Jon Clements has been inaugurated as the 76th national president of the Australian Institute of Architects, and will serve in the role for the next 12 months.
Clements is a founding director of the Melbourne-based practice Jackson Clements Burrows Architects (JCB), which he started with two others in 1998 after graduating from Deakin University. He has spent nine years all up on the Victorian Chapter council, and he served as the president from 2012 to 2014. Clements has also spent three years on the national council of the Institute.
Alongside his work with the Australian Institute of Architects and his practice, Clements maintains a strong link with Deakin University’s School of Architecture through regular guest lectures.
He thanked the immediate past president David Karotkin for his work during his time as national president, and said that he looked forward to a year with a “very, very busy agenda.”
Jon Clements (right) with immediate past president David Karotkin.
Clements signalled changes ahead, pointing to a need to adapt to challenges in contemporary practice.
“Facing those challenges has shown us that we have a very robust council that is both responsive to criticism and open to change, and we have now identified a number of areas in the Institute that require reform to ensure that we aim for constant improvement as an organization,” he said.
Former NSW Chapter president and the Institute’s 2009 Gold Medallist Ken Maher has been appointed as president elect ahead of his role as the 2016–2017 national president.
