Innehållsförteckning för September 2022 från Architecture Australia

The past couple of months have been busy, as we’ve come together as chapters to celebrate remarkable achievements in architecture across the country. Gathering has been restricted for so long that I, for one, have really appreciated this opportunity. The pandemic has driven us to work in isolation for longer than we could have imagined, but it’s clear that even physical separation could not stop the architectural community from producing breathtaking works across all genres. I have found myself thinking about the immense legacy we leave as a profession, for both the planet and future generations. The work that we do is a vital part of creating happy, healthy and sustainable future societies. And this means that, as a profession, we carry a burden of responsibility; the built environment we…

The new School of Design and the Built Environment (DBE) at Curtin University is the third architecture school that John Wardle Architects (JWA) has designed over the past two decades. The University of South Australia’s Kaurna Building was the first, in 2006, followed by the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne, in 2015. Together, these three projects describe both the incremental changes occurring in the way architectural education is delivered, and the impacts of different procurement models on built outcomes. Curtin’s old architecture building – or Building 201, as it was affectionately called – was designed by Vin Davies of the Public Works Department in 1969. A monument to brutalism, it sits at the centre of the campus, adjacent to the library. The building’s most public thoroughfare…

There is a contradiction at the heart of our cities’ low carbon aspirations. We need to dramatically reduce the built environment’s greenhouse gas emissions – that much is beyond doubt. But at the same time, we are also building more than ever before. Globally, new construction is equivalent to creating the entirety of Japan’s current floor area every year.1 In Australia, estimates project that 51 percent of the buildings standing in 2050 will have been completed since 2019 – that’s a doubling in just three decades.2 This growth, while generating societal and economic benefits, also has a vast environmental impact. The Australian construction industry is responsible for 18.1 percent of our national carbon footprint, or more than 90 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.3 Part of the problem…

Figure 1. How does the wellbeing of Australian architects compare with that of the overall working population? Architecture practitioners scored lower than the Australian average on the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, which locates an individual’s wellbeing on a scale of 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater wellbeing. Figure 2. How do you rate your wellbeing now in comparison to your wellbeing prior to the pandemic? What is the association between these responses and respondents’ general wellbeing scores? Respondents were asked to compare their wellbeing now to their wellbeing just prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Also shown are the general wellbeing scores of respondents based on how they rated the change in their wellbeing since beginning of the pandemic. In all cases, the average wellbeing score…

“Australian society places a low value on good design, so the fees we can command are never enough to cover the work needed to produce excellent design. As a result, design excellence only happens off the back of architects’ unpaid overtime.”– Female, associate, 36–45 years What did the survey find? Guest editors: The survey revealed a resounding concern about the influence and impact of low fees on wellbeing in the profession, with a strong perception that societal under-valuing of architectural design related to equally undervalued financial investment. Many participants spoke of structural impediments to fair remuneration, namely a “race to the bottom” in fee-undercutting and poor procurement practices that cyclically led to unrealistic deadlines, long hours and overtime, and low pay. Respondents noted an incommensurability between the high levels of…

New South Wales Public Sulman Medal Bundanon by Kerstin Thompson Architects Award Ken Rosewall Arena and Precinct by Cox Architecture Award Walsh Bay Arts Precinct by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects Award Kings Langley Cricket Club and Amenities by Eoghan Lewis Architects Commendations Eric Tweedale Stadium by Design Worldwide Partnership; Church of the Living God by Candalepas Associates Residential Houses — Alterations & Additions Hugh and Eva Buhrich Award North Bondi House by Anthony Gill Architects Award Argyle Well by Welsh and Major Commendations Hidden Garden House by Trias; Iririki by Madeleine Blanchfield Architects; Escarpment House by Virginia Kerridge Architect; Beachalet by Mattr Studio Residential — Multiple Housing Aaron Bolot Award Quay Quarter Lanes – 8 Loftus Street by Studio Bright Award Quay Quarter Lanes – 9-15 Young Street by SJB…

Those of us who have studied architecture all have our own stories to tell of being pushed to the brink, subject to unhealthy levels of stress over sustained periods. On a personal front, the high degree of anxiety I experienced in architecture school was part of the reason that I took a sideways step into architectural publishing. Concern about the wellbeing of architects isn’t new, but evidence hadn’t been gathered until the recent project The Wellbeing of Architects: Culture, identity and practice, led by Naomi Stead and Maryam Gusheh. As part of this project, a large survey was conducted and this issue’s dossier (page 49) outlines some of the findings. The Wellbeing of Architects contextualizes the problem within broader Australian norms – and, to steal the punch line, people working…

The Andrew N. Liveris Building at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus is a bold work of architecture. But is it too bold? Some would say yes. Equally, some would dismiss this project – a joint effort between Lyons and M3 Architecture – as a colourful, seemingly hermetic and anti-contextual building dropped in from outer space (or Melbourne) and wrought with a sensibility that tracks architectural lineages at odds with a Queensland vernacular. If this is your first take, then I would encourage you to park that assessment while you undertake a closer reading. I use “reading” with intention, as the Liveris building is generated by narrative, anecdote and a rich array of overlapping ideas. The practice directors driving the design team, Carey Lyon of Lyons and Michael Banney…

It has long been suspected that we have a problem with mental wellbeing in the Australian architecture profession. But we have lacked conclusive evidence of whether there is a problem and, if yes, what form it takes and what’s causing it. The conversation has been stuck: we thought but weren’t sure, we suspected but didn’t know, we worried but found no way forward. Now, at last, that conversation can finally move on. Evidence collected from a large survey as part of The Wellbeing of Architects project1 reveals that we do have a problem. The erosion of fees and the widening gap between the cost and price of services, alongside poor time and business management in particular socialized and cultured work practices, are having a direct, tangible and measurable human cost.…

What did the survey find? Guest editors: The intersection between wellbeing and the ways in which architectural work is valued emerged very clearly in the survey qualitative responses. In particular, two types of value were underlined: first, the holistic value that architecture provides to society at large (and the implications of its being devalued, undervalued or poorly recognized); and second, the pragmatic value placed on architectural work, in terms of its professional status, the recognition of its real cost, and clients’ willingness to pay. “This profession is being undermined by its own political hierarchy … and an uninformed public sector. The inability for architects to be recognized for the value they bring to a build, a project, a community, a place is such a devastating waste.” – Female, self-employed, 56–65…

What did the survey find? Guest editors: In contemporary Australian society, wellbeing is often discussed in terms of the personal actions that individuals take to preserve their mental and physical health. But our survey respondents overwhelmingly saw the problem of poor wellbeing in architecture in systematic terms, with a general acknowledgement of the effects of structural pressures in the sector and the profession as a whole. Respondents also noted that solutions would need to come from collective action and reform at a profession-wide scale. “We need people who are advocates of good, sustainable, resilient design and who understand that they need to support others within their teams to be their best selves.”– Female, associate, 36–45 years Many respondents called for collective action and vigorous leadership by individual practices and organizations,…

As for many of us, architecture has defined me. An architectural education and experience in practice has refined my creative and analytical skills and shaped my political and social values. But perhaps more than anything else, it has strengthened my cultural understanding of who I am as a person. I am a descendant of Kamilaroi, Dunghutti and Birpai peoples, and Danish and English. My identity has come with wonderful opportunities, many assumptions and plenty of self-reflection. The dossier in this issue, “The Wellbeing of Architects,” prompted me to consider my own experiences in the profession – specifically, circumstances related to my heritage. Conversations I have had with friends in the industry who also identify as Indigenous suggest that we have faced (or are facing) similar challenges through the ongoing journeys…

Emerging from a caravan of masterplans, “cultural ribbons,” policy and regulation, Pier 2/3 joins Wharf 4/5, whose refurbishment was completed in 2020, to become what Infrastructure New South Wales calls “a premium twenty-first-century space for theatre and music performance [that] … will establish Sydney’s reputation as a global player in the arts sector.” 1 Tonkin Zulaikha Greer’s (TZG) reputation as a firm capable of delivering responsive and creative adaptive reuse projects won it the project in 2016. The brief involved ensuring the future of the site as a cultural focal point for Sydney. The overall precinct, including the original Pier 2/3 “finger wharf,” is listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register. The original development, constructed between 1913 and 1920, comprised 10 wharves of cargo sheds. However, post-World War…

Two key findings emerged from The Wellbeing of Architects project survey: that the wellbeing of Australian architectural workers is substantially lower than that of the general working population; and that, rather than flourishing, this community can best be described as languishing. In designing the survey, we drew upon self-determination theory, which links a sense of wellbeing to individual motivation and the satisfaction of “basic psychological needs” – namely, the need for autonomy (a sense of willingness and volition), relatedness (a sense of being bonded, connected and significant to others), and competence (a feeling of being capable and able to effectively fulfil tasks).1 This framework, which has a strong focus on both wellness and agency, along with the conditions that either facilitate or inhibit these experiences, is particularly salient for The…

What did the survey find? Guest editors: While only a relatively small number of survey respondents said that the actual nature of architectural work had affected their wellbeing, far more identified problems with how and when the work must be completed. Some noted a significant erosion of personal time available for commitments outside of work. It is well established that architecture has an entrenched long-hours culture and that practitioners work significant overtime, which is not always fully remunerated. What has not been previously established is the effect that this is having on wellbeing (Figure 7, page 56). Many participants identified a lack of time-management skills – observing that they had not learned these during architectural education, and that they were largely absent from practice environments. Some participants called for the…

The Wellbeing of Architects project substantiates what many already thought: that existing business and work practices in architecture are harmful to the people working in the profession. The survey found that architects have a lower level of subjective quality of life than those working in other sectors and experience elevated levels of psychological distress and higher-than-average levels of burnout. While this research fills an important knowledge gap, it also directs us to systemic and structural factors – business and management practices – that affect the wellbeing of people working in architecture. These factors are the result of the profession’s unique creative foundations and its position at the intersection of design and construction in the built environment life cycle. “The systemic and structural factors affecting the wellbeing of people working in…