21 January 2019

Welcome to 2019.  We’ve has a fiery start to the year with temperatures well above average, so I hope that you have been staying cool and hydrated.  It’s certainly made a return to the office air conditioning a palatable option!

So, what does 2019 hold for the SA Chapter?

Tony Giannone commences his term as SA Chapter President in February and we look forward to working with him over the next two years.  He is interested in increasing multi-generational involvement in Institute activities as well as promoting South Australian architecture and architects.  I will leave it to Tony to expand on his objectives as President.

We also welcome new Chapter Councillors Michael Hegarty, Josephine Evans and Teo Verbi and thank outgoing councillors David Homburg, Sarah Paddick, David Burton and Enzo Caroscio, who will remain involved in other capacities.  Mario Dreosti remains on Council as Immediate Past President, and I would like to acknowledge the energy, expertise and thoughtfulness he has brought to the role.  A full list of Chapter Council members is available on the website.

We have ongoing advocacy projects focusing on the new planning system, government procurement, equitable practice and pre-tertiary design education.  These activities strengthen the position of the profession and build understanding of its capability and value.

Professional programs and public awareness activities are also on the agenda.  Two key programs are:

The SA Awards Program –

Awards entries opened in December 2018 and the online entry material is due by midnight on Friday 8^th February.  A1 boards and Powerpoint presentations are due by 5:00pm on 1 March.

Jury presentation day is Saturday 16^th March.  This is open to all members of the profession as well as the public.  It presents the opportunity to communicate the process behind the projects and to demonstrate how design excellence adds value.

To do this effectively we ask that you carefully consider the key points that distinguish your project and to practice the presentation until you are confident that you can communicate this in the allotted time.  Remember, it’s a mixed professional/public audience, so maximise the opportunity to promote what makes your work special.

A selection of awards entries will be exhibited at the Adelaide Airport throughout April.  Entrants get to showcase their best work to a wide public audience.

The Awards presentation dinner will be held on Saturday 29^th June.

For further information please refer to the Awards section of the Institute’s website and to the information provided by 2019 Awards Director Michael Queale here.

The program wraps up with the Lightning Talk, which showcases a selection of awarded projects. This year the event will be held on Friday 19^th July at Nexus Theatre as part of FAD.

The Festival of Architecture and Design (FAD) 

FAD returns in 2019.  The festival will explore Ideas of Home through a program of speaker events, panel discussions, workshops and tours. The program is currently under development, with further details to be released soon.

Manager of both the SA Awards and FAD is Lesley Ganf, who joined the SA Chapter on 10 December 2018.  She is a great addition to the team and is looking forward to getting to know the members.  Please make her welcome.

On that note, I wish you all the best for the year ahead.

Nicolette Di Lernia
SA Chapter Executive Director

21 January 2019

Welcome back to a new year and architecture awards preparation! Online entries close on 8 February – so I hope everyone is busy preparing entries and taking photographs. As you are preparing your entry, please consider the following:

• Awards Handbook – please refer to this first if you have a question and then ring the Institute second if you can’t find the answer!

• Entry name – this is used for judging and publicity purposes, so if your client wishes to remain anonymous, please consider this when creating a name and title for the project

• Jury site visits – Every award entry may be visited by the jury, so please arrange jury access before you enter your project into the awards. Jury visits are challenging to co-ordinate and if access is not negotiated beforehand, it may be difficult to program this into jury visits. Further, architects are not required at jury site visits. Clients are encouraged to attend though. This policy allows the jury to confidentially discuss the merits of a project during the visit.

• Small Projects – the scope of this category is often debated. Projects in this category are those constrained by space or cost restrictions, while still achieving a level of invention, creativity and craftsmanship. This category can accommodate projects that may be over-looked against larger scale projects in other categories or may be transient or experimental in nature, such as exhibition design or installations that may or may not be able to be visited by the Jury. Residential projects and projects entered into other categories in 2019 are not eligible for this category.

• Sustainability Category – this year, the assessment of this category has changed and entrants will now need to nominate for this category when entering – by completing the ‘sustainability text box’.

• Jury Presentation Day – please be on time for your 5 minute presentation and keep to time too! A late arrival is a bit like an airline delay – it has a roll on affect through the whole day. The public is invited to attend jury presentations – so please remember that your presentation and projects are on show – a fantastic media opportunity for South Australian architecture! Also, remember, there will be an award for best presentation on the day – so start rehearsing!

• Enduring Architecture Award – this award is judged by the Honours Committee and members can nominate their own or other noteworthy enduring projects  to the SA Chapter by Friday 1 March. Projects should be approximately 25 years old. The Committee would appreciate current photographs, address, architect and a nomination statement to explain why the place should be considered. This is an ideal way of honouring the past achievements of members and promoting the value of good architecture over time.

Looking forward to receiving a record number of entries this year.

Michael Queale 
2019 Awards Director

10 December 2018

One thing I will miss when this gig finishes up next year is my monthly President’s Breakfasts at Chianti.

I doubt that statement surprises anyone, but its more than just my delight in their various versions of morning eggs. The President’s Breakfast is an opportunity to gather together an invited group of people from within and beyond our profession to informally discuss a topic of mutual interest. Always of course a topic which brings opportunity, or bears responsibility from our members.

This last week the topic was education. The table included invited guests from within government as well as Catholic education, educational planning and of course a number of architects. The discussion was enjoyable and free flowing but pleasingly much like my omelette, also full of content.

A number of key themes struck me which offer direct opportunity for our members to assist, contribute and benefit.

The first is the same old chestnut we stumble across unendingly… what is the value of architecture? How do we measure value and how do we prove it?

The starting point for the conversation was that everyone at the table was convinced of the value which good design brings to the opportunities for learning. However, while the cost effectiveness of a building, or the results of NAPLAN may be measurable, the table agreed that the more intangibles of engagement, personalisation, enthusiasm and well being are in fact some of the most beneficial outcomes of great architecture in a learning setting and currently are not quantified effectively against arguments of cost efficiency, and these are the arguments held at decision making levels.

A really great outcome of the conversation was a commitment for government, A4LE and the Institute to collaboratively progress research in this area starting this year!Perhaps the research is in fact out there, perhaps the systems are already in place elsewhere, but there is opportunity and imperative to find or generate the position for us here in SA.

This discussion led to the impact that fitout and furniture can have in increasing value outcomes and then progressed to the challenges and opportunities of mass customisation and volume prefabrication which we are seeing interstate already in order to meet demand within cost and programme imperatives.

The incredible thing for a state which mourns the loss of its manufacturing industry and in which reside many people with great fabrication skills… is that there was a sense that we did not offer the educators and designers the choices they sought in a local context.

There is a real and present opportunity here to garner the talents left by the automotive industry and others and to work in conjunction with educators and architects to see South Australia embrace world leading design and production of FF+E which lifts the value of learning settings.

This can be another focus for the Institute next year, to seek to partner with government in the first instance to compose an engagement process which will allow design, production and learning to work together on case study projects to establish these alliances. Case studies would enable prototyping and research so that the effectiveness of alternate learning settings can be investigated, and where successful validated and measured. The skills of our members working in collaboration would allow us to explore new ideas and also to document, display and communicate the design and operational elements which make them successful for future creators and users.

It is rewarding for the Institute to be able to see the desire and also the opportunity in one place at one time so that our members can assist with tangible, meaningful contributions that support our values and help us to support our value proposition.

If this is an area of interest for you, we welcome your contact to assist.

Mario Dreosti
SA Chapter President

26 November 2018

Well here we are in the silly season once again, with the parties, pageants and graduate exhibitions.  The Ultra Violet exhibition at UniSA opened on Friday.  Adelaide University launch Iterate on Friday 7^th December.  Both provide a showcase of final year work – a mixed celebration with students, friends and family of 5 years hard work, a demonstration of capability to future employers and a testament to the learning imparted by dedicated staff.  Ultra Violet lived up to all these aspirations, with design thinking, material and spatial understanding and digital presentation capably displayed in many of the projects. I am looking forward to attending Iterate, where I am confident that there will be more inspiring and beautiful work to view.

Final year exhibitions are a great reminder of the rate of change in the architectural profession.  I distinctly remember my own graduate exhibition, where hand drafted and rendered drawings sat alongside student made models.  In 2018 presentation is almost exclusively digital and some groups of students commissioned professional models.  At a more fundamental level, the range of available materials, complexity of technical system, regulatory requirements and variety of project procurement methodologies and contracts has grown considerably.  Another key difference between graduating in 1991 and 2018 is that graduates have much better prospects of finding a job, with a number already having secured positions.

And so, to the age-old question. Do students graduate with the knowledge required to take them into the work force?  This can lead to heated debate.

However, from my perspective the issue needs to be considered in the following way.  Is the expectation that graduates should be immediately ready to start work as autonomous members of the team realistic?  There are clearly aspects of architecture that are better learned in a work context.  The current registration system is predicated on graduates completing structured experience within a work context prior to being able to register.  This is a parallel pathway to doctors, lawyers and accountants, who are also required to undertake post graduate, work place education prior to completing their professional registration.

To assist in this transition to the workplace, tertiary education for architects is increasingly incorporating work integrated learning opportunities, which assist in preparing graduates for a professional practice environment.  Many students also seek to work while completing their studies.  Experience in the workplace benefits for both practice and students, and I commend those practices that provide such opportunities.  It is a great investment in the future of the profession.

I know that I had a lot to learn post-graduation and am very thankful to those colleagues who supported me during this time, providing opportunities for me to develop my skills and knowledge within a structured framework.  I hope and trust that this year’s graduates are provided the opportunity to commence on a similar pathway.

In return graduates need to demonstrate their capacity to contribute to the workplace; to show initiative and develop new knowledge while learning from the experience of others.  This is your opportunity to apply your knowledge across areas that the profession has deemed suited for delivery through tertiary education and to recognise where your ‘gaps’ are.  Architectural practice has the important role of supporting you in this process.

We wish all of you – graduates and practitioners –  embarking on this exciting journey every success.

Nicolette Di Lernia
SA Chapter Executive Director

12 November 2018

Last week, coinciding with the National Awards in Melbourne was my last attendance at a National Council Meeting representing you as our local Chapter President.

At my age the propensity to reflect on experiences increases, and right now, sitting in the sun with an extra shot coffee at a little cafe on Rockeby Road Subiaco… I can’t help but reflect.

The Institute nationally has largely reinvented itself over the last few years, and as evidenced by recent leadership changes, continues to evolve. There is no doubt that financial woes have been taken seriously and at a fundamental level there has been a focus to steady the ship and then re-chart its direction. There have been a series of strategic processes in order to do this and to seek to reposition the Institute as our pre-eminent representative body. Views are not always consistent (who would have thought with a room full of architects) and it feels sometimes hard to be heard all the way across the Hay Plains or the Blue Mountains to our eastern epicentre. However, one thing I have learned is that if we wish to be heard… we have to start by making some noise.

We do operate in a different architectural environment to many of our contemporaries, but so do they. In fact every state is peculiar and unique, and every state has its challenges. If we assert that our solutions are bespoke and clever and informed by place and prospect then it is only us who can possibly tell that story – so speak up. I have found that if you do have a worthy story, some people elsewhere actually listen.

I reflect also on much more local matters… our work economy, metabolism in your forties, my difficulty in finding any compelling platforms in local government elections.

But locally I think we have great cause to be proud and even more reason to be involved.

Our institute in Leigh Street achieves a lot. We have a handful of staff, a modest budget and a core group of regular contributors from our membership group.

I want to thank these people – this core group. I won’t try and name names, because I’m good at reflecting in general… less so on details… but most of what we do is actually done with less than 20 people involved.

And we’ve done a bit:

• Launch of an accessible and affordable state based equity program -tailored for SA
• Development of a well resourced architecture in schools program – best in the country let me suggest
• Significant influence to thinking about Planning Reform
• Ongoing presentations of events and talks such as Architecture on Show and Design Conversations
• Effective lobbying on state procurement and contract conditions
• Delivery of a comprehensive and well attended and engaged awards programme
• Continuing offering of CPD programmes
• Support and mentoring opportunities for both new and very established members

I’m not personally leaving this role until early next year, and will lose the title but certainly not a willingness to stay involved.

However, as I reflect on the last of my national engagements… its been a good time. We’ve made some things happen and we’ve delivered value to our members in SA. I reflect that I personally have got a lot more value from being involved than just being a member. Yes in part I mean the glass of wine and nibbles at Council meetings once a month… but I really mean in knowledge, new contacts and a sense of achieving something of value for architecture.

Mario Dreosti
SA Chapter President

The SA Chapter is a busy place, with activities including advocacy, member services, public programs, awards and social events organised throughout the year.  Our capacity and ability to deliver programs, resources and activities for the profession is dependent on member engagement and staff resources and expertise.  The SA Chapter has a small but highly capable staff and it is with considerable regret that I announce that Gillian Redman Lloyd resigned so that she can focus on family, including newly arrived grandson Teddy!

Gillian has been the SA Awards Manager and Special Projects Officer for the past five years, having transferred from the NSW Chapter where she performed a similar role.  In addition to coordinating and delivering a highly organised and enjoyable awards program, Gillian was also responsible for programs including Architecture on Show and Design Conversations, both of which engage a professional and public audience through discussion of topical design issues.  The Festival of Architecture and Design (FAD) was also managed by Gillian, and she worked with the national office to coordinate the SA leg of the Gold Medal Tour.  All these activities require sttong organisational and people skills, excellent time and risk management, a level head and a great deal of patience.

Gillian demonstrated all these qualities which, along with a keen sense of humour and a no-nonsense approach, made her a great person to work with.  She will be greatly missed by the SA team and the members who worked with her.  We wish her all the best with her future projects, which we feel certain will encompass family and much else besides.

Until Gillian’s position is filled we will be operating with a staff of three.  Zaf, Vanessa and I will endeavour to keep things going, but inevitably there will need to be some adjustment in response to the change in our staffing.  We appreciate your understanding during this time.

For those of you who are not familiar with the SA Staff and their roles here’s a summary.

Zaf’s focus is student and graduate programs including:

• The student mentor program
• The SA Awards student projects
• Archi Ed – resources to support presentations by architects in schools
• Practice of Architecture Learning Series (PALs)

She also supports delivery of SONA and EmAGN events and participates in delivery of significant programs such as the SA Awards and FAD.  In addition to these projects Zaf is responsible for membership queries and services and the administrative management of the office

Vanessa is responsible for communications and advocacy.  She provides invaluable support for the SA Chapter committees and task groups and is instrumental in the preparation of responses to discussion papers and topical issues.  Vanessa’s involvement with committees also extends to coordination and delivery of allied events for these groups, including Designers for Diversity and Co-opertition.

Vanessa manages the SA Chapter media and communications including:

• SA Chapter E-news, What’s on and social media
• Media releases and promotion for significant programs and issues
• Management of media enquiries
• Editorial support for production of the Awards booklet
• Relationships with media organisations

Last but not least Vanessa manages the SA Chapter trusts and the associated activities that these trust were established to deliver.

My role as Executive Director is also multifaceted.  I have responsibility for management of the Chapter including staff, budget and program.  I work with Chapter Council to develop the strategic plan for South Australia and support the Chapter President and committees in delivery of their advocacy and member program objectives.  I also provide secretariat services for the Honours Committee and coordinate the Distinguished Member events.  I am the primary point of contact for queries and complaints and manage referrals to the Senior Counsellor Service.  In addition, I participate in national coordination and planning activities, liaise with national business units and am responsible for national reporting.

So, as you can see, we cover a lot of ground.  The SA Chapter is fortunate to have a team that is multiskilled, flexible and self-motivated.  Architecture is a diverse profession with many areas of interest and involvement.  We enjoy working with members to provide a well-rounded, supportive and interesting program that assists the profession and improves public understanding.  We look forward to bringing a new member into the team and introducing them to you.

Nicolette Di Lernia, SA Chapter Executive Director

15 October 2018

It’s getting increasingly hard to write an article in the South Australian Institute context that does not involve procurement or planning reform.

Worthy topics both, and time consuming for those of our members who have been involved in reviewing and representing for us.

However, architecture is a lot more than planning and procurement.

So today I thought I’d avoid these two. I thought, perhaps controversially in a gaggle of architects, that I may be a little up beat.

We’re busy. Most members I speak with are busy at the moment and there is a fair amount of work still entering the market. We are changing. The city is a different place to the CBD of my graduation. Look at our skyline, medical precinct, conventions, oval… its all quite different to the past decade. Even over the weekend listening to the news of the apartment fire at Munno Para (fortunately no human harm) it struck me that now there are actually apartments in a 3 storey building in Munno Para. Economic growth in itself is valuable to our profession but my belief is that there is an alignment between density, activity and land value which creates the petri dish for architectural growth.

We will always have a role in the tier 1 style projects and arguably never have a role at the opposite end of the mass housing spectrum. I believe it is when we need to embrace the complex, celebrate the challenging and when development value and scale justify, perhaps demand, the architectural skill set that we as a profession gain greater relevance in the broader community. Adelaide has for many years offered a limited pool of mid tier architectural projects, but this has and continues to change.

This Friday the Institute is hosting a breakfast which is themed ‘an Adelaide architecture ’. We will be exploring what we think it is that makes Adelaide unique and how we should respond with our built form. I suggest that we are now in the zone for making decisions which will define our city, suburbs and regions for the future. I suggest that we have tipped the critical mass to a point where our profession will have increasing relevance to our community. We will begin to host the urban projects of architectural merit in infill and multi residential and mixed use development. These are happening now and increased densification will see our services more and more relevant.

This work will provide the breeding ground for new practices and the practice ground for new ideas. It has started already and it will continue.

This is a positive message. Our time is here. Projects continue to rise from the ground in Bowden, in Norwood, in Munno Para and beyond… and they already utilise architects.

The challenge is for us to now deliver the quality. The community is looking to us and we are right now designing the products by which they will judge our contribution. Let us grab the opportunity and make sure that in the hurly burly of this evolving market, we hold on to the values we know make great architecture.

Mario Dreosti
SA Chapter President

2 October 2018

The architectural profession is generally travelling well at the current time.  The level of activity in the South Australian construction sector is solid, our housing prices are continuing to rise and Government is committed to significant programs in education, health and corrections.  This is all good news.

However, there is also a need for the profession to proceed with caution.  Architects are great problem solvers and innovators and thrive on the challenges presented by their projects.  However, there is also a tendency to agree to do more for less, while at the same time striving for highly resolved project outcomes.  Professional pride and the desire to positively impact end users and the wider public predispose architects to strive for excellence within increasingly constrained project parameters, with new technologies and alternative procurement methodologies promising more efficiency.  When asked if they can absorb program cuts or reduce fees, architects frequently answer yes and then work longer hours to make the project a success.

Over time, and particularly during lean periods, this has tended to drive fee benchmarks down and to reduce project programs.  Simultaneously, risk aversion and risk transfer have been increasing.  These trends can clearly be seen in government procurement as well as the private sector.

At a recent meeting with DPTI, it was made clear that the profession is responsible for setting fee benchmarks.  DPTI do not sit in a room and decide what a reasonable fee should be from some idealised set of first principles.  Benchmarks are generated from the fees tendered for recent projects.

It was also pointed out that the DPTI selections are not based solely on the lowest fee.  Fees are weighted at 30% of the selection criteria for most projects.  However, while this provides significant weighting to the lowest fee, the fees are also assessed against the fee benchmark established for the project.  This should exclude unrealistically low fees from consideration.  However, if consistently low fees are tendered then the benchmark itself is lowered, making this criterium increasingly meaningless.

At the same meeting it was noted that a decline in documentation standards had been observed, with variations arising from errors and omissions increasing.  While there has been no hard evidence provided to support this claim, DPTI have responded to this perceived risk through the proposed amendments to AS4122.  The intent of these amendments is to attribute risk away from government, including the attribution of variation costs arising from documentation errors and omissions to the author.  This includes the cost of the construction work in addition to the cost of documentation of a solution to address the documentation issue.

The message to the profession is clear.  Submitting a low fee and agreeing to a compressed program does not reduce client expectations regarding the service to be provided.  In addition, it does not absolve an architect’s obligations under the registration act.  What it does do is drive unrealistic expectations of the profession and increases the risk that architects will experience extreme financial stress or, ultimately, bankruptcy.

I would add that doing the ‘impossible’ time and again has not increased the respect for architects or improved client or public perception of the value provided by architects.   There are no ‘wow’ moments where people exclaim about the marvels achieved for so little investment.  Rather, low fees are seen as evidence that architects provide minimal value.  This is compounded when mistakes occur on projects, with architects frequently perceived as the cause, regardless of the actual circumstances, which are invariably more complex.  As you are no doubt aware, this Catch 22 – of architects being at once of little real value while simultaneously responsible for all project decisions – is difficult to avoid and deeply rooted.

So what can be done to address this situation?

The SA Chapter of the Institute engages regularly with DPTI and other arms of government to advocate for best practice procurement and provide an architects’ perspective in relation to key issues.  Last week we wrote a joint letter with the ACA to voice concerns regarding the Whyalla Secondary School EOI.  We are continuing to review and comment on amendments to AS4122.  We will be supporting practices engaged in the projects formerly known as Building Better Schools (now relabelled the Department for Education Capital Works Program).  And while this is government focused, it does translate to and have relevance within the private sector.

We will also continue to make the profession aware of relevant factors that should be considered when submitting for government projects.  Architects have the ability to influence the marketplace and culture they work within.  Valuing what you do objectively and commercially is a professional responsibility, to both your own practice and the profession.  Communicating that value effectively is also the sole responsibility of the profession.  Continuing to blame ‘market forces’ for declining fees is, to some extent, disingenuous.

Changing public perception and the status of architects is a long term project.  The Institute is committed to supporting its members to achieve this goal.

Nicolette Di Lernia
SA Chapter Executive Director

Terms & Conditions

1. You must be a member of the Institute.
2. You must be a Graduate in Architecture from the University of South Australia or University of Adelaide of up to six years standing (for 2019 Fellowship only). For the 2019 Fellowship, this means people who completed their architecture degree at the end of 2013 or later.
3. You do not need to be currently resident in South Australia, but if short listed, may be required to be interviewed by teleconference – and be prepared to detail your interest in architectural design in South Australia and how you might ultimately engage in future practice in the State.
4. You must be an Australian citizen.
5. You are to propose a program of study with estimated total expenses and amount of support requested from the Fund up to the value of the Fellowship as determined each year.
6. You are to nominate a Mentor for the period of the Fellowship.
7. The Fellowship will be awarded by the Committee. The Committee will short list applicants and may choose to interview short listed candidates. The decision of the Committee is final.
8. Following the awarding of the Fellowship, you will prepare a firm timetable and apply to the Committee for release of portions of the funds to cover expenses, understanding that part of the Fellowship funds will be withheld until all obligations have been fulfilled.
9. On completion of the Fellowship you will be expected to discuss outcomes of travel through a method approved by the Committee.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Please submit the following:

Application form (via online process)

The following documents to be submitted to the SA Chapter by 3 Dec 2018:

1. CV – expand on any community work or leadership roles you have undertaken – describe your aspirations as an architect.
2. Portfolio – submit an indication of the best work you completed- enough to show the committee the work you’re most proud of.
3. Budget –Include estimates of airfares and local travel, subsistence and any tuition fees. Indicate a value of the Fellowship (up to $15,000) that you are applying for, a proposed schedule of payments from the Fund and how any shortfall may be met.
4. Indicative Timetable and Itinerary –Give a general indication of the proposed timing – commencement, duration and anticipated completion of your reporting to us.  The Fellowship is normally expected to commence within six months following the announcement of the winner.

Closing Date & Announcement of Winner

Applications close 3 December – Recipient announced end February 2019

Throughout his outstanding career, and his significant contribution to the architectural profession as Australian Institute of Architects National President in 1968-69, as a Life Fellow, and as an Institute Gold Medalist in 1970, Jack McConnell had a remarkable capacity to lead and inspire others, with a number of Australia’s most prominent architects still acknowledging him today as their mentor.

He was born on 5 June 1913, and attended Haileybury School, Victoria, where he was awarded the McCaughay Scholarship to study architecture at the University of Melbourne, where he graduated with distinction at the age of 21.

In 1937, aged 26, as a leading modernist from the Melbourne offices of Harold Desbrowe Annear, Leighton Irwin, Marcus Martin and Edward F Bilson, he joined the architectural practice in Adelaide that became Claridge Hassell and McConnell, as the design architect for the new Bank of New South Wales, on the corner of North Terrace and King William Street.

From 1937 to 1970 he designed many outstanding buildings for both state and national clients and was particularly recognized for his prize-winning designs as one of the leading industrial architects in Australia.

Jack McConnell was the original lateral thinker –before the term had been invented. He always drummed into students and staff that design grew out of analysis – “first analyse, analyse, analyse!”

He said on many occasions that the Heinz Factory in Dandenong was the best job he ever did. He explained the ‘analyse’ principle as applied to this project:

• He knew nothing about canned food processing;
• He undertook what research he could;
• He prepared 10 pages of questions and presented them to Heinz in Melbourne;
• Heinz said we haven’t got a clue but we’ll send the questions to the United States;
• They sent them back, and said we don’t know the answers either. Send the young architect overseas to wherever he wants to go to find the answers.
• (It appears that Jack’s “research and analyse” technique was suggesting by the questions he asked, not only a new architectural approach, but new and innovative factory planning and processing techniques. This was new and foreign to them).

McConnell visited the US and Canada, the UK and Spain, did extensive research and analysis, returned and wrote his report – including his own answers to his own questions – and presented it to Heinz. They took one look and said you’re the architect and now the expert, go for it!

It subsequently won the Australian Architects and Arts Award in 1955.

He joined Stephenson and Turner Architects as a Partner in 1970 and continued to carry out major projects in that capacity. He retired from that partnership in 1980, but continued to undertake individual consulting work. He continued his involvement with the Institute as a member of various committees until 1992.

Jack McConnell had a great influence on post-World War II architecture in Australia, and left his mark in the form of architectural excellence in many of his prestigious buildings both in South Australia and in other states.

More importantly, he influenced and inspired many students and architects to produce better architecture, not only in terms of design, but also of function.

‘Jack McConnell’s influence in shaping the architects and the architecture of Australia was considerable. He pioneered modern architecture in South Australia and was without doubt the first serious modernist to build modern buildings in Adelaide’
Warren Kerr
National President of the Institute at the time of Jack’s death in April 2005

* Biographical notes by Keith Neighbour, LFRAIA