A black and white photo of a smiling middle-aged man with short hair, wearing a suit jacket and white shirt, in an indoor setting with blurred background.

Curriculum Vitae

  • Jim Koopman Design Collaborative I 2025 -

  • AJC Architects I Studio Director I 2023-25

  • Allen Jack + Cottier I Director 2008-23

  • Gordon + Valich I Director I 1988-2008

  • Allen Jack + Cottier I Grad. Architect 1978-88

Associations

  • WSU Architecture EAC I 2024-Present

  • Northern Beaches DSAP I 2020-Present

  • Bayside Council DRP I 2019-23

Awards

  • 2024 WAF Awards – Future Office I Multigate, Yennora I Finalist AJC Architects

  • 2020, NSW Architecture Awards, Residential Architecture - Multiple Housing, I The Burcham, Rosebery I Commendation

  • 2019 NSW Architecture Awards, Heritage Architecture– The Burcham, Rosebery – Highly commended    AJC Architects

  • 2011  WAF Awards - House. I Glass Loggia House I Shortlisted AJC Architects

  • 2011  WAF Awards – New and Old I Harris Street Studios I Shortlisted AJC Architects

  • 1997  Veterinary Economics Hospital Design Award (USA)I G+V

  • 1996  Honor Award in Washington Centre 'Excellence on the Waterfront' Awards I (G+V with Allen Jack + Cottier & Terragram)

  • 1995 RAIA Merit Award for Housing I Simson House Balmain I G+V

  • 1993  RAIA Wilkinson  Award I Friend House I G+V

  • 1993  RAIA Robyn Boyd National Award for Residential Architecture I Friend House  I G+V

  • 1992  RAIA Merit Award for Residential Architecture I Potts Point Apartments I G+V

  • 1992  RAIA Merit Award for Interior Design I Barrett House II I G+V

  • 1992  RAIA Merit Award for Conservation I Potts Point Apartments I G+V

I am an architect and urban designer of 45 years’ experience now collaborating on architectural and urban design projects that aspire to be innovative, responsive and future thinking.

My goal is to foster design excellence.

Design excellence is important because it talks to place, simplicity and resilience.

I am a registered architect (No. 6069) and urban designer who has worked with AJC Architects as a Studio Director for 15 years until 2025 leading a wide variety of significant master planning and urban design projects for public and private sector clients.

At AJC I was the co-founder of the URBANBACKYARD research project which asked the question ‘What would it take for families to choose apartment living closer to work, releasing pressure on urban sprawl’. In this project we researched shallow depth multi core courtyard housing typologies

For some years now I have been studying indigenous history and knowledge systems as wells as working with AJC in the implementation of their Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan.

Good design is built on a foundation of processes that start with Discovery and this includes future thinking. Enormous changes to urban mobility are coming, and I continue to work on great opportunities for re-thinking our cities that will eventuate.

I continue to collaborate with AJC Architects, now focusing exclusively on design, particularly in multi residential, mixed use and masterplan projects. I currently sit on the Northern Beaches Design and Sustainability Panel and am a member of the external education advisory committee working with Western Sydney University Architecture Faculty. I have been appointed to the Hornsby Design Review Panel until 2027

If you are a developer, landowner or government body and have a complex design issue that needs peer review or alternative solutions at high level, if you need high level feasibilities for residential and mixed-use projects, I may be able to work with you.