| It is not necessary to know anything about architecture to experience its pleasures. We all experience architecture and the built environment, and we all comment on how it records, describes and explains the time and place in which it was built. The quality of the built environment shapes all of our lives, reflecting the cultural values and the social, economical, technological and political conditions of our society. Architecture by its very nature is always responding to the needs of the future and always aspiring, usually positively, to improve this society’s built environment.
Architects make a positive contribution to the built environment, continuously adapting to our complex and changing society. Architects are uniquely qualified to re-imagine, re-design and re-define creative new solutions which must respond to the many constraints and influences on a project. RAIA Architecture Awards recognise our role in the built environment and communicate which buildings deserve attention and reflection. They also highlight emerging talent and trends, indicate the future, and reflect the expectations of a society for its next phase of development. Awards are both a response to and a stimulus for the prevailing culture, attempting a critical evaluation and understanding of architecture, and seeking relevance to contemporary society and values. Awards advocate the value of good design but are not just about recognising design. Today, awards include relevant issues like environment, energy and resources, advocating new directions and community interests. Through the awards process we are all provided with a perceptive insight into what the architectural profession values as outstanding work: a body of work accepted as representing best practice based upon adopted criteria and principles. Awards are not based upon measurable standards but upon comparative assessment which cannot be calibrated or measured. As a result there is always professional judgment and informed commentary. The RAIA awards process generates discussion within the whole Australian community about the role of architects and the quality of the built environment, and whether the standards set are to be aspired to, compared with or objected to. The result should be an even greater pleasure in the experiences of architecture.
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National President’s foreword: Architecture Australia, November 1997
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A preview of the November 2020 issue of Landscape Architecture Australia.
