In Profile:
BQ Architects

Name: Besh Taouk
Company Name: BQ Architects
Position Within Company: Principal Architect
Website: bqarchitects.com.au

Tell us a little about your background in design:
I completed my Master’s degree in Architecture at Monash University in Melbourne. My early career was spent working closely alongside both architects and builders, which gave me invaluable insight into the full lifecycle of a project, from initial sketch to site completion. This holistic foundation led me to establish BQ Architects, a practice grounded in clarity, ambition, and a refined approach to contemporary design.

What was your favourite project to work on and why? :
One of my favourite projects has been our Northcote Kellett residence, a seemingly modest single storey home that gradually unfolds into a voluminous, light filled interior. What made it so special wasn’t just the design outcome, but the process being a deeply collaborative journey with a trusting client and a team of consultants who shared our vision. The site’s dual frontages and sloping topography presented both challenges and opportunities, allowing us to push the architecture beyond convention.

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?
One of the most challenging projects I’ve worked on was a multi residential development on a compact urban site with significant planning constraints. The challenge wasn’t just spatial, it was balancing the competing demands of council regulations, neighbouring sensitivities, and client expectations, all while trying to retain a strong architectural vision.

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to designing, what would it be?
Design with intent. Every line you draw should have a reason behind it, whether it’s responding to light, framing a view, guiding movement, or evoking emotion. Don’t just aim to impress, aim to resolve. The most powerful architecture often appears effortless, but behind it lies a depth of thought, restraint, and clarity that only comes from truly understanding the why behind the design.

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in the future. :

1: Human centered design appropriate for the plethora of different cultures, trends, and societal constructs emerging in modern living.

2: Sustainability beyond compliance, challenging the norms of stagnant rules and regulations.

3: Technology: Not just an integration of technology in design and buildings, but combating the blurred lines between the authentic and the fabricated.

4: Flexibility: Spaces that are adaptive based on need, environment and seasons.

5: Identity: Humanity is becoming so fast paced, it is becoming almost essential for mediums such as architecture to act as an anchor to culture and identity.

How important are The International Design & Architecture Awards?
It has great importance is shaping the global conversation around design excellence, by providing a platform not just to celebrate beauty or innovation, but to recognise thoughtful, resolved architecture that elevates the human experience. The awards also offer the rare opportunity to be seen and judged by peers across disciplines and borders, raising the standard for what’s possible. In a profession that often moves quietly in the background, these awards help bring meaningful work into the spotlight where it can inspire, provoke, and lead.

What projects are you currently working on? :
We’re currently working on a number of exciting residential commissions across Melbourne including new single dwellings, multi-residential developments and heritage renovations. More recently, we successfully represented a client in court to win a change-of-use for an office building to become a swingers lounge and bar. We’re also expanding into concept led developments, exploring how design led thinking can shape more meaningful housing models for the future.

What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months? :
I’d like to continue building the Bq Architects brand, entering more awards, and beginning early work on a concept that rethinks the future of infill housing in Melbourne. It’s an exciting time to be bold.