Corowa-based Regional Design Service design director Phillip Nielsen has recently returned from the prestigious industry travelling scholarship, the Australian Institute of Architects Dulux Study Tour.

Having visited Denmark, Portugal and England, Mr Nielsen said Copenhagen was the tour highlight.

"We visited practices where design is an act of generosity; they're not just designing an office, they're looking at giving space back to the public at a broader level," he said.

"Through the design of the Royal Danish Playhouse the studio (Tranberg Lundgaard) approached the building as a chance to resolve the lack of public space in the area by relocating nearby street parking into an underground car park, introducing flood mitigation parklands where car parks once existing and the creation of a new waterfront plaza. Their original remit was to design a new playhouse - simple!"

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Having established his firm with co-director Aaron Nicholls in Sanger Street a little more than two years ago, Mr Nielsen said good design could activate communities.

"We like to see similarities with us (and Denmark), in designing things that contribute to a bigger picture for regional Australia," Mr Nielsen said.

"We want to work with communities to create communities."

Regional Design Service is the first architect to operate at Corowa in almost half a century.

Forty-five years ago architect A.C. MacKnight and son was a prolific practice, designing among myriad projects Jillamatong homestead.

Regional Design Service is in the process of researching and cataloguing the history of the MacKnight practice in the southern Riverina.

The Dulux Study Tour is awarded annually to five architects for their contributions to architectural practice, education, design excellence and community involvement. Winners visited Copenhagen, London and Lisbon to gain experience of each city's best architectural sites and practices.

The Dulux Study Tour is now seeking applications for next year's intake.