Lavanya is a registered architect and urban designer at the City of Melbourne. She has over 10 years of experience in a range of leading roles on public and private sector projects. Her interdisciplinary skill set allows her to effectively lead the Design Review of major city-shaping projects, and the preparation of Design Guides for the City of Melbourne. Through her contributions to Council’s Design Excellence Program, she has had the privilege to be at the forefront of Melbourne’s value shift towards sensitive and contextual urban design outcomes.

As an urbanist, Lavanya has the ability to appreciate the context and systems of a place, while also understanding the details which make it. She believes the unison of architecture and urban design is fundamental to excellent, confident and kind built form outcomes. She aspires to be a role model and representative for emerging designers from diverse backgrounds who are also finding their own unique voice and place within the design industry.

As part of the leadership committee of the Design Excellence Network (DEN), Lavanya advocates for the role of architects and other designers working in local government, to ensure excellent design outcomes are enabled and celebrated. She is also an accomplished and passionate illustrator, with her work features in MPavilion and Open House Melbourne events, and a number of council documents.