Passionate about performance

The Pathways Project: In 2023 we are looking at the career pathways members of the Inhabit team have taken within our industry. This is the first in a series of interviews with women in construction in the lead up to International Women’s Day.

Samantha Anderson, Associate | Building Physics + Sustainability

Brisbane, Australia

Google “Samantha Anderson Inhabit” and you will learn that Samantha (Sam) is passionate about delivering high-performance buildings and achieving greater clarity in the industry as to what a high-performance building represents.?

You will also discover that she is currently a Board Director at the Building Designers Association of Australia, and has been actively involved with The Australian Institute of Refrigeration, Air conditioning and Heating (AIRAH) and the Building Designers Association of Australia (BDAA).?

In addition, Sam has used her technical modelling skills, and rigour to improve the overall level of performance of buildings in Australia to influence and guide the outcomes of current and future NCC requirements in relation to energy efficiency, comfort and fabric performance.?

What Google does not tell you is that she has achieved all this while leading Inhabit’s Building Physics and Sustainability design practice in Queensland and juggling the demands of being a mother to a one-year-old daughter. She is highly respected by her industry peers and popular among her colleagues.?

Sam’s pathway into sustainable design began with a Bachelor of Engineering Renewable Energy (Hons) at the University of New South Wales which, she says, was a unique degree back in 2009. As a student she got a part-time job doing energy audits in people’s homes which gave her insight into energy use and how energy policy was being formed.?

While on a four-month holiday travelling around Australia in 2010 Sam applied for a casual position at Inhabit and was invited to “come in to start tomorrow”. She kicked off her career in Inhabit as a Senior Building Physics Engineer in Sydney, later moving to Brisbane for lifestyle choices. In 2018 Sam was appointed an Associate.

Whilst balancing her time at Inhabit, Sam then tutored in Design Integration Lab: Energy - BAEN2002 and Designing for Environmental Quality - BADP3001, subjects that are part of the Bachelor of Architecture and Environments degree at Sydney University.??

Sam's advice to aspiring graduates: "Work out what makes you happy.” In her current role Sam says that every day presents intriguing and unique challenges. “Currently, I have moved from a technical role into one with more management. It is important to realise that you will go through different stages in your career that will suit you at the time.”