The Business of Architecture*

The recent BES•Tville event in Townsville was a huge success, attracting a diverse audience of 195 people, all eager to hear from speakers Andrew Maynard and Adam Haddow, and facilitator Helen Norrie. Chief organiser Zammi Rohan from Counterpoint Architecture discusses the foundation and objectives of BES•Tville, future plans, and the importance of connection and action in the regions.

After 17 years working in Germany, Damien McQuillan moved back to Port Lincoln in SA to set up his own holistic regional architecture practice, which is committed to client-centred decision-making. Damien’s landscape designer wife Uta Enneking-McQuillan has since joined the cross-disciplinary practice, now renamed E+MQ Design.

Keen to find a space to explore, get his hands dirty and maintain strong involvement in community, Mike Sneyd headed for Kununurra, where he set up as a sole trader in 2019. Today, his bush practice has grown from strength to strength, with two locations (Kununurra and Broome) and a small but growing team.

Brad Hooper is a sole practitioner with a shopfront in the main street of Maldon in regional Victoria. In a town where everyone knows everyone, he is the go-to person for anything from new residential builds to professional advice on heritage overlays and building approvals and even single screen doors. He is embedded in the community and is full of anecdotes and stories peppered with good advice.

Counterpoint Architecture Directors Mark Kennedy and Zammi Rohan sat down with the ACA to share their experience of merging practices, collaboration with practices of varying scales, the joys and challenges of regional practice, and tips for client engagement, choosing projects and making necessary mindshifts around practice.

The small, busy team at Susan Dugdale and Associates have found that reputation and relationships are key when working in a remote regional location like Alice Springs.

As Birrelli celebrates its 25th year in business, Launceston-based architect and former ACA State President Jack Birrell reflects on the challenges and joys of practice on a remote island.

Darwin-based practice Jackman Gooden Architects prides itself on its success in collaborative projects, aligning with other local and interstate architects, specialist consultants and design-oriented building contractors.

Business courses, development programs and mentoring opportunities have helped motivate a reassessment and continual improvement approach for Rosalie Pech Eva.