ACA - Qld/NT Update

20 March 2017

The ACA – Qld/NT has already hosted two of its monthly events for the year, with a series of site visits, roundtables and lunch forums still to come.

Event calendar

The full event program is now available – put the dates in your diary now!

The Future

On 7 February, the ACA – Qld/NT presented ‘The Future’ with Queensland’s recently registered architects. Held at the Interface Showroom in Fortitude Valley, this year’s event featured the introduction and recognition of six newly registered architects.

Paul Curran from Push introduced Alex Hipgrave

David Porgand from Peddle Thorp introduced Kirsten Landsberry

Ray Giarola from Giarola Architects introduced Rex Lin

David Frost from Cottee Parker introduced Madelaine McCombe

Michael Lavery from m3architecture introduced Chloe Naughton

Carl Brooks from ABM Architects introduced Dale Partridge

Always a time of fun and celebration, the event was very well attended, and both the ACA and Interface gave gifts to the newly registered architects to mark their achievement.

As part of the event, Matt Sims, Region Manager from Interface, gave an inspiring presentation about Interface’s involvement with the Net-Works program, in which old marine nets are purchased from fishing villages in the Philippines and then recycled into yarn that can then be converted into carpets. The idea is to restore the environment but also to give disadvantaged communities the chance to make extra income and have access to community banks.

In addition, architect Michael Lavery shared his thoughts on the role of the contemporary architect, celebrating design, and observations from the Australian Institute of Architects awards program.

Industrial relations

On 28 February, the ACA’s industrial adviser Michael Corrigan gave his annual industry update, covering changes to the Architect’s Award and other relevant news from the Fair Work Commission.

Education roundtable

Then, on 14 March, ACA – Qld/NT held a special committee meeting that focused on the education of students of architecture and current issues faced by practices due to graduates’ lack of knowledge. Issues covered included APE exams, employability of graduates, and how these issues can be addressed and improved. Industry guests included:

Ian Hamilton – AACA

Dr Chris Landorf / Shawn Godwin – UQ/Institute Practice Committee

Lindy Osbourne / Sarah Briant – QUT/Institute Education Committee

Leigh Shutter – Griffith/Institute Education Committee

Site visits

Site visits are an important part of the events program for ACA – Qld/NT, with an average of four a year. Always popular, the focus of these visits is to explore the project from a business point of view, with the presenter sharing their experiences on how they approached and delivered the project. It’s a great opportunity for members to share knowledge about topics such as collaboration and joint partnerships, managing documentation and contracts, and how to approach and work with government.

Next up for the ACA – Qld/NT will be its first site visit of the year on 21 March at Churchie’s new $22 million Centre for Learning and Innovation, presented by Brand and Slater Architects.