Jefa Greenaway believes that architecture’s critical connection to place makes it imperative that architectural and design practitioners engage with indigenous perspectives.
Encouraging and providing this engagement has been key to his career. Jefa, a Wailwan/Kamilaroi man brought up on Cadigal land in Sydney, was the first indigenous architect to be registered in Victoria, and he has advocated for indigenous-led design thinking for several decades. He is a director of Greenaway Architects, which undertakes architectural, landscape, interior and urban design projects for commerical, private and educational clients.
Teaching has run in parallel with practice across his career and as an academic Jefa has worked in design, architecture and indigenous curriculum development to embed and normalise indigenous perspectives in design education. He is a founding director of Indigenous Architecture + Design Australia (IADA), a not-for-profit which provides support and advice to Aboriginal people in Victoria about all aspects of architecture, and which encourages mainstream architects to be more engaged with indigenous culture. Jefa is the recipient of several awards recognising his contribution to Australian design.
