Advocacy is a long game and it takes time to see
results.  It was therefore very pleasing
when the Productivity Commission announced that the terms of the Inquiry into
Government Procurement were being extended to include capital works procurement
based on the responses it had received arguing for this outcome. 

The Institute’s response, which was submitted in association
with the ACA, comprehensively demonstrated that the issues being considered
were equally applicable to capital works procurement.  It also put the case that capital works procurement
has a significant impact on the South Australian economy, including the
viability of many SMEs. 

Improved procurement practices should address issues
including tendering costs, quality based tender selection and equity for local
tenderers.  We will continue to engage
with the inquiry and will update members regarding the outcomes. 

I was also pleased to be able to attend the Institute’s
Parliamentary Breakfast on housing affordability and city development.  This event is part of the Institute’s
national strategy in the lead up to the federal election, which will raise
awareness of key issues and strategies to improve outcomes at a time when our
cities and the environment are under increasing pressure.  An election platform will be provided to members
to assist them in having these conversations with their local candidates and
more widely with key stakeholders. 

As a profession, architects need to lead these conversations
and inform the narrative if we are to achieve better built environment outcomes.  If we leave this to others, then the
conversations will at best be ill informed and at worst will not occur at
all. 

Bad design is an irritant and incites debate.  Good design works and therefore is often
taken for granted.  Good design is also
about much more than aesthetics.  However,
as the majority of the public, including many politicians, do not understand
the role of architects or the fact that architects are not responsible for the
design of all buildings, it is not enough to leave architecture to speak for
itself.  If the public perception is that
all buildings, including the poorly designed ones, are the responsibility of
architects, this is a damaging belief to support, even if only by omission.

It is the responsibility of architects to clearly articulate
their capabilities and how they can be engaged to provide optimal
outcomes.  The election provides a
perfect opportunity to start these conversations.  As voters, your opinions matter to the candidates
in your electorates.  Use this opportunity
to engage with them and plant the seed. 
It may take some time for germination to occur, but without this first
step there will be limited progress.

During my student years I was fortunate enough to have the late John S Chappel as my mentor. I vividly remember my introduction to him one cold and wet evening in the University of Adelaide Club Room of the Union Building. He was running late, burst through the doors grumpy, frustrated and seriously angry returning from a project meeting. As a mere student I think I was trembling at where the introduction to this South Australian doyen of the architectural community would go.

I don’t recall the exact conversation but it went along lines of ….. “ I’ve spent the last few months designing this building and have had the integrity of the design totally dismantled…after having it finally agreed with my client, now the planners don’t think it will fit in with the streetscape, the Council wants me to change the materiality, the roof form is too flat…etc …etc…. and subjectively appraised by all in half an hour ………… it’s going to look like. …###!!!!… “…….everybody wants to be an architect !….” he blustered referencing the multiple hands of interference (or collaboration if you like) on his design” ……..I’m getting really  ####..!!!… with all of this……  my advice to you is stay away from this profession!”

Well I didn’t take his advice but the generosity of the man allowed me to access his studio when I needed to, always generous with his time and not afraid to express an opinion.

I’ve taken that exclaimed line with me throughout the years of practice and really not much has changed.

The state of architectural practice is in intensive transition and flux. The introduction of continual subjective regulatory overlays to validate our design outcomes is producing a critical intersection of conflicting expectations on the Profession.

We have somewhat lost our voice in the debate of the built environment in this State, seen mostly as an adjunct to that taken over by others. In turn, we seem to be fragmenting ourselves and becoming inward critics rather than externally advocating our views and values.

Critique starts at University and follows us into Practice. After design approval from our Clients we can now be critiqued firstly by our own peers, then by statutory authorities and then by the relevant Assessment Panel. It is not unusual for a project to have multiple reviews on many levels and many bodies before being presented for official assessment.

The cost of this to our Practices, project timeframes and economic development is I think heading towards that perfect storm.

In some cases the project approval system is being extended well beyond acceptable commercial timelines and directs unjustifiable blame on the profession. The question needs to be asked is this leading to better built outcomes?

Leading into this role I have received numerous vocal expressions, aside from the obligatory…… “ what does the Institute do for me “….. on perceived issues affecting our profession perhaps best summarised (to name a few) below:

• is the Planning Reform review system working
• is Design Review working and how can it be improved
• is the trading over approving extra height vs perceived better design quality providing a better urban form for our city or are we creating silos
• why do we require to bring in experts from interstate or overseas to offer commentary to us on what works in our State – surely we have enough expertise in our own backyard who understand our City
• are graduates work ready or should Universities reassess courses to better inform vocational and professional practice…. would this increase the worth of a graduate’s salary that is currently one of the lowest entry levels of the professions?

I understand that design lives in a subjective world, always has, but let’s have a mature debate about where we are at and where we are going. Critique works in both directions, and accordingly we have the right of reply in expressing our views. An informed mature debate with people of relevant experience is better than a subjective directive.

I would like to hear your views in representation of our membership of the key factors that are affecting our Profession at sa@architecture.com.au and together effect and frame commentary as an independent body for our membership. It is important.

Over the next few years in this role I would like us to engage in dialogue and advocate on the following:

–    to forge an everyday connection with the public to share in how architects can contribute to issues affecting our society from affordable housing to the liveability of the built environment in which we work, live and play as something that is more socially inclusive rather than exclusive;

–   to strengthen an inherent understanding of our regional design culture and identity of our State and City;

–    to increase multi-generational involvement in the Institute

but most importantly the need to advocate and foster the contribution of local and emerging practices and graduates by giving them opportunity in this State is of prime motivation.

More on this to follow.

In closing, a big thank you to Mario for his leadership and ongoing commitment in his role over the last two years. Amongst other initiatives, he has tirelessly provided input into the Planning Reform Process advocating for the role of design and architects to be enshrined into the current overview, the profession owes him gratitude to the outcomes that are being released.

Tony Giannone
SA Chapter President
Director tectvs

Late last year the SA Chapter prepared a joint response from the Institute and ACA to the SA Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into Government Procurement.  While the inquiry focused on procurement of goods and services and excluded capital works projects, the response highlighted that the same issues applied across all aspects of government procurement.  This position was supported by the Commissioner for Small Business and the SA Industry Advocate.

The response is available here.  We see this as the first stage of an ongoing conversation regarding government procurement, with a view to working with government to achieve best practice procurement practices.

This is one part of a raft of advocacy that the SA Chapter is engaged in, all of which relates to improving the procurement and contractual environment in which architectural services are delivered.  Other areas of advocacy include:

• A framework for staged services delivery to assist in determining realistic scope of services at each stage of a project.   This document was developed by the Practice Committee and has been issued to DPTI for review and comment.
• Guidelines to assist local government in procuring architectural services. The aim is to develop templates that will assist local government agencies in structuring tenders so that they better reflect the scale of the project, focus on information directly relevant to the project and reduce tender costs for all parties.  This project is the focus for the Practice Committee for the start of 2019.  Work being done at a national level will be used to inform and underpin this project.
• Working with DPTI on the review of the Lead Professional Services contract. The SA Chapter has provided commentary prepared regarding the previously proposed amendments to AS4122 to the current DPTI team tasked with preparing the new contract.  A draft is anticipated for review in late March 2019.
• A response to the Building Minister’s Forum (BMF) in relation to the Shergold Weir Report (SWR). The BMF has made no definite undertaking to implement the SWR recommendations, indicating only that it will consider a selection of recommendations at this time.  The Institute believes that this is inadequate given the magnitude of the issues identified by the SWR and the implications of failing to address the recommendations holistically.  We will continue to work on this at a national and Chapter level.
• Review of the Tendering Guidelines 5^th Edition . Released in June 2017, this document was jointly developed by the Institute, ACA and MBA.  It addresses current issues experienced by contractors and consultants and is intended to assist all parties, including clients and projects managers to understand best practice tender procedures and achieve improved tender outcomes. To give us your thoughts – click here

The SA Chapter will be asking for members to participate in these activities as they progress.  This may take the form of providing feedback, reviewing documents, or participating in committees and task groups.  Collectively, the Institute can make an impact and achieve improved outcomes for the profession and the construction sector.

Nicolette Di Lernia
SA Chapter Executive Director
18 February 2019

And just like that its two years. The last hurrah… all over.

Which causes you to reflect on what has been achieved.

For me, the last two years has seen a lot of change, both in this sphere and in my own. It has has just culminated in the longest holiday I’ve ever taken with the whole month of January away from the daily grind. And you know what? It was a cracking holiday. Most of it spent trying to balance on a board of some description whether with wheels, water or snow beneath it and not worrying at all about codes or clients or really anything other than the basics.

In fact, it’s  a bit like the story of the Greek fisherman who goes from subsistence to empire building.  It was all the hard work of dealing with those things that saved up to get back to the simple things we wanted all along.

So I’ve come back with a renewed focus this year on the things that are honest and real and won’t go away when you are not in fashion anymore.

Which is how I reflect on the past two years in this gig.

I’ve found myself using the phrase ‘emperor’s new clothes’ quite a lot.

You know the story where the emperor actually believes he has an amazing new outfit because everyone tells him so, but in fact there is nothing there.

In these past two years I have reached life topping levels of talking, reading, consulting and having a paper produced for every change in underclothes. We [The Institute] have been heavily involved in representation across a range of important fronts from planning reform, to gender equity, to procurement, awards criteria and construction compliance. In all these things the fundamentals are actually very simple.

But in all, we have been forced to join a fray of endless discussion and publication which leads quite frankly, to limited action.

We are out now for example with our Designers for Diversity survey. You know what it will tell you and you know if it will indicate that action is needed. So do it… but then think about it and if you are talking the talk…. do something about it in your practice. Don’t say you will. Don’t write a policy for what might happen if someone loose does this or that… just go and do it. Simple.

Of interest, we as architects, are often the few people in the room who can actually assimilate and resolve multiple and sometimes conflicting inputs because our design lead thinking teaches us how. We are usually able to craft a solution rather than another position paper and yet we only sometimes get to make that contribution.

So as I embrace my life with a focus on the things that really reward and a clarity of what is important,  I urge my profession to do the same.

Award what is good not what is fashionable, speak in plain English because being understood is more important than sounding fancy, and have faith that we have a very valuable contribution to make. It is about what we produce, not how big the process was both in our work and in our thought contributions.

We don’t have to play the game of the emperor’s new clothes because we can actually craft them. We are the ones who don’t need to talk around the matter because we can solve it. Probably simply and hopefully with meaning and honesty

It’s my parting message but of course there will still be a great deal of work around the edges of that simplicity and so I want to thank the gang in at Leigh Street : Nicolette, Vanessa, Zaf, Gillian and Lesley (the new Gillian) for what has been a lot of work trying to pull our core values through all the noise.

I wish Tony great clarity as he shapes the role for his term and I look forward to supporting as I can to let the various emperors know they are in the nuddy.

Mario Dreosti
SA Chapter President (until March 2019)

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