Genevieve Lilley, graduated from the University of Sydney in 1991 with the University Medal and left Australia soon after under the auspices of the two-year Marten Bequest. She lived briefly in Spain and Italy before settling in the UK, where she worked for 8 years with renowned British architect, Sir David Chipperfield, on a variety of public, private and retail commissions. In her time there, she worked on numerous civic projects, including projects in the UK (including the Natural History Museum, and the River & Rowing Museum at Henley on Thames), in Italy (Dolce e Gabbana shops worldwide), and in Germany (the Neues Museum competition in Berlin and the Grassimuseum in Leipzig). Genevieve established her own practice in London in 1999, in Sydney in 2005, and added a Hobart office in 2014.
Her practice specialises in a range of small to medium scale projects, generally characterised by their quirkiness, and usually involving the adaptive re-use of existing buildings (both historic and modernist). She now sits on the Tasmanian Heritage Council and the NSW Heritage Committee, and chairs the Works Committee for Heritage Tasmania. She also sits on the Australian Institute of Architects National Gender Equity Committee and the AIA’s Tasmanian Chapter Council. She is involved in a Tasmanian AIA 20thC listing/recognition taskforce.
Since 2004 she has been a designer/director for the Sydney-based jewellery business, Venerari, which specializes in modern jewellery using coloured gems. Although the Strand Arcade store closed in 2013, she continues to design bespoke modern jewellery commissions for clients around the world.
Genevieve has taught architecture and construction at universities in Bath UK, Sydney, Tasmania and Newcastle for many years and has also been a guest speaker, critic and external examiner on many occasions. She sat on the AIA NSW Awards jury in 2009 and 2011, the DIA National Awards in 2015, and chaired the AIA Tasmanian Awards Jury in 2017.
Genevieveʼs design work has featured in a number of publications including the Sydney Morning Herald, Inside Out Magazine and Vogue Living. She has written for the Fifth Estate, the Architectural Review, Architecture Australia and Houses Magazine. Her awards include the Board of Architects of NSW Medal 1991, the Sir John Sulman Prize (design) 1990 and the CHL Turner Memorial Prize (design) 1990. She was also awarded the JAA Award for Best Modern Opal design in 2006 and 2008.