Approach       Impact       Team      

Leanne is a recognised leader in design and planning in Australia. She is a Churchill Fellow, the founder of Hodyl & Co and the immediate past president of the Urban Design Forum Australia. Leanne founded Hodyl & Co in 2016 and has grown the practice into a nationally award-winning company that brings globally leading solutions to those who govern, plan, design and develop our cities. Her 2015 Churchill Fellowship report was pivotal in reforming planning practices in Melbourne and received Victoria’s highest planning prize.

She has continued to innovate the profession, in 2020 launching the research and practice collaboration, Cities People Love, a unique platform that connects leading thinking and research to industry and government decision-makers.

In 2021, she co-led the revival of the Urban Design Forum Australia, which advocates for public interest outcomes in our cities. Leanne is engaged by both the public and private sector to provide strategic advice and expertise regarding the development of our cities.

Renee has over 15 years' of experience in managing office environments and ensures we are a grounded, organised, supportive, environmentally sustainable and forward-thinking practice.

Hodyl + Co work from Alcaston House, a heritage-listed Renaissance Revival building that is one of Melbourne’s first purpose-designed mixed-used buildings.

Alcaston House was developed at a time when the red brick suburban dream was the predominant Australian housing typology. The multi-storey residential building introduced a high-quality, inner-city living option to Melbourne, that was placed closed to public gardens and sensitively designed for expansive views and warm natural light spilling into every apartment. The lower two floors were dedicated to commercial suites in the burgeoning Collins Street medical precinct.

A 1932 review in the Journal of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects highlighted the congestion and transport difficulties associated with the rapid growth of Melbourne’s suburban dwelling population. The article explains ‘the solution lies in more intensive development of residential areas nearer to the heart of the city by building of multi-storied apartment houses.’ In drawing upon American and European examples, the architects advocated for introducing purpose-designed mixed-used buildings in the CBD to provide generously designed apartments within walking distance of people’s places of work, and as a forward-thinking solution to accommodate a growing population.

Today the building is populated with an eclectic mix of businesses – architects, dentists, publishers, education professionals – and residents, in a contemporary realisation of the original vision. Almost 90 years since the building’s completion, Alcaston House continues to offer a progressive model of urban living and working.

David is an Associate at Hodyl & Co. He is passionate about contributing to cities and places that are sustainable and equitable. David has 15 years’ experience successfully leading and delivering complex projects in both the public and private sector. This work draws on his expertise in urban design, strategic planning, policy development, research, and stakeholder engagement. Projects include developing built form controls for South Melbourne, leading the Macaulay Structure Plan, testing and reviewing built form in the Arden Precinct, and leading the Urban Design Framework for Blackhorse Lane in London.

He has a comprehensive knowledge of design and planning in Melbourne which is complemented by seven years of international experience working in London and Rotterdam. David is currently leading a range of projects at Hodyl & Co focused on built form testing, infrastructure, housing strategy, and the creative industries.

David’s experience working at the City of Melbourne and City of Yarra has given him a strong background in the translation of design research and guidance into statutory regulations.

For over 20 years Bridget has worked across the fields of urban design, landscape architecture and architecture, gaining a range of experience in the public and private sectors both locally and internationally. This has allowed her to develop a sophisticated knowledge of the design process and develop a track record in delivering successful urban design strategies, public realm guidelines and masterplans as well as providing urban design advice across development proposals and major public investment projects.

Bridget is particularly interested in promoting context appropriate urban design and ensuring that our public streets and spaces become inviting places that people can connect and interact with in meaningful ways.

Bridget’s expertise and practical skills in public realm design and design strategy, paired with her strong conceptual design skills, mean that she provides a highly valued contribution across a range of design projects. She has developed concept designs for many of central Melbourne’s key civic spaces and infrastructure projects, including Melbourne Metro stations, the Docklands public realm and Flinders Street Station.

Ripley is a qualified senior urban designer.His passion for urban design arises from a desire to contribute to more inclusive and sustainable cities and places through an approach that synthesises design interventions and policy initiatives.

Ripley excels as a communicator and instinctively applies design thinking to the wide range of projects he is involved in. Since joining Hodyl & Co, he has had a significant contribution to a breadth of design and planning projects, including the South Melbourne Built Form Framework, Epping Central Built Form Framework, the Stonnington Neighbourhood Activity Centre Peer Review, the Commonwealth Games Design Charter, the Moonee Valley Community Facilities Design Principles and Guidelines, and the Whittlesea Community Centres Evaluation.

Ripley’s capacity for creative, conceptual, and rigorous thinking, and demonstrated strength in clear, compelling graphic representation, 3D modelling and mapping is an asset to Hodyl & Co and our clients.

Betty has a multi-disciplinary background, delving into the study of architecture design and urban design.
The study of these two disciplines has equipped Betty with both outstanding aesthetic and design abilities in smallscale architectural design and a more macroscopic urban scale.

Betty demonstrates a very strong capacity for critical thinking, design exploration and an excellent capability for urban design thought and creative practice.