Sarah Ball

Sarah Ball is the Principal Melbourne Studio Chair at the global architecture studio Woods Bagot , the seventh largest architecture firm in the world (2015), and has worked in the field of architecture for over seventeen years. Sarah has been the Global Leader of Education at Woods Bagot since 2016. Sarah previously completed her formal architectural education at University of Melbourne, and has since worked on a number of award winning projects. 
==Early Life==
Sarah’s father was also an architect and similarly underwent his education at the University of Melbourne, studying architecture. She credits him for her early exposure to the field of architecture, which sparked her interest in the art of architectural representation.
==Education==
Sarah Ball studied architecture at the University of Melbourne, specifically within the University’s Melbourne School of Design (MSD). Since graduating, Sarah has continued her involvement with the University of Melbourne through projects such as the Carlton Connect Initiative. Sarah acted as a member of the project's design team who's goal, as defined and developed by the university and other project partners, was to establish a new "innovation precinct" through which a shared space for engineering faculty and industry partners would foster greater collaboration.
==Career==
Currently the Principle Melbourne Studio Chair at Woods Bagot, an internationally recognized, global architecture firm based in Australia, Sarah initially envisioned herself working at smaller scale firms, primarily on residential projects. However, since graduating she has found herself working primarily at large firms, both in Melbourne and London, where she says her interest in educational projects began.
Sarah Ball joined Woods Bagot in February of 2006. 
==Projects & Awards==
Sarah Ball has acted as principal architect and contributed to many projects throughout her seventeen years at Woods Bagot, primarily within the education sector. 
====Deakin Law Building (2021)====
One such award winning project was the Deakin Law Building, located in Melbourne, Australia. This project, for which Sarah was the principal architect, was finished in 2021 in collaboration with ASPECT Studios, a landscape architecture firm. Sarah has stated that the building was designed to be, "intentionally non-institutional" and instead act as a "calm, natural space" on the university's Melbourne Burwood Campus. In 2022 the Deakin Law Building won the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) Victoria Awards, Educational Architecture Award. 
====WAN Awards & Panelist====
In addition to the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) Victoria Awards, Educational Architecture Award, the Deakin Law project also won gold at the 2022 WAN Awards, for Higher Education and Research Facilities category . Before winning this award for the Deakin Law building, Sarah Ball also served as an expert panelist for the WAN Awards in 2016, specifically within their education category. The expert panel was tasked with assessing the entries, and were noted as having, "extensive experience" within the field of education architecture specifically. 
====Ruyton Girls School - Margaret McRae Centre (2015)====
Sarah Ball also acted as the principal architect for another Melbourne based project, the Ruyton Girls School's Margaret McRae Center. Situated in the suburb of Kew, the project moves away from more traditional learning spaces, incorporating more flexible, modular classrooms which also aim to connect students with natural light from outdoors.
Category:Australian people
Category:University of Melbourne alumni
Category:Architecture