Who are yous?
The road from Dalhousie Springs, SA // photo by Dillon
Dusty and Thirsty aka Owen and Bobbie...
Owen Kelly grew up in the Blue Mountains, NSW before falling off a cliff and landing in Newcastle for an architectural education. Throughout his studies he initiated student exhibitions, public design talks on rooftops and was instrumental in starting the Healthabitat Nepal Sanitation Studio. On completing his bachelor's in 2013, he was part of a trio that started a tiny student practice designing and making buildings, installations and furniture. He has worked in urban and regional Australia as well as Nepal. He believes architecture should think about place, people and buildings, in that order.
Over the past few years Owen has been tutoring at The University of Sydney, worked on personal Architecture projects and continues to work with Healthabitat both on and off the coast and Matt Elkan Architects in Sydney.
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Bobbie Bayley grew up in the Hunter Valley, NSW before hitching on a coal train to study Architecture at the University of Newcastle. Bobbie completed her undergraduate studies in South Carolina, USA, undertook an internship in Dallas, Texas, in 2015, followed by cultural studies in South America. Her professional experience since has stretched across community engagement and projects such as (out)fit, institutions such as Ozetecture, and is more likely to be found on a construction site than behind a computer. She was awarded the prestigious Byera Hadley scholarship in 2017 to undertake the proposed research journey, The Grand Section. After spending a year living in a 5.5m2 footprint Bobbie is interested in how much building we actually need and the potential of old tents.
In 2019 she travelled with Healthabitat and UON working on a Nepal Sanitation studio and to Germany on a scholarship from the Danish Exchange Program to partake in the IBA International Summer School. Bobbie was awarded the MADE 2020 scholarship by The Sydney Opera House to carry out a 6 week project in Denmark. She currently carries out works for Healthabitat and David Donald Architects in Newcastle and works on personal projects in the Blue Mountains.
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Dusty and Thirsty are building a house in the Blue Mountains, where they broke ground in November 2019 and anticipate to finish mid 2022. Using The Grand Section methodologies and thinking, this project has been a testing ground for ideas and questions.. on a tough Flame Zone, small, sloped site.
Awards, Articles, Interviews, Exhibitions
2022
(Hands on Building a house in the Blue Mountains)
January
Speaker | My First Architecture Job | Online
Building | Can’t Break your Hip House CONTINUES…. | Blue Mountains, NSW
2021
(Hands on Building a house in the Blue Mountains)
January-December
Building | Can’t Break your Hip House | Blue Mountains, NSW
May
Podcast | EmAGN: Hearing Architecture Podcast, ’LEARNING ARCHITECTURE – SEASON 02 EPISODE 06’ | Listen here!
June
Program Coordinators | Glenn Murcutt Masterclass | Tocal, NSW
Event Organisers | Professors of UoN Wake (Farewell event) | Newcastle, NSW
June-Sept
Exhibitor | Emergence Exhibition (Byera Hadley) | Tin Sheds Gallery, Sydney | See here!
2020
January
Project Publication | The Local Project Challenge, Sustainable Develop Goal’s demonstration | Online
March
Speaker | Deerubbin Conference | Ozetecture, Milson Island - Watch here!
June
Centerfold FEATURE! | Architecture Bulletin pg 23-25 | Australian Institute of architects AIA | See Magazine Issue online here
July
Competition | Mega Dune eco lodge competition for project in Abu Dhabi
September
Competition Critique | Super Studio 24hr student architecture competition | online
October
Speaker | Bobbie speaker at the Sydney Opera House for World Architecture and UN Habitat Day | Watch here!
2019
July
Award | Awarded the National Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture | The Australian Institute of Architects
“The Jury unanimously awards this prize to Bobbie and Owen for their initiative, creativity and tenacity, and for their commitment to the advancement of architecture through leadership, publication, education and, most particularly, community engagement and advocacy in promoting the value and importance of Australian Architecture”
August
Exhibition | Re-think, Re-look, Re-map our country | Cessnock, NSW, Regional Art Gallery
October
Speaker | ‘A quick and dirty tale of earth building along Australia's 25th latitude’ | Earth Building Association of Australia, National Conference, Nowra
December
Book Chapter | Regional Cultures, Economies, and Creativity: Innovating Through Place in Australia and Beyond | Editors Ariella Van Luyn and Eduardo de la Fuente
2018
(June-October National Exhibition Tour with various presentations and talks)
January
Editorial | ‘Architecture – with a side of red dirt’ | Owen Kelly & Bobbie Bayley, Alice Springs News Online
March
Speaker | Deerubbin Conference | Ozetecture, Milson Island
Speaker | ‘What’s Out There?’ Talk night | Five Mile Radius, Brisbane
June
Article | ‘Invested in Place’ | Alex Morris, Newcastle Herald
August
Interview | ‘Bobbie Bayley and Owen Kelly and The Grand Section’ | Architecture Insights Podcast Series, NSW Architects Registration Board
October
Invited Speaker | AIA Regional Architecture Conference | Hunter valley
December
Speaker | Practice Matters Lecture Series | University of Newcastle, NSW
2017
(The Grand Section Journey)
June
Article | ‘Architecture of the bush guides bike riders on Australia-wide odyssey’ | ABC Western Queensland
July
Article | ‘Coast to coast ‘grand tour’ for cycling architects’ | Kieran Finnane, Alice Springs News Online
October
Magazine Feature | The Grand Section, An architectural bicycle odyssey across Australia’s Girth | Issue 21, Treadlie Magazine
Speaker | "Agency” Australasian Student Architecture Congress | Sydney
Interview | "Architecture of the bush guides bike riders on Australia-wide odyssey" I ABC Radio, News online