Architects James Leven and Graham Hamilton left Queensland in 1948 to study at Black Mountain College, North Carolina. They then moved to New York to work on documentation for the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Later in London, they worked for some time for the Queensland Works Department overseeing prefabrication work in various European countries intended to address the postwar housing shortage in Queensland. After returning to Australia, Leven worked in private practice and later worked again for the Works Department.