From the CEO

From the CEO

7 April

Last week, Augmented Australia, the Australian exhibition of the 2014 Venice International Architecture Biennale Augmented Australia was officially launched in Melbourne and Canberra.

This year, the vernissage is held in June and the exhibition has been extended from two to six months. This represents a fantastic opportunity for us to promote Australian architecture to the world.

Augmented Australia constructs a vault full of unique unbuilt architectural proposals for the very first time for the exhibition. From the ingenious to the downright curious – visitors will experience what could have been; an alternative architectural reality.

Keeping in line with Rem Koolhaas’s focus on historical importance and national identity, the team will bring 23 unrealised Australian projects to life through three-dimensional augmented models, images, voiceovers and animations; 11 historical designs,11 unbuilt public buildings by contemporary architects and the new Australian Pavilion by Denton Corker Marshall which will be under construction in Venice.

The exhibition is constructed around augmented reality, activated with an app for smart devices. Visitors point their smart phone at the trigger images to open up a catalogue of virtual material allowing them to visualise, walk through and admire the scale and greatness of each project.

Having sampled just some of the technological wizardry involved, I am looking forward to seeing the exhibition in a couple of months with great anticipation.

If you would like to attend the Biennale, or indeed would like to support our presence at the most significant international event for our profession, please visit our website for more information.

Closer to home, the week also saw  the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF) release its new Policy Compendium.

ACIF has drafted a range of policies intended to improve productivity across seven areas:

  • Housing affordability
  • Design and construction for a sustainable industry
  • Government economic management – regulation
  • Occupational licensing
  • Procurement
  • Workforce development and relations
  • Workplace health and safety.

The policies have been developed by working groups of ACIF Board members, representing the considered and consensus positions of the construction industry as a whole. The policies and key recommendations will be submitted to relevant government and industry leaders for discussion and implementation via policy and process changes.

As the Institute’s representative, I have worked closely with ACIF; in particular, on the policies for Housing affordability, Design and construction for a sustainable industry and Procurement, to take the Institute’s policy priorities into consideration.

The Institute commends ACIF for developing this policy compendium which will be used in its advocacy to all governments.

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