Yvonne von Hartel

Yvonne von Hartel was born in Melbourne in August 1943 as the only child of Austrian migrants who moved to Australia in 1938. Her father was a civil engineer and the owner of an aluminium fabricating business, which partly fostered her interest in architecture.[8]

She began studying architecture at the University of Melbourne in 1961, the first year the university offered an honours degree in the field. She studied a wide range of other subjects required to obtain an honours degree, including arts, fine arts and philosophy.

In 1961 von Hartel completed her degree, and received the Stephenson & Turner medal as the top architectural student.[8]

Along with her degree in architecture she has also completed the Executive Management Program at the Melbourne Business School.[4][9][10][11]

Von Hartel began her practice career while studying, working in various architectural practices during the holidays. On graduation she joined the Melbourne-based firm Yuncken Freeman. During her time at Yuncken Freeman, she worked on numerous projects in Melbourne, including the BHP House at 140 William Street. It is now recognised as a work of nationally significant twentieth-century architecture.[12][13]

Photograph of 140 William Street

Von Hartel also tutored architecture part-time at the University of Melbourne and in 1971 she became a full-time tenured lecturer in architecture.[8]

In 1974 Von Hartel returned to practice at Yuncken Freeman. Architect Robert Peck, who had joined Yuncken Freeman in 1968, became the managing director of Yuncken Freeman. The two then opened the Yuncken Freeman Hong Kong office (YFHK) to counteract the effect of the credit crisis in Australia, relocating many architects as they could from Melbourne to Hong Kong. They then later opened offices for Yuncken Freeman in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.[8]

When the Yuncken Freeman partnership was restructured in 1980, von Hartel and Peck eventually bought the international Yuncken Freeman practice. They came back to Australia permanently in 1980 and joined with Denton Corker Marshall. The Peck Denton Corker Marshall (PDCM) company operated for five years .[8] In 2001, they founded the peckvonhartel firm, which they're still running today, based in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.[14]

A selection of projects which Yvonne has been involved with during her career:

• Victorian Desalination Plant 2013[18]
• The Philadelphia Building Spring Street Melbourne 2011[18]
• 25 Bligh Street Sydney Forecourt 2010[18]
• I National Circuit Canberra 2007[18]
• Deloitte Consulting Melbourne 2002[18]
• Westin Hotel on Regent Place Melbourne 2000[18]
• 333 Collins Street Melbourne 1992[19]
• The Olderfleet Buildings 447 Collins Street Melbourne 1990 [20]
• 1 Collins Street Melbourne 1983 [4]

In 1986, she was awarded the William Wilkinson Wardell Medal for No. 1 Collins St., as well as the Merit Award for Commercial Buildings No. 1 Collins St.[21]

She was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2007[10][11] for her "service to architecture, design and building through involvement with a range of professional organisations, to the promotion of women in business, and to the community."[22]

In 2014, she was given the Sir Osborn McCutcheon Award for Commercial Architecture for the Victorian Desalination Project.[21]

She was profiled as one of the twelve women who "are doing leadership differently", for the book 'Doing Leadership Differently' by Amanda Sinclair.[23]