Author: jasons

From the Vic Chapter President

3 July 2019

 

THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Well aren’t we lucky to have been exposed to such a compelling and thought-provoking National Conference this year that was held in our Melbourne Convention Centre. A huge congratulations to Monique Woodward and Stephen Choi for the delivery of a new forum, a platform for recognition. A platform to encourage leveraging the actionable.

Congratulations and thanks also to all of the speakers who contributed to ensuring that our collective voice is heard loud and clear. This was a conference that said the stuff that needs to be said. Let’s keep talking. Let’s keep actioning.

The National Conference is also a time for acknowledging and awarding the achievements of our members. Most notable was the announcement of the Gold Medal that was awarded to Hank Koning FRAIA and Julie Eizenberg RAIA. We look forward to announcing over the coming months the Gold Medal tour dates where Julie and Hank will share their professional trajectory to date.

Other award winners included the National President’s Prize that was awarded to Tim Ross, the Leadership in Sustainability Prize that was awarded to Cooperative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living, the Paula Whitman Leadership in Gender Equity Prize that was awarded to National President, Helen Lochhead, the Neville Quarry Architectural Education Prize that was awarded to Vivian Mitsogianni, the Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture that was awarded to Bobbie Bayley and Owen Kelly, the BlueScope Glenn Murcutt Student Prize that was awarded to Sobi Slingsby and the Dulux Study Tour that was awarded to Jennifer McMaster, Ben Peake, Alix Smith, Carly McMahon and Phillip Nielsen.  Congratulations to all award recipients.

 

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN

At our National Council meeting held in Melbourne on the 19 – 20  June 2019, the introduction of a National Reconciliation Action Plan was put forward and unanimously supported by all councillors. This is a long overdue but very important step in the right direction. Thank you to all of those who have contributed to this space over the last few years instigating action. We will keep you informed of our progress relating to its implementation.

 

THE VICTORIAN STATE AWARDS

Well that’s a wrap. Last Friday evening saw many of our members exceptional work and contributions to our Victorian built landscape celebrated. Congratulations to all of our 2019 Victorian Architecture award winners. The awards are also a time to reflect on what has been achieved over the past year and the enormous contributions our members are making to the evolution of our cities and regions. This is incredibly important, and we applaud you all.

We would like to congratulate our Victorian Medal winner Peter Elliott Architecture and Urban Design for their significant wins on the evening. With a total of 5 Named Awards and Prizes, the Parliamentary Annexe has been celebrated and acknowledged for the significant contribution it has made to our state. Many of the award-winning projects define an important working relationship between client, architect, consultants and contractors. These strong working relationships are imperative for the success of robust architectural outcomes. Parliamentary Annexe is an important contributor to this model.

We were also joined on the evening the Right Honourable Lord Mayor, Sally Capp who this year presented the Enduring Architecture Award. It is great to see our City of Melbourne continuing to advocate for the very important role considered architectural interventions have on defining our varied city scape.  The award celebrates a building that has remained relevant through time with the award going to Nonda Katsalidis’ Melbourne Terrace.

On the evening the Victorian Emerging Architect Prize was announced, and this year’s 2019 winner is Rodney Eggleston from March Studio. Congratulations to all award recipients. Please refer to the link for a list of all awarded projects.

And lastly thank you to our wonderful MC Cameron Bruhn. So lovely to have a familiar voice in the room. And a huge thank you to all of the Institute staff in particular Ruth White, Jason Stanton and Kelsey Calder for the making of a fun evening and a seamless event.

A big thank you has to go to all the Awards Partners listed below;

 

Principal Partner

BlueScope

 

Major National Partner

Dulux

 

National Corporate Partners

Bondor

AWS

Lysaght

Fielders

 

Supporting Partner

USG Boral

 

National Insurance Partner

Planned Cover

 

National Media Partner

Architecture Media

 

State Partners

City of Melbourne

Heritage Council of Victoria

OVGA

Dormakaba

Laminex

University of Melbourne

HP

McKay Timber

 

Participating Partners

Creffield Digital Print

Monash University

Len Design

 

ACKNOWLEDEMENT OF COUNTRY

This year, the Awards saw the introduction of a wonderful Welcome to Country, which was delivered by Gheran Steel, CEO Boon Wurrung Foundation. It was a very generous and considered welcome. 

Each year the Awards Committee are looking at new initiatives and importantly this year it was requested that all shortlisted projects for the 2019 Victorian Awards be acknowledged based on their Registered Aboriginal Party. Please refer to the attached link to these diagrams.

The 2020 awards will see the introduction of all submitting practices needing to locate the country that their project is located within.

 

OTHER BUSINESS

We suspect you might all be over hearing about ‘novation’ so we will give you a break for this month. The results of the National Novation Survey will be ready for issue to our membership over the coming month. Please also stay tuned for the announcement of the details associated with our Novation Forum which will provide the opportunity for a broad and open discussion to take place reflecting on the good, the bad, the ugly and the successful outcomes. We look forward to your contribution.

Strength in numbers. A collective voice.

 

Amy Muir

Victorian President

 

 

 

From the Executive Director

 

17 June 2019

 

With both the National Architecture Conference and Victorian Architecture Awards approaching, it’s a big couple of weeks for us all. With that in mind, there are two major things to mention.

  1. It is not too late to buy tickets to the conference and we would love to see our Victorian members turning up in big numbers to support what is a brilliant and thoughtful program. If you are still in two minds or trying to justify leaving your desk, have a further look at the program and that should provide all the inspiration and rationale you need.   

2. Our Fringe events have mostly sold out however there are still are few tickets remaining for the Walsh Street, NGV Commission and RMIT tours. Book here

3. Tickets to the Vic Awards night officially closed on Friday. We still have a couple of tables spare, so tickets have been extended until 5pm Tuesday 18th June, if not sold out prior. If you wish to fill any of the remaining spots please call or email our Awards Coordinator Jason Stanton today for more information. Don’t miss out!

So, let’s show the rest of the country how we do things in Victoria and really show our support for these two fantastic and important events. We look forward to seeing you there.

Ruth White

From the Vic Chapter President

 

4 June 2019

 

 

Dear Victorian Members,

 Over the weekend I was reflecting on the state of play.

With the National Novation Survey results starting to take form and with regular queries being raised by members in reference to EOIs/RFTs requesting unreasonable scope of works, it has become evident that now is the time to reflect on where we are at and to take action to address the issues being raised.

 This is not about pointing the finger but rather understanding why these issues are arising and finding ways to make the industry a more equitable and reasonable playing field. This is about working together.

 There are reasons why we are in the position we are in. There are reasons why state and local government procure projects in the manner that they do; however, we need to constructively find solutions to improve these processes in order for there to be a sustainable future for our built environment.

 Evidence based research is assisting with highlighting the pitfalls so that the holes can start being plugged. It is also about acknowledging the positive outcomes and experiences of our members and building on these.

 On behalf of the Victorian Chapter I would like to thank those members who have given their time and professionalism to these issues. We look forward to working together to continue to strengthen our industry.

 Strength in numbers. A collective voice.

 Kind regards,

 Amy Muir 

Victorian Chapter President 

PS. Don’t forgot that the month of June = The fabulous National Architecture Conference curated by Monique Woodward and Stephen Choi and held in Melbourne between 20—22 June.

 And the Victorian Architecture Awards Presentation Dinner Friday 28 June where we are able to celebrate the collective efforts of so many of our members.

 I look forward to sharing an inspiring month with you all.

 

 

Federation Square decision reinforces value of public architecture

MEDIA RELEASE

8 April 2019

The Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter warmly welcomes Heritage Victoria’s decision regarding Federation Square which recognises, values and upholds the significance of this iconic site.

Ms Muir said the Victorian Government’s subsequent decision to launch a review into Federation Square’s future was very welcome.

‘The Institute has been advocating consistently against the Victorian Government’s plans for the future of Federation Square and lack of due process since they were first announced in 2017,’ Ms Muir said.

‘Our concerns were broad ranging and we have urged that any change be well-considered, something the original plans were not.

‘We have advocated for the preparation of a considered and coordinated masterplan to ensure any changes to Federation Square are successful in supporting the original intentions for this public asset.

‘We also provided a submission in support of adding Federation Square to the Victorian Heritage Register in acknowledgement of its cultural and architectural significance.

‘As the most awarded project in the history of the Victorian Architecture Awards, Heritage Victoria’s decision acknowledges the value that Federation Square brings to the public realm of Melbourne in its entirety.

‘Federation Square is Victoria’s premier civic and cultural space, representing celebration and public interaction.

‘It is a building of many parts that make a whole, and it is imperative that we resist any tendency to start unpacking and removing parts. This will ultimately have a detrimental impact on the significance of the building and Federation Square precinct.

‘We are delighted by the decision to move forward with a process that seeks expert input from Victorian Government Architect Jill Garner and broad community engagement through a public consultation process.’

Federation Square has been awarded the RAIA Victorian Architecture Medal; the Melbourne Prize; the Marion Mahoney Award (Interior Architecture), and the Joseph Reed Award (Urban Design); and the Architecture Award for institutional buildings in 2003.

 

From the Vic Chapter President


8 May 2019

 

Hello All. We hope you had a great Easter break and that you enjoyed a week of what felt like three Fridays.

 

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK

The theme for this year’s National Reconciliation Week is ‘Grounded in Truth: Walk together with Courage’ and runs between 27 May and 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision respectively. This is an incredibly important week. More information can be found here.

 

NOVATION

 A big thank you to all of those who dedicated their time to responding to the National Novation Survey.

We can confirm that nationally we had a total of 262 respondents with 71 of those being Victorian which is a great outcome.

The Institute is now compiling the data and we will keep you informed of our progress.

Thank you also to all those involved in the development of the survey including Tim Leslie, Jeremy Schluter, Michaela Sheahan, Clare Cousins, Leanne Hardwicke and our Large Practice Forum members. The survey defines the beginnings of an incredibly important body of research.

 

VICTORIAN ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 

A huge congratulations to all shortlisted projects for the 2019 Victorian Architecture Awards. This year for the first time the shortlist was announced at the opening of the Exhibition of Entries at No Vacancy Gallery prior to the site visits taking place.

With a total of 89 shortlisted projects out of 248 entries, the site visits have now been completed and the juries are in deliberation mode. We look forward to hearing the results on the evening of the Architecture Awards Presentation Dinner being held on Friday the 28th of June.

Thank you to all jury members for their time and valuable contribution to the awards process. It is an incredibly important role and one that supports the positive evolution of our cities, townships and state.

 

 AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS GRADUATE PRIZE

This year the Graduate Prize was incorporated into the Awards Exhibition of Entries. The winners were announced on the evening of the 2019 Victorian Architecture Awards Shortlist announcement.

Congratulations to all the shortlisted graduates and to the winner Louis Nuccitelli from RMIT University. There were also three Commendations awarded on the evening and these went to Laura Bailey from RMIT University, Koh Yu Wen from Deakin University and Jeremy Cheang from the University of Melbourne. Well done all!

You can read Louis Nuccitelli’s citation here.

 

 2019 NATIONAL ARCHITECTURE CONFERENCE

 This year the conference is being held in our home town at the Melbourne Convention Centre. Collective Agency is being curated by our very own Monique Woodward and Stephen Choi and will provide a rich and diverse discussion associated with the power of collective engagement. Early Bird tickets close this Friday the 10th of May so get booking!

 

Amy Muir
Victorian Chapter President