2009 Australian Institute of Architects' National Architecture Awards - Jury Overview
The jury of the 2009 National Architecture Awards was comprised of Howard Tanner (Tanner Architects and Immediate Past President of the Australian Institute of Architects), Richard Harris (Jasmax and President of the New Zealand Institute of Architects), Peter Poulet (
“The jury spent a hectic 14 days surveying recent Australian architecture. We sincerely thank all those who met us and ensured open doors at all the properties. We had a relatively seamless tour across the country, including excursions to
The jury came together from far and wide and, considering how little we knew of each other, we proved to be a cohesive group with clear consensus at the end.
In evaluating buildings for the 25 Year Award, we came away with a real appreciation of the period circa 1960 – a time of great enterprise and endeavour in Australia, and with a quantity of very fine buildings resulting. Commodity, firmness and …. delight. We saw some beautiful – now 50 years old – architecture which continues to be used and enjoyed – attractive, engaging, even fun!
By way of contrast, some of
Contemporary architecture can be user-friendly and engaging. Probably that’s what so appealed to the jury about ivy, with its embodied ideal that commerce and a darned good time can come together in a pleasure palace of meeting, greeting, eating and imbibing. Here one gets a sense of a special precinct integrated into the heart of
A number of the entries clearly showed the importance of the individual client/patron, in particular their ability to be more adventurous and to gain a more significant result. So often in
Urban design is paradoxically stronger in the commercial buildings – where the benefits of diverse, social spaces and permeable spacial layouts are now de rigueur – than in the defined category. This suggests little current gutsy investment in urban design infrastructure and the public realm. It would also be timely for Australian landscaping, through better plantsmanship, to consider some more imaginative choices - moving beyond endless Manchurian pear trees in the forecourt, and within, acres of Mother-in-Laws tongue.
It was felt that in due course all award-winning projects will have to state their sustainable credentials. The projects this year showed a wide range of initiatives: sunshading and screening; on-site power generation; more considered air supply systems; water storage; and used-water treatment plants. The jury interest in sustainability included the importance of buildings being built to last with minimum maintenance and easy adaptive re-use, and the need for a Green Star sustainable rating system which appropriately evaluated substantial existing buildings.
Given that 50 per cent of architects’ work in the future will be the adaption of existing buildings, the jury noted that alterations and additions to important heritage buildings deserve more than the application of standard heritage maxims, which might avert a disaster, but were unlikely to achieve a truly memorable and worthy result. This requires a skilled designer who can appreciate and enhance the best qualities of the original.
Among the projects submitted, one observed the difference in consistency between the residential category and most other categories. In terms of generous budgets, constructional quality, integration with site and landscaping, specificity to brief and client – all these were a given in the residential work, but less so in most other categories (the award winners notwithstanding). Is
Exemplary quality of execution, complexity of the design task or project scale is not a substitute for poetry of intent, or clarity in expressing the great idea.
A number of the architects we met spoke of the difficulty in getting their ideas accepted and approved – for outstanding buildings – which brings into question the assessment of architecture through the planning and approval process by persons without significant design training or knowledge of building construction.
Many such issues deserve national initiatives and coordination.
