about - Building Design

Who we are & What we do

Built Form Design Academy is the first private building design college in Australia. At BFDA we provide professional training and skills for the next generation of building designers and design technicians. Our courses equip you with the skills to succeed in a career in the building design and construction industry.

As well as offering the Certificate IV in Building Design Drafting, we also offer opportunities to develop professionally with our short courses and workshops that help keep students up to date and support lifelong learning in the industry.

Providing a range of short courses targeting the variety of services provided by building designers and architects means that we can bridge the gap between education and professional practice.

Leadership

TS 2
Teresa Serrao
Director | Registered Architect | Head of School | Educator

Teresa Serrao is a registered architect having studied at the University of Technology, Sydney. During her career she has worked with builders, architects and interior designers as well as running her own practice since 1999. She has worked on a range of projects from bespoke housing, multi storey commercial work, institutional buildings, and medium and high density housing.

She started teaching in 2010, first interior design and then building design and construction management at a variety of colleges and universities, offering courses both online and in the classroom. Teresa is an active member in both the architecture and building design communities.

Staff Bios
Dale Smith
Chief Operations Officer | Compliance Manager | Civil and Structural Engineer 

Dale is an experienced Project Manager and Management Consultant who has delivered a portfolio of projects in both contractor and client side roles in the Renewables, Infrastructure and Health and Education sectors, with project values up to $300m.

Dale has extensive experience as a chartered civil and structural engineer, and business development and process improvement skills fostered and developed in both professional roles and MBA studies.

Educators | BIM Specialists

Staff Bios (8)
Priya Ramani
Educator | Revit Expert | Building Designer

Priya has a bachelor’s degree in interior design from a leading overseas university and has studied Building Design from TAFE in Australia.

She is a creative interior designer full of artistic flair and has worked on several residential, commercial and housing developments both in Australia and overseas.

Priya has made the move to coach and mentor the next generation of Australian designers sharing her wisdom and lessons learnt over the many years being successful in the industry. She believes in transferring that real world experience and knowledge to up and coming building design aspirants via education, active community involvement and online sharing.

Staff Bios (7)
Pablo Auscarria
Educator | ArchiCAD Expert | Building Designer

Pablo Auscarria studied BA in Architecture at University of New South Wales. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively on a variety of projects from housing to medium density housing. 

With over 10 years of ArchiCAD experience, and proactively working in the field, he wants to share his passion and knowledge with aspiring designers.  

Support

Staff Bios (9)
Shayna Paku- Rimene 
Administration Officer

Shayna  earned her Bachelor of Maori Visual Arts from Massey University NZ, adopting deep appreciation for indigenous art forms and cultural expressions.    

Passionate about photography and art across various mediums, Shayna contributes to BFDA by assisting with student support including enrolment, and administrative tasks essential to the organisation’s operations.   

Work at BFDA

If you are interested in joining our team send us an email

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