Author: lauraj

Designing our future should start today – strong support for new parliamentary report

The Australian Institute of Architects has thrown its support behind a new report that underscores the urgency to better plan and design for Australia’s future growth and help ensure prosperity, sustainability and liveability.

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities Building Up and Moving Out report articulates the need for Australia’s cities and regions to be better planned, better connected, more diverse and more sustainable over the next 50 years.

It highlights the profound changes Australian communities are – and will continue – to experience because of population growth, urbanisation, an ageing population and an evolving economy, providing 37 recommendations aimed at setting the national agenda to connect, reinvigorate and integrate cities and regions.

‘Australia needs a national strategy to guide future growth, otherwise we risk losing the amenity and liveability that sets our nation apart,’ said the Institute’s National President Clare Cousins.

‘We are strongly in favour of the concept of a national vision for our cities and regions and a national plan of settlement for the next 50 years.

‘We don’t need a population policy, it’s not the size of the population that matters, but we do need a settlement strategy as it’s the characteristics and distribution of the population that is important.

‘The Institute welcomes the Building Up and Moving Out report and endorses a number of its key recommendations.

‘The development of master plans, the appointment of a senior Minister for Housing and a Cabinet Minister for Cities and National Settlement together with the creation of a statutory Office of a National Chief Planner and Cities & Regional Development NGO Roundtable are critical measures and should be complemented by the appointment of a Federal Government Architect.

‘Focusing on and supporting best practice design and planning is the only way for governments to assuage legitimate community concerns around congestion, meaningfully improve housing affordability and meet the challenges of inevitable population growth.

‘Importantly, the Committee recommended that the Australian Government re-endorse Creating Places for People: An Urban Design Protocol for Australian Cities and provide financial support for the purposes of maintaining and promoting these design principles.

‘Fundamentally, the report highlights the need for a national approach to ensuring Australia continues to prosper.

‘This means better governance arrangements between state, territory and federal governments, an accelerated City Deals program, stronger Commonwealth engagement in master planning at a national level, the formation of city commissions, as well as a national institute for cities research.

‘It also reinforces the need to attract and retain populations outside in our regions. To make this work, we need to implement strategies that ensure we have access to adequate schools, hospitals, housing, employment opportunities, transport and telecommunications.’

Building Up report

Australia needs a strategy to guide future growth.

It’s not the size of the population that matters, but rather it’s the characteristics and distribution of the population that is important. This is a pressing matter as Australia continues to grow and our society evolves.

That why’s the Institute supports a range of recommendations made in a new report Building Up and Moving Out, which calls for the development of a national plan of settlement for Australia to provide a holistic strategy to guide Australia’s future growth and help ensure prosperity, sustainability and liveability.

The report by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities, articulates the need for Australia’s cities and regions to be better planned, better connected, more compact, more diverse and more sustainable over the next 50 years and beyond.

It also highlights the profound changes Australian communities are – and will continue – to experience because of population growth, urbanisation, an ageing population and an evolving economy, setting the national agenda to connect, reinvigorate and integrate cities and regions.

A national approach is needed to ensure Australia continues to prosper. The report recommends better governance arrangements between state, territory and federal governments, an accelerated City Deals program, stronger Commonwealth engagement in master planning at a national level, the formation of city commissions, as well as a national institute for cities research.

It also reinforces the need to attract and retain populations outside in our regions. To make this work, we need to implement strategies that ensure we have access to adequate schools, hospitals, housing, employment opportunities, transport and telecommunications.

The Institute welcomes the concept of a new governance model, bringing together all jurisdictions and to introduce better connectivity between cities and regions, through transport and telecommunications networks.

Furthermore, strategic, long-term infrastructure investment provides the Australian government with the opportunity to have the biggest impact. We also support recommendations that our cities should be a national policy priority and that a senior minister for housing be appointed together with a Cabinet Minister for Cities and National Settlement together with the creation of a statutory Office of a National Chief Planner and Cities & Regional Development NGO Roundtable.

These measures should be complemented by the appointment of a Federal Government Architect.

Importantly, the Committee recommended that the Australian Government consider master plans for major cities and regions and re-endorse Creating Places for People: An Urban Design Protocol for Australian Cities and provide financial support for the purposes of maintaining and promoting these design principles.

The Institute has, in the past, called for policies and programs to provide affordable, sustainable and high amenity housing. This can be achieved through clever design strategies, including smaller, energy-efficient dwellings; cost-effective, space-efficient and quality-controlled mass housing; and the adaptation of existing housing stock to accommodate multi-generational families and support ageing-in-place.

To this end, we strongly support a focus on multi-residential developments and urban consolidation as the sustainable and affordable solution to the increasing demand for housing in dense urban environments.

Clare Cousins
National President

From the Vic Chapter President

24 September 2018

LET’S MAKE CHANGE

I was recently asked by a friend “how do I make change if it is only me and the world is becoming so unmanageable. There are so many issues. I struggle to know how to make it right or to make change.”

We all know this feeling and it isn’t isolated to global issues. This can also be felt in the everyday. Closer to home.

In my role I feel very strongly about providing support to a broad range of issues and trying to find ways collectively to address these.

However over the past month there have been a number of situations where I feel I have been stepping into a role where I am having to support the issue of gender and diversity more overtly than I would like to. I have always held a very strong belief that gender and diversity issues are a shared responsibility and ultimately impact both positively and negatively all members of the human race.

When my friend asked “what can I do” I was encouraging of them to focus on their most immediate environment and work out how they could help. What could they influence? What could they contribute to that would assist with making change?

As an individual it is about chipping away to support your position for the benefit of others and seeking out a collective in order to assist with implementing change. As an individual you have the ability to influence your immediate environment. We therefore all have the responsibility to stand up and assist with making change where we can.

This month it was wonderful to have Alec Tzannes speak as part of his Gold Medal Tour sharing a layered and significant career. In preparing for Alec’s introduction at the Melbourne School of Design I was reflecting on the list of awarded Gold Medallists. Over 58 years and 65 medallists, only two have been female; Brit Anderson (2002) and Kerry Clare (2010) and only one within her own right. This is not to diminish the significance of this award to those of our past winners. It is an incredibly revered award and one that is held in very high regard within our industry.

However it did make me acutely aware that we all need to be on watch. We all need to be aware of the decisions we are making based on supporting diversity. We know that diversity will always broaden the conversation. We know that diversity plays into the notion and hand of collective strength and we know that diversity is the thing that provides richness to our understanding of place. Let’s relish this rather than deny it.

A collective push. A collective consciousness. Let’s get on with making change.

Amy Muir
Victorian Chapter President

From the National President

Clare Cousins

17 Sep 2018

Interim CEO appointment
I’m very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Judith Slocombe AM to the role of Interim CEO, commencing Tuesday 18 September. Judith brings a wealth of senior executive experience to help lead the organisation as we progress with the delivery of the transformative projects currently underway.

Recipient of the Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year in 2001, Judith joins us having recently undertaken a similar role with an educational provider. Her previous roles in both the corporate and non-for-profit sectors have provided her with a deep knowledge of governance, people and culture, project management, risk management, strategy development and digital transformation. She has held a portfolio of non-executive directorships in various business sectors for over 15 years, and consults on business growth, digital transformation, innovation and organisational culture, making her an excellent asset to our organisation at this time.

Judith will be based at 41X in Melbourne and I will be providing her with a comprehensive handover this week along with support as I resume my role as National President. Please join me in welcoming Judith to the Institute.

I am very grateful to all the staff at the Institute and thank them for their support and encouragement over the past six weeks. It has been a valuable experience working closely with many of them and an opportunity to better appreciate the incredible work taking place around the country as we deliver on our strategic plan and strengthen our Institute and the profession.

The permanent CEO recruitment process is already underway. We will be appointing an executive recruitment agency this week to undertake an extensive, national search. We will update you as the search progresses.

Droga Architecture Residency
The Australian Institute of Architects’ Foundation was established in 2013 and since its inception has delivered a variety of cultural programs fostering and promoting the art and creativity of architecture for the benefit of the Australian community.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of the Foundation Board for their tireless efforts during this time. We are fortunate to have such incredible expertise to help drive our philanthropic activities. Our current Board is chaired by Alec Tzannes AM and comprises The Hon Ted Baillieu, Karl Fender OAM, Janet Holmes à Court AC, Prof Helen Lochhead, Robert Nation AM, Penelope Seidler AM and Brian Zulaikha.

The Foundation’s inaugural program, the Droga Architect in Residence launched in 2014 and was the first of its kind in Australia. During this time, eight international architects and practices have engaged, educated and enamoured Australian audiences throughout their three-month residency – from grass-roots social innovator Liz Ogbu (USA) to renowned architect and philosopher Juhani Pallasmaa (Finland).
The Droga Architect in Residence program was made possible with the generous support of our many Patrons and founding Patrons, Daniel and Lyndell Droga, who gifted the use of their award-winning Durbach Block-designed apartment in Sydney for the residency. The Droga’s were instrumental in the work of the Foundation since before its inception.

With our new three-year strategy well underway, we are taking the opportunity to review our philanthropic strategy in an effort to maximise our advocacy and education initiatives. As part of this refocus, which we aim to launch in 2019, we are looking to elevate the profile of the residency and are exploring a program of national tours. We would like to thank Daniel and Lyndell Droga for their extraordinary patronage and the use of their remarkable apartment over the past five years.

Daniel and Lyndell have generously offered to provide strategic input into our new philanthropic strategy, advice we gratefully appreciate given their extensive experience. As a token of our gratitude for their patronage over the past five years, I am pleased to present Daniel and Lyndell with Honorary Memberships to the Institute.

I look forward to sharing further details as we strengthen our philanthropic endeavours for the benefit of the profession and our communities.

National Architecture Awards
Finally, I would like to add my congratulations to all those shortlisted for the National Architecture Awards. I look forward to celebrating with you all in Melbourne on 1 November.

Clare Cousins
Acting Chief Executive Officer

‘Inventiveness, sophistication’ shine in National Architecture Awards shortlist

The shortlist for the coveted Australian Institute of Architects’ National Architecture Awards has been released, chosen from 975 projects across 14 categories nationally and abroad.

Following the Chapter Architecture Awards announcements earlier this year, 203 projects were deemed eligible for national judging, with a shortlist of 69 announced today.

Jury chair and Immediate Past President Richard Kirk described the awards as one of the Institute’s most important advocacy programs, acknowledging and celebrating the transformative capacity of the profession in Australian communities.

‘Each project visit was always an experience of delight and surprise, and we were continually reminded how project images can never be a substitute for experiencing the building itself,’ Kirk said.

‘Furthermore, these visits provided a unique experience made all the richer by the opportunity to engage with the architects and in almost all instances their clients.

‘On behalf of the jury and the Institute I thank all the architects and their clients for so generously welcoming us and providing us with that rare access into what are generally private places.’

Kirk said the jury was impressed by the sustainability initiatives being adopted by Australian architects and a ‘growing sophistication and confident inventiveness’ used in their implementation.

He said entries in the public architecture and multi-residential housing categories were of particular note in 2018, ‘formidable’ projects diverse in scale, function and complexity.

‘This national overview provided an opportunity to reflect on how Australia’s vastly different landscapes, urban conditions and economic circumstances influence the work we saw,’ he said.

‘The jury was aware that in comparing work with such differences in location, complexity or budget it was important for there to be consensus of view as to how each project responded to the criteria.

‘We were impressed by these projects that established new design benchmarks that can be of value to the broader community and through that influence see a positive change resonate in our built environment.’

Kirk was joined on the jury by Jill Garner, Katelin Butler, Charles Wright and Kevin O’Brien.

Launching on World Architecture Day, Monday 1 October, the annual People’s Choice Award will once again give members of the public the opportunity to vote for their favourite residential project from the shortlist.

The winners will be announced at the National Architecture Awards ceremony in Melbourne on Thursday 1 November.

Full shortlist:

Commercial Architecture (7)

Australian Federal Police Forensics and Data Centre by HASSELL (ACT)
Barangaroo House by Collins and Turner (NSW)
Barwon Water by GHDWoodhead (VIC)
International House Sydney by Tzannes (NSW)
krakani lumi by Taylor and Hinds Architects with the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania (TAS)
Mac 01 by Circa Morris-Nunn Architects (TAS)
The Darling Building by Williams Burton Leopardi (SA)

Educational Architecture (6)

Highgate Primary School New Teaching Building by iredale pedersen hook architects (WA)
Macquarie University Incubator by Architectus (NSW)
Monash University Learning and Teaching Building by John Wardle Architects (VIC)
New Academic Street, RMIT University by Lyons with NMBW Architecture Studio, Harrison and White, MvS Architects and Maddison Architects (VIC)
The Science Place by HASSELL (QLD)
Victorian College of the Arts former Mounted Police Stables by Kerstin Thompson Architects (VIC)

Enduring Architecture (4)

Allendale Square by Cameron Chisholm and Nicol (WA)
BOWALI Visitor Centre, Kakadu by Troppo Architects in association with Glenn Murcutt and Associates (NT)
St Thomas Aquinas Church, Charnwood by Mitchell/Guirgola and Thorp Architects (ACT)
Townsville Courts of Law – Edmund Sheppard Building by Hall, Phillips & Wilson Architects Pty Ltd (QLD)

Heritage (6)

Iuwa by Taylor and Hinds Architects with the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania (Tas)
Joynton Avenue Creative Centre and Precinct by Peter Stutchbury Architecture in association with Design 5 – Architects for City of Sydney (NSW)
Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture (ACT)
The Cadogan Song School by Palassis Architects (WA)
The Darling Building by Williams Burton Leopardi (SA)
Victorian College of the Arts former Mounted Police Stables by Kerstin Thompson Architects (VIC)

Interior Architecture (8)

75 Myrtle Street, Chippendale by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects (NSW)
105 Macquarie Street Apartments by Preston Lane (TAS)
Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre by BVN (QLD)
Our Lady of Good Counsel Church Deepdene by Law Architects (VIC)
Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture (ACT)
Monash University Teaching and Learning Building by John Wardle Architects (VIC)
New Academic Street, RMIT by Lyons with NMBW Architecture Studio, Harrison and White, MvS Architects and Maddison Architects (VIC)
The Cadogan Song School by Palassis Architects (WA)

International Architecture (4)

Australian Embassy Bangkok by BVN (Thailand)
House 412 by Pulina Ponnamperuma+Robust Architecture Workshop (Sri Lanka)
New Wings at The Asian Civilisations Museum by GreenhilLi (Singapore)
School-in-a-Box by Stephen Collier Architects (Papua New Guinea)

Public Architecture (10)

Adelaide Convention Centre Redevelopment: East by Woods Bagot (SA)
Bendigo Hospital by Silver Thomas Hanley with Bates Smart (VIC)
Blackwater Aquatic Centre by Liquid Blu Architects (QLD)
Bunjil Place by fjmt (VIC)
Garden Cemetery Chapel by Susan Dugdale and Associates (NT)
Joynton Avenue Creative Centre and Precinct by Peter Stutchbury Architecture in association with Design 5 – Architects for City of Sydney (NSW)
Optus Stadium by HASSELL COX HKS (WA)
Punchbowl Mosque by Candalepas Associates (NSW)
Synergy by BVN (ACT)
The Cadogan Song School by Palassis Architects (WA)

Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations & Additions) (5)

Gibbon St by Cavill Architects (QLD)
King Bill by Austin Maynard Architects (VIC)
Laneway House by Jon Jacka Architects (NSW)
Mawhera Extension by Preston Lane (TAS)
orange ave by vittinoAshe (WA)

Residential Architecture – Houses (New) (10)

Bruny Island Hideaway by Maguire + Devine Architects (TAS)
Cabbage Tree House by Peter Stutchbury Architecture (NSW)
Carpenter-Hall House by Russell Hall Architects (QLD)
Coastal Garden House by Neeson Murcutt Architects (NSW)
Compound House by March Studio (VIC)
House on the Coast by Sean Godsell Architects (VIC)
Park House by Kerstin Thompson Architects (VIC)
PR House by Architects Ink (SA)
Stradbroke House by Tim Bennetton Architects in association with Gabriel Poole (QLD)
Towers Road House by Wood Marsh Architecture (VIC)

Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing (9)

35 Spring St by Bates Smart (VIC)
Campbell Street by DKO Architecture and SLAB (VIC)
Ivy Apartments, WEST by Davis + Davis Architects (SA)
Nightingale 1 by Breathe Architecture (VIC)
M3565 Main Beach by Virginia Kerridge Architect (QLD)
Short Lane by Woods Bagot (NSW)
Spire Residences by John Wardle Architects (QLD)
The Bottleyard by MJA Studio (WA)
The Rochford by Fox Johnston (NSW)

Small Project Architecture (5)

Cottesloe Lobby and Landscape by Simon Pendal Architect (WA)
krakani lumi by Taylor and Hinds Architects with the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania (TAS)
Northshore Pavilion by Anna O’Gorman Architect (QLD)
Sorrento Visitor Centre by Workshop Architecture (VIC)
The Beehive by Raffaello Rosselli Architect with Luigi Rosselli Architects (NSW)

Sustainable Architecture (12)

Barwon Water by GHDWoodhead (VIC)
Blackwater Aquatic Centre by Liquid Blu Architects (QLD)
Bruny Island Hideaway by Maguire + Devine Architects (TAS)
International House Sydney by Tzannes (NSW)
Joynton Avenue Creative Centre and Precinct by Peter Stutchbury Architecture in association with Design 5 – Architects for City of Sydney (NSW)
New Academic Street, RMIT University by Lyons with NMBW Architecture Studio, Harrison and White, MvS Architects and Maddison Architects (VIC)
Nightingale 1 by Breathe Architecture (VIC)
Optus Stadium by HASSELL COX HKS (WA)
Synergy by BVN (ACT)
The Beehive by Raffaello Rosselli Architect with Luigi Rosselli Architects (NSW)
The Darling Building by Williams Burton Leopardi (SA)
The Science Place by HASSELL (QLD)

Urban Design (3)

Darling Harbour Transformation by HASSELL/HASSELL + Populous (NSW)
New Academic Street, RMIT University by Lyons with NMBW Architecture Studio, Harrison and White, MvS Architects and Maddison Architects (VIC)
Scarborough Beach Pool by Christou Design Group (WA)

COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture (4)

Bruny Island Hideaway by Maguire + Devine Architects (TAS)
Bugiga Hiker Camp – Grampians National Park by Sean Godsell Architect (VIC)
Gold Coast Sports Precinct by BVN (QLD)
Optus Stadium by HASSELL COX HKS (WA)

From the Acting CEO

Clare Cousins

3 Sep 2018

This time last fortnight the Institute was pleased to host a lunch that brought together key stakeholders across the property industry to explore emerging opportunities from the nascent build-to-rent sector in Australia and the establishment of the Federal Government’s new National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC).

The Institute’s National Policy Manager, Leanne Hardwicke, and I were joined by visiting international housing expert Piers Williamson, Chief Executive of the UK body The Housing Finance Corporation (THFC), together with the Chair of peak community housing industry association PowerHousing Australia, Nicola Lemon of Hume Community Housing. A number of PowerHousing board members, including Scott Langford of St George Community Housing, as well as senior executives from Australia’s biggest residential developer and diversified property company, Stockland, also attended.

The lunch was an opportunity to pool ideas, experience and expertise from executives across Australia’s housing spectrum.

The Institute has been a vocal advocate of policies that promote improved housing choice and affordability, as well as investment in infrastructure and placemaking measures to sustain the liveability of our growing towns and cities.

These advocacy objectives were shared by those around the table and together we have agreed to continue collaborating on this important issue.

The NHFIC, which commenced operations on 1 July this year, will shortly call for project applications under the two financing streams it administers, the $1 billion National Housing Infrastructure Facility and the Affordable Housing Bond Aggregator. Its mandate is to support the construction of more affordable homes across the country.

Build-to-rent housing could conceivably form a major component of the new projects financed.

The UK experience demonstrates the huge potential of the build-to-rent asset class. With strong support from both government and the private sector, the build-to-rent sector has gone from non-existent a decade ago to now having more than 124,037 units of build-to-rent housing either completed, under construction or in planning.

Build-to-rent developments typically are delivered at significant scale in order to be commercially viable, as the UK and also the US markets have shown.

We believe architects have a critical role to play in the delivery of this new pipeline of build-to-rent and affordable housing to ensure good design, sustainability and placemaking are all properly considered and incorporated to maintain quality. We will continue our engagement with the new Morrison Government to ensure architects have a strong voice in Australia’s housing future.

Clare Cousins
Acting Chief Executive Officer

Vale Kerry Hill AO

On behalf of the Australian Institute of Architects, Acting National President Richard Kirk has offered sincere condolences to family, friends and colleagues of Life Fellow Kerry Hill AO following his passing on Sunday 26 August 2018.

‘The profession will be deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Kerry Hill. Kerry was one of Australia’s most renowned architects and he will be sorely missed by many.

‘Kerry started his practice in 1979 in Singapore and in the following decades we saw the creation of a body of work that has come to define tropical modernism in the region. The significance of the work is that it responds sensitively to place through melding the local craft traditions, and cultural and climatic sensibilities of the east, with the technical precision of the modernist traditions.

‘Kerry has given us an enduring architectural legacy throughout Asia and Australia and as far afield as Europe and China.

‘Kerry received the highest of honours, both professional and civil, throughout his long and active career. In awarding the Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal in 2006 the jury noted Hill “has distinguished himself as an architect of exceptional sensibility and expertise – encouraging a progressive and enquiring regionally sensitive approach to the design and construction of buildings across the Asia-Pacific region”,’ Kirk said.

In 2012, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for ‘distinguished service to architecture, particularly as an ambassador for Australian design in South East Asia, and as an educator and mentor’.

In 2001, Hill received the prestigious international Aga Khan Award for Architecture for his landmark Datai Resort in Langkawi. This is the only time an Australian has received the award since its establishment in 1977 and demonstrates the ability of Hill’s studio to work meaningfully across a great diversity of places and cultures.

‘On a personal note, Kerry was a warm and incredibly generous person. And, as I and many other friends who often travelled through Singapore knew it was never the same unless you included a short visit to their studio in the heart of Singapore’s Chinatown. The studio is located in one of the unassuming shophouses with the only marker to the practice a modestly sized “Kerry Hill Architects” bronze plate. I soon learnt this understatement is more to do with a quiet confidence about the work speaking for itself,’ Kirk added.

Building ministers must move faster on improving compliance

Public safety and the Australian building industry’s global reputation for quality will be jeopardised if better measures for compliance with the National Construction Code are not adopted promptly by all states and territories.

On Friday 10 August, federal, state and territory ministers met for the Building Ministers’ Forum (BMF) to discuss their collective response to the recommendations made in the Shergold-Weir Building Confidence report.

The Australian Institute of Architect’s Acting National President, Richard Kirk welcomed the BMF’s commitment to engage closely with industry on the critical issues of public safety and confidence in Australia’s construction industry, however, Mr Kirk said that the BMF’s response to the report was disappointing.

‘Ministers have had more than six months to consider the Building Confidence report, which was produced after careful study and provides excellent, considered advice on the future direction building regulation in this country should take,’ Mr Kirk said.

‘There is real urgency surrounding the need for action by governments to address the failings identified in the Shergold-Weir report, driven by very real concerns around public safety as well as economic imperatives.

‘That Ministers haven’t supported and adopted all the report’s recommendations is hard to understand given the significance of the issues it has identified.

‘We back every single one, and it is disappointing to see that the most the BMF could agree on was the production of an implementation plan that focuses on only 6 out of the 24 recommendations.

‘Industry needs certainty to keep operating and doesn’t want risk issues being poorly managed.

‘Best practice regulation and compliance with the National Construction Code is critical or the whole industry’s reputation, and the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports, will be jeopardised.

‘Globally, “brand Australia” is seen as having an impeccable reputation for producing safe, quality buildings. Why would we risk that?

‘As it stands, there are unregulated people making decisions they are unqualified to make. This is a huge public safety issue and also leaves business, body corporates and government open to liability.’

Mr Kirk said it would come as a surprise to many Australians just how limited the independent inspection regimes have become on building sites.

‘Public confidence in government and industry to deliver a safe built environment is being eroded by a least cost approach.’

Mr Kirk said the need to make changes to compliance and enforcement measures in state and territory legislation and regulatory frameworks was now at a critical juncture and required prompt action.

‘At the end of the day, the people this uncertainty impacts the most is consumers,’ he said.

‘The insurance industry has already moved ahead of government and the building and construction industry is seeing the impacts of this continued uncertainty through rising insurance premiums and risk around coverage.

‘Look out the window at the number of cranes dotting the skyline in many major cities and the amount of construction underway – this is a public safety issue and the time to implement change is now.

‘Our buildings have lifespans of up to a century or more. We simply cannot afford to have continued inaction and delay embed problems that risk people’s safety and incur long-term costs.’

Design-led growth needed in Melbourne to recapture most liveable city crown

Masterplanning, safe and sustainable design, and tighter building regulation are needed if Melbourne is to remain one of the world’s most liveable cities, according to the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects.

After seven years in the top spot, Melbourne this year dropped to number two in The Economist’s sought-after world’s most liveable city rankings, outdone by Vienna. The two cities were separated by 0.7 of a per cent in the rankings, with Vienna scoring 99.1 out of 100 and Melbourne 98.4.

President of the Institute’s Victorian Chapter Amy Muir said increasing urban sprawl and poorly designed apartment buildings flooding the city would have undoubtedly impacted its liveability ranking.

With the Victorian state election set for 24 November, 2018, Ms Muir said it was vital for all sides of politics to pay attention to Melbourne’s sustainable growth, as the city prepares for its population to overtake Sydney by the middle of the century.

‘As Melbourne’s population continues to skyrocket there needs to be greater focus on future-proofing the city through planning and ensuring a high-quality and sustainable built environment. The delivery of enduring, quality design is integral to maintaining the city’s liveability,’ Ms Muir said.

‘The value of masterplanning cannot be underestimated when acknowledging the liveability and performance of our cities. Building sustainable communities is integral for the effective evolution of place. This is achieved through careful masterplanning, consultation, collaboration with landscape architects and planners and adopting rigorous design review processes.

‘Our government, no matter what political persuasion, must ensure the Office of the Victorian Government Architect has ongoing funding to ensure it maintains a position of authority, and adequate resourcing to provide strategic design advocacy and advice.

‘There needs to be a focus on design-led long-term outcomes and there needs to be a concerted effort by government to support the architectural profession. As it stands, the design of multi-storey buildings remains unregulated as there is no requirement for a registered architect to be engaged in the process.

‘Victoria’s building standards need to fall into line with emerging best practice in other jurisdictions to improve safety and amenity and this means requiring the involvement of a registered architect for all apartment buildings three storeys and above, clamping down on inadequate building supervision, and putting an end to the practice of product substitution or short-term profits.’

Ruth White, Executive Director of the Victorian Chapter, said there needed to be a well-planned focus on Melbourne’s growth, which was currently lacking, and a mandate for design-led development.

‘There is a perception that “design” correlates with “expensive”, and this is not the case. The essence of architecture is designing high-quality, sustainable buildings no matter what the cost,’ Ms White said.

‘The drop in our liveability ranking should be a call to action and we can’t take for granted that things will continue as they have – we need to work hard to make sure Melbourne remains a vibrant and liveable city.

‘As our population continues to boom we need to adopt proactive, creative and sustainable solutions to deal with it. Melbourne is a beautiful city and we need to ensure it stays that way.’

2018 Gold Medal Tour: Adaptive architecture – exploring the ethics of design

The Australian Institute of Architects’ 2018 Gold Medallist, Alec Tzannes, commences his national architecture speaking tour in Darwin on 16 August, with a conversation around the nature of architecture and its often-underestimated benefits for Australian cities and towns.

Tzannes will explore themes that influence contemporary design thinking and language, the way we work, and the role of architecture in community. He will invite discussion about how, as architects, we can be at the forefront of shaping a new aesthetic – one that takes on the challenge of being better recognised by the broader community as ethical and trusted stewards of the design of the built environment.

The renowned Sydney architect, academic and founder of Tzannes architecture, is acknowledged for designing some of Australia’s most iconic contemporary buildings.

Earlier this year, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to architecture and education, Tzannes was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects’ highest honour, the 2018 Gold Medal.

Now, he will embark on a trip around the country for the 2018 Gold Medal Tour supported by Principal Corporate Partner BlueScope, speaking about what inspires him and drives his passion for design. Tzannes’ talks will reflect on his firm’s body of work exploring themes that emerge and their relevance to the future of architecture. He invites architects around the country to put forward their views in discussions that will follow each of his presentations. His final tour date is the AS Hook Address in Sydney on 24 October in which he will consolidate his views on architecture adding to the archive of ideas recorded from previous recipients of this honour.

‘Architecture is an expressive medium. It also is central to delivering a more sustainable, liveable urban environment to secure Australia’s future from social and economic perspectives. Good design is far more valuable than is commonly understood as the value proposition is inter-generational and hard to imagine with certainty in the creation process,’ Tzannes said.

‘A deeper discussion of what we design and why, and how we design, and for whom, is something I see as important as we face new challenges within the profession and in the world we can influence. I’m keen to use the Gold Medal Tour as an opportunity to seek a wide range of views on this theme to explore the role and contribution of the profession in the broader community.’

Some of Tzannes’ most recognisable Sydney projects include the Federation Pavilion at Centennial Park, Cathy Freeman Park at Homebush, the Brewery Yard at Central Park and urban furniture for the City of Sydney.

Recent work includes International House Sydney in Barangaroo and Dangrove, a state-of-the-art museum storage, research, education and private exhibition facility in Alexandria for Judith Neilson.

Tzannes is Chair of the Australian Institute of Architects Foundation, a member of the UNSW Foundation Board of Directors and served as the dean of the Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of New South Wales from 2008 to 2016.

In 2014, he was named a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to architecture, as a practitioner and educator and through professional organisations.

Awarded since 1960, the Gold Medal recognises distinguished service by architects who have designed or executed buildings of high merit, produced work of great distinction resulting in the advancement of architecture or endowed the profession of architecture in a distinguished manner. The citation for Tzannes stated that he has excelled in each of these areas of assessment. Previous recipients include Jørn Utzon, Romaldo Giurgola, Brit Andresen, Harry Seidler and Robin Boyd.

2018 Gold Medal Tour dates

Darwin – Thursday 16 August
Canberra – Thursday 30 August
Hobart – Wednesday 5 September
Melbourne – Wednesday 12 September
Adelaide – Thursday 13 September
Brisbane – Thursday 4 October
Perth – Thursday 18 October
Sydney – Wednesday 24 October

To register visit the Institute’s National Events web page.