The entries are in, juries announced and architects across South Australia will be honing their presentation skills for Saturday 24^th March.

This year we are making a day of it with closure of Leigh Street and a welcome to all of you and your friends to come and experience architecture as it is presented by its authors.

Presentations will be occurring in ODASA and also in the Institute with the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality and sign up for a Modernist Adelaide walking tour as you stroll through Leigh Street between the two venues.

As an architect, what better way to hone your presentation skills than by watching your contemporaries present and explain their finest work. It will be a day of celebration of our profession and of those projects where clients, architects and project teams have aligned to make positive contributions to our community.

Positive contribution will also be a focus this year in consideration of the awards process.

Two years ago Vanessa Bird as President of the Institute in Victoria suggested a theme for their awards to be ‘public benefit to communities’.

This year we will be doing the same.

In a year when we will receive many pre and post-election announcements of infrastructure opportunities and where we are seeing the commencement of some significant projects in both public and private sectors, it is fitting that we consider architecture in the context of what benefit it can bring to our communities beyond its basic brief.

This Thursday at the Jury briefing breakfast I will be suggesting to our jurors that they consider projects in the context of the additional value they offer which reaches further than their direct stakeholders. Those presenting projects should think about the moves they made which were not necessary but added public benefit, and our citations will celebrate these extra contributions to our community.

We know that while architecture is commissioned with a site specific focus it is in our training to think more broadly and this year we will publicise the fact that we can turn focussed investment into a wider benefit simply through our professional skills as architects.

Mario Dreosti
SA Chapter President
Managing Director Brown Falconer

26 February 2018

I wanted to update you on the goings-on within the Vic Chapter as there has been quite some activity in the first two months of the year.

The Vic Chapter’s response to the draft Fishermans Bend Framework was one of 242 submissions to the Planning Review Panel and will be followed by a presentation in support of our written submission at a public hearing on March 2. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Chapter Councillors Kim Irons and Rosemary Burne who have devoted many hours of work in compiling our presentation on behalf of our members. We look forward to updating you with further information and activities as they become available. If you have not already viewed our written submission, you can access it here.

On Thursday 22nd Feb, incoming Vic Chapter President Amy Muir issued a media release which can be accessed here.

In other Chapter activities, the Large Practice Forum has been relaunched with the first session of the year being an open invitation to all large practices around the topic of Novation. Thanks to Chapter Councillor Tim Leslie for his commitment in putting together a framework that will aim to rival the successes of the already established Small and Medium Practice Forums.

On February 13th, the Institute joined with AILA and PIA to support Open House Melbourne in hosting a public debate regarding the December announcement that Federation Square’s Yarra Building would be demolished to make way for a ‘flagship’ Apple store. The depth of feeling and public attention surrounding this topic ensured that the event sold out within days. If you were not able to attend in person, the event was recorded and can be accessed here.

In ‘41X’ news, did you know we have a dedicated member’s area on Level 1 that you can use? If you are in the CBD and in need of a place to meet or a (relatively!) quiet area to work, please come on in, make yourself a brew and enjoy the space.

And last but not least in Vic staffing news, we have welcomed Kelsey Calder in the role of Membership and Events Coordinator. Kelsey’s role will include administering the SONA and EmAGN initiatives as well as awards support and other Chapter events. For those that have had the pleasure of working with Sanja Novakovic on CPD related activities, I’m sure you will join me in congratulating Sanja who has broadened her role to include managing our state corporate partners.

Ruth White

Victorian Executive Director

Change over time is one of life’s few constants.  As an organisation representing thousands of members, all of whom operate in an evolving environment, the Institute has a responsibility to adapt to the changing needs and preferences of its membership. 

The SA Chapter delivers a range of programs for members, all of which rely on member engagement at some level to operate.  As member interest, activities and commitments change over time, so do the programs we provide.

The Awards program, which is up and running for another year, is dependent on members entering and participating in juries.  The Jury selection process is being finalised this week and we have been very pleased with the range of entries and the response to the call for jurors. 

We also remind all our members that the jury presentations, which will be held on Saturday 24 March, are open to anyone who is interested – architects, students, allied professionals, family and the public.  To increase public participation this year and grow the impact of the awards program beyond the profession we are organising a range of activities centred on Leigh St.  We invite you all to come along, have something to eat and drink, catch up with colleagues and friends and find out more about some of the outstanding projects recently completed in SA.  More information about the other activities will be revealed soon.

It has also had a very pleasing response to the call for members to nominate for the vacant Chapter Council seat.  Chapter Council is the core Institute body, shaping the activities and programs that we engage in.  In recent times this has lead to an increase in advocacy and activities that promote public awareness.  Thanks to all who indicated their interest in being involved.  If you are not voted onto Chapter Council this year then we look forward to working with you in other ways.

CPD is another core activity involving members.  Quality CPD offerings are only viable if we have sufficient attendance to cover the cost of delivering well prepared and presented content.  CPD has changed over time with product presentations no longer a priority for members and knowledge of current regulatory, contractual and procurement methodologies increasingly important.  With Minister Mulligan commencing the procedure to include mandatory CPD in the registration act, there will be an increased need for architects to engage with CPD in a more structured way.  The Institute looks forward to working with members to develop and deliver programs that meet this need.

However, the SA Chapter is currently reviewing the viability of two programs this year as a result of falling member engagement. 

The first is the Student Awards Project, where groups of students design and construct an installation for the awards venue with support from graduates and architects.  It provides students with the valuable experience of translating a design concept into a constructed outcome.  In addition, it gives students exposure to members of the profession as well as product manufacturers and suppliers.  Finally, the project adds to the atmosphere at the awards presentation dinner and in some years results in installations that can be used into the future. At the time of writing there is only one architect signed up to participate in the program.  Without more we will not be able to run the Student Awards Project in 2018.

The second is the Student Mentor Program, where students are paired with an architect and meet at regular intervals to discuss university assignments, what to expect post-graduation and any other topic of interest in between.  This program has been operating for three decades and has been a positive experience for many students and practitioners.  However, we are finding it increasingly challenging to get practitioners involved.  If the response to the call out this year is as low as it was in 2017 we will not continue to run it after this year.  The viability of this program also impacts on the proposed intergenerational mentor program currently under consideration by Chapter Council.

It is of concern that the two programs under review are ones that benefit and engage students, who are the future of our profession.  Today’s architecture students have limited opportunities to experience and engage with the profession prior to graduation.  These experiences help to round out students’ formal education and make them more aware of the skills they need to develop to make the transition from university to practice.  While the internship programs offered by both universities address this, they are available to a limited number of students each year.  The programs offered by the Institute broaden the opportunities and provide different mechanisms for students to engage and learn. 

If these two programs are no longer viable the SA Chapter will explore other opportunities to support student members.  It’s all about moving with the times.

Should you wish to participate in either of these activities please email sa@architecture.com.au

Nicolette Di Lernia
SA Chapter Executive Director

12 February 2018

Welcome back to another busy year. This is my last message as President as I begin the handover to Amy Muir who will be Victoria’s fourth woman President. It’s a great time to be involved with many long-planned national initiatives to be realised this year. I encourage you all to find ways to be involved, either by Entering the Awards which close on Wednesday 14 February, or by joining a committee or forum such as the Small, Medium or Large Practice Forum, or the EmAGN Forum. We are only as strong as those involved. I’ve enjoyed meeting and working with so many of our active members who give of their time and expertise generously. I also thank so many of you for supporting my successful election to National Council.

Rosemary Burne and Kim Irons led a submission to the Fishermans Bend Planning Review Panel in December last year, which I encourage you to read here. They will also present it to Planning Panels in March with an expert Q+A panel including Peter Elliott, Ian McDougall and Shelley Penn.

The sold-out public debate on Apple in Federation Square, designed to allow greater transfer of information will be live streamed by Open House on Facebook from 6pm Tuesday 13 February. Read an earlier article here, and one by Prof Don Bates here.

Congratulations to both Kerstin Thompson and Francesca Davenport who have been elevated to Life Fellow for their notable contribution to the advancement of the profession. Brief extracts of their citations that were read at the Life Fellows Past Presidents Lunch can be seen here.

Congratulations also to Tony Lee awarded the 2017 President’s Prize for his 10-years of leadership of the Robin Boyd Foundation. The Prize was awarded at the End of Year Party and the citation can be read here.

I welcome our new and returning Chapter Councillors Rosemary Burne, Thom McKenzie, Keith Westbrook, Jocelyn Chiew and Ian Briggs who join us next month under Amy’s presidency. I sincerely thank outgoing Immediate Past President Peter Malatt for his tremendous contribution to the Institute and his generous assistance to me. I also thank outgoing Councillors Adam Pustola, Fiona Winzar and SONA rep Gina Engelhardt for their contribution especially on the Editorial Committee, the Sustainable Architecture Forum and for forthcoming opinions and friendship. Wishing you all a constructive and fulfilling year.

Vanessa Bird
Vic Chapter President