Finn Pedersen is a co-founder and director of Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects, a Perth- and Melbourne-based studio with a diverse body of work throughout Australia. The studio practices in the fields of housing, education, health, justice and cultural buildings with a focus on direct engagement with the Indigenous peoples of Australia.
Finn studied architecture at Curtin University in Perth, and following graduation he spent five years working for an Aboriginal community-owned practice in Broome, Western Australia, where he focused on the design and delivery of infrastructure, cultural and housing projects for remote Aboriginal communities. Returning to Perth in 1999 he co-founded Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects with his former student friends Adrian Iredale and Martyn Hook. Together they undertook a joint Masters/PhD in Architecture through practice at RMIT University in Melbourne, at the invitation of professor Leon van Schaik AO in 2008.
Finn has an interest in culture, social justice, landscape and how architecture can affect and enhance the relationship between people and place. He has worked with many Aboriginal communities throughout remote Western Australia and is particularly interested in the manner that architecture and design can provide innovative solutions that are deeply respectful of traditional culture.
He is the vice chairperson of the Wyemando and Jimmy Pike Trusts, which provide grant finding for Indigenous language preservation and artist travel scholarships for remote area Aboriginal artists. Finn was the co-founder of Environs Kimberley – a Broome-based environmental group protecting the Kimberley country in Western Australia. He was the director in charge on the Fitzroy Crossing Renal Hostel, which won a WAF award for Best Use of Colour in 2017; the Walumba Elders Centre, which won a WAF award in the health category in 2015; and Architecture of Necessity, Sweden, 2016.
