The past two weeks have been particularly busy at the Institute in the lead-up to the NSW Architecture Awards, held on Friday evening—a fantastic event.
The formal proceedings concluded with the announcement of the NSW Architecture Medallion, awarded to Sydney Metro City Stations | Sydney Metro. Sydney Metro, as the applicant via their in-house team, invited all practices present to join them on stage—a powerful gesture acknowledging the breadth of expertise and collaboration across NSW architectural practices that contributed to this remarkable project.
I particularly enjoyed taking the Metro home after the event—a fitting end to the evening.
The awarded projects were notably diverse and demonstrated a high level of thoughtfulness and design rigour. I was especially encouraged by the number of EmAGN cohort members recognised—a promising sign of the strength and vision of our emerging generation of architects.
The tone of the evening reflected a strong focus on innovative housing, beginning with the Enduring Architecture Award, which recognised Moore Park Gardens by AJC—one of Sydney’s first major multi-unit residential developments, completed between the mid-1990s and 2000. It remains a benchmark for urban density done well. A thoughtful summary, including commentary by the late Trevor Howells, is available on AJC’s website and is well worth a read.
Congratulations again to all entrants, and sincere thanks to the Institute team for delivering yet again another streamlined and impactful event. You can read more about the night including a full list of winners here.
On the advocacy front, Lisa King and I met with Building Commissioner James Sherrard and the Minister for Building, the Hon. Anoulack Chanthivong MP, on 10 June at Parliament House to receive an update on the draft Building Bill and the proposed repeal of the Architects Act. Unfortunately, no further information is currently available. However, we were advised that a draft of the Building Bill will be released for public comment mid-year. Alongside our professional partners, including AILA and PIA, we have made it clear that we will not support the Bill without access to the associated Regulations, which are intrinsically linked to its operation.
In this edition, we also hear fromÌýDavid Welsh, Chair of the Editorial and Communications CommitteeÌýand the ChapterÌýCouncil RepresentativeÌýof the HeritageÌýCommittee. Both of these Committees work quite tirelessly communicating to and advocating for all members.
Ìý – Elizabeth Carpenter, NSW CHAPTER PRESIDENT
Editorial and Communications Committee
The latest issue of the Architecture Bulletin was brought forward to coincide with the National Architecture Conference held in May, featuring interviews and discussion with many of the speakers from both Australia and Overseas. As a group, we are now gearing up to work with members ofÌýEmAGNÌýto develop the next issue, which will seek to unpack the evolving definition of “emerging”, by exploring the rich, often complex, trajectories of early-career architects. Our anticipated publishing date is in December this year.
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Heritage Committee
The last few months have seen the Committee focus on the delivery of the Treasures of Tusculum exhibition held at Tusculum which showcased highlights from the NSW Chapter archive supported by a printed catalogue (in the Architecture Bulletin) featuring supporting articles written by members of the Committee.
The committee continues its ongoing work updating the Institute’s Heritage Register, including the biographies of prominent architects, as well as providing advice on our built heritage in response to requests from the public, including theÌýPotts Point Preservation Group, who are seeking support to encourage City of Sydney to develop a precinct strategy for the whole of Potts Point, Kings Cross and Rushcutters Bay.Ìý
