Kerry Kounnapis Architecture Practice (KKAP), based in Melbourne, has received the Kevin Borland Award for Small Project Architecture at the 2025 Victorian Architecture Awards for its work on the Grace Darling Hotel Parklet.
The practice also earned a commendation in the Australian Interior Design Awards for the project Palace Coffee.
Founded by architect Kerry Kounnapis, a second-generation Greek-Cypriot, the practice draws personally and culturally with is designs.
“I grew up travelling frequently between Melbourne, Cyprus and Athens – three very different places with their own unique rhythms,” Kounnapis said in press release sent to Neos Kosmos.
“That experience gave me an understanding that identity is complex, and architecture can help us ground ourselves – to see ourselves more clearly in the spaces we live and work in.”
Kounnapis said the practice starts each project with conversations that explore memory, heritage, and daily routines, especially around domestic spaces.
“We’re not interested in image-driven architecture,” he said.
“We’re interested in how people actually want to live, and how their culture, background and habits can shape a space that feels uniquely theirs.”
KKAP has worked on projects in Melbourne and overseas, including an apartment renovation in Athens in a residential building designed by Greek architect Dimitris Pikionis.
“In Athens, the building culture is completely different,” Kounnapis said.
“It requires a different set of skills, patience, and respect for what already exists. Working in a Pikionis building taught me that beauty can come from modest materials and sensitive gestures – it’s not about extravagance, it’s about thoughtfulness.”
The practice’s portfolio includes homes, workplaces, hospitality venues and equestrian facilities in Australia and the United States.
Across these projects, Kounnapis said the aim is consistent: to design architecture that responds to clients’ cultural and emotional needs.
“We’re not interested in designing for trends or for images,” he said.
“What matters is how a space functions, how it feels – how it connects to the people who use it and the place it belongs to. Whether it’s a parklet, a home, a workplace or a stable, we’re always looking to create something that resonates with honesty.”
The Grace Darling Hotel Parklet and Palace Coffee projects reflect this approach.
The parklet was designed as a public space that connects with both the history of the site and the current urban environment, while Palace Coffee engages with Melbourne’s coffee culture to create a localised spot.
