A discussion on DA Processes at ESPDD/ACTPLA

Date: Tuesday 24th April 2018
Time: 12:30 pm
Where: ACT Chapter, 2a Mugga Way, Red Hill ACT 1503

George Cilliers, who heads the Gateway team from EPSDD / ACTPLA, will present the DA Processes.

There will be discussion with EPSDD on the DA Processes, which will also provide information for the current Institute’s Workgroup inquiring into the same DA processes.

This forum is aimed at improving your understanding of approval processes and considering how they may be improved.

Open Markets Open Play

Rehearsals and Particulars to Time-based Architectural Design

Time: 2.30 – 3.30pm

Date:     Wednesday 18 April

Venue: University of Canberra, Room 7b18

Building 7, Level B (architecture along from the studio)

Alexis Sanal is in Australia as the Australian Institute of Architects Foundation’s 2018 Droga Architect in Residence. She grew-up in Los Angeles, has a Barch’95 from Southern California Institute of Architecture and a Master of City Planning ’02 from MIT.  Alexis is co-founder of SANALarc, a knowledge-centric studio focused on civil and civic architecture, research and city-design, based in Istanbul. Her practice has earned international recognition for their public realm works.

In this talk, Alexis will discuss her research around open one-day markets and how their timeless acts of self-organized urbanism across civilizations and geographies are as pertinent to contemporary architecture, place-making and iconic identity as other public institutions.

SANALarc,is a practice which focuses on investigating ways city-makers can self-organize to re-imagine the potential for transforming underutilized spaces into places for living culture.  Alexis will share SANALarc’s Imaginable Guidelines design tool, as an inventive actuator of crowd-sourced city-making knowledge, that engages an inclusive process in public realm design.  Alexis will elaborate on ‘open markets’ as a concept that can underpin an alternative repositioning of regulations as enablers, to rehearse multi-functioning living, working, trading, playing, and sharing into particular time-based architectural designs.

Are you thinking of registering for PALS this year but have yet to finalise your payment or are you not so sure what PALS is all about? You are invited to attend the first session to get an introduction to the program before signing up for the remaining sessions.

Topic: PALS Introduction/Information Session
When: Wednesday, 18 April, 12:30 – 1:30pm
Where: ACT Chapter – 2a Mugga Way, Red Hill

Once you have purchased PALS the Institute runs face to face sessions that are designed to complement the online PALS modules. The face to face session are run the following dates:

• Saturday 28 April: PALS Session 01 (1pm – 4pm)
• Saturday 19 May: PALS Session 02 (1pm – 4pm)
• Saturday 9 June: PALS Session 03 (1pm – 4pm)
• Saturday 30 June: PALS Session 04 (1pm – 4pm)

Click on the link below to register online.

http://pals.architecture.com.au/

If you’d like to attend the introductory session please RSVP at this link…. https://architectureact.wufoo.eu/forms/pkwmtof12e8srj/

 

Lunch is provided so RSVP is essential for catering purposes!

SA Chapter Executive Director
Nicolette Di Lernia

Architects are communicators.  At a primary level we translate the aspirations and needs of clients into built form, expressing our response to their brief to occupants and the wider public through the design.  This form of communication is implicit in our work and mostly only perceived at a subliminal level by the people who interact with the building.

However, we also need to communicate in very explicit ways to ensure our designs are realised in a form that it true to the underlying intent.  Submissions to clients to win the commission, to funding bodies to secure and acquit finance and to authorities to gain approval.    Documentation to consultants to deliver technical performance and to contractors to instruct them as to how the project should be constructed.  And conversations throughout to build teams, check progress, refine ideas and resolve problems.  Through verbal presentations, conversations, written submissions and drawings, architects use communication to shape and shepherd their creations.

At the end of this process, some projects are deemed worthy of consideration for an award.  These are the projects that the architect believes have gone beyond the standard outcome to deliver delight, technical excellence and functionality and enrich the built environment in ways that other projects do not.  They have achieved that alchemic convergence of engaged client, resonance with the environment, design clarity, technical resolution and consistency of team endeavour to result in something truly special.

Why then do some architects present these projects in terms of ‘what we have tried to achieve’; ‘what we think we have done’?  Why do they come clearly unrehearsed and spend a significant amount of their allotted time talking about the site conditions prior to the project or the things that did not work rather that highlighting the aspects of the project that make it, in their opinion, worthy of an award?  And if they do this in the context of the awards, how do they communicate to other audiences?

So here are my top tips for presenting:

• Understand your audience and what they are interested in. If in doubt read the ‘brief’ and make sure that you are responding to it.
• Prepare yourself. Present to colleagues, friends and family prior to the event to make sure that you can impart the key information fluently, with conviction and within the allotted time. 
• If more than one person is presenting, make sure you know who is saying what. Don’t interrupt each other.
• Make sure that you have reviewed the audiovisual content BEFORE you present it.
• Don’t include every image you think you might need – be selective and chose those that best illustrate your key achievements. If you have more than one image per 20 seconds you will run short of time and loose the opportunity to present crucial information.  You will also give your audience motion sickness as you race through the end of your presentation.
• Remember that you know more about the project than anyone else in the room. Providing you have selected your images well and rehearsed you should not need to read from notes but will be able to speak naturally about your work.  You might even be able to make eye contact with the audience.
• Use images of the project outcome to illustrate how you have responded to site conditions, exceeded expectations, enhanced performance and maximised value. Minimise images of pre-existing conditions and plans.
• It’s OK to express your pride in the success of the outcome and to highlight how you have achieved excellence.

Of course there were may people who presented with great flair to the juries.  This serves to highlight that a compelling, well prepared presentation is a great asset.  It also provides some valuable learning opportunities for other architects and leaves a great impression with the public audience members. 

So keep doing great work and honing your communications skills.  We look forward to seeing you at next year’s jury presentations, either as compelling advocates for your projects or as interested observers who are interested in learning more about the work being produced in SA and the best ways to present it.

‘Anthony Balsamo is awarded the 2017 National Emerging Architect Prize in recognition of his significant contribution to the profession through design excellence, education and industry leadership.

In 2004 Balsamo co-established the New Architects Group to provide support to young professionals. This was subsequently formalized by smaller groups nationally, forming what is now EmAGN (Emerging Architects and Graduates Network). Balsamo went on to become the national president of EmAGN and has most recently served as a councillor for the Institute’s South Australian Chapter. Balsamo was a co-creative director of the Festival of Architecture and Design. He is a current board member of ArtSembly and the creator of Design Festival in association with the Adelaide City Council. These contributions have been balanced with design teaching at the University of Adelaide.

Balsamo is very deserving of the National Emerging Architect Prize. His work highlights the contribution that individuals make within larger practices and across many realms, and he has defined himself as a current and future leader within the industry.’ – Jury Citation

9 April 2018

 

Hello! Well March proves to be the month of on-ness with the Vic Architecture Awards Presentation to the Juries, Melbourne Design Week, the university year commencing and lots of lovely weather to continue enjoying.

 

WE ARE PROFESSIONALS AND ALWAYS LEARNING
Over the past month I have been exposed to many statements, opinions and questions. Two that have hit home are “what do we get for our membership” and “you are a volunteer”.

These two questions/statements are inextricably connected.

Applying the word volunteer to those who are involved in a member’s organisation providing a professional service and yet not paid is a statement of fact. However, if I was to consider my involvement with the Institute simply as a one-way street providing my time to a cause that I may only gain a sense of fulfilment for ‘helping out’ then I suspect I would struggle to participate in the capacity that I do.

The time that we give to the Institute in many ways should be defined as professional contribution and regarded as professional development i.e. being part of a collegiate network.

We call upon many people within the industry for their expert advice and senior counsel. These experts have been reliant upon a community of peers who belong to an industry that is framed and supported by the Institute. There is also a large sector of the membership who are growing within the industry and utilise the Institute as a support network, an organisation which they are able to learn from their peers and ultimately as a collective improve the way in which they practice within the industry. The awards program also provides great opportunity for members to be directly engaged with becoming a jury member. Amongst other benefits, participation offers exposure to the most current projects within the state and establishing friendships within the jury teams.

This professional contribution therefore provides a two-way street.

What do I get for my membership/money?

This is tricky as what you get for your money as an individual may appear insignificant in material terms. However in order to feel a sense of belonging and to support the industry body that represents you might make more sense. This is a collective investment.

I first joined the Institute based on the fact that you can’t criticise something unless you are part of it.

Like anything, being part of an organisation or an endeavour to further educate yourself, shouldn’t mean expecting things to be done for you. What you give is what you get in return and vice versa.

Supporting the key body that supports our industry is fundamental in allowing for an inclusive and collegiate environment to be fostered.

If you feel that something is not right then we would encourage you to get involved to assist with making change. This is the only way evolution occurs and we thank those to date who have dedicated their time to shaping our industry.

 

LARGE PRACTICE FORUM
Small and Medium Practice Forums have been flourishing over the years providing a supportive network where sharing in order to generate a collective united front is empowering individuals, practices and the industry. This is what the Institute supports.

The stakes are clearly higher in large practice and therefore the inclination to ‘share’ is a little more problematic.

Novation however is a collective issue being faced by the industry at large with between 90-98% of the projects being procured in large practice through this method.

It is acknowledged that there are advantages with novation but there are growing concerns that the industry and procurement method are being eroded through general lack of understanding and blind sightedness. This is driven by perceived speed and cost savings associated with the process. This ultimately is not going to produce the best outcomes for all parties involved. It is a short term solution to what will become a long term problem.

The forum have agreed to a collective push to established an Institute policy document that addresses these issues in order to find ways to collectively better manage the process to achieve better built outcomes.

There is education that needs to occur across many sectors of the industry including the finance and legal industry. Cultural and contractual changes need to occur. With focused, collective knowledge this will assist with making much needed change.

 

BADS REVIEW
This month we met with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) to present them with a review paper – one year on Better Apartment Design Standards.

It is acknowledged that the Institute welcomes the standards within a saturated sector of the industry in much need of reform. However it is also acknowledged that with any new standards unintended consequences will occur. A number of issues have arisen resulting in a series of recommendations that we are keen to work through with the government.

Thank you to Chapter Councillor’s Tim Leslie and Karen Alcock for their time and contribution in establishing this response. Thank you also to the contributing practices who provided input for the review document.

 

2018 ARCHITECTURE AWARDS
After a successful Presentation to the Juries weekend, site visits will be taking place this month.

Thank you to Jason Stanton, Ruth White and all of the staff at the Victorian Chapter for all of their efforts to date.

On behalf of the Institute and the Awards Committee thank you to the jury members for their dedication to the cause. As we had a 20% increase this year in submissions from 2017 we appreciate that this then translates to a greater work load for the jurors. We are all looking forward to hearing the results of their deliberations at the end of June.

 

JILL GARNER
I would like to congratulate Jill Garner who was elevated this month to Life Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects in honour of her outstanding contribution to the advancement of the profession through her professional and considered approach to Design as Victorian Government Architect. Also, as the Chair of Victorian Design Review Panel, Jill has served the profession and community by her promotion of quality design within government, who are the largest procurer of buildings and infrastructure in Victoria.

 

PIA/AILA
The Institute met with PIA and AILA this month to establish a monthly catch up and cross pollination between organisations.

Strength in numbers. A collective voice.

 

Have a great month.

Amy Muir
Victorian Chapter President

 

3 April 2018

A good portion of National Council two weeks ago was still focussed on the NSW Chapter’s proposition to roll out the Male Champions of Change programme nationally across the Institute.

In preparation of this case there was a fair amount of supporting documentation which made for interesting reading and can be summarised with my own personal lens of clarity into three main themes:

• Architects are generally inclusive people who appreciate and support diversity in the rank and file and more broadly in society
• However within our own, the higher levels of leadership significantly lose diversity
• The problem will not be solved by focussing on one side of the equation

I’ve written about this before and the issues haven’t changed in decades, so I’m not going to do that again. 

What I am going to talk about is that one of the solutions which seems to work is flexibility in work commitments and equality in who chooses to work differently. We know already that flexibility to meet external life demands as well as maintain a working contribution, and the ability to keep ‘in the loop’ for a more significant return to work for those who take greater time is paramount to allowing people to progress their carers in parallel with the rest of their lives. Not having to let one sacrifice the other.

One of the big enablers of this flexibility is technology.

Like me… again sitting by a pool on leave as I write this article… which is a wonderful thing. And it is a wonderful thing if you manage your technology within your life, but it is also not face to face contact.

I was driving to Peregian Beach yesterday listening to commercial radio and they were discussing internet dating which is in some cases a wonderful thing – facilitating people to meet who would not have otherwise. However, apparently 20% of participants are still in some form of existing relationship. Technology has enabled them to actively seek a new reality while someone else still believes another.

It’s harder to believe two realities face to face.

We know that intuitively. We know that feeling when the emails seem to be saying the right thing but it just doesn’t feel right. What we are saying or hearing, is not what we would see or intuit in real life.

We are all creatives who cherish the unique solution, and we know that it is almost always a result of real, mutual understanding and often direct collaboration. 

I’m sure you’ve all had that ‘ah hah’ moment with a client over a bottle of wine, or a mentor with a thick pen in your hand, or clicking in your head in the midsts of long bush walk. Those moments when your realities collide and your humanity finds the answer.

Have you ever had one of those moments on a webcam? 

Maybe…. and we are getting better at making them part of our reality… but for me, they are still a filter to the human experience. 

For me, the future of equality is flexibility. The future of gender balance in leadership will come from gender balance in alternate working arrangements and this will be enabled by technology.

But flexibility and remote are two different things, and working from home has its place, but working together is personal. Sometimes getting ‘in to the office’ brings real logistical and financial impediments for those in flexible arrangements. $25 in parking and a 3 hour round trip for that face to face meeting is not enabling. The meeting needs to happen but when? And where? 

So as we embrace and engage equality through a new format of work, let us remember that facilitating that face to face time in an inclusive and effective way is the bigger challenge than handing out some clever technology to work from home.

Mario Dreosti
SA Chapter President

19 March 2018

The weekend brought a change of government after 16 years. Whatever your political viewpoint this will bring inevitable change. 

Having worked consistently with the outgoing Labor government to improve their understanding of the architecture profession and the ways in which we can build value and support the quality of life and economy of South Australia, the SA Chapter will continue this advocacy with the incoming Liberal government. 

Issues including government procurement, recognition of architects within the planning system as design experts and building understanding of the importance of engaging architects early to develop feasible projects that support IPP objectives are just three of the key discussions that we will continue to develop with ministers, shadow ministers and relevant government departments.

A key facet of our ability to engage with government and advocate for the profession is member participation.  I am very pleased that we have reinstated the SA Practice Committee, which, in concert with Chapter Council and the Planning Reform Task Group, provide significant capacity to respond to requests for feedback and to proactively initiate discussion on a range of topics.  Thanks to those members involved in this way.  If you would like to contribute please let us know sa@architecture.com.au

Nicolette Di Lernia
SA Chapter Executive Director