CEO Report – October 2024
As we close off the renewal period for another year, I’d like to thank all our members who continue to be part of the ACA’s community. With a challenging year behind us, we look forward to what the next holds, as the changing landscape of the built environment continues to throw curve balls and opportunities. Whilst we exist to support your practice, your support enables us to work hard for the betterment of the broader profession. It’s that type of collaboration and collective agency that gives us a powerful base from which to serve you as the voice for architectural practices.
ADVOCACY
With the increasing number of issues affecting the profession over the past year, we have taken on a much more active role in advocating and influencing policy at both State and National levels. In NSW our team, led by our advocacy spokesperson Stephen Pearse, has been busy engaging with the NSW Building Commissioner, the NSW Architects Registration Board, the Association of Architectural Schools of Australasia, Consult Australia, ArchiTeam and the Australian Institute of Architects to address the concerns of the proposed Building Bill, calling for significant refinements to protect the integrity of the architectural profession and ensure optimal outcomes for consumers and the built environment. Your feedback was and continues to be instrumental as we strengthen our position and turn this into an opportunity to better our profession. The impact of this Bill is wide-ranging, not just for NSW, but for other States across the nation.
In Victoria, the focus of the Cladding Safety Report was disappointing. While acknowledging the seriousness of the issues in the Report, the ACA emphasises that architects have been disproportionately blamed for a problem that stems from complex, systemic failures across the entire construction industry and offered recommendations for reform and stronger consumer protection.
Meanwhile, the re-introduction of the once deferred WA Medium Density Code did not happen through sheer luck. It was a result of relentless lobbying by the ACA WA Committee together with other key players, such as the WA Local Government Association, the Australian Institute of Architects, the Planning Institute and bodies in the residential housing market to build a case for reform. This could not have been possible without the help of members throughout the advocacy campaign.
There are many more examples of course, but what I want to underline is the power of collaboration and listening carefully to different perspectives and the needs of our members, government and industry partners in building the case for advocacy. Being the voice of reason is not easy, but we are learning that no authority is going to take our position seriously if we don’t provide meaningful solutions to challenging problems. Advocating for the value of architecture is not about professional protectionism. Instead, it’s all about consumer protection and that has to be our primary motivation to get the best outcomes.
We don’t have all the answers, so we are continually seeking advice from experts. Later this month I will facilitate a webinar on this very topic with two communications experts with many years experience advocating for the profession. Lindy Johnson and Rachael Bernstone will share their top tips on how we as a group can advocate meaningfully for maximum impact. As architects are increasingly called to advocate for better design and public safety, this session will help you unlock your advocacy potential.
I am also delighted that Michael Smith, Director at ACA member practice andever, is campaigning for a seat in the upcoming City of Melbourne elections. To influence public policy and legislation, we need architectural expertise in public roles. We interviewed Michael this month about his aspirations and goals. As Michael points out, if we band together to support the advocacy of others, collectively we can be powerful in making change. Good luck, Michael!
INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT
Still on the topic of industry collaboration, I recently attended the prefabAUS conference and Smart Building Industry Awards, and was delighted to be a judge on these inaugural Awards, marking a significant milestone in the prefabricated building space.
The ACA is keen to explore how prefab and the architecture profession can interact more as we strive towards building excellence. A thought-provoking line-up of speakers provided insights and advice on the future of Modern Methods of Construction. They included former NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler OAM, prefabAUS CEO Damien Crough, CEO of the Building Designers Association of Australia Chris Knierim, ABCB CEO Gary Rake, and ACA member and Director of DAS Studios Dino Vrynios. They discussed the housing accord and highlighted the importance of meaningful collaboration between the players in construction, with architects an integral part of that chain. There was a call out for Governments to be cautious about leading the public into risks that are not clear. Consumer protection – the ultimate goal!
I’ve often commented that the architecture profession is too small for us to be doing our own thing by ourselves independently. We need to harness the power of collaboration for better outcomes. With this in mind, the ACA will continue to listen, learn, communicate and connect with the broader community in the built environment wherever possible.