National Sector Lead spotlight: How Scott Moylan leads his team to deliver excellence in commercial architecture

At Gray Puksand, we believe that our people are the key to our success. The vast and collective intelligence of the staff across our four national studios ensures that all our projects are designed and delivered with research, rigour, insight, and expertise.

In the first instalment of our new monthly blog series, we sat down with Scott Moylan, our National Commercial Sector Lead, based in Gray Puksand’s Sydney studio, to discuss his career in commercial architecture, the current state of the sector, and how he leads his team to achieve excellence.

“National Lead is a very overarching role,” said Scott. “I work closely with Gray Puksand’s leadership group to ensure the teams across our studios are delivering projects according to plan and budget.”

With more than 30 years of experience, Scott possesses a wealth of industry knowledge and a robust architectural skillset. Having worked on projects of varying scales and sectors in his time at Gray Puksand, he holds a longstanding passion for designing versatile commercial spaces that deliver on financial, environmental, and social imperatives.

“It’s not all designing from scratch, which is what I enjoy the most. Many of our projects involve repositioning outdated assets into valuable contemporary commercial offerings.

While the older buildings can often impose structural and design limitations, I find that some of our most exciting work is driven by the problems we have to resolve,” said Scott of his passion for the sector.

412 St Kilda Road, a recent adaptive reuse project led by our Melbourne studio, exemplifies Gray Puksand’s remarkable ability to innovate existing commercial assets. We delivered a refined commercial fit-out to the building, increasing the Net Lettable Area by 4,200 square metres.

The commercial sector is dynamic and constantly evolving, according to Scott. While commercial buildings have traditionally been occupied by corporate tenants and used exclusively within business hours, clients are increasingly wanting a greater variety of uses to ensure financial viability in the future.

“Cities were traditionally built for commerce, to bring industries together, whereas over the last few years, we’ve seen people use our CBDs differently. Cities are now places for everyone, not just people who are working in commercial towers,” said Scott.

“As the world changes and our cities adapt, we’re seeing the commercial field increasingly blend with our other sectors, in particular education, health, hospitality and residential.”

While the demands of commercial project design have rapidly evolved, Scott believes that the key attribute of a successfully designed space remains the same.

“User experience is easily the most important factor to consider when designing a commercial space. What will people see, think, and feel when they enter one of our spaces?” he said.

Outside of user experience, Scott believes that environmental impact and building lifecycle are also critical factors for his commercial teams to consider throughout the design process.

“We talk so much about environmental impact, and it is critical to consider in both the construction and ongoing operation of any commercial building.

“We’re also learning so much more about the evolution of buildings after construction is completed. As much as we design our buildings to stay relevant for a long time, it’s inevitable that it will eventually reach the end of its life. We’re increasingly considering how the building can ultimately be either transformed or deconstructed in the most sustainable way.”

“I think the key to leading a team is finding the right balance between structure and flexibility,” said Scott when asked about his approach to leadership.

“We have to ensure that there’s a vision and a unified sense of direction to achieve the outcomes we do. However, each studio has differing needs, projects, and challenges, and the people within those teams all have varying strengths and weaknesses. So, having the freedom to adapt plans to suit these factors is critical to our success.”

Communication is another key pillar of Scott’s leadership, a skill he has honed by liaising with clients, consultants, project managers, suppliers, and contractors throughout his career.

“Over the years, I’ve discovered the best way to get the desired outcome from people is through clear, simple communication, and often that doesn’t mean talking, but instead, listening.

“That’s the role that I play as a National Sector Lead. It’s not about having all the answers, but about listening to the incredibly talented team I’m surrounded by and providing guidance and direction to allow them to achieve inspiring outcomes.”

Looking at his team’s upcoming project pipeline, Scott feels an immense sense of excitement and pride.

“The fluidity of the current market combined with strong social and environmental awareness has allowed our team to work on some of the most exciting commercial projects we’ve ever done.

“When you have a team that’s engaged and feels confident and comfortable with each other, that’s when outstanding architecture and design can be achieved.”

Learn more about our Commercial Projects here or contact a team members in your State here.

National Sector Lead spotlight: How Scott Moylan leads his team to deliver excellence in commercial architecture

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