Culture
Lyons is a large practice that is passionate about creativity in all forms. Whether you’re established in the industry or a graduate of architecture gaining your first real-world experience, we provide the opportunity for you to carve out your niche and conquer unique challenges everyday, no matter your role.
More important than awards or accolades, it is the ambition and creativity of our team interwoven with our brand of creative equity that makes our studio one-of-a-kind. Meet some of the team and see for yourself.
A foundational value at Lyons is to encourage and support open interrogations about why we do what we do. These discussions apply to project work as well as studio structures and are open to everyone in the practice—no matter how many years you’ve worked in architecture or your role within the business.
Our culture of discourse and debate supports better outcomes for our studio as well as our clients and our team are encouraged to live and breathe this value every day.
Like Tess O’Meara—a Designer at Lyons. In between co-leading Design Studios with RMIT and the Emerging Designers Program at Lyons, Tess contributes to every stage of a project alongside her Directors, Senior Clients and other graduates alike.
The Lyons Emerging Designers Program (EPD) is an in-house initiative for Graduates of Architecture and emerging architects to foster critical thinking and design discourse. The EDP group host monthly breakfasts, arrange site visits, participate in competitions, and attend and host public lectures. As well as promoting open discussion, to encourage future architects of the practice to reflect actively throughout the design process, the Emerging Designers Program is also an excuse to intelligently socialise.
“When I first started at Lyons, I had a conversation with Carey Lyon about making the jump from university to full time practice. He offered me some advice I still reflect on:
Think of work just like a design studio—join in wherever you can and be noisy.
It’s evident this informal, inclusionary approach to design dialogue is a consistent way of working at Lyons. As a young practitioner, the studio reinforces that the critical reflection, cultural design sensibilities and complex formal or graphic dialogues typically explored by students, do in fact have an integral place in practice. At Lyons the exploration of ideas surrounding polis and politics are well seated and deeply connected to urban culture and form, regardless of who they are initiated by.
There’s a clear acknowledgement that great design ideas can come from anyone, and with this comes an understanding that design propositions involve both risk taking and putting yourself out there. You’re consistently encouraged to engage in open round table discussions, whether at a project or practice level, from day one.”
“At Lyons the exploration of ideas surrounding polis and politics are well seated and deeply connected to urban culture and form, regardless of who they are initiated by.”
Tess O’Meara, Architect at Lyons.
It takes more than a team of talented architects and project managers to make the machine run smoothly. Whether you’re a PA, Graduate of Architecture, Studio Manager or technical expert there’s always room to make your mark and exercise or develop your specialty skills at Lyons.
We’re always looking for talented people to join our team.
If you feel like we’d be a perfect fit for each other we’d love to hear from you.
View our available positions, or send through your resume to our Studio Manager, Lisa O’Kane.
View the roles we are currently looking to fill.
View opportunitiesView opportunities
We’re always looking to meet likeminded people. If you’re interested in joining our studio please send us an email with your CV in PDF format attached.
“Some practices are set up like a factory production line, so you get stuck performing one specific role. At Lyons our hybrid teams consist of multiple skill sets and flexible project roles which enable us to holistically resolve issues from different angles for better, more efficient and more creative design outcomes. Whichever role you are in, everyone has the benefit of sharing their expertise while developing skills and knowledge working closely with our dynamic team. Everything is a mix and cross over—that’s how we bring design and technical aspects together.
We see stakeholder requests, technical specifications and compliance as design challenges which create design opportunities. We are encouraged to openly discuss design ideas and issues in different forums. We share skills from top-down as well as bottom-up. And we support, trust and respect one another. We always work as a team.”
“Whichever role you are in, everyone has the benefit of sharing their expertise while developing skills and knowledge working closely with our dynamic team. Everything is a mix and cross over—that’s how we bring design and technical aspects together.”
Elliot Wong, Principal at Lyons
From developing the intricacies of a research facility to improving the daily operations of our studio, creativity is woven into every facet of our practice. At Lyons, experience tells us the best creative ideas—the ingenious ones that benefit people most—come from supportive forums and a diversity of minds rather than a leading few.
No matter the scenario, welcoming everyone to participate in creative conversations is part and parcel of what makes our studio unique.
“The directors are generous with their input, but also allow us autonomy to challenge ourselves. We are encouraged to contribute to the direction of the practice.”
Fiona Lew, Associate at Lyons
“The ‘vibe’ [at Lyons] is to share knowledge so as to be a strong collective. It is a supportive and respectful working environment that makes coming to work genuinely enriching for me, particularly as a new parent currently working part time.
We are encouraged to contribute to the direction of the practice. Recently I found an opportunity to provide positive improvements to an office policy and this was genuinely taken on board by the senior executive in a proactive manner and developed further. I’m proud to contribute to these issues that will have a real impact on our collective everyday experiences.”
“Our practice influences the local design conversation, through teaching, participating in forums and design talks as well as the work we produce. We’re a Melbourne practice with national reach, with exemplar buildings on every major university campus in the country, and every member of the design team contributes to that conversation.
Working at Lyons gives you the opportunity to specialise in a particular building type and sector, or to develop specifics skills from working on a diverse range of projects. That individual expertise becomes a resource to share and further the expertise of the office as a whole.”
“We’re a Melbourne practice with national reach, with exemplar buildings on every major university campus in the country, and every member of the design team contributes to that conversation.”
Paul Dash, Senior Principal at Lyons
No matter the number of awards we win or decades of experience we garner, we know there is always more to learn. Our collective passion to never stop learning is a cornerstone of our culture at Lyons and makes mentors and mentees of us all. Directors and graduates alike become teachers and students, both within the studio and external to it.
Mentorship within the practice occurs both informally, via knowledge-sharing and project work, and formally by way of our Mentorship Program. Our internal Mentorship Program pairs together mentors and mentees from different project teams and discipline areas. This encourages better support and the sharing of skills and experience in more intimate settings, rather than maintaining knowledge silos. Our Mentorship Program exists to support upskilling at every level—whether you’re eager to master management and negotiation or renders in Revit.
“My experience of working at Lyons is that open and honest conversations with senior leadership have been well received and rewarded. I appreciate that our leaders are prepared to show honesty and vulnerability. Within projects, conversations are constructive and supportive. Through the formal mentoring program I have direct access to directors to talk about project challenges and career direction.
Both formally and informally within the practice I have been able to develop skills in mentorship. I have also been encouraged by Lyons’ leadership to seek opportunities to be a mentor outside of the studio through the AIA. More holistically I see how Lyons mentors smaller practices in the industry through its collaborations. The opportunities are here at Lyons, if you are someone that is ready to grab them by both hands.”
“I’ve been working at Lyons for 14 years and have progressed from Project Architect through to my current role as Principal. The process of working with different clients and design teams has enabled me to build upon the expertise I had already acquired, broadening my knowledge and honing my skills, in relation to client consultation, co-design processes, facilitating workshops, mentoring and guiding staff, leading research processes and presenting research findings.
The design process at Lyons is highly collaborative, harnessing the different skills, experience and insight that each team member brings. It’s a thrill to be able to both share my own knowledge and to draw on the expertise of others.”
“Both formally and informally within the office I have been able to develop skills in mentorship. I have also been encouraged by Lyons’ leadership to seek opportunities to be a mentor outside of the practice.”
Kate Woodman, Principal at Lyons
“The process of working with different clients and design teams has enabled me to build upon the expertise I had already acquired…honing my skills, in relation to client consultation, co-design processes, mentoring and guiding staff, leading research processes and presenting research findings.”
Diana Jones, Senior Principal at Lyons
Innovative and acclaimed architecture rarely come from a singular brilliant mind. Similarly, our studio is led by a diversity of minds who collectively take form as the Senior Executive. The Senior Executive team comprises Directors and Principals—they represent an eclectic range of skills and expertise, and lead our practice in a truly collective way. From our projects to our practice, Lyons’ philosophy is the same—a collective of great minds ensures better outcomes for all.
“Outstanding project outcomes at Lyons come from the collective attitude we have towards positive design critique, along with the investment in the professional growth of our people to contribute to this discourse across the many facets of architecture. What really stands out to me across our studio is the multiplicity of voices and depth of input we draw upon to shape our projects and the fabric and direction of our practice. As Directors we aren’t the sole decision makers; we come together with the Senior Executive and members of the studio to arrive at solutions together. I believe our hands-on leadership permeates through the practice, fostering a culture of open expression and a willingness from our diverse staff to engage with ideas and contribute to our culture across many levels. Great ideas can truly come from anywhere, and we recognise that open dialogue with our people – and our clients – is where we produce our formative and most inspired results.”
“As Directors we aren’t the sole decision makers; we come together with the Senior Executive and members of the studio to arrive at solutions together. I believe our hands-on leadership permeates through the practice, fostering a culture of open expression.”
James Wilson, Director of Lyons
