Gabrielle Pavicic is an emerging leader in sustainable design, currently serving as Green Star Program Lead at the Green Building Council of Australia.

With a background in architecture and interior design, Gabrielle brings a practical, design-informed approach to shaping more sustainable outcomes across the built environment. Her strength lies in bridging design thinking with technical delivery – and using that to drive real, measurable change.

She leads the development of Green Star Fitouts, the overhaul of Green Star – Interiors, and Australia’s first circularity-focused rating tool. With fitout churn accounting for 30% of commercial building waste and over 30% of a building’s embodied carbon linked to fitout installation and removal, her work is poised to transform the industry’s environmental approach. Gabrielle has steered the project through two years of technical development and consultation, working with over 100 contributors across six Expert Reference Panels – a reflection of her ability to engage, coordinate and deliver in complex environments.

In addition to her work in Green Star Fitouts, Gabrielle has also led the development of an industry approach to net zero for the infrastructure sector (“A solid foundation: A common definition for net zero infrastructure”) developed for ASBEC and adopted by all major infrastructure bodies in Australia. This groundbreaking report has helped consolidate the sector around a shared definition, resulting in a larger adoption of embodied carbon targets.

She also oversaw the delivery of Australia’s Wasted Opportunity – a report that revealed over 140 kg of waste is generated per square metre of construction. It has since become a reference point for industry benchmarking and government target-setting.

Gabrielle’s approach reflects the best of architectural thinking – creative, collaborative, and grounded in a systems view that’s focused on building a more regenerative future.

Photography by Gabrielle Pavicic