ACA Summer Reading & Listening List

8 December 2022

Australian summers, with their long country drives, plane rides and days at the beach, provide the perfect opportunity to read or listen to a great podcast. To get you in the holiday mood, we’ve compiled a list of reading material, courses and podcasts recommended by ACA staff and committee members around the country. Enjoy!

Professional Ethics Micro-Credential – Angelina Pillai

One of the highlights of the year for ACA CEO, Angelina Pillai, was attaining a Professional Ethics Micro-Credential through an online course with DEAKINCo: “I loved it because I have realised more about myself professionally than I could ever imagine. Ethical behaviour, professionally or otherwise, should be a given, and it should form every fibre of our being. But, sometimes it doesn’t happen that organically or naturally, so we need prompts. Prompts to make sure we are on the right track and if we’re not, then we need to question our own integrity. This course helped me with that realisation.”

Voice to Parliament – Emma Brain

ACA WA Executive Officer, Emma Brain, is contributing to the development of the ACA’s first Reconciliation Action Plan and is a supporter of the reforms outlined in the Uluru Statement of the Heart. With a referendum likely to be held next year, it’s critical that all voting Australians educate themselves about the Voice to Parliament and its implications for First Nations people. This training series is a great place to start.

Podcasts & Books – Michael Lewarne

NSW/ACT Committee Member, Michael Lewarne, is always across the best materials to build your business capability. These are some of his current favourite podcasts and books:

D.Sharp Office Talk

Dave Sharp describes his podcast as a great excuse to have conversations with architects about their businesses, work and lives.

In Detail

Hosted by ACA WA Committee Member Kate FitzGerald, Warwick Mihaly and Mick Moloney, In Detail goes behind the scenes of creative business and promises a laugh along the way.

Teamistry by Atlassian

An Atlassian podcast that looks past front-page headlines to discover the untold stories of teams behind the scenes, who joined together to do what could never be done alone.

WorkLife with Adam Grant

Organisational psychologist Adam Grant takes you inside the minds of some of the world’s most unusual professionals to explore the science of making work ‘not suck’. From learning how to love criticism to harnessing the power of frustration, one thing’s for sure: you’ll never see your job the same way again.

Dare to Lead Brené Brown

Already a bookshelf classic, Dare to Lead outlines Brown’s unique approach to leadership: “we don’t pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don’t see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it with others.”

Architecture Depends by Jeremy Till

Architecture cannot help itself, Till argues in this engaging, sometimes pugnacious book; its very existence is dependent on things outside itself. Despite claims of autonomy, purity and control, architecture is buffeted by uncertainty and contingency. Circumstances invariably intervene to upset an architect’s best-laid plans. Architecture Depends offers a unique proposal for rescuing architects from themselves!

Architects After Architecture, Edited by Harriet Harriss, Rory Hyde & Roberta Marcaccio

What can you do with a degree in architecture? Where might it take you? What kind of challenges could you address? This book reframes architecture as a versatile way of acting on the world, far beyond designing buildings, through the stories of 40 architects who have used their training in new and resourceful ways.

The Fearless Organisation by Amy C. Edmonson

Queensland Executive Officer, Sharon Knighton, is passionate about creating work environments that promote wellbeing. She recommends that we read The Fearless Organisation – a roadmap for creating psychological safety in the workplace – by Professor Amy C. Edmonson of Harvard Business School.

Books – Harry Hamor

Harry Hamor, NSW/ACT Committee Member, recommends the following with the warning “dry but very informative”!

Construction Contracts by Will Hughes, Ronan Champion & John Murdoch

The best-selling one stop reference for construction contracts.

Successful Contract Administration for Constructors and Design Professionals by Charles Cook

Written in a clear and accessible way from a constructor’s perspective, Successful Contract Administration guides the student through the critical issues of understanding contract law and obligations for effective project execution.

Architecture in a Climate of Change – Sustainable Design by Peter Smith

The latest edition includes new material on wind generation, domestic water conservation, solar thermal electricity as well as international case studies. Architecture in a Climate of Change encourages readers to consider new approaches to building, making minimum demand on fossil-based energy.

CPD Webinars

Lastly, there’s the ACA’s own library of Webinars on Demand. Catch up on what you’ve missed or get a head start on your CPD requirements for the year. The ACA’s library includes informative sessions on everything from finance, marketing, HR, IR and more.