Pitching Social Housing Ideas
Verity Campbell offers a recap of her recent ArchiPitch event, which featured seven architectural practices pitching big ideas to a panel of social housing experts.
How do we realise Victoria’s need for 12,000 social houses in the A$5.4 billion ‘Big Housing Build’ over the next four years? At Melbourne Design Week recently, architects and social housing sector leaders came together to dream big at ArchiPitch for Social Housing of the Future. Seven architectural practices had just three minutes each to pitch to a panel of social housing experts, with feedback given in front of a live audience.
ArchiPitch demonstrates the crucial role communications plays in transmitting ideas to achieve audience buy-in. Great leadership, great change, needs great communications. Each of the practices took a unique approach to their pitches and the visual standard was uniformly high. That said, the strict time limit proved challenging for some, highlighting the importance of practising and keeping on message. The panel also noted a tendency for pitchers to focus on past projects and experience, rather than embracing the opportunity for transformative leadership. The importance of keeping it simple and transmitting just one or two key messages that truly resonate with the audience was also a challenge for some pitchers.
Alysia Bennett (top left) from Cumulus Studio and Monash University was named winner. Alysia’s pitch – “would you want to live here?” – was a simple yet compelling call-to-action that resonated with all panellists. Cumulus Studio’s recently completed Goulburn Street Housing project in Hobart was both an apt and well-timed example through which Alysia successfully communicated her vision.
Congratulations Alysia, and all ArchiPitch pitchers: Danielle Pacella, JCB; Karla Martinez, FMSA Architecture; Sophie Dyring, Schored Projects; Davin Smith, Taut; Katherine Sundermann, MGS; and Tim Hill, Tandem Design Studio.
We will be uploading a recording of the event in the coming weeks to veritycampbell.com.au.
The ArchiPitch 2021 lineup of pitchers.
Verity Campbell is the Director of Verity Campbell Communications, which presented ArchiPitch. The event was supported by the ACA, Seesaw Studio, NewMac Video Agency, Zenith Interiors and the Built Environment Channel.