Sam Crawford Architects (SCA) welcomes three new team members whose diverse backgrounds and shared commitment to thoughtful, place-responsive design strengthen the practice’s collaborative ethos.

Reflecting the practice’s commitment to craft, sustainability and cultural awareness, the new team members bring complementary skills shaped by rigorous academic inquiry, hands-on making, and international experience.

Together, their backgrounds reinforce SCA’s collaborative studio culture and its focus on architecture that is deeply connected to context, climate and narrative.

Isabella Howe joins SCA as an Architectural Assistant after completing her Bachelor of Design in Architecture at the University of Technology Sydney.

Her academic work is strongly grounded in Indigenous design-thinking, with a particular focus on Country-centred principles and storytelling as tools for achieving more meaningful outcomes for people and place.

An exchange semester at the Aarhus School of Architecture further developed her interest in climate-adaptive and environmentally responsive design. At SCA, Howe assists with drawings, schedules, specifications and presentations while continuing to build practical experience within the studio environment.

Jonas Padrutt, Graduate Architect, brings a hybrid background spanning both construction and architectural practice. Holding a Bachelor of Architectural Studies and a Master of Architecture, Jonas contributes across concept development, model-making, digital design and documentation.

His design values are shaped by an interest in how architecture can foster comfort, memory and belonging through craft, context and narrative. Growing up on a dairy farm in New Zealand fostered a hands-on understanding of making, landscapes and materiality.

A formative influence on his architectural path was the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery / Len Lye Centre by Patterson Associates, an exemplar of how world-class architecture, realised through local craftsmanship, can thrive beyond major urban centres.

Mila Crawford is currently studying a Bachelor of Design in Architecture at the University of Sydney and works part-time at SCA as an Architectural Assistant. Her role spans project support as well as social media and marketing, contributing to both the studio’s design output and its public presence.

Extensive travel throughout Europe during her 2025 gap year deepened her appreciation for enduring architectural works, particularly those of Alvar Aalto, with Villa Mairea and Studio Aalto proving especially influential. She brings a strong interest in sustainable design and a keen eye for detail, aligning closely with the studio’s values and culture.

Together, these appointments reflect SCA’s continued investment in emerging designers with strong conceptual grounding, technical curiosity and a shared belief in architecture’s capacity to respond sensitively to place, climate and culture.

Image: Isabella Howe, Mila Crawford, Jonas Padrutt / supplied

Clémence Carayol

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