As always this it has been a busy season at the NT Chapter. The dry season brought a celebratory mood as we recognized the breadth and quality of NT architectural work at the NT Awards. It was wonderful to celebrate the awards night back on the lawns at Bundilla. We are grateful to Karen for her tireless work coordinating the Awards, and to the 2025 jury—Matt Elkan, Katy Moir, and Jan-Marie Jaillei and EmAGN Co-Chair, Paul Bartsch—for their thoughtful judging and leadership. Our thanks also extend to Minister Bill Yan for representing the NT Government, whose presence underscored the important role architecture plays in regional development.
A highlight of the awards was the Enduring Architecture Award, which was awarded to the Uluru Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre. Greg Burgess accepted the award and shared a compelling history of the project and its development process, underscoring the NT’s capacity to host projects that blend cultural significance and community voice with lasting architectural value. The Akeyulerre Healing Centre was shortlisted for the AIA National Awards in the Public Architecture category, representing the NT on a national stage and highlighting a design that is deeply meaningful to the community it serves.
In March we were very glad to welcome Lindy Burton into the role of Professor of Architecture at Charles Darwin University (CDU) and into the NT Chapter Council. Lindy is working to establish an Architectural Masters Program at CDU, signalling a vibrant future for home grown NT Students, postgraduate study and research for Territory Architecture. Lindy’s leadership is energizing the academic environment and will strengthen ties between the university and the broader Darwin professional community. The Chapter Council, EmAGN crew and Lindy are working together to reconnect the university with Darwin Professionals. The CDU students, have already participated in the National Student Super Studio. In 2026 we will continue supporting our new CDU partnership with new events and activities including an Architect for the Day school experience program and creating a CDU-based CDP program for 2026.
In the October we had the Gold Medal tour with Timothy Hill hosted at Danala Community Precinct. Many of our EmAGN crew where also involved in running a hugely successful Regional Association of Architects Conference which the Institute’s NT Chapter Sponsored in Alice Springs. And Finally the end of year Christmas drinks combine with the affiliated professions was a great success.
The Australian Institute of Architects welcomes the changes to the Architects Act with new requirements for evidence of continuing professional development bring the NT in line with the rest of Australia. The Chapter is actively exploring ways to support members with this change by delivering CDP locally as well as advertising the AIAs digital CDP archive for members. On the advocacy front we continue to meet quarterly with Northern Territory Government to discuss issues regarding procurement, government contracts and upcoming planning changes. Thanks to the NT Chapter Council who has supported Karen and I in all this work.