John Ellway runs a small architectural practice with a love for creating places where people live, inspired by their stories of travel and family memories. His goal is to create simple functional buildings that delight and surprise through the control of light, shadow and landscape, with a focus on local materials, climate, and social relationships.
His residential project Terrarium House won the Australian Institute of Architects' Eleanor Cullis-Hill Award at the 2019 National Architecture Awards, the Elina Mottram Award at state level, along with regional house of the year. Terrarium House also received an award at the 2018 Houses Awards. The Three House project won the Australian House of the Year award at the 2021 Houses Awards. In 2022 Cascade House won a National Architecture Award and a Houses Award. In 2015 John participated in the annual Dulux Study Tour travelling to Tokyo, London and Paris.
John was educated at the Queensland College of Art, gaining a Bachelor of Design in 2001, and went on to complete a Master of Architecture at the University of Queensland. Before working in architecture, John was an accomplished designer working in the fields of graphic design, 3D design and wayfinding, with a number of multidisciplinary design companies in Australia and the UK.
