Katerina Dracopoulos - Learning by doing

In this episode, we speak with Katerina Dracopoulos, Director at Fulton Trotter Architects, about her journey through the profession and the personal experiences that have shaped her approach to design. Katerina reflects on the profound impact of living abroad during her formative years, and how exposure to different cultures and ways of life broadened her perspective both as a person and as an architect.

Our conversation delves into the importance of diversity in architecture, not only in the makeup of our teams but in the range of ideas and experiences we bring to our work. Katerina shares candid insights on the value of embracing mistakes early in her career, and how a willingness to learn, adapt, and take risks helped her build confidence and develop a thoughtful, human-centred design practice over time. She also speaks passionately about the need for architects to regain their place in the project team as respected project leads, advocating for the profession to reclaim its vital role in shaping better outcomes for clients and communities.

Katerina is a dynamic leader and designer, striving to create transformative architecture that enriches people’s lives. As a collaborative designer, she works to create a visual and tactile language that conveys the narrative of the client, the building and its users. Katerina’s portfolio of projects spans bespoke learning environments, commercial and civic spaces, social infrastructure and adaptive reuse projects, and her breadth of experience includes working in Sydney and Paris.

Our sponsor Brickworks also produces architecture podcasts hosted by Tim Ross. You can find ‘The Art of Living’, ‘Architects Abroad, and ‘The Power of Two’, at brickworks.com.au or your favourite podcast platform.

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This is a production by the Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architects and Graduates Network, in collaboration with Open Creative Studio. The Institute production team was Madelynn Jenkins, and Claudia McCarthy, and the EmAGN production team was Abigail Lee and Daniel Moore.

This content is brought to you by the Australian Institute of Architects Emerging Architects and Graduates Network, in collaboration with Open Creative Studio. This content does not take into account specific circumstances and should not be relied on in that way. This content does not constitute legal, financial, insurance, or other types of advice. You should seek independent verification or advice before relying on this content in circumstances where loss or damage may result. The Institute endeavours to publish content that is accurate at the time it is published, but does not accept responsibility for content that may or will become inaccurate over time.

We respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia where this podcast was produced, as the first storytellers, the first communities and the first creators of Australian culture. I extend that respect to the Traditional Custodians of country throughout the multiple places abroad where this podcast was recorded. We thank Traditional Custodians for caring for Country for thousands of generations. and recognise their profound connection to land, water, and skies.