Gareth Collins Design Advisory
WHO ARE GCDA
Founded by Gareth Collins, GCDA - Gareth Collins Design Advisory - is a small but knowledgeable advisory business focussing on sharing experience and lessons so that clients can better achieve their urban design goals and improve their business.
GARETH COLLINS
Founder and Director
Gareth is an urban designer and landscape architect. He served as director of urban design at TfNSW, RMS & RTA, significantly influencing the way these organisations planned, developed and delivered their projects. For this work Gareth has received much recognition including the Australia Award for Urban Design twice, for the Beyond the Pavement policy governing transport planning and design and for Rozelle Parklands, created from the Rozelle Interchange and implementing Beyond the Pavement.
For 25 years Gareth has played a pivotal role in shaping transport infrastructure across NSW, working on the Pacific, Hume, Princes and Great Western Highways; bridges from the Sea Cliff bridge to the Anzac bridge strengthening to the Yandhai Nepean bridge; the vast Sydney Motorways program; and the commuter wharf program. Prior to that he was an experienced urban designer and landscape architect in the private sector in NSW and the UK.
He thrives on solving problems from delivering simple and refined outcomes out of complex multi purpose engineering, to urban design consistency for major highways. From resolving Design Panel impasses, to finding solutions to such things as mulch contamination. From providing clear tender guidance and solid proposal evaluation, to knowing who to consult. From integrating a connection to Country into projects to solving aesthetic and heritage problems for the public around noise walls, bridges and visual impact generally.
To tackle many of these issues Gareth has written, developed and published guidelines, policies, standard briefs, and developed a strong collaborative network of urban designers, engineers, artists, environmental advisors and leaders from across Government and Industry. He has chaired and sat on many Design Panels, Urban Design Committees, INSW audits and is currently a member of the NSW State Design Review Panel.
CREDENTIALS
Landscape Architect, urban designer, Fellow of AILA, former AILA NSW president and a registered urban designer.
LICENSE
Registered landscape architect and Urban designer


PHILOSOPHY
Gareth is known for his clear, practical, direction and advice to the built environment industry. This is based upon his personal approach, understanding of the breadth of the industry and decades of hands-on experience, ensuring that high quality and value for money projects have been delivered for the people of NSW.
CORE VALUES:
Knowledge
Understanding the issues, the objectives, the policy context, the built and natural environment and applying 3 decades of experience to exploring opportunities and understanding risks.
Human creativity
Applying landscape architecture and urban design thinking to issues, seeing and experiencing the place and treating each situation respectfully and uniquely.
Simplicity
Refinement and elegance in designs and solutions so that cost effectiveness, ease of maintenance and sustainability is maximised.