8 New Elevations Announced at COX’s AGM – Including Paul Focic’s Appointment to Director
Set against the backdrop of Tocal – one of COX’s formative works and a place that continues to shape our thinking – this year’s AGM provided an important moment to recognise growth within the practice.
This included the appointment of Paul Focic as Director, alongside seven new Associate Directors: Alex York, Anthony Kim, James Park, Johannes Lupolo-Chan, Katie McKenna, Shirin Adorbehi, and Shohan Somasundaram.
Paul joined COX in 2005, straight out of university. He describes the reason he has stayed as “the ongoing opportunity to take on responsibility and the sheer variety of work.” His portfolio spans flood resilience, transport infrastructure, community facilities, high-rise development, and precinct-scale planning. He is also a regular contributor to the practice’s competition work, which he says is where “design thinking is tested, sharpened, and pushed.”
A consistent thread in his work is a focus on public benefit. “Architecture should improve daily life for more than just a select group,” he says. “That’s what keeps me interested. Projects that genuinely serve the community.”
Paul’s background in drawing and visual arts continues to inform his approach. “Sketching remains my way of thinking through a problem,” he says. “It’s communication as much as representation.” He applies this across both architectural and city-making contexts, including recent involvement in planning work for the Woolloongabba Priority Development Area.
As he steps into the Director role, he is focused on two priorities: mentoring emerging designers and advancing the practice’s approach to sustainability. “We need to be embedding environmental performance into the design process in measurable, repeatable ways,” he notes. “Better data leads to better buildings.”
These elevations celebrate depth across multiple disciplines at COX. Please join us in congratulating Alex, Anthony, James, Johannes, Katie, Paul, Shirin, and Shohan. Here’s to their next chapters at the practice, and all the projects, cities, and communities they’ll continue to influence.