Vale Anne Cunningham

It is with great sadness that we heard of the death of Anne Cunningham earlier this month. Anne was a true trail-blazer and mentor.

Working at Cunningham and Keddie, was a fantastic opportunity for women in Architecture to see how it could be done. After returning to Melbourne in 1994, I was lucky enough to be offered a position as a Graduate Architect working in their Duke Street studio. Cunningham Keddie was a very different work environment to most in the 1990's.

To me it seemed like complete chaos, having only worked in male lead practices. There were children and pets coming and going and family members working out of back rooms. It was an equal opportunity workplace with just as many women as men in the studio and a hearing impaired receptionist. There was a Landscape Architect practicing with us, ensuring that the work wasn't just about the built form and a dedication to environmentally sustainable design. Most of their work was focussed around community based projects, which was interesting and rewarding. Surprisingly, not everyone worked full-time, a proposition that was deemed unacceptable in the majority of male lead practices well into the 2000's.

Somehow, against all expected norms, it seemed to work. Anne, along with Ann Keddie founded a very different model of Architectural Practice. It was female lead, it allowed for flexibility and family and it even had a fully functional kitchen! Employees were treated equally and tasks allocated based on capability and qualification not gender. For the first time I wasn't responsible for the studio colour boards! I came to appreciate that this model wasn't complete chaos, just a different way of working.

Minx is indebted to Anne and Ann for leading the way, modelling how it could be done, showing us that it was possible to create a successful practice that didn't conform. Inspirational, generous, kind and inclusive Anne will be greatly missed by the whole profession (even the men).