The Australian Institute of Architects has announced the Australian speakers for the 2017 National Architecture Conference. This follows an announcement in February of international speakers from China, the Netherlands, Ireland, Vietnam and India, and the news earlier in April that Pritzker Prize-laureate Glenn Murcutt would appear in discussion for conference delegates.
Curated by Ken Maher, the Institute’s national president, and Helen Lochhead, dean of the UNSW’s Faculty of Built Environment, the conference theme is Praxis. The program will explore the processes of thought, engagement and action in the creation of architecture.
The conference will examine various projects through the lenses of design thinking, design process and design actions. It will also profile the diverse modes of architectural practice throughout the world.
Emma Williamson, Coda Studio
Image: Coda Studio
Emma Williamson – Coda Studio
Williamson is a co-founder and director of Coda Studio in Western Australia. Since it was founded in 1997, Coda has produced commercial, education, residential and urban design projects. In keeping with the theme of the conference, a particular interest of Williamson’s is the culture of practice, which has seen her become one of architecture’s most prominent voices on gender equity in the industry and the founding chair of the Australian Institute of Architects’ National Committee for Gender Equity.
John Wardle, John Wardle Architects
Image: Christine Francis Photography
John Wardle – John Wardle Architects
Wardle is the founding principal of Melbourne practice John Wardle Architects. The practice’s work ranges from small domestic dwellings to large institutional buildings, including the design for the upcoming Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
As a design architect, Wardle has developed a process that builds upon ideas that evolve from a site’s topography, landscape, history and context and a client’s particular aspirations and values.
Neil Durbach
Image: Durbach Block Jaggers
Neil Durbach – Durbach Block Jaggers Architects
Durbach established his practice in 1983 after winning a national competition with architect Harry Levine for a new wing at the Australian Institute of Architects’ headquarters.
Durbach has worked as the pricipal design architect on every Durbach Block Jaggers project. He teaches at UNSW as an adjunct professor and was co-curator of the Australian Pavilion at the 2008 Venice Biennale.
Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan, Nolan Kennedy
Image: KNA
Rachel Nolan and Patrick Kennedy – Kennedy Nolan
Patrick Kennedy and Rachel Nolan established Kennedy Nolan in Melbourne in 1999, and have earned a strong reputation for making architecture with a distinct approach to built form and highly considered interiors. The practice was the subject of a retrospective at the University of Melbourne in 2011.
Rodney Eggleston, March Studio
Image: March Studio
Rodney Eggleston – March Studio
Eggleston is a founder and director of Melbourne architectural practice March Studio, which has delivered a wide range of commercial and residential projects since it was founded in 2007. The scope of March Studio’s portfolio includes retail designs for Aesop, Sneakerboy, Damir Doma and Baker D Chirico, architectural and interior design for numerous residential projects and the award-winning Hotel Hotel, and hospitality design for restaurants including Lucy Liu, The Press Club, Gazi and The Smith among others.
Megan Baynes, Room 11
Image: Thomas Bailey
Megan Baynes – Room 11
Baynes is an architect at Room 11, a Hobart-based practice that is known for its work in Tasmania and Victoria. Baynes’s own work is defined by its sensitivity to the Tasmanian landscape, best seen in projects like the Glenorchy Art and Sculpture Park (GASP) and her own Little Big House.
Huw Turner and Penny Collins, Collins and Turner
Image: Collins and Turner
Penny Collins and Huw Turner – Collins and Turner
Penny Collins and Huw Turner established Sydney-based practice Collins and Turner in 2002. Collins and Turner is currently working on a wide range of projects across Australia, including residential, education and hospitality developments. Perhaps most prominent is its current work on a 35-storey tower in Parramatta and a three-storey restaurant in Barangaroo South.
The Praxis conference will be held in Sydney from 4 to 6 May 2017 at the newly completed International Convention Centre designed by Hassell and Populous. The conference will also be complemented by a fringe event program. For more information click here.
