Episode 184: Dean Landy on the economic and spiritual value of humanitarian architecture

From building Lego cities on a pool table to building homes and schools in Africa, it’s been an adventurous ride for this Australian architect who wears multiple hats – urban designer, social entrepreneur, philanthropist, community advocate, humanitarian, and author.Educated at Deakin University and later at the University of Nottingham, Landy has always been one to progress from challenge to challenge. The tertiary phase of his life saw Landy volunteering on international humanitarian projects, an experience that laid the foundation of his future ‘purpose driven’ career in architecture and design. He returned to Deakin to complete his degree and joined ClarkeHopkinsClarke, where he leads the design and delivery of some of Australia’s largest and most ambitious urban developments, including town centres, mixed use projects, and urban renewal precincts. Landy is also the founder-director of One Heart Foundation, an Australian ‘for purpose’ organisation working in Kenya to alleviate poverty by building and operating schools, children’s homes and skills training centres.Looking back on where it all began, Landy recalls how as a 19-year-old student in Nottingham, he felt the drive to learn a little bit more about the bigger world around him. Interview by Jarrod Reedie