The start of the year is often a time of change and renewal.  For the SA Chapter of the Institute this means a number of things.

Firstly, we have a new Chapter Council and President.  Joining the Council in 2017 are Sarah Paddick and Simon Best.  They already contribute in a number of ways and we look forward to having them involved in the Council.  Incoming President Mario Dreosti has also been an active member over many years and his extensive practice experience and engagement with professional bodies, government and stakeholders will enable him to be a highly effective advocate for the profession, particularly as we head into the election next year.

We extend our sincere thanks to outgoing Councillors Sally Bolton, Sean Humphries, David Brown, Leah Salamon, Eddie Lukac and Steve Grieve and thank them for the contributions they have made to the Institute and the profession.  Their departure leaves three vacant positions on the Council and we are working to fill these places soon so that we can operate at full capacity.

We also acknowledge the incredible energy, passion and intelligence that David Homburg has brought to the role of Chapter President over the last two years.  He has been instrumental in fostering productive relationships with government bodies and the community at a time of ongoing change.  This has greatly assisted the profession in being viewed as a valued contributor to a number of issues including planning reform, local content and government procurement.  David has also championed the role of architects in strategic decision making, highlighted the role of design as the connector between people and technology and advocated for early engagement to maximise the benefit that architects’ unique set of skills can deliver.

The second change has been in our Major State Sponsor.  As noted last week the SA Chapter has enjoyed a productive relationship with Fielders over many years.  However, in 2017 we welcome Revolution Roofing as our new Major State Sponsor.  We look forward to working with them across a broad range of programs over the next five years and beyond.  The Revolution Roofing team are already actively engaging with a number of programs, so please make them welcome.

Finally, the SA Chapter has reviewed all of our programs so that we can direct our resources effectively and maximise benefit to the full spectrum of our members.  Programs including Co-opertition, EmAGN and SONA have a refocused and re-energised scope in 2017.  The Academic Practice Forums, ArchiEd, STEM forums and Architecture on Show are also continuing this year.  All provide valuable perspectives on architectural practice, explore our ability to add value in different contexts and expand the understanding of those outside the profession regarding what we do.

If this has resulted in some members receiving an unusually high volume of Comms, we apologise.  The aim is not to overwhelm but to make sure that members are aware of the many and varied opportunities that exist to participate.  We look forward to your doing just that.