Kerstin Thompson is founding principal and design director of Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA), established in Melbourne in 1994. A pracademic committed to practice and design-based research and education, she is an adjunct professor at RMIT and Monash Universities and professor of practice at Abedian School of Architecture, Bond University.
Kerstin has oversight across all projects undertaken by KTA, supported by a dedicated and skilled team. The design excellence of these has been awarded at national and international levels. In recognition of her work and contribution to the profession and tertiary education Kerstin was elevated to life fellow by the Australian Institute of Architects in 2017. In 2022 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and in 2023, she was awarded the Gold Medal, the Institute’s highest honour. In 2025, she was made an honorary fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
A passionate defender of civic space and advocate for extracting new life from our built heritage, Kerstin’s KTA portfolio encompasses projects diverse in scale and program. Key projects include Bundanon Art Museum and Bridge, awarded an RIBA International Award for Excellence in 2024; the Melbourne Holocaust Museum; and Broadmeadows Town Hall.
Alongside cultural projects is a considerable body of housing for the ‘missing middle’, both public and private. She is currently combining her longstanding interest in housing typologies, research and education by leading the Housing Atlas for Australia initiative with Monash University’s Urban Lab.
