Agents of change in challenging times

Words by Helen Lochhead, National President of the Australian Institute of Architects

The summer’s destructive bushfires have been followed by the challenge of one of the largest health crises in recent times in the form of a coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Institute is acutely conscious of both the personal and professional impacts this pandemic is having on our members and the broader community. Our intention is to lend support where we can, including through regular COVID-19 member updates on our website, and we also encourage you to support each other.

First and foremost, we urge members to prioritize their health and safety, and that of their families, staff and the communities in which they operate. We also encourage members to seek assistance if they are struggling financially as a result of this pandemic. Governments have provided some financial support and we will continue to update members about the resources they can access. Critically, if you are feeling overwhelmed, I encourage you to reach out to the Institute, to your peers and to the other support services in place. Please keep an eye on your colleagues to ensure we all come through this crisis together.

The response to the coronavirus has necessitated the postponement and cancellation of many events, including our National Conference, Leverage 2020. We look forward to coming together for this conference later in the year, when it is safe to do so. Leverage 2020 will pose a number of provocations, including: How do we sustain architectural cultures as we embrace new associations and roles? Conference presentations will focus on creative and critical work – projects, policy, advocacy – and the situations that enable this work.

At this time, climate action through policy reform, better practice, and more sustainable and more resilient, low-carbon projects, has never been more critical. And our advocacy as a peak body in achieving essential change is crucial. The accelerating crisis of climate change and its impacts are weighing on our world, our work and our collective conscience.

Importantly, the Australian Institute of Architects is at the forefront of efforts to raise awareness of these issues.

We are focused on policy, practice and continuing professional development (CPD) imperatives as well as immediate issues. The Institute led a comprehensive response to Australia’s recent disasters, organizing support for affected communities through Architects Assist, which has seen more than 3,000 practitioners and students pledging their time, support and expertise to the reconstruction effort. The Institute is already engaged with other professional bodies, including Engineers Australia, the Planning Institute of Australia and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, as well as governments, to push for improved reconstruction efforts and long-term strategies and policies that shift the paradigm.

Resilience will be crucial for the built environment of the future and architects have a leading role to play in addressing our climate challenges. From the designs we create to the materials we choose, our decisions have impacts that will be long-lasting. We must make them matter. To this end, following a national call, we have established a Climate Action and Sustainability Taskforce, with a panel of experts to provide guidance for architects to help us support and promote sustainability in architectural practice and in the community.

We have much to learn from Indigenous Australians’ traditional practices in caring for Country. To support reconciliation for Australia’s First Nations peoples, we have established a First Nations Advisory Working Group. This is critically important work, supported by a Cultural Reference Panel.

My year as National President of the Institute has been a full and eventful one on many levels, and has involved the repositioning of our profession in a positive way. It has not been without its challenges – but these challenges reinforce the need for architects to be agents of change. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to contribute to this agenda in partnership with our members. As my tenure comes to an end, I wish to offer my genuine thanks to the Institute staff and volunteers who have helped make this year such a fulfilling one. The opportunity to meet with so many of our committed members, and to see their incredible work, passion and professionalism, has been inspiring and kept me motivated to do more for our collective cause. It’s been great to support our architectural community and advocate for the value of architects and quality architecture.

I now pass this work on to incoming National President-Elect Alice Hampson, under whose leadership we will continue to support the rebuilding in our fire-ravaged regions and, equally, advocate for more sustainable, low-carbon communities across Australia as the new norm.