Brit Andresen is a Norwegian-born

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and was the first female recipient of the RAIA Gold Medal, awarded in 2002, for her sustained contribution to architecture through teaching, scholarship and practice.

Biography

Andresen was born in Norway and moved back and forth to Australia where her father, an engineer, was working on hydroelectric projects between 1951 and 1963. She studied architecture at Trondheim in Norway, graduating in 1969. In 1971 she moved to Cambridge, where she began teaching architecture part-time at Cambridge University and established her own practice. In 1972 Andresen in collaboration with Gasson Meunier Architects, won the design competition for the Burrell Museum,

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. Due to a shortfall in funding, the project was not completed until several years later. The original team, Andresen, Meunier and Gasson had dispersed and the building was completed by Barry Gasson Architects and opened in 1983. In 1977 Andresen returned to Australia taking up a temporary teaching position at the

University of Queensland The University of Queensland is a Public university, public research university located primarily in Brisbane, the capital city of the Australian state of Queensland. Founded in 1909 by the Queensland parliament, UQ is one of the six sandstone ...

, becoming the first female to be appointed in the Department of Architecture. There she met teaching colleague Peter O'Gorman, with whom she married in 1980 and established her current practice Andresen O'Gorman Architects. The predominantly residential practice privileges expressed Australian hardwood timber and the poetics of timber construction. Their work explores the interaction between inside and outside and between people and their environments. Her practices and collaborations in Cambridge and Brisbane have resulted in many built works, which have been published and exhibited both in Australia and internationally, including in the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture. In addition to the Universities of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

and Queensland, Andresen has held teaching positions at the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest private school of architecture in the UK. The AA hosts exhibitions, lectures, symposia and publications. History The Architectura ...

in London, the School of Architecture and Urban Planning UCLA, Bristol University School of Architecture and a guest lecturing position at The Royal University of Malta. Andresen has exhibited her scholarship of critical analysis and architectural history widely in conference presentations, journals and books, including her internationally known work on the landscape and site strategies used by

Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...

. Andersen retired in November 2010 after 33 years contribution to the university and was appointed

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

in the School of Architecture. She is also a tutor of the

Glenn Murcutt Glenn Marcus Murcutt (born 25 July 1936) is an Australian architect and winner of the 1992 Alvar Aalto Medal, the 2002 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the 2009 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the 2021 Praemium Imperiale. Glenn ...

International Masterclass in Sydney. Most recently, in February 2011, Andresen in collaboration with Sir

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English comedian, actor, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishmen ...

and Gavin Robotham of Crab Studio, has won the design competition for the new Soheil Abedian School of Architecture at

Bond University Bond University is Australia's first private university, private not-for-profit university and is located in Robina, Queensland, Robina on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Since its opening on 15 May 1989, Bond University has primarily been a teachi ...

, Queensland.

Notable projects

* 1972: Burrell Museum (Scotland) * 1994
Ocean View Farmhouse
(Queensland) * 1998
Mooloomba House (Queensland)
* 1998:

Rosebery House Brit Andresen is a Norwegian-born Australian architect and was the first female recipient of the RAIA Gold Medal, awarded in 2002, for her sustained contribution to architecture through teaching, scholarship and practice. Biography Andresen ...

(Queensland) * 2001: Fernberg Pavilion (Queensland) * 2001:

Moreton Bay Houses Brit Andresen is a Norwegian-born Australian architect and was the first female recipient of the RAIA Gold Medal, awarded in 2002, for her sustained contribution to architecture through teaching, scholarship and practice. Biography Andresen ...

(Queensland)

Awards

* 1970: Dutch-Norwegian Research Scholarship * 1990: Teaching Excellence Award, The University of Queensland * 2002: Fellow

Royal Australian Institute of Architects The Australian Institute of Architects, officially the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (abbreviated as RAIA), is Australia's professional body for architects. Its members use the post-nominals FRAIA (Fellow), ARAIA (Associate Member) an ...

* 2002: RAIA Gold Medal

References

External links

Architecture and Urban Innovations Collective

University of Queensland UQ Space

Brit Andresen Papers
Fryer Library, University of Queensland. {{DEFAULTSORT:Andresen, Brit Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Australian women architects Architects from Brisbane Academic staff of the University of Queensland Recipients of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal Architects from Cambridgeshire 20th-century Australian architects Architects from Trondheim Norwegian emigrants to Australia 21st-century Australian architects Australian women academics 20th-century Australian women artists