As a student at Melbourne University she worked for a period for Graeme Gunn, and after graduating worked for a period with John Taylor Architect and Builder in South Yarra. Whilst a student she completed a couple of home renovations for herself, but her first commissioned project came from the Age cartoonist John Spooner to refit his office in Malvern. After moving back to Perth to work with Robert Cann, St John Kennedy commenced practice in 1981 with the construction of her own house in Rupert Street, Subiaco. Upon completion this house was awarded a commendation in the WA RAIA awards, the first female to receive this honour. It was followed shortly after by the Limestone Residence, Hynes Rd Dalkeith and the Mouat St Gallery Workshops and Residence, Fremantle. Both received RAIA awards.
Career
After receiving the Robin Boyd award in 1984, St John Kennedy completed a large body of work, mainly residential, across Western Australia. Recently she has been the architect for Giorgio Armani retail projects throughout Australia. Her academic involvement includes lecturing on Women in Architecture at UWA School of Architecture. She reviewed the Civil and Criminal justice system in WA for the Law Reform Commission and was a founder internationally of the investigation of architectural psychology in law and courts. St John Kennedy also founded Hay River wines in Mount Barker, one of the first vineyards in south west Western Australia.
Awards and achievements
In 1984, St John Kennedy won the Robin Boyd award for Residential architecture for the Downe-Stoney residence in East Perth. She was the first female recipient of the award and still the only Western Australian recipient of the award. She has won numerous other awards, including the Bunnings Timber award 1988, the Fremantle Award 1983, and her work has been widely published. Louise St John Kennedy was a founding member of the Australian Architecture Association. She was the first woman appointed to both the Architects Board of Western Australia, and the Chapter Council of the RAIA WA. She was a founding board member of the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, and served on the board at LandCorp, the Western Australian Land Authority, as well as initiating their Design and Sustainability department.
