As a child, I learned to swim in the river that threaded through our rural home in Yarras, NSW, 2446.

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A family of platypi lived in the very same waterhole, and on the rare days one surfaced beside us, it felt like a silent blessing, a fleeting encounter with something ancient, elusive, and profoundly wild.

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Those moments planted the seeds of reverence. Today, that reverence has become purpose.

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That purpose lives not only in the spaces I shape, but in the movements I now lead. As a Speaker, Educator, and Advocate for Environmental Design, I believe Architecture must do more than shelter; it must awaken, guide, and participate in healing what has long been neglected.

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Recently, I began contributing to the UNSW Platypus Conservation Initiative Research Fund, a gesture born from gratitude for the river and the wild life that stirred my earliest wonder. To support their survival is to honour them and to speak about them now is to share that joy forward.

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That moment of clarity "that why" echoes the feeling I had when I returned to UNSW in 2015, thirteen years after graduating, to teach in the 1st & 2nd Year Architectural Studio Programs. It was a full-circle moment, a quiet Thank-you to all the dedicated people that shaped the discipline, curiosity, and conviction now woven into every project I lead.

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But my work has grown beyond the built form.

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Now, I feel most alive at the edge, where Architecture meets advocacy, where conversations stir courage, and where my voice helps others reconnect with what matters most.

 

I am embarking on my boldest endeavour yet: to raise $1 million in 57 days for #TeamPanda and wildlife conservation.

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Why? Because design must serve more than aesthetics. It must serve life.

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This mission is not just about money, it’s about movement, momentum & energy. It’s about proving that purpose, when activated with urgency, can shift industries and hearts alike.

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The soul of Lisa Dew is not just about creating beautiful spaces. It’s about stirring awareness, challenging inertia, and inspiring a new generation of designers, entrepreneurs, and colleagues to act wisely, and bravely.

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This practice is a bridge between past and future, between Architecture and Ecology, between silence and voice.

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And now, between one wild idea… and $1 million raised. What will it take? I ask you to take up the challenge with me.