2020 Sasha Spasic

Sasha Spasic is a Landscape Architect at BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group in Copenhagen, Denmark. She graduated from the Master of Landscape Architecture in 2020.

This interview was undertaken by Nadia Long as part of the UWA Master of Landscape Architecture history and theory unit, LACH4421: Australian Landscapes.

Nadia Long – Could you tell me a bit about yourself and your career as a landscape architect?
Sasha Spasic – I studied both the Bachelor and Masters at UWA. My first career experience was a year-long internship at EFFEKTS in Copenhagen, it was really eye opening and seemed very different to Australia. After my time at EFFEKTS I returned to UWA to finish the Master of Landscape Architecture. While I was completing the Masters I worked at UDLA as a student, and then as a graduate for two and a half years before I came back here, to Copenhagen. I like being here, my career’s taken another turn which will be a bit more serious but also really challenging in a way that I’m hoping for.

NL – What made you interested in studying landscape architecture?
SS – I always enjoyed art and design. At first I was thinking about architecture, but although I like and appreciate buildings, I didn’t really want to be the one designing them. When a family friend recommended urban design, I thought that sounded interesting.

I remember when I started at UWA I got to do both an architecture studio and a landscape architecture studio. After I did the landscape architecture studio, I just thought, ‘This is something I can really see myself getting into.’ It had a really positive impression on me, so I continued with it. I enjoyed landscape architecture, and the more and more I studied and got into it, I just grew more appreciation for it.

NL – What was your most memorable class, and why?
SS – Probably doing my Masters thesis. And the studios, particularly both the third-year ones. For the first one I had Sara Padgett-Kjaersgaard who was great. We used more of an abstract collage and montage approach to a project; it was nice to try a new method of design. For the second one we had Steve Gibson, and he was also a great teacher. I learnt a lot in both of those studios. It was a very rewarding experience to go through and having such great teachers really helped.

I have always loved the studios, they’re the most challenging but the most fun I would say. Also, although I feel like I’m almost not old enough to have an approach, I guess you would say that Sara and Steve definitely had an influence and definitely played a role [in the development of my approach].

NL – What did you learn at UWA that has been most influential during your career?
SS – The whole process of design. Although it’s a studio and a school environment, going through the studios that were focused on concept, through to some more detailed ones, through to learning to do research and writing, the studios are always the most important.

A piece of advice from one of my teachers that has always stuck with me – he would say, ‘Do it once, do it right’. That always used to come to my mind. Take the time to actually do something correctly in the first place, it saves you so much trouble later on.

NL – Is there a resource from your time at UWA that you return to, or that you feel has been most influential on you as a landscape architect?
SS – I really like Landscape Australia magazine and all the landscape journals. They’re an interesting and digestible format of landscape architecture. You get to learn about the current advancements, projects, and practices in landscape, so you get to stay up to date with the profession.

NL – Do you have any advice for current landscape architecture students at the School of Design?
Read as much as you can. Talk to each other and to teachers as much as you can. Use your time in uni like a testing ground to experiment a bit, and to be curious.

Engage. Engage with people and engage with the network because you just never know who you meet. You never know how they might influence you or what conversations you may have that may have a really positive effect.

Be open, be curious, and be passionate.

This interview was undertaken in 2022. It has been edited for clarity and cohesion.

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Image: Masters by Design at UWA by Sasha Spasic (image via Sasha Spasic)