize urban spaces with an emphasis on human-centric design principles.    

Transforming the city’s design ethos involves advocating for changes in urban planning policies, collaborating with municipalities, developers, and designers to integrate urban design principles at every stage of development. By fostering dialogue and raising awareness about the importance of urban design, we can catalyze a shift towards more inclusive, people-oriented environments that reflect the vibrant culture and diverse identities of Los Angeles.

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Djemila Hadj-Hamou has more than 30 years of experience and is the newly appointed lead of our Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning and Urban Design team in Quebec. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in architecture and has a master’s degree in urban planning with a major in urban design from Université de Montréal (University of Montreal). She leads a variety of projects of different scales and also teaches a course in urban regeneration at the University of Montreal.

Tell us what inspired you to join the industry.

I’ve always been fascinated by the way architecture shapes a city, so I decided to study in this field and specialize in urban architecture. The balance between built environments and open spaces in a city isn’t a mere coincidence, but rather the result of a meticulous design process and thoughtful planning. Urban design links urban planning, architecture and landscape. Complex projects often require additional expertise, and I find building a multidisciplinary team to deliver a large project both challenging and very rewarding.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

I’ve really enjoyed working on many projects throughout my career at ArchTam, especially those that require an innovative approach and push us to think outside the box. I particularly enjoyed a recent collaboration with our rail team on a high frequency rail (HFR) project since I love projects that bring together multidisciplinary teams. My role in the project was to evaluate the options for closing level crossings and ensure the urban and landscape integration of the proposed concepts.

Another favourite project is a traffic mitigation study for the City of Montreal. What made this project particularly interesting was that it combined three concepts: street density, greening and car traffic reduction. Our typo-morphological approach allowed us to identify potential solutions and layouts for the urban context. One of the proposed solutions included a typology of thresholds and adapted streets including school streets, play streets, square-park streets and garden streets. Inspired by Barcelona’s recently-developed superblocks, we were able to rethink the design and transform these areas into more liveable and healthy neighbourhoods for residents. This successful outcome was achieved through collaboration with our local transportation and mobility experts.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

As an urban planner and designer, I work to positively impact communities with outdoor spaces that combine sustainability and cultural relevance, and that artfully blend in with enhanced neighborhoods and improve the quality of life for residents. The innovative approach for the restoration of the pedestrian section of Prince-Arthur Street in Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal neighborhood is an example of a project that positively impacted the community, and was completed on time to mark the city’s 375^th anniversary in 2017. 

Prior to our work, the street had been a route where bicycle traffic could often pose risks to pedestrian safety. We transformed it into a green, pedestrian-friendly and safe promenade for families and children to stroll past restaurants and cafes. The middle of the promenade is enhanced with terraces, furniture and flowers, a similar concept to the popular La Rambla in Barcelona.

Our innovative, sustainable and environmentally friendly approach has guided the redesign of the street, giving pedestrians a feeling of safety to freely enjoy their strolls, while discouraging cyclists from using the pedestrian area. The street links the very lively Saint-Laurent Boulevard and the quiet Saint-Louis Square at the border between Plateau Mont-Royal and Montreal’s City Center. Distinctive furniture, multi-purpose flower box benches and its open space nature, make this area a local favourite venue for temporary outdoor events and seasonal activities.

Share a piece of career advice.

Get involved and be dedicated despite the obstacles that may arise along the way — it’s well worth it, as our industry has many exciting career possibilities. We are witnessing a number of paradigm shifts in many areas, so seize every opportunity that comes your way to collaborate with colleagues and cliennts, and develop innovative solutions and industry best practices that will improve communities and drive equity for years to come.

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