Geraldine Dawson & Dani Martin | Transitions, flexibility, advocacy Artwork

Parlour POD

Parlour POD presents convivial conversations from Parlour: gender, equity, architecture. Episodes are drawn from much-loved Seasonal Salons, recorded live across Australia. Wide-ranging and diverse stories of lives in and around architecture and the built environment are told with humour and humility. Personal and particular, intimate and engaging, each episode canvasses the complexities of careers, obstacles faced and opportunities found.

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Geraldine Dawson & Dani Martin | Transitions, flexibility, advocacy

August 09, 2026 • Parlour

0:00 | 27:45

Our conversationalists for this episode are Dani Martin, Director of Projects and Growth at Open Architecture Studio; and Geraldine Dawson, who at the time of the recording was a senior project architect at Plus studio. She is now a senior architect at BSPN Architecture.

Geri starts off by joking that “architecture is a disease in our family”. She grew up with a builder father and architect brother, "and it doesn’t stop there.” In contrast, Dani didn’t know any architects – or even anyone who went to uni. Having been told drafting was “for boys”, she dug her heels in and went into architecture anyway.

Their conversation canvases Dani's peripatetic early life, her 18 years in a single practice in Perth, and the sudden decision to move to Brisbane to continue to learn and grow (and finding she had to prove herself all over again!). Geri's career has involved working in a wide range of Brisbane practices, and she speaks in moving detail about her favourite project, the Hummingbird House children's hospice.

Dani prompts Geri to reflect on how becoming a parent has changed the way she thinks about the built environment, and the impacts of parenting on her working life. They discuss the importance of flexibility, with Dani reflecting on her role as an employer, commenting that “you want the right person for the job. This matters much more than how many hours they can work.”

They chat about their shared experience of a fantastic mentor, the importance of women in leadership roles and their ongoing work to address bias and improve the profession for others.

This episode was recorded live on Yuggerah and Turrbal Country at the 2025 Brisbane Winter Salon. Held at the Brickworks Design Studio on 30 July 2025, it was convened by Lily Pepper. Photos: Alanna McTiernan.

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