I too would like to extend my congratulations to the worthy recipients of the Australian Achievement in Architecture Awards. It was a wonderful occasion, celebrated with colleagues in the profession and, as Shelley mentioned, in a fantastic new Canberra venue.
The Institute recently received some very good news that I am pleased to share. The Green Building Council of Australia has advised that our development at 41 Exhibition Street, Melbourne has been awarded a 5 Star Green Star – Office Design v3 certified rating, which represents ‘Australian Excellence’ in environmentally sustainable building practices. Coupled with the total carbon modelling approach we have adopted, the building represents a leading, exemplar project which will serve as an example to the market of what is possible.
I hope many of our members were able to attend the recent National Seminar Series in which Russell Evans, Victorian/Tasmanian manager of AECOM’s Applied Research and Sustainability group outlined the total carbon modelling approach. As mentioned last month, if you missed Russell’s presentation, it will be available through Continuum soon. In the meantime, you can access Russell’s accompanying EDG design note.
41 Exhibition Street is making good progress, with, as I write this, 16 of its 22 floors now poured. Our design for the Institute’s fitout of levels one to five is also progressing well and was presented to National Council in March. View construction image gallery here.
I am also pleased to advise that the program for this year’s Built Environment Meets Parliament (BEMP) summit is taking shape. To be held on 26 June at Parliament House, Canberra, BEMP is a key, annual conversation between industry leaders in the building and construction sector and federal parliamentarians.
This year BEMP will focus on the Federal election and Australia’s cities as levers for growth, productivity and liveability. We are inviting leaders of the major political parties to outline their relevant policy platforms at the summit where the audience will have the opportunity to scrutinise and question their plans for the built environment. Details for BEMP 2013 will be emailed to you next week.
As in previous years, BEMP will be preceded by the 2013 Australia Award for Urban Design (AAUD) gala dinner. The AAUD is the premier award for excellence and innovation in all elements of urban design in Australia. I encourage members to check the entry details for the AAUD here. Please note nominations close at 4pm Monday 13 May 2013.
Another important deadline is for the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale and the role of Creative Director. Expressions of Interest close on 18 April. It will be an exciting year for us, as we will be between pavilions. With extended Biennale dates in place, it’s an opportunity to take a fresh look at the Australian exhibition and ‘our place’ in the Biennale. How do you envision Australia’s participation? The detailed brief regarding full submission guidelines and requirements is available for download here.
Kind Regards,
David Parken