Lisa Merkesteyn told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS she loves the variety of work that is involved in being an architect. She also noted a growing trend towards green buildings, where plants become an essential component of a building's design. 

Merkesteyn is project director with Carter Williamson Architects, where she started in 2007 while completing her masters degree at Sydney University. 

What do you enjoy most about being an architect?

I love the varied nature of an architect's role, we seem to do a bit of everything. In a given day we could be in a client meeting showing them our vision for their project, visiting a building site to chat with the builder about details, sketching ideas for new projects, seeking out the perfect tile, or working out the logistics of excavating a basement with an engineer. There is always something to learn and plenty to be inspired by.  

Your practice has a wide scope of projects, from tiny homes to high rise, and has won multiple awards. What makes your practice successful?

We endeavour to bring lots of energy, good ideas and sound design principles to every project we work on. We find these translate across a variety of building typologies and scales. 

We have worked for a long time on houses, they are intricate, bespoke and challenging to resolve. We feel the resolution and discipline required to design a single house has given us a good foundation for designing a variety of projects with their own set of challenges. 

What trends do you see emerging in architecture?

We always hope our projects will have a long life and stand the test of time as good architecture should.

There are moments in architecture where there is a confluence of ideas and you see threads of these ideas across a variety of projects. We are noticing at the moment there is a big push to green buildings - using plants to provide a sense of wellbeing. Perhaps it is a reaction to the dire climate warnings, a way to give back some space and reconnect to nature.

Where do you live now, and where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world?
I live in an apartment in the Innerwest, a fantastic part of Sydney full of energy and life, easy to get to the city and the coast.

If I could live anywhere... I think I'd try a secluded mountaintop in Iceland, an apartment off a square in Barcelona, a house perched on the cliff on the Italian coast line. 

Merkesteyn's work embodies the Carter Williamson Architects' philosophy, which is outlined on their web site. "We believe that the interior environment has the potential to be extraordinary and should fill us with joy and curiosity; that architecture should allow us to feel safe and secure, confident and expressive, quiet and reflective; that good architecture should make our lives better."

Read more about Carter Williamson architecture:

Industrial luxury on a grand scale in Balmain

Read other get to know profiles about architects:

Get to know Noel Robinson, MD of architecture practice the NRA Collaborative

Get to know architect Elizabeth Watson Brown, design director with Architectus