Meet our Directors
Anna Maskiell
Director + Co-founder
‘People don't need or want an architectural object parachuted into their community. My passion is unearthing the poetry and power of place by paying careful attention to who is here and how they want to be and belong. We create memorable, uplifting architecture from this.’
Anna works across all our projects, ensuring they are grounded in our values and leverage our team's expertise and experience. She leads engagement with key stakeholders to tease out risks, opportunities and key issues. She then works with the team to craft responses that mitigate risks, maximise opportunities and create authentic, unique places. And as a small business owner, Anna is also head of HR, marketing, finance etc!
Top Assets
Buckets of creativity and energy leading to innovative solutions
Sleeves-rolled-up grit that delivers them
Herding diverse/competing stakeholder needs with typical Libran diplomacy
Selected experience
Sole practitioner in the suburbs of Brisbane
Mega multi-disciplinary firms and adventures across China
Dulux Study Tour recipient (2012) that cemented PRL’s future focus: working with change-makers using the built environment to improve life
Marten Bequest winner (2019) that enabled deep exploration of the key concerns of PRL through multi-year funding
Livable Cities Conference presenter in New York (2023)
Board Member of Footscray Community Arts
Passionate permaculture practitioner (bees, compost, food forest – you name it)
Why did you start PRL?
Working as a standard ‘architect’, regardless of the size of the team, I consistently felt as though we were coming to the table too late to really amplify and harness the power of place. Our clients were having to commit to sites and funding agreements before they had understood how this place was going to support their culture and strategy. By then it was often too late. Philip and | started PRL to join these dots and collaborate deeply and meaningfully with clients and communities trying to effect real change.
What others say
‘Anna is a champion for the value of design for our organisation, for our clients and for the community. [She] is able to explore and explain how affordable, modest, robust design can increase cultural safety, connectivity, wellbeing and sustainability – all whilst satisfying the very-real constraints of budgets, programs and bureaucracy.’
Adam Sandford, Community Housing Professional
Philip Ward
Director + Co-founder
‘The What, How and Why of humans coming together to live, trade and have families obsesses me. In many ways, architecture is still the convergence of river, road and market – the beginning of all human settlements. I strive to practice better by understanding these origins, then listening deeply to the communities we work with today. I love working with complex groups – regional towns, large or community-controlled organisations, exploring their vision for the future, unpacking the complex issues they face, then finding pathways to that future (and the funding to secure it!). ’
Phil works across most PRL projects, supporting our marvellous Design Director (Anna) with his wealth of experience in building buildings. He leads the advisory side of the practice, working with organisations to refresh, revise and uncover their strategy and aspirations. Together with their staff and communities, they work to understand the direct impact of that strategy on the built and natural environments they work and live in – typically through masterplanning and neighbourhood planning.
Top Assets
Obsession with communities of all kind (cities, regional, universities etc.) and building environments to nurture them
Infectious energy and ability to unite stakeholders around common goals
Straight-talking, sometimes irreverent, and always valuable insights from 30+ years of experience
Selected experience
Extensive engagement & collaboration with First Nations communities
Enhancing service delivery through physical environments for significant agencies across education, local government and ACCO sectors
Big-practice experience (decades!)
Director Workplace & Assets, Monash College
Commercial builder
Regional living enthusiast (Phil’s favourite t-shirt says ‘More Tractor Time’)
Why did you start PRL?
Having had my own practice in strategic consulting/advisory for 10 years, then going back to big practice, capital ‘A’, Architecture again and working alongside Anna there, revealed the missing path – what we could do together. It was, and is, exciting to work with someone who can convert the strategic focus that’s characterised my career into beautiful built form.
What others say
‘I have enjoyed working with Phil on College-related building projects. His advice has always been worth listening to and his understanding of what is needed to support the College's teaching and other needs has been extraordinarily useful. I know they would not have got the high standard of facilities they have had available to them without his input.’
Russell Elliot, Former Vice President, Monash University
