Paul Viney, new ACA National President
Paul Viney, longtime VIC/TAS President and committed contributor to the ACA National Executive, is the new ACA National President. Susie Ashworth recently sat down with Paul to discuss his time with the ACA, his ambitions as ACA National President, and the future of the profession.
How did you get involved with the ACA?
Originally I was the Victorian Practice Committee Chair at the Australian Institute of Architects and we had made the decision to coordinate our efforts with the ACA. Robert Peck invited me to observe the ACA committee meetings, so I would attend to ensure that the ACA and the AIA weren’t replicating effort. The ACA impressed me, because of its ability to be agile and to turn things around very quickly. I realised that the ACA was a good fit for me, because I could be very effective here and could use my time to try and make a difference.
What do you see as the respective roles of the two professional bodies?
I’m still a member of the Institute and most of our committee members are too. We actively encourage people to be members of both and we see the roles of the two bodies as very different. The Institute is, effectively, the keeper of knowledge and the code of conduct in terms of the profession. The ACA, on the other hand, is the Fair Work representative to represent employers. As an employer organisation, we recognise the gap that exists in the education process for architects in the Business of Architecture and we try to fill that gap. The reality is that you can be a great architect, but unless you’re also good at business, you can’t deliver for clients.
How has the industry changed in the last few years?
The pace of change and disruption in our industry is dramatic. We need to start thinking about new ways of doing work. You can’t just rely upon the old models of architectural practice. Those days are gone. If you’re planning a business to be what it was like 10 years ago, then you’re going to fail. You’ve got to look at new systems and new opportunities and work out what you’re not doing well.
In the profession we’re so bogged down in being the saviors of community and what we don’t understand very well is how do we communicate what good design is – because, to be frank, most of the community doesn’t understand what we’re saying. Architects tend to have a language and a style that they think is unique, but it can seem like hearing the same thing over and over again. We talk in a language that the community doesn’t understand, and therefore we don’t become relevant to the community.
So how do we change that? How do we change the way we are perceived? How do we change the way we work? These are challenges that we are constantly thinking about at the ACA.
How has the ACA changed since you joined?
It’s a completely different organisation. At the beginning it was largely about the industrial awards. It has now become much more active in advocacy, in providing members support, systems, tools, articles, information – and it’s become much more relevant. When I started there were 120 members and now we have 800 practices that are represented. Sustaining the membership is now very much our focus. What’s most important to me is that we maintain our relevance at both ends of town – from the big practices to the medium and the small.
As ACA National President, what are your top three priorities?
One of the key priorities is market segmentation. Our information needs to be relevant to the different practice scales and life cycles of our membership base, acknowledging that the large and small practices require completely different things. It is an ongoing project.
Priority two is making sure that all our resources and information are up-to-date and bulletproof. Practices can rely upon us as the business experts, whether it be an award query, an HR concern or a business advice issue. We need to be the go-to service for all that information. We’re already very strong in this area.
My third priority is advocacy. Our role is the practical voice to government on matters affecting the Business of Architecture. We need to ensure we have a sustainable profession. We need to encourage the best graduates and best students to become part of the profession and to stay within the profession. It’s only by influencing government policy that we will be able to achieve that.
The ACA seeks to collaborate with others to advance the goals and aspirations of the profession. What are your thoughts on the power of collective advocacy?
It’s very important. We need to speak as one voice. I’d like our voice to not just be architects. Our collective voice should be architects, building designers, builders, sub-consultants, subcontractors. It’s about how we work together as an industry. We’re in a situation today where there’s probably the least public confidence in the construction industry in 20 years. We need to improve our standing with the wider public and we need to look at everything we do through the lens of consumer protection.
What we’re aiming for at the ACA is constructive advocacy, rather than destructive advocacy. Anyone can criticise, but how do we contribute to positive policy? How do we contribute in a way that’s going to have a better outcome? And, again, we need to prioritise the consumer focus.
We need to ask ourselves – What are we doing? How are we doing that? Why is it beneficial to the consumer? How can architects add value? And it’s got to be across the board, because otherwise you’re wasting your time.
How is the ACA placed with their advocacy work?
Our state-based advocacy is very strong. In fact, we’re stronger than we’ve ever been. We’re considered to be a positive contributor in several key states, which is crucial. We work on our relationships with relevant state government politicians and officials, and have started to see positive impact.
In Victoria we’ve been working with government, the opposition, the University of Melbourne, other industry leaders and our members, trying to come up with positive outcomes and opportunities. We’ve tried to be as inclusive as possible in the process.
How does the profession need to change?
As architects we can offer a service that is special, that does provide much better outcomes for consumers, but we’re not very good at explaining that to people. So, what is the benefit we offer? And how do we explain that to the consumer? We all need to get better at this.
The industry is being disrupted at a rapid rate. The only certainty is change. Architects need to constantly review their range of services and consider how they can expand what they’re currently doing. What gaps exist in the industry? What relevant skills and knowledge do we have? Is there an opportunity to step in and fill a need within the industry?
Paul is the new ACA National President. He also retains his position as Branch President of the VIC/TAS branch committee. Paul has led the development of a range of tools for the use of ACA members nationwide, such as the Time Cost Calculator Guide and Salary Calculator to assist members in running effective, efficient and profitable practices. He is committed to facilitating stronger relationships with the government and other key organisations in the construction industry; and working collaboratively with members, educators and other professional bodies to achieve the best outcome for the profession. Paul is a Director of FPPV Architecture, Melbourne and JAI Architecture, Thailand, and has a special interest in the social conscience of architecture.