Brit Andresen is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

-born

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and was the first female recipient of the RAIA Gold Medal, awarded in 2002, for her sustained contribution to architecture through teaching, scholarship and practice.

Biography

Andresen was born in Norway and moved back and forth to Australia where her father, an engineer, was working on hydroelectric projects between 1951 and 1963. She studied architecture at Trondheim in Norway, graduating in 1969. In 1971 she moved to Cambridge, where she began teaching architecture part-time at Cambridge University and established her own practice. In 1972 Andresen in collaboration with Gasson Meunier Architects, won the design competition for the Burrell Museum,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. Due to a shortfall in funding, the project was not completed until several years later. The original team, Andresen, Meunier and Gasson had dispersed and the building was completed by Barry Gasson Architects and opened in 1983. In 1977 Andresen returned to Australia taking up a temporary teaching position at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

, becoming the first female to be appointed in the Department of Architecture. There she met teaching colleague Peter O'Gorman, with whom she married in 1980 and established her current practice Andresen O'Gorman Architects. The predominantly residential practice privileges expressed Australian hardwood timber and the poetics of timber construction. Their work explores the interaction between inside and outside and between people and their environments. Her practices and collaborations in Cambridge and Brisbane have resulted in many built works, which have been published and exhibited both in Australia and internationally, including in the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture. In addition to the Universities of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

and Queensland, Andresen has held teaching positions at the

Architectural Association The Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, commonly referred to as the AA, is the oldest independent school of architecture in the UK and one of the most prestigious and competitive in the world. Its wide-ranging programme ...

in London, the School of Architecture and Urban Planning UCLA, Bristol University School of Architecture and a guest lecturing position at The Royal University of Malta. Andresen has exhibited her scholarship of critical analysis and architectural history widely in conference presentations, journals and books, including her internationally known work on the landscape and site strategies used by

Alvar Aalto Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (; 3 February 1898 – 11 May 1976) was a Finnish architect and designer. His work includes architecture, furniture, textiles and glassware, as well as sculptures and paintings. He never regarded himself as an artist, see ...

. Andersen retired in November 2010 after 33 years contribution to the university and was appointed

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

in the School of Architecture. She is also a tutor of the

Glenn Murcutt Glenn Marcus Murcutt AO (born 25 July 1936) is an Australian architect and winner of the 1992 Alvar Aalto Medal, the 2002 Pritzker Architecture Prize, the 2009 American Institute of Architects Gold Medal and the 2021 Praemium Imperiale. Gle ...

International Masterclass in Sydney. Most recently, in February 2011, Andresen in collaboration with Sir

Peter Cook Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishme ...

and Gavin Robotham of Crab Studio, has won the design competition for the new Soheil Abedian School of Architecture at

Bond University Bond University is Australia's first private not-for-profit university and is located in Robina, a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland. Since its founding on 15 May 1989, Bond University has primarily been a teaching-focused higher ed ...

, Queensland.

Notable projects

* 1972: Burrell Museum (Scotland) * 1994
Ocean View Farmhouse
(Queensland) * 1998
Mooloomba House (Queensland)
* 1998: Rosebery House (Queensland) * 2001: Fernberg Pavilion (Queensland) * 2001: Moreton Bay Houses (Queensland)

Awards

* 1970: Dutch-Norwegian Research Scholarship * 1990: Teaching Excellence Award, The University of Queensland * 2002: Fellow

Royal Australian Institute of Architects (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader_ ...

* 2002: RAIA Gold Medal

References

External links

Architecture and Urban Innovations Collective

University of Queensland UQ eSpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Andresen, Brit Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Australian women architects Architects from Brisbane University of Queensland faculty Recipients of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal Architects from Cambridgeshire 20th-century Australian architects Architects from Trondheim Norwegian emigrants to Australia 21st-century Australian architects Australian women academics 20th-century Australian women