BLOGS
Form Follows Performance - Do we have a choice?
What does performance mean in architecture? In this thought-provoking piece, Dejan Simovic questions the industry’s shift from function to aesthetics, asking whether design should follow efficiency and measurable outcomes, or if we’re still satisfied with “compliance” alone. A timely reflection on accountability, ambition, and the future of sustainable building.
Back To The Future - Port Stephens City, 101 Years Later
More than a century ago, Walter Burley Griffin envisioned a seaport city at North Arm Cove that could rival Canberra. In this deep dive into Australia’s forgotten urban dreams, Dejan Simovic revisits Griffin’s masterplan, its curvilinear elegance, and the bureaucratic decisions that left it unrealised. A powerful reflection on legacy, land, and the potential for rebirth through sustainable, heritage-led development.
First Twenty Years (in Australia) - Part one - The New Beginning
Arriving in Australia just before the 2000 Olympics, Dejan Simovic reflects on his early days as a new migrant, navigating job interviews, the challenge of “local experience,” and landing a life-changing role at Meriton. A candid look at starting over, seizing opportunity, and the quiet resilience behind long-term success.
Better to Prevent Than to Treat
As apartment buildings across Australia face structural failures and plummeting property values, Dejan Simovic argues for a shift from reactive legal remedies to proactive prevention in the construction industry. Drawing from industry trends and cultural change over the past two decades, this post examines how poor design and rushed delivery have shaped today’s challenges, and why integrated, experienced teams are key to restoring trust in the built environment.
Opal Tower: The Debacle we had to Have
With two decades of experience in Sydney’s high-density residential sector, Dejan Simovic reflects on the structural and systemic causes behind the Opal Tower crisis. From the erosion of integrated project teams to over-reliance on underqualified developers, this post outlines how industry shortcuts, inadequate regulations and misaligned priorities led to one of Australia’s most high-profile apartment building failures, and why reform is now essential.