I’m sure those members who attended the Institute’s national conference in Melbourne last week share my sense that it was one of our best ever. It threw up many ideas that challenge our profession to think about our future direction more creatively in the coming years. I certainly want to be part of that conversation.
I’m also pleased to report substantial progress on a number of fronts in the NSW Chapter in recent weeks.
Gender equity
At the end of last month our facilitator, Dr Jess Murphy, and I hosted the first meeting of the Champions of Change program. It was a very good start. Nine interesting men from medium to large practices told a variety of stories about their journeys along the road to gender equity in their practices and in their dealings with professional colleagues. I was struck by the honesty of their stories and the strength of their desire to be an effective champion. I am confident that the camaraderie developed at that meeting will lead to substantial progress in the years ahead.
Higher quality apartment design research project
This exciting project, instigated by the Institute, brings together key architects and experienced researchers from three universities. I’m pleased that Deputy NSW Government Architect Helen Lochhead accepted my invitation to head up this project.
It is all very well for those in the know to talk eloquently about the beneficial impact of good design on the lives of apartment dwellers, but what we need after 13 years of apartment buildings regulated by SEPP 65 is hard data to back up the rhetoric.
If we can match qualitative research with quantitative data we will be able to define ‘amenity’ with metrics based on information from the real world of existing apartments. The effect on community attitudes towards the construction industry could be profound.
The available evidence suggests that well-designed apartments can improve the quality of life of the inhabitants and may lower costs to the government and the community through reduced mental and physical health costs. We need to be able to quantify this improvement and measure the cost savings.
Mentoring program
The revived program was launched last week with over 100 participants. It differs from the previous program in that the mentors and mentees are usually separated in age by only five to 10 years. This means that the mentees can relate to their mentors more easily and can understand that the next career steps are within their reach. It is also mentee-led; the mentee drives the agenda and goal-setting, making it easier for the mentor to provide support and a broader perspective. Thanks to Monica Edwards and Laura Meyer as the energetic drivers of the program, with excellent professional help from Annette Gray of Growth Leadership Solutions.
Chapter Council on the road
The first of our out-of-town Chapter Council meetings was hosted by the Inner West Architects’ Network early this month. This was a great evening that gave the networks the opportunity to ask questions and engage their Council and President in conversation on what they see as the Institute’s priorities, and ideas to strengthen the relationship between the Networks and the Institute. The next of these meetings will be hosted by Hassell, then there’s the Country Division Bathurst conference in September.
Shaun Carter
NSW Chapter President