The year 1991 was a year most would prefer to forget – a year it’s said that many Sydney architects were driving taxis to make ends meet through one of Australia’s worse recessions. But unlike many of his colleagues, Terence Ring, ARAA’s founding director, began working from a practice attached to his home in Griffith in the ACT and survived the recession by designing residential cottages. Along with his team, Terry worked in this location for the next 18 years while developing a reputation in residential and commercial markets. Then with the start of a family, it was time to find a new base of the practice.
Along with three partners, Terry bought land on Wentworth Avenue in the desirable area of Kingston and designed a 4,000 square metre multi-storey building complete with a rooftop luxury apartment. ARAA is still in the same location today and has reaped the benefits of subsequent development that has occurred in both the immediate and broader precinct.
The practice has established a reputation in designing properties in the luxury home sector, but ARAA also enjoys giving back in working on community projects. It has created homes in the Indigenous housing sector and has worked closely with church groups and other communities to design areas for worship and other gathering places. The practice also further contributes to the community through the annual Schools Mentor Program, guiding students aspiring to careers in architecture and interior design. Terry also taught those disciplines at the Canberra Institute of Technology between 1991-2006.
ARAA’s portfolio of work has received numerous prestigious awards: ACT House of the Year 12 times, and the MBA Nation House of the Year three times. These awards have also been won across the commercial, restaurant, office fitout and residential sectors. Terry, personally, has also received significant recognition; the AIA ACT Chapter Medallion for Architecture from the University of Canberra; the AIA President’s Award 2004; and the MBA Practicing Professional of the Year 2015. There have been other projects that have attracted as much attention. The extension for the Governor General’s house, completed in 2021, also received an MBA Award.
Since the pandemic, ARAA has seen a change in the way people see their home, their work places and their green spaces. ARAA aims to create the optimum environment where people can enjoy where they live and raise their families. ARAA’s ethos is that it is vital to create a sense of place and belonging, a feeling of contentment, and a gathering place where families can create lasting memories.
Many of the houses designed by ARAA are still occupied by the same clients who commissioned them decades ago. These homes, those clients say, all share that sense of belonging, comfort, serenity, and a sense of ownership. For Terence and his team, this investment comes from being focused on the client, driven by their values and needs.
