Sphere of Influence – Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan of Kennedy Nolan

It is difficult to imagine Australia’s contemporary architectural landscape without Kennedy Nolan’s input. Since founding the practice in 1999, Directors Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan seem to have deciphered the often-unattainable elements required to produce meaningful continued work within the broader context of architecture. As well as this, their rapport – which is best described by the level of ease, honesty and wit developed from a decades-long friendship – is a dependable centre point, resulting in work that is invariably layered and rich in significance.

Patrick and Rachel met in the early 1990s when they lived at Melbourne University’s Newman College. Incidentally growing up in the twin cities of Albury and Wodonga, it was during their studies at the university that they identified a likeness in one another. As Patrick reflects, “we had some similar formative experiences, but we found we had these shared sensibilities in terms of aesthetics and habitation, and we liked a lot of the same things.” These shared sensibilities were the proverbial hook, and though more divergent personal interests have emerged over the years – Patrick’s passion is grounded in classical music and Rachel’s in Indigenous Australia – their affinities are strongly aligned, and their partnership is deeply ingrained. Further, with a shared circle of friends outside of architecture and a closeness between the irrespective families, their lives are well and truly entwined.

As Rachel reflects, “we learnt very quickly that having interesting people around us is so nourishing for practice, and a lot of the quality we created in our earlier years has sustained us to this day.”

Reflecting on the decision to start their own practice, Rachel recalls a certain heedlessness. As she says, “we were naïve and brave and barely registered – right on the cusp – but we weren’t loaded up with mortgages or watching bank accounts go up and down because there wasn’t much in them, so it was a good time to leap.” Patrick gives further context to this recollection, and the picture he paints – of drafting boards, fax machines and desks shrouded in plumes of cigarette smoke – suggests a vastly different era. “It was just after the big recession at the end of the 90s, and architecture had been decimated as a profession,” he reflects. “There wasn’t a lot of work around or a lot of activity, but it was a free and creative time, and we felt like we had some ideas to contribute.

Nearly 25 years later, these ideas can be distilled into several principles that are perceptible within the Kennedy Nolan portfolio. There is a clarity in the practice’s articulation of these longstanding tenets, and as such, Patrick, Rachel and their team – who they cite as fundamental in not only carrying the “creative kernel” they produce but in broadening their scope and skillset – have developed a discernible architectural identity. As Patrick says, “we’re a practice that has a creative centre, and we make things that people recognise as coming from this practice.” He adds, “having developed that identity is incredibly satisfying, and we’re now getting more opportunities to express that on a bigger stage.”

As Patrick says, “we’re a practice that has a creative centre, and we make things that people recognise as coming from this practice.” He adds, “having developed that identity is incredibly satisfying, and we’re now getting more opportunities to express that on a bigger stage.”

Alongside an early interest in slightly offbeat materials like recycled bricks– “no one was using brick when we started out, which seems crazy now,” Patrick says – and an assertive use of colour, the most prominent and continued rationale is the practice’s treatment of built form as one part of an architectural equation that places equal emphasis on landscape and interior. Whilst this approach is widespread now, it was uncommon at the time, and Rachel and Patrick’s view that these things were inherently connected distinguished them from their peers. Rachel offers, “those three things – gardens, interiors and architecture – and, specifically, the lack of hierarchy between those things, is still what we advocate for today.” The practice’s many collaborations with landscape designer Amanda Oliver are evidence of this, as is Kennedy Nolan’s reputation for work that illustrates a brilliant coalescence of design’s many programs.

Designing places for living is inherent to their practice – as Patrick says, “habitation is the one thing that all people experience architecturally, so we’ll always be interested in that.” Nevertheless, he and Rachel have long been drawn to a diversity of typologies. He says, “our concentration is not on becoming specialist architects; our specialisation is design, and we feel like that’s best served by a very wide variety of architectural genres.” Their projects encompass private residential, social housing, retail, hospitality projects and more, and as such, Kennedy Nolan is well established across the board. But this is not without continued, rigorous input and “a lot of learning on the hop,” Rachel says. Ultimately, though, this cycle of acquiring, absorbing and re-deploying knowledge feeds creativity and creates a space for exciting work to be imagined, discussed and sketched into existence.

Designing places for living is inherent to their practice – as Patrick says, “habitation is the one thing that all people experience architecturally, so we’ll always be interested in that.”

Their team of mostly women – a trait Patrick attributes to Rachel’s leadership – is significant to this continual relevance. Further, the dedication of this seasoned group, two of whom have been with Kennedy Nolan for 19 years and many others for over 10, including four directors and several senior architects, is a reflection of the place Patrick and Rachel have shaped. Fostering this in the practice’s early years was intentional but ultimately organic; as Rachel reflects, “we learnt very quickly that having interesting people around us is so nourishing for practice, and a lot of the quality we created in our earlier years has sustained us to this day.” Maintaining this is a constant and conscious pursuit, and it takes many forms– be it an impromptu team lunch, travel or a lecture followed by dinner and conversation. Notably, though, these activities do not always involve architecture – a reflection of Rachel and Patrick’s shared belief that “living nurtures creativity”. Rachel says, “you can’t only use architecture to plough back into architecture; you need other ideas to keep it alive.”

Their studio – a Carter Couch building in Fitzroy that Rachel and Patrick own together – is the physical home that holds these myriad ideas. With a series of quiet yet distinguishable Kennedy Nolan gestures throughout, it is both an expression of and springboard for their varied personal and professional pursuits. The lofty ground floor space, which is intentionally free of desks, has facilitated countless activities reflective of the practice’s values including talks, exhibitions and live performances. Importantly, for Rachel and Patrick, inviting people into this space is akin to entertaining friends and family around their dining tables, as Rachel notes, “it’s another type of home and when we bring people in, we’re reminded of how special it is.”

Patrick and Rachel’s collective history is brightly coloured at both ends of the spectrum; in it, there is a plethora of intensely gratifying professional milestones as well as significant personal moments. Their decorated portfolio, cherished studio space and mutual network of broad-minded and interesting people – in and out of work – are testament to their positive contribution to architecture. Yet just as worthy of reflection and praise is their 30-year friendship; grounded in humility and humour, it is the all-important foundation of Kennedy Nolan’s inimitable creative kernel.