Business of Design Recap
In mid-August, WA members gathered at Double Rainbow at The Rechabite for the ACA’s annual Business of Design Lunch, featuring speaker Adrian Fini, Founder of Hesperia, and celebrated developer and patron of art and design. Over a delicious Asian-inspired banquet, Fini shared an insight into his work and thoughts about the city of Perth.
We can’t share much of what he said – because Chatham House Rules – but his presentation was thought-provoking and occasionally provocative. It was refreshing to hear a developer speak so passionately about the environment and sustainability. Fini stated that the city should be an arbiter of change, signalling to everyone else the importance of a strong environmental vision.
In terms of his own work, Fini stated that he aims to deliver “projects that I can drive my kids past”. It was an honest and honourable ambition, and given his leadership on projects such as the redevelopment of the State Buildings, it looks like he’s succeeding. Interestingly, Fini argued that in his view, each Local Government Authority should have an architect on staff (a point that the ACA shares and has been raising in our recent meetings with government).
Ultimately, city and town centres need a strong vision and consolidated plan in order to compete with the continuing rise of suburban shopping centres. In Fini’s view, great cities are created by people in bureaucratic authority who have held those positions for a long time. Change requires long-term vision making, unimpeded by the flux of election cycles.
Images: Dan MacBride