Advocacy and Agency are two buzz words that are currently in high circulation.  What do they mean for architects and architecture?  Why is it important for architects to be proactive rather than passive when it comes to proposing the future of our built environment?  If we do not engage in this debate and suggest alternative opportunities, who will champion better outcomes?

Collective Agency was the topic of this year’s national conference, which provided two days of thought provoking and, at times, confronting exploration of what role architects should play in advancing cultural, societal and environmental issues.   The suggestion was that architects should be activists for the environment, community and equity and that we are uniquely placed to introduce different perspectives, discuss alternative outcomes and achieve change through our projects.  The questions we ask, the way we engage with clients and our understanding of place are all part of the process by which we can achieve change. 

Much of the discussion centred on recognition of first nations people and their ownership of the land that projects are constructed on.  Respect for the environment, culture and community was explored.  Speakers also shared powerful personal stories which demonstrated the importance of empathy, openness and respect and the need to recognise the individual as well as the collective.

Presentations from Sarah Lynn Rees, Elisapeta Heta and Jeremy McLeod provided strategies for improving engagement and suggested ways forward which were thoughtful, practical and hopeful of a better future.  Poppy Taylor and Matt Hinds discussed their beautifully crafted projects, which are environmentally and culturally empathetic.    These projects demonstrate how architects can add meaning and delight through their work while introducing people to alternative ways of engaging with and viewing place and people. 

FAD19 will also consider how architects can influence thinking and disrupt current practice.  The focus of FAD19 is Ideas of Home – what this means, how we create meaningful places, our relation to place and how we achieve more equitable access to housing.  As we experience increasing density, changing planning regulations, housing affordability and equity issues, environmental change and increasing pressure on heritage, what are architects doing to respond and how can they provide leadership? Should architects simply respond to market forces and client directions or should they propose alternatives and challenge conventions to bring about societal change? 

I am party to many conversations in which architects bemoan their lack of influence and the diminished respect for the profession.  I appreciate that suggesting change and challenging a client to approach their project differently can seem risky and beyond our capacity.  However, by having these conversations we can make incremental steps towards a different future.  Not every conversation will result in immediate action, but it will plant a seed. 

Forums such as the conference and FAD are one way to equip ourselves for these conversations.  They expose us to new ideas, test our preconceptions and stretch our brains.  They also provide an opportunity to celebrate and understand the work of our peers and share this knowledge with the community. 

Are you going to participate in the conversation?

Nicolette Di Lernia
SA Chapter Executive Director