EMAGN CO-CHAIR WRAP UP
As 2021 draws to a close we would like to take a moment to reflect back on what the EmAGN crew have been up to during another “unprecedented” year. The 2021 EmAGN committee took this year in their stride and showed amazing drive and resilience; and pulled together as a team to advocate for and support graduates and emerging architects within our state.
The highlights from the team ranged in a number of areas from tours to mentoring all the while always keeping on their toes between their day jobs and snap lockdowns.
Tours featured heavily this year and were very well attended by members and non-members alike. The EmAGN Team, in particular, Michael, Sarah and Siubhan really worked hard to create amazing access to buildings and construction sites that would otherwise not have been possible.
As always, EmAGN takes supporting graduates embarking on the registration process with full gusto – this year Sarah, Callum, Myron and Georgia delivered a fantastic program of support events and mentoring opportunities at multiple points in the APE journey.
We also put together a wonderful series of E-News articles, like this one, of which Michael and Tilewa were key drivers. Sam, Siubhan and Georgia did a great job on organising some really good Value Talks and interviews; and Paige and Brendan worked hard on networking events and connecting to allied disciplines.
We are also very proud that this year EmAGN QLD had an EmAGN Committee member sitting on almost every QLD RAIA advisory committee. With Paige and Sarah on the Education Committee, Callum representing on the Climate Action and Sustainability Committee, Myron getting in the mix with the Heritage Committee, Rohana sitting on the Regional Affairs Committee and Dr Niama on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Thanks to our wonderful State Manager, Anna, and the Chapter Council’s ongoing support of EmAGN representation in all areas of the chapter.
This year, it was fantastic to have members from North Queensland, the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast regions on the committee, which created the opportunity for new connections throughout Queensland. Our regional committee members have really stepped up and have created the foundation to meaningfully represent and connect with emerging professionals outside of our metropolitan base. We really hope to see this network grow as the committee moves forward. Special thanks to Rohana, Simon and Brough for taking on this unique position and engaging with your local architectural communities.
As Co-Chairs, we attended monthly Chapter Council meetings and National EmAGN Executive zoom meetings; representing and advocating the voice of our committee, and more broadly, the demographic in Queensland. We provided feedback and guidance on topics such as the EmAGN National Housing Competition, State and National awards, the Hearing Architecture Podcast, membership drives, policy updates, CPD initiatives and Mentorloop, as well as supporting the EmAGN Committee where we could.
We look forward to seeing as many as you as we can at our final collab for the year, The End of Year Party.
Warm wishes,
Liehan & Gen
EMAGN TOURS WRAP-UP
What a great year it has been for EmAGN Tours! From construction sites to factories to regional destinations, the EmAGN team have offered a variety of engaging tours throughout the year and would like to thank all who came along for the ride!
It’s hard to summarize a year’s worth of adventure in a few words, but here’s what the team got up to:
- A few of us laced up our steel caps and hit the construction sites where we learned about a range of construction techniques and site operations. Highlights included CLT building as well as one of Brisbane’s largest waterfront developments!
- Others decided to unleash their inner artists as we explored the relationship between art and architecture with UAP and learned about new manufacturing techniques.
- Lastly, jetsetters of the EmAGN community ventured beyond the bubble of Brisbane to discover architectural styles and history unique to our regional city, Toowoomba!
We would like to thank all volunteers and partnering companies for hosting us this year:
- CLT Timber Tour – KIRK, Aurecon and Besix Watpac
- UAP Factory Tour – Urban Art Projects
- Toowoomba Heritage Tour – Toowoomba Trails
- Queens Wharf Site Visit – Cottee Parker and Multiplex
- Jubilee Place Site Visit – Blight Rayner, Holmes Fire and Besix Watpac
If you enjoyed EmAGN’s tours this year, stay tuned for further events in 2022!
Thanks folks,
EmAGN QLD Tours Team.
VALUE TALKS WRAP-UP
The VALUE talk series was back again for 2021. Although interrupted by a year filled with lockdowns and travel restrictions, the two live events that took place both tackled important issues discussing how designers might respond to the future.
VALUE 01 saw Katy Moir and Jonathan Sri speak to the topic of Alternative Futures. Katy demonstrated work from recent Hypothetical projects in Alice Springs and Darwin that arose from her position as creative-in-residence with the NT Archives. This involved researching and discovering the collision between colonial mapping and planning with First Nations settlement, resulting in a series of fantastic exhibitions.
Jonathan discussed recent work and advocacy that he has been involved in in his position as Greens Councillor for the Gabba Ward. This included a brief presentation and discussion of the alternative Gabba Vision, creating a community focussed development, as well as the recent Victoria Bridge Cycleway upgrades. Participants left with a renewed perspective on the inclusion and consideration of First Nations context when designing, and how real change can happen in our cities through inclusive and participatory planning.
VALUE 02 focused on Sustainability in Action, where the panellists discussed real implementation strategies for sustainability in practice from three different perspectives. Alexandra Lawlor from Architectus spoke about embedding social and environmental sustainability in projects to meet carbon reduction targets and obligations under GBCA, UNSDG, and ICSN – Alex leads the development of Architectus’ Sustainability Framework.
Sam Bowstead from JDA spoke about his role in Architects Declare, the challenges involved in real world implementation of grand ambitions, and how practitioners around the world have come together to tackle climate issues in the built environment in order to instigate real change. Paul Worroll from Reddog walked the audience through the process of gaining Carbon Neutral accreditation for his small practice, leaving the audience less in the dark as to how it may be achievable for all practitioners present.
VALUE also continued the profile series on emerging designers in Queensland, taking to Instagram to provide a platform for young designers to speak about what they VALUE in their work. Refer to the @emagn_qld Instagram for more.
See you next year,
EmAGN QLD Value Team
Colleagues Over Coffee Wrap-Up
Colleagues Over Coffee returned again this year, fostering connections over caffeinated beverages under different headings and topics. Those new to Brisbane met under the banner Welcome to BNE to make new friends, discuss how changing context has affected their practice and partake in the finest brew that Coffee Iconic had on offer.
Tutoring the Next Gen afforded young educators the chance to talk tactics, make connections across different universities and discuss how teaching affects their practice. Small Practice encouraged participants to speak to their experience in smaller offices, on remaining flexible and covering all bases. This themed casual catch-up between like-minds allowed a free flowing, low pressure environment to discuss important topics to designers today, and will grow from strength to strength moving into 2022. Here’s to another purposefully caffeinated year.
EmAGN QLD COC Team
