OCULUS team member earns award nomination nod
Landscape architecture graduate Brooklyn Jack has been recognised for her innovative approach to place-based design.
Render of the ‘Activism Arena’ of Echo Point, a reimagining of Sydney’s White Bay Power Station by Brooklyn Jack. (All images: Brooklyn Jack)
OCULUS Landscape Architecture Graduate Brooklyn Jack has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Place category of the 2026 Graduates of the Year Awards (GOTYA). Brooklyn was shortlisted for her Echo Point university project, “a transformation of the White Bay Power Station from a monument of extraction into a landscape of empowerment”.
The GOTYAs are presented by the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) and celebrate designers early in their careers who are destined to make their mark in the creative industries.
The Place category specifically recognises designers who take an active role in shaping the places where we live, work and play. It includes practitioners working in interior design, wayfinding, public space and landscape design, among other disciplines.
The ‘Freedom Forecourt’ design envisaged by Brooklyn (render above and cross-section below).
Brooklyn explains that her concept for Echo Point envisages the site as an act of reclamation:
“It’s a place where youth carve their stories into concrete, where community agency rises through action, and where Country breathes again. The coal shed becomes a skatepark of resistance, the ground floor an arena for dialogue and protest, the rooftop a garden for nourishment and gathering.
“Here, design is not decoration. Echo Point is living architecture, a space that amplifies voices, regenerates land and proves that power shared is power reclaimed.”
Cross-section of Echo Point, a creative reworking of Sydney's White Bay Power Station.
From student to staff member
Brooklyn started with OCULUS in March 2026, after graduating from the University of New South Wales in 2025 with a Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Hons), including a minor in Landscape Architecture. She has since established herself as a valued member of the OCULUS team, contributing to projects including Adelaide’s City East Precinct and the University of Newcastle Engineering Precinct.
Brooklyn said she was excited to be shortlisted in the Place category of GOTYA:
“Community-led and place-based design is truly where my heart lies. I’m interested in how thoughtful design can respond to existing places, stories and communities, and I’m excited to keep exploring that through my work at OCULUS.”
OCULUS congratulates Brooklyn on her shortlisting and looks forward to seeing her talents continue to grow through her work with the studio.
OCULUS team member Brooklyn Jack has been nominated for a 2026 GOTYA Award.
About the DIA’s Graduates of the Year Awards
The Design Institute of Australia’s initiatives include GOTYA, the DIA Hall of Fame, Fellowships and the Designer Australia Awards. Established in 2003, GOTYA celebrates and nurtures design practitioners early in their careers.
Educational institutions throughout the country nominate their most outstanding design graduates, with submissions anonymously evaluated by an expert jury and the strongest applicants advancing to a finalist interview round.
