GroupGSA has added experienced interior designer and design lecturer at Queensland University of Technology Angela Spillane as a principal.
Noted as being an inspiring leader and mentor, Spillane honed her craft at Arkifield and brings more than 20 years' professional experience in Sydney, London and Brisbane to her new role.
Spillane's practice draws upon the intersections between interiors, and architecture and has led design practices, project teams and managed projects from evolving concepts through to delivering the built form.
As one of the principals for GroupGSA'a Brisbane interiors team, Spillane says she is eager to bring her knowledge and expertise to the group where her passion lies in impacting daily life through design.
Describing herself as being passionate about design and the merging of practice with teaching, Spillane also says that she "enjoys the interface between human experience and built environments."
"As an interior designer, I'm really interested in the impact that design can have on everyday life and the change that we are able to create in the places that we make."
"I think Australian design and architecture in particular is very good at integrating inside and out due to our outdoor lifestyle, but it's true that sustainability is often dealt with differently by the two disciplines," she says.
Asked as to what she hopes to achieve as the new principal at GroupGSA, Spillane says that she's "excited to join a large multi-disciplinary global team."
"The ability to collaborate across the studios and the disciplines has open ended opportunities," she adds.
And as to which sector that has really got interior design perfectly balanced, she notes that, "I'm not sure anything is truly balanced in such a changing world. But globally the hospitality work of interior designers has become truly inspirational, and an area that I think will keep pushing the boundaries."
As to her biggest design inspiration in life, Spillane says, "I've always loved working to create places that a lot of people inhabit as they go about their day."
"Like airports and hotels and restaurants. I'm inspired every time I travel somewhere new by the people and their art, lives, and of course their food."
"In her previous roles, she has successfully delivered a diverse range of hospitality, tourism commercial and retail projects, including the Brisbane International Airport Departures Hall and Domestic Airport retail upgrade."
Spillane complements her keen knowledge of contemporary design with a deep understanding of how people and places connect and interact, while "her inclusive approach creates beautifully realised designs that harmonise interiors, architecture and their surrounding environments, says a statement from GroupGSA.
