About

David Aitken is an ex-Theatre Designer and a retired architect, Urban Designer and
Planner. This website shows some of David’s works from his earlier theatre designs to his
more recent architectural and urban designs.

TV & Theatre Design

In his early 20s, David worked in film and television as a director’s assistant and props
buyer and also trained with METV ( the predecessor to SBS) to become a designer and
later joined ABC TV as a design assistant. In theatre he designed for the Ensemble and
New Theatre in Sydney. In 1975, he was accepted into the Master Class for Stage Design
at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts in Austria and graduated in 1978 with a Diploma and
the Professorial Prize. During his time in Europe, David designed theatre productions in
Austria, Germany and Holland and was first assistant designer at the Vienna Opera
House, assisting the designer, Gunther Schneider-Siemssen along with several
international Opera productions in Germany, Italy and the USA, working with directors
Gotz Friedrich and Otto Schenk, and the conductor, Herbert von Karajan. He also worked
with George Tambori, a leading Brecht director co-designing the Jasager/Der Neinsager
for the State Theatre, Kassel. Back in Sydney, David designed Thomas Keneally’s Gossip
from the Forest, Sydney Theatre Company (Sydney Opera House, 1983) and Michael
Gow’s The Kid at the Nimrod Theatre (1983).

Architecture

But David’s first love is architecture and he finally realised his dream by graduating in
Architecture from the University of Sydney in 1988, after which he worked for 4 years for
the NSW Public Works as an Architect, designing schools. He returned to Vienna, in
1992, to research medium to high density housing and also began a design for the
conversion of an attic roof space in a nineteenth century building for artist
studios/apartments. While there, he also worked with the Finnish/Austrian architect, Pekka
Janhunen, in an architectural competition for the new Austrian Cultural Centre in New
York.
Back in Sydney, David spent the next 10 months co-organising the launching of Home - A
Place in the Urban Environment. This project, an initiative begun by David together with
Architecture Lecturer, Dr Anna Rubbo, was a joint effort between the Architectural
Faculties of Sydney, NSW and UTS. The project consisted of: the exhibition, New
Housing in Vienna, a two-day housing forum, and the National Ideas Design Competition,
The Next Step. (link to photos)
David established himself as a registered practising architect, working both for individual
clients and as a subcontract architect for various firms including apartment and single
housing designs for the Department of Housing.
In 1994, David enrolled in the Masters in Urban Design course at the University of Sydney
and completed all the design components of the Design Studio.
David also worked as a Planner for a number of years before retirement with firstly Ku-
ring-gai, Waverley and then Leichhardt Council.

David also designed and built his own home in Alexandria, Sydney, converting a single
storey terrace to three storeys. (Link to Alexandria Terrace House).

Urban Design

Circular Quay Ideas Competition 1993
Sponsored by City of Sydney.
Together with fellow architect, Dr Anna Rubbo, and Viennese Architect Kurt Sattler, we proposed a concept design for Circular Quay that centred on a repurposed Cahill Expressway as a NEW ELEVATED AXIS that pedestrian and cycle linked Macquarie Street with Observatory Hill, and preempted the New York Highline by many years. (Link to Cahill Expressway photos & SMH article)

Waverley Sea Bridge
A Sea Bridge that enhances the Coastal Walk and side steps the historic Waverley
Cemetery.
Together with former Waverley Greens Councillor and Mayor, Mora Main, David
developed a concept design for an alternative cycle and walkway that avoided the existing
route that sliced detrimentally thru the frontage of the historic Waverley Cemetery.
Maunsell Aust Pty Limited kindly provided some preliminary structural and costings advice,
based on their expertise as lead designer for the Sea Cliff Bridge at Stanwell Park.
Suspended above the waves and parallel to the cliff face, the serpentine geometry of the
project would have created a lowered central section to maintain unobstructed views of the
Pacific Ocean so important to the spirit of the cemetery.
Although the project was enthusiastically applauded by many in the community, the Arts
and Tourism Sectors, the project failed to get any development funding from the Council or
State Institutions.
Cockatoo Island Bridge
Following a Cockatoo Island Trust Development forum, David, along with other
participants, expressed concern over the Island’s physical isolation and working solo,
David proposed a new pedestrian/cycle bridge to link Balmain-Rozelle township with the
‘new cultural centre proposed for the island (Refer to Walking on Water article)
Regarding the proposal David met up with Tom Uren in his beautiful Rick Leplastrier
designed sanctuary. The long serving former Labor Federal Member and Minister for
Urban and Regional Development was highly supportive of the project and having grown
up and living again in Balmain, Tom thought that the proposed location of the crossing at
the end of Punch Street was historically and ‘community’ appropriate.
Exploring the Island’s potential as a cultural centre and the flow back in employment for
the municipality, David managed to gain the support of former Leichhardt Mayor, Jamie
Parker, former Institute of Architects’ President, Richard Dinham, Architect Philip Cox AO
and Tristram Carfrae, Arup Engineers’ leading Structural Engineer who sponsored an in-
house Design Competition which produced some awe inspiring Bridge Designs. (Refer
photos)

Reconnecting Sydney Harbour

In further developing the Cockatoo Island Bridge Project, the Exhibition and Talk The
Connecting Cockatoo Project as part of the Sydney Architecture Festival 21012.
The event conceived and organised by David and Richard Dinham was co-sponsored by
the Australian Institute of Architects, the College of Fine Arts and provided an exhibition
and panel discussion on making good use of Cockatoo Island and new ways to get there.
Special thanks go Professor Richard Goodwin and his students from COFA who provided
works of art that explored the meaning and significance of Cockatoo Island (Refer to
Cockatoo link)