5 May
Our National Architecture Conference – Making: 2014 takes place in Perth this week. As well as a fantastic opportunity for members of the profession to convene, socialise and be inspired, it is also a great way for the Institute to promote Australian architects and architecture to international colleagues. This year we welcome the presidents of the American, Canadian, Singaporean and Malaysian institutes, as well as representatives from ARCASIA and the Commonwealth Association of Architects.
We also welcome the President of the International Union of Architects (UIA), Albert Dubler, and members of the UIA Bureau to Australia. The UIA Bureau is currently meeting in our Victorian capital – a great opportunity to showcase Melbourne ahead of our formal bid to host the UIA Congress there in 2020. I am very pleased that Albert and many of the UIA Bureau will then be heading to Perth to attend our conference.
Another important event on the industry calendar is Built Environment Meets Parliament (BEMP), which takes place on 15 July at Parliament House in Canberra.
Themed ‘Productivity by Design’, topics include: Direct Action and the opportunities for industry, Climate Adaptation, the future of funding and infrastructure, augmented reality technology and the digital printing revolution in the construction sector.
The Hon Greg Hunt, MP, Minister for the Environment has confirmed he will participate in the summit, along with a number of other notable presenters including John Thwaites, Barbara Norman, Brendan Nelson and Rene Van Meeuwen.
The BEMP summit is preceded by the Australia Award for Urban Design (AAUD) presentation evening and dinner. This event celebrates projects that demonstrate excellence and innovation in all elements of urban design. Since its foundation by former Prime Minister Paul Keating in 1996 the AAUD has encouraged cities, towns and emerging settlements of all sizes to strive for better urban design practice.
Nominations for the 2014 Australia Award for Urban Design close on 28 May.
More information about BEMP and the AAUD event can be found here.
I look forward to seeing members and colleagues in Perth later this week for what I am sure will be another enjoyable and stimulating national conference.
Kind regards,
David Parken.
