The Mayfield Project 2023
In early March 2023, a group of 21 architects and educators from across the Australasia region came together in Sydney to explore how to amplify diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice (JEDI) in the context of learning spaces.
The weekend was hosted by the amazing folk from Learning Environments Australasia and facilitated by the international award winning company NoTosh. Check out what we got up to here:
Learning Environments Australasia (formerly CEFPI Australasia) is a community of over 900 professionals sharing best practice on the design, planning, building and use of innovative learning environments. Collectively they promote quality design of learning spaces and professional development amongst a community of educators, designers and decision-makers.
NoTosh was established in 2009, with the simple but deeply held conviction that every learner should experience great teaching and learning in rich learning environments. They set out to do that, at scale, by helping teachers and school leaders to think and work differently, and by bringing them together as a team so they can achieve something remarkable. They have since grown into a global organisation, bringing their team’s award-winning training and consultancy to schools on every continent.
Designing The Authentic Engagement Toolkit Together
Members of the Mayfield Project worked collaboratively over the next three months to explore the themes introduced at the initial conference and explore various methods of empowering space designers and educators to create learning environments that are more responsive to the JEDI principals. Collectively, they developed the Authentic Engagement Toolkit. Read about the members of the 2023 Mayfield Project below. Click on any of our participant’s names to see thier LinkedIn profile.
Jackson Clayton
STEAM Learning Designer
Currently working as a STEAM Learning Designer at the Bendigo Tech School, Jackson is passionate about enhancing inclusive education by harnessing the abilities of emerging technologies. He has an extensive background in education over 10 years working as a Leading Teacher in schools across Australia, including remote Indigenous Communities, working across all year-levels from F-12.
Brychan Asaris
Architect
Brychan is an Architect is South Australia working for Wiltshire + Swain, working in both education and health, and the current Chairperson for the AIA SA’s ArchiEd initiative. His core philosophy is that good design should be afforded to all and should be used to lift the disadvantaged rather than advantaging the privileged.
Syaza Suraini
Interior Designer/ Teacher
Syaza has a background in the built environment and experience working with underprivileged communities, and is dedicated to ensuring that quality physical learning environments are accessible to all students – regardless of their socioeconomic background.
Eilish Barry
Architect
An ARB Architect currently working with Hayball in Sydney, Eilish has been involved with designing education projects from project procurement to post-occupancy/ handover. She has a particular interest in environment research including looking at anti-social behaviour in UK schools and POE’s of government schools built between 1950-1970.
Katrina Newland
Architect
Holding extensive design experience across sectors, Katrina is the Founding Director of Studio Architecture + Interiors in ACT, Australia. She has developed a strong interest in the design of innovative learning spaces and the relationship between learning outcomes and the built environment. Highly professional, Katrina is well respected by her peers and clients who see her as a tenacious, diligent, empathic, passionate and committed leader.
Ciara Carey
Landscape Architect
Ciara Carey is a landscape architect and has been in the industry for nearly 3 and a half years now. She has enjoyed her journey within my industry so far and can’t wait to see what the next few years bring her professionally.
Jess Wang
Architect Grad / Art Teacher
Jess is a passionate designer with multidisciplinary experience across teaching, architectural design and research. She is dedicated to the creation and advocacy for human-centered environments that support and celebrate all its users. Her creative thinking is balanced by a considered, and careful approach formed over teaching, leading workplace Diversity + Inclusion initiatives, emerging professionals’ forums, and architectural projects.
Rachael Thomson
Lighting Designer
Rachel is a Senior Architectural Lighting Designer with WSP after moving into the profession from an educated background in Architecture. Rachel has a particular focus on knowledge growth within lighting design discipline, currently undertaking research into lighting design for neonatal care facilities, and is astounded by the magnanimous possibilities and opportunities lighting design can create for individual’s health, wellbeing and hapiness.
Kara Schoch
Architect Grad
Kara currently works at Robertson Architechts in Wellington, NZ. Her work is mainly based around education projects in both primary and secondary schools as well as Kura’s (Maori immersion schools). Being immersed in the indigenous culture has been a huge learning curve and provided beneficial experience.
Lori Mravicich
Educator
After transitioning from owning and operating a restaurant in Toronto to a career in education based in New Zealand, Lori has valuable experience about the demands and limitations of both the public and private sectors. She has just completed her Master of Education facilitating a project which focused on the development of learner agency. Lori is currently working as a Deputy Principal at a primary school in south Auckland.
Ekta Nathu
School Design Advisor
Ekta is an architectural designer, researcher and advisor interested in equity in the built environment, youth agency in design processes and the future of education. Ekta is a proud Wellingtonian who loves coffee, craft beer and being blown around the city between the two.
Lucy Dixon
Teacher
Lucy is the Leader of Learning for the History and Social Sciences department at Newman Catholic College. She is passionate about inclusive education and wants to transform the learning of all students in her classroom. Lucy has enjoyed engaging with the Mayfield Project and is excited about the possibilities it wil bring.
Georgie Warren
Architecture Graduate
Georgie is an early career Architecture Graduate who has primarily worked on education projects. The love she has developed for designing learning spaces has somewhat surprised her, as she learns the major impact these spaces can have on learners’ lives. Georgie is passionate about understanding people and finding ways to use buildings as a tools to provide benefits for the people who will use the spaces.
Patrick Giles
Architect
Patrick currently steers the education sector in Guymer Bailey Architect’s Melbourne Studio. He has over 10 years experience working across Victorian and Western Australian projects varying in size and sector, including civic, justice, health, and community facilities. Patrick enjoys sketching and graphical illustration.
Yau Nga
Architect
Yau Nga is an architect based in Melbourne. She is passionate about education projects, and has worked on primary, secondary, and special schools in both Victoria and Christchurch. She has also worked closely with the indigenous community, Wakathuni, in the Pilbara, Western Australia; to design and build an Early Learning Centre for them.
Matthea Rudolphy
Teacher/ Academic
An early childhood educator, academic, and lecturer at Victoria University, Melbourne. Matthea’s current focus is on responsive and reflexive teaching; How can we reimagine environments and curriculum to enable agentic learning and inclusive teaching?
Tim Baber
Teacher/ Landscape Architect
A teacher, landscape architect and PhD candidate in the faculty of Architecture, Bulding and Planning at University of Melbourne, Tim’s interest lies in the potential of schools – as places – to contribute to the formation of young people. His PhD research focuses on the impact of ‘vertical’ schools on adolescent development. Tim also teaches part-time at Manning Valley Anglican College in NSW, Australia.
Jasmine Syed
Architecture Graduate
Currently at Parry and Rosenthal Architects, Jasmine has a wide variety of professional experience in educational projects from primary and secondary schools to tertiary institutions. She is passionate about life-long learning and bring unique insight into our research of JEDI from her diverse background of living in and attending schools in the United States, Eastern Europe, Malaysia and Australia.
Tonielle Dempers
Architect
Tonielle is an Architect working in WA, Australia who has been involved with educational projects for the past 4 years. She is currently working for Parry and Rosenthal Architects who predominately specialise in educational and community projects with Government, Anglican and Catholic Schools. Tonielle has also studied educational models widely including through participation in research projects in Thailand and Portugal.
Cath Kilner
Teacher
Cath’s background in architecture has helped her to approach teaching with a desire to create experiences for children. Having first taught in rural Tasmanian towns, Cath is now working as a primary teacher at two independent schools in Launceston, Lutruwita (Tasmania).
Alisha Bliss
Educational Psychologist
An Educational Psychologist for the Ministry of Education in New Zealand and former Primary School Teacher and Syndicate Leader for 8 years in ILE environments. Alisha is passionate about student agency and ensuring all students are able to have their needs met within an inclusive, holistic and strengths-based approach.
