TRIVIAL FACT

He is omnipresent - in a good way.

With a unique ability to efficiently summarise all known things into an Excel spreadsheet -preferably with formulae - Leah is Mesh’s obsessively organised yet conversely, verbose, Associate Director and leader of Mesh’s planning team.

With her extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, Leah has the ability to anticipate all likely planning and design issues. Apart from astounding her workmates, this forward-thinking approach has been well received in the planning and development industry, where Leah is recognised for her ability to formulate logical and future proof solutions and strategies that may not have been previously considered.

Leah specialises in high level strategic plans including PSPs and Strategy Plans, Development Plans, Planning Scheme Amendments, infrastructure funding negotiations and relentlessly pursuing customer service agents until they audibly break.

TRIVIAL FACT

She finds verbs and adjectives inefficient and prefers to ‘noun them’.

Often found pouring over a well turned out plan, design or new pair of kicks, Michelle’s ability to translate complex design briefs into carefully resolved plans makes her the perfect fit to lead the Mesh urban design team. Michelle takes pride in producing ink that is effectively communicated, site responsive, client focused, commercial and implementable.

With around 20 years’ experience in growth area masterplanning and design, Michelle’s approach is creative and pragmatic. She is able to synthesise all elements of a site and transform it into a responsive and elegant solution that is meticulously thought out and tested under the Mesh microscope.

Michelle has accrued her talents by practising in urban design management in both public and private sector roles and is often invited to guest lecture and facilitate Council and private sector urban design training.

TRIVIAL FACT

In her downtime, Michelle enjoys speaking to strangers.

Derek believes that when a design sings and the client is dancing then you have nailed a good result. He also shows great pride in Mesh – he says “Mesh aims to deliver the best possible outcome for any job they undertake. It draws on a wealth of talent and experience to arrive at resolutions that accommodate all parties. They also love a good party” and this is probably why he works hard to research, collate and distil information regarding a site and whole-heartedly drives the design until completion…and then he likes to party.

When he’s not busy designing, Derek enjoys wringing his city life for all that its worth and ‘nerding it out’ with his urban designer roommate. He also enjoys getting in touch with nature stating, ‘surf and turf’ is sometimes better than ‘kerb and channel’. Derek believes good design is a way of engineering the quality of people’s daily existence; ideas can be subtle and nuanced but the effects last for generations.

TRIVIAL FACT

Derek has an apparent flair for Cossack dancing. We are still waiting for a demonstration.

Although she believes office plants reduce stress and negative feelings she is often seen struggling to keep her desk plant alive, whilst also trying to ward off starvation herself. Laura has managed to survive and graduate from Urban and Regional Planning with Honours and is also repping the planning industry on the PIA Young Planners Committee. The Mesh family could not be prouder!

Laura believes producing a plan that will yield a good outcome is what planning is all about. That’s probably why our go-to girl is always seen working up a sweat writing reports, preparing planning applications, liaising with Council and undertaking any other task needed to make the right stuff happen. She also works up a good sweat every morning at F45 – but thankfully takes a shower afterwards.

Laura has faith that curiosity and passion for the built environment will make it better, and when she’s not being insightful, in her spare time Laura enjoys coming home from a longs day of work relaxing with some arts and crafts or a good puzzle.

TRIVIAL FACT

Laura says her favourite foods are pickles with mustard, chocolate and brussel sprouts. We’re glad she doesn’t cook for us!

Although having to occasionally poke Ryan to ensure he’s still with us, his sense of calm amongst the chaos, attention to detail and dedication to the Mesh process is wholly evident in his work, representing the ideas and thoughts of the Mesh team through clear and informative plans and visuals.

Having always been interested in the built form, Ryan is currently studying Design (Landscape Architecture) and Urban and Regional Planning and continues to enjoy the supportive and holistic environment that Mesh thrives on, including the opportunity to construct an array of pencil receptacles from discarded plans.

TRIVIAL FACT

Although unconfirmed, there is talk of Ryan’s secret appreciation of Taylor Swift. Nate and Chris are continuing their work on substantiating the claim.

When he’s not dropping some hot beats as resident DJ in his backyard, Jacob can be found in the Mesh studio consolidating spatial information into easy to read plans and diagrams, creating stunning illustrative master plans and conceptualising designs for urban development projects.

Having qualified from RMIT with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Regional Planning, Jacob’s interest in urban planning and design began as a child and has continued to grow, firing his passion for reimagining how we should plan and design suburbs and their associated amenities and integrate them into the larger metropolis, he also imagines hooking up some sick subs to that metropolis and spinning out some sweet melodic dubstep.

Jacob is also a founding member of a team called Spring Into Action that works not-for-profit in remote areas of Nepal to encourage the development of sustainable water utilities.

TRIVIAL FACT

As the tallest member of the Mesh team, Jacob is continually modifying the office furniture to accommodate his enormity. While his desk turned out to be an easier fix than expected, the door frames are posing significant problems.

While her pursuit for the perfectly balanced headstand remains an important focus, Celia has also become an experienced urban planner with a strong background in growth area strategic and statutory planning. Celia'a strengths lie in her quads, abs, tris and bis not to mention her ability to comprehend complex and detailed planning matters and respond to them in a logical and informed way.

As an advisor and mentor in the studio, Celia specialises in Development Plan Preparation, Planning Scheme Amendments, Statutory implementation and coordination, Small Lot Approvals, PSP project management and shooting fast moving targets but is also across many of our major projects.

Her talent for project coordination, clear communication with clients and working towards the best solution for all is evident in her comprehension and application of planning related legislation and the fact that Leah won’t go shopping without her.

TRIVIAL FACT

Celia holds the South-East Sub District record for ‘Loudest Typist’. She would like to acknowledge her computer keyboard as playing a key role in her success.

Jo is our New Zealand based counterpart who is an incredibly well versed strategic urban planner, mother, cook and Mesh fashion icon. Known for her relentless pursuit of the perfectly overpriced sourdough, before re-locating to New Zealand, Jo also had a long standing and highly regarded career in both the Victorian local government and private sector with an emphasis in growth area structure planning and implementation.

Jo is among few planners in Victoria with such an in-depth understanding of infrastructure contribution strategies and what colour shoe should be worn with a navy pant. Her knowledge affords her the ability to review and prepare implementation models to support projects to get off the ground in a fair and equitable manner while always looking fabulous.

Specialising in infrastructure funding implementation and review, high level strategic plans, development plan preparation and review, planning scheme amendments and home-made lemon tarts, Jo’s meticulous nature and strategic background ensures all Mesh projects are rigorously tested and will ‘stack up’ to meet expectations - as do her tarts.

TRIVIAL FACT

Nate believes that Jo is quite possibly the only person to have ever telephoned him in the office.

Despite waking at 4:30 every morning* to train dressage horses in a remote paddock, Bronwyn Petitt is actually quite sane, best demonstrated by her decision to leave a legal career and instead study for her masters degree in Planning & Environment.

With a philosophy based on not over complicating already complicated planning issues, her drive to achieve feasible, practical planning solutions that provide the best community outcomes is matched only by her passion for raw food and travel … and standing in remote paddocks with horses.

TRIVIAL FACT

*We’re not convinced that 4:30 in the morning is a time that actually exists. Bronwyn has offered to prove it to us, but we’ve had no volunteers.