The Business of Architecture*

On 29 August, the ACA – QLD/NT Committee will conduct an important forum covering the architects' role, skills and management, fragmentation of the procurement process and fee-cutting.

Join the ACA – SA Committee on 27 August for their annual Business of Design presentation and lunch, with special guest speaker Kerstin Thompson.

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.

The ACA – VIC/TAS Committee is delighted to announce a special free event on 27 August in Melbourne, which will explore the benefits of instigating a culture of social responsibility into architectural practice.

Angelina Pillai reviews a very busy couple of months of advocacy and activity in the branches.

Recruiting the right people and then managing them well is essential to the success of your practice. Merilyn Speiser offers a guide to getting the HR fundamentals right.

Hundreds of Australian architects have signed up to the Architects Declare movement, which aims to raise awareness of the climate crisis and the urgent need for action in the built environment.

For Sydney-based Aileen Sage, early collaborations with artists, academics, innovators, larger architectural practices and other consultants have opened up a diversity of projects and opportunities.  

The Architects Mental Wellbeing Toolkit offers simple practical advice to individuals and practices on coping with the stresses of an increasingly pressured profession. 

The SA branch's latest roundtable covered the successes and pressures of running a small business. Mario Dreosti recaps the main points.

Do you have partners in your business? Have you got a safety net in place in case disaster strikes? Planned Cover’s Sherren Hepburn explores the benefits of partnership protection insurance.

Did you know that 1 in 10 PI claims brought against architects are because of a ‘slip and fall’? Informed by Planned Cover is offering ACA members a special discounted rate for a Slip Resistance webinar on 12 September.

The BMF announcement to adopt a consistent national approach to reform in the Australian construction industry is welcome news. 

The release of the Victorian Cladding Taskforce Final Report and associated program of work is welcomed by the ACA, but the Federal Government must also take action to ensure a unified national approach.

In the wake of the Opal Tower debacle, Michael Hegarty explores the role of the Clerk of Works, and the need to return this key project role to Australian construction sites.

Five industry groups have issued a call for co-ordinated, nation-wide action on building regulation. The ACA supports this call, and is part of it through membership of the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF).  

The government must act now to ensure the design and construction of safe, well-constructed buildings and to restore public trust in Australia’s built environment.

The ACA Salary Calculator provides architectural practices with a clear methodology for determining the appropriate award-compliant salaries. Now updated to 2019–20 rates.