The making – and strengthening – of a profession

I should have known better than to predict, in my first presidential foreword, a return to a semblance of normality. As I pen my second, still as President-Elect, Melbourne is returning to “hard” lockdown due to a second wave of COVID-19. For some residents in home confinement, the architecture of their apartments will for some weeks be their entire world.

Meanwhile, with the Institute’s annual general meeting pushed back to mid-July, Helen Lochhead is now in her fourteenth month as National President, equalling the record of our founding president, Alfred Samuel Hook. We are now somewhat backed-up, with two PresidentsElect, and I seem destined to set a new milestone (of sorts), with the 10 months of my “decimal Presidency” the shortest on record. The upside is the election of Tony Giannone, current South Australian Chapter President, as my successor. Having worked alongside Tony for nearly 18 months on the National Council, I can attest to his thoughtfulness and intellectual rigour, as well as his broad knowledge and rich experience of the architectural profession.

Tony will be the twelfth South Australian in 91 years, and the second in the current millennium, to don the chain of office. In two successive years, elections were required for the Presidency and Board positions, a testament to members’ passion for the Institute and its leadership.

As readers may have guessed, I have dipped into J. M. Freeland’s The making of a profession (1971) to familiarize myself with the daunting footsteps in which I dare to tread. A “warts and all” history of Australia’s architectural institutes, my second-hand copy carries an ex libris stamp from previous owners Collard, Clarke and Jackson. Architects tend to be individualistic, so the remarkable characters who founded state chapters, moved towards a national federation, and eventually formed the Australian Institute of Architects in 1929, make for fascinating reading. Their impressive record of dedicated service to the profession is deeply humbling.

The New South Wales Institute was established in 1871, the same year as Victoria’s second attempt, following a failed earlier iteration. South Australia followed in 1886, then Queensland (1888), Western Australia (1896), Tasmania (1903) and the ACT (1962). Most chapters were founded by acknowledged professional leaders, but things sometimes happened differently: the Queensland Chapter began when 15 students from six architectural offices met to promote professional advancement. Ninety years on, the Institute now also boasts Northern Territory and International chapters, and more than 12,500 members, making it not only one of the oldest but also one of the largest such organizations in the world.

The Institute began as the Great Depression loomed. Now, a substantial slowdown in projects and measurable shifts in employment – legacies of the COVID-19 pandemic – are causes for renewed concern. An Institute survey in June found that almost two-thirds of respondents had projects stalled and nearly one-third had been forced to reduce staffing levels, with a 10 percent decrease in full-time employment and a corresponding increase in part-time and casual employment. Almost one in eight respondents had lost their jobs or suffered a change in employment status due to the economic impacts.

These are alarming figures.

Yet these results provide sound guidance for the Institute’s advice and lobbying to government, and for furthering our support of members. Government action has focused on construction, but existing measures will help only a small percentage of Australians and do not go far enough. Because building construction has resisted the automation overtaking Australia’s manufacturing, civil works and extractive industries, it continues to demand intensive labour and skill. However, the opportunities that parallel any crisis are being ignored.

The Institute’s economic stimulus submission to government identifies clear opportunities to generate activity, delivering immediate and longer-term benefits, especially in the residential sector.

Measures incentivizing improved domestic energy efficiency will both fortify industry and mitigate the effects of climate change. The Melbourne lockdown is a timely reminder that well-designed, affordable housing remains a vital priority. Substantial investment in this sector will also boost construction employment in the shorter term.

Our Chapter Awards program wrapped up in July. A six-week series of virtual presentation nights highlighted the very best architecture of the past 12 months and celebrated our members’ achievements. Institute staff and members working voluntarily did exceptionally well to run this out from a standing start. Ever lovers of novelty, our members embraced the opportunity to watch from home with families and pets, or to meet in small groups to celebrate with colleagues. 2020 will long be remembered even after we return to the “old normal.” To all the worthy winners, my warmest congratulations.