Sacha Coles
landscape architect
Landscape architect Sacha Coles at home in inner Sydney. Photo: Chris Walsh
Interview by Janne Ryan | photography by chris walsh, florian groehn, Brett Boardman, adrian boddy
Leading landscape architect Sacha Coles is at a turning point. COVID-19 sees him and the team at ASPECT Studios – for the moment at least – thinking like a start-up. Everything is up for grabs. Optimism, drive and energy are the critical ingredients, he says, in creating our future in a climate-challenged world.
What do you do and why?
I run a design studio in the fields of landscape architecture and urban design*. I do it because of a deep care for community, the environment, and country, but through the lens of design. Design is everything to me. I’m absolutely driven by any opportunity to do something that I haven't done before, a new conversation, a new way of seeing something, someone who’s done something which turns my brain on.
*Sacha is a director of ASPECT Studios (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Shanghai and Vietnam), and Adjunct Professor at UTS.
UTS commons by APECT Studios. Photo: Florian Groehn
How did you become this person? Who influenced you?
My parents were socially-driven academics who cared a lot about community. Dad in particular. They both had a very strong social contract: “Don’t think about yourself, think about others” they’d say. But our family life was very challenging. My parents split up when I was quite young, and then I left home at age 17 to live with the parents of my best friend at school. Her parents, Stephen and Alie, became kind of surrogate parents, life mentors really, probably the most influential people in my life. They introduced me to gardening and landscape architecture [at UNSW Sydney, then RIMT Melbourne).
“Don’t think about yourself, think about others.”
What drives yoU?
I did very well at university, but I didn’t quite get the mark from high school I needed to get into UNSW and had to talk my way into university. I’ve always had an amazing self-belief, and I get stuff done. I have a driving optimism, not just for me, but for the people I’m working with. I like seeing other people’s success.
The Goods Line, Haymarket, Sydney by ASPECT Studios and CHROFI. Photo: Florian Groehn
Your first landscape architecture job?
In Melbourne, actually, a quick project after university for my now business partner Chris Razzell (who founded ASPECT Studios in 1993), then I came back to Sydney to take up a position as a lecturer in landscape architecture at UNSW. I developed the curriculum for first year. I was in over my head, but I thought: ‘Why not?’
The Goods Line, Haymarket, Sydney by ASPECT Studios and CHROFI. Photo: Florian Groehn
Aspect’s Sydney studio opens?
Chris (Razzell) rang me one day and said, “We’re thinking of starting a Sydney practice, what do you reckon?” I said, yes, just like that. I wanted to do my own thing, and the Sydney office of ASPECT opened in 1999. But that was the worst time to start a business, post-Olympics, because all the big landscape projects had been done. So, we’re just like: ‘There’s nothing significant going on in the public domain, I’ll do your garden for $500’. And that’s how we started.
Sub Base Platypus memorial / park in Sydney by ASPECT Studios. Photo: Florian Groehn
Timing is everything?
There was an ecological push around that time with things like the green village for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, work being done by the Total Environment Centre, and we had prominent international landscape architects visiting Australia, Peter Walker from the US (collaborating with Hassell) and George Hargreaves on Olympic Boulevard. There was an internationalisation of our culture of place making.
“I was influenced by the urbanists and architects of Barcelona, pre-Olympics.”
A new model for landscape architecture?
Landscape architecture in Australia was evolving in the late 90s-early 2000s. There wasn’t the ecosystem of practitioners we have today. I was influenced by the work of the urbanists and architects in Barcelona who were working in the lead-up to their Olympic Games (1992), regenerating the city and its public spaces for the world stage.
Over time how have you developed your client base?
We now have lots of experience and people approach us. But in the beginning, as a startup, it took a couple of years, and no public work (my passion) came our way. I would approach people I really valued, often making a cold call, and invite them to collaborate with us. Looking back it was pretty hard.
Public domain at Darling Square, Sydney by ASPECT Studios. Photo: Brett Boardman
“I would approach people I valued and invite them to collaborate with us.”
Your strengths & weaknesses?
I’d say a strength is creative problem solving and confidence building. Being able to communicate something complex in a simple way, bringing the client, and others, with me. I want the team to have faith in themselves, to dive deep and grow. Probably my core weakness is that I get bored very easily and follow through is difficult for me.
Darling Square, Sydney by ASPECT Studios. Photo: Brett Boardman
“It doesn’t come naturally to everyone to be in start-up mode.”
COVID re-invention? Re-focusing? Re-structuring?
ASPECT’s built a big portfolio over the past 10 years, which speaks for itself. It’s good, but you can get lazy. COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to rethink and we’re currently focused on thinking like a start-up. What are we passionate about? What is the future of our business? Let’s do this …
Green space at 275 Kent Street, Sydney by ASPECT Studios. Photo: Florian Groehn
What are you learning?
The team’s craving mentoring and teaching. I realise it doesn’t come naturally to everyone to be in start-up mode. This comes back to all those things about believing in yourself, and yes, accepting failure too. We don’t want to be lumpy and corporate, that’s one of the things we say. While we’re a big practice (200 employees), we think like a small practice.
What was the game-changer?
The game-changer for us as a business has been articulating our purpose, which is to protect the environment with every project we do. That means thinking about waste, society, equity, but also bringing delight and joy to public spaces.
Ian Potter Wild Play garden by ASPECT Studios at Centennial Parklands, Sydney. Photo Brett Boardman
How do you push through difficulties?
I burned out in 2016. Completely. Unexpectedly. My immune system crashed, I mentally struggled, it just came from nowhere and overtook me. I couldn’t go to work. Many things contributed to it, and I probably hadn’t dealt with the suicide of my brother in 2001. It took a complete reboot of my system, values and purpose. Since then, I’ve stepped back at work and allowed others to step up. COVID has given us permission to do things differently.
“Loss is always there and you’ve got to learn from it.”
Kambri precinct at the Australian National University – a major collaboration between ASPECT Studios, Lahznimmo Architects, BVN Architects, ColonySix and Lendlease. Photo: Florian Groehn
Role and value of risk-taking?
I see risk as opportunity, diving into the unknown and relying on your intuition to guide you. I love live sports because you don’t know how it’s going to end. It’s the same for me at work. You don’t know where it’s going, but at every moment you have the opportunity to influence it.
“I see risk as opportunity.”
You’ve returned to surfing? Why?
It’s a challenge. When you’re surfing everything is moving, you’re moving, the wave’s moving. You don't know what's going coming at you next. I love that concept of surprise.
Warrane Walk Sydney by ASPECT Studios. Image: ASPECT Studios
Failure? What role does it play?
I’m not held back by failure. Loss is always there and you’ve got to learn from it, whether it’s loss of a loved one or loss of a pitch, a concept, a project. In terms of the workplace, if we lose a particular project, there’ll be another one.
Your biggest challenge? What keeps you up at night?
It’s probably, no surprise, climate change. What really upsets me is the selfishness and individualism in our society; the lack of empathy.
Landscape architect Sacha Coles at home. Photo: Chris Walsh
Your Hardest lesson?
Not to get caught up with life’s trivial day-to-day issues, and to let go of people and ideas that really don’t contribute to my happiness. In terms of work, it manifests in a way that’s sharpened my focus to do what’s most important to me: life’s short – be in the moment.
Where to from here with the business?
The next phase in the business? It’s over to others, in a way. We’ve created an ecosystem that they can step into and do something with, as long as it's driven by our purpose. The beauty of our business, I think, is any opportunity is supportable as long as you have the energy and drive to make it happen. That’s pretty cool.
Ian Potter Wild Play garden by ASPECT Studios at Centennial Parklands, Sydney. Photo Brett Boardman
