NSW Chapter President, Andrew Nimmo
18 December 2017

Advocacy: Sydney Modern and the Greater Sydney Commission

Last week we made public submissions on two key projects in NSW. The first was in relation to the DA Submission for the Sydney Modern. I am sure you will all agree with me in saying that we hope for an exceptional building. In our submission we once again committed our support for the process which led to the appointment of the design team. You can read our submission here.

We have also been reviewing the work of the Greater Sydney Commission, who in October released the Draft Greater Sydney Region Plan and Draft District Plans for comment. These are weighty documents which chart a promising future for Our Greater Sydney – if we deliver them. In our joint submission with AILA, we made a number of recommendations, which you can read here.

My thanks to the Built Environment Committee and the staff for their work in pulling these submissions together. Advocacy is a key plank of the new strategic direction for the Institute, and we need the contributions of both members and staff if we are to succeed in our objective.

Awards 2018

The awards season is upon us again. The Awards committee recently reviewed the EOIs received from members and I believe that we have assembled an excellent cross section of jurors with the skills and qualifications to fulfil this important role of peer review. It is worth remembering that the Australian Institute of Architects Awards continue to be the benchmark awards procedure in Australia. The calendar is crowded with a range of architecture, urban design and interior design awards programs – but not all are equal. The Institute’s Awards format remains the benchmark because it represents the most rigorous program of them all. It is one of the few programs where every project that receives an award has been physically inspected by the jury. We all know that beautiful photographs, graphics and a polished presentation can convince many that a project is worthy. But architectural space and its cultural contribution can only ever be truly appreciated and evaluated when it is actually visited. Good luck with your entries, and if you win an award, or are even shortlisted, then you should be proud of your achievement and tell everyone about it.

NSW State Design Review Panels

I would like as many members as possible to apply to become members of the pilot NSW State Design Review Panels (SDRP). Following on from the launch of the state policy document ‘Better Placed’, and the inclusion of ‘Good Design’ as an object within the amended EP&A Act – this is our chance to help design excellence to become a central consideration in the planning process in NSW. The SDRP will comprise 25 independent members who will be called upon to form panels with expertise in different types of development, and I have no doubt our members can provide the diversity of experience and professional insight required. A briefing for prospective applicants will be held at Tusculum on Thursday morning, with a video of the event also available shortly afterwards via the GANSW website.