In the lead up to announcing the entries for the 2023 SA Architecture Awards, the SA Chapter is pleased to introduce our Awards Director Anne Taylor (Taylor Buchtmann Architecture) and Deputy Director Erin Crowden (Proske Architects).
The architects behind the nominated projects will present their projects to the Awards juries on Saturday 18 March. Everyone is invited to come along and learn about the projects entered in this year’s awards. The schedule will be announced closer to the date.
AWARDS DIRECTOR
Anne Taylor of Taylor Buchtmann Architecture has worked in architecture for almost 30 years, with over 20 of those as a registered architect. With a background in public buildings and adaptive reuse, she has most recently been engaged with housing projects of varying scales.
With substantial experience in small and medium-scale practice, both in Adelaide and Sydney, TBArch was founded as a deliberately small practice, with a primary aim of using their agility to design highly responsive projects thoughtfully.
Anne is involved more widely in the profession, including teaching and undertaking an ongoing photographic project documenting lesser-loved, vulnerable and fast-disappearing, buildings in the Adelaide suburbs. These were exhibited publicly in 2022.
When asked about the importance of the Architecture Awards, Anne talks about the value of reflection.
“Ostensibly the Awards give recognition to projects that are exemplary. This is their most visible and recognised role, but like all well-designed things, they serve multiple purposes. They provide entrants with the opportunity to reflect on their work and how they practice as they prepare their entries, and to tell a much fuller story of the evolution of each project when they present.
As the most rigorous Australian architecture awards program, incorporating both in-person presentations and site visits, the value of experiencing projects in person is acknowledged as essential.
The Awards also provide significant opportunities for members of the profession to be jurors. At the heart of jury deliberation is wide-ranging discussion of the major decisions that underpin each entry, and how they play out through the project details.
Architects are trained using a studio system that revolves around critical discussion of ideas, and their work. Sometimes that is lost, or less prevalent, in daily practice. The jury process brings us back to that. The fact that we see jurors continue to put up their hands to volunteer to be part of this time-consuming process confirms for me that this is one of the most valuable aspects of The Awards.”
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Erin Crowden is a registered architect with over 13 years’ experience, over which she has been deeply and consistently involved in the wider architectural community. Serving as EmAGN SA co-chair, SA Chapter Councillor, EmAGN National President and Institute National Councillor for 2020-2021, Erin is an advocate for the emerging demographic at the state and national levels.
Erin has also participated in numerous State and National Awards juries, the Dulux Study Tour and Jack Hobbs McConnell Fellowship judging panels and was instrumental in instigating the national EmAGN Living Village competition in 2020 and the EmAGN Project Award in 2021. Erin was awarded the SA Chapter Emerging Architect Prize in 2020.
Beyond practice and her community roles, she also contributes as a writer to the Local Project and is an APE Examiner for the Architectural Practice Board of SA.
Erin sees the value of the Awards in showcasing architecture to the public.
“The Architecture Awards program offers an opportunity to showcase the best in architectural design across a wide range of categories and proposes a vehicle for exposing great works to the public that may otherwise go unnoticed (particularly in housing categories). It helps to demonstrate what can be possible and I would argue, can provide a means to break down some of the barriers between architecture being seen as only for the wealthy versus for everyone.
From an architect or entrant’s standpoint, the awards program provides a great insight into what peers are doing and allows a distinct moment of pause, reflection and celebration of work that has, no doubt, taken a lot of time, effort and energy over a period of time. The presentation process itself also gives a valuable experience in clarifying and exploring the project narrative in a different way to that undertaken with clients.”
For any queries about the SA Architecture Awards, please contact sa@architecture.com.au.
