Are you an architect change-maker?
As I was preparing to migrate The Drill to its new location over the holiday break, I started taking stock of all of the advocacy issues and campaigns that we got involved in during 2022.
Elemental House by Ben Callery Architects is an all-electric home that operates off-grid, and it was featured in the #GetOffTheGas campaign, spearheaded by architects.
Photography: Marnie Hawson. Styling: Belle Hemming.
Some of them involved writing emails to key people at peak bodies and various companies, some involved amplifying causes on social media and asking architects to support them, others involved asking difficult questions about profession and practice to prompt discussions that don't tend to happen anywhere else.
(Here's an advocacy easter egg for you: Scroll to the bottom to learn more about the ATO's 120% tax deduction for digital technologies and business training!)
Once I'd compiled the list, I sorted the advocacy issues into categories and came up with four key areas, as follows:
Climate emergency
Bates Smart’s proposed replacement for the MLC Building in North Sydney. Image: Bates Smart.
MLC North Sydney: we contacted a key peak body to ask about Investa’s plans to demolish the building, and possibility of pursuing an embodied energy angle to halt its destruction. This one is This one is ongoing.
7-Star House and Energy Efficiency Reporting: we Tweeted State and Territory building ministers and asked them to revive COAG’s pledge to introduce Energy Efficiency Disclosure for all Australian homes at the point of sale and rent (from 2019). Also ongoing and this is happening, slowly.
Mirvac's Nine development at Willoughby: we contacted The Fifth Estate to ask them follow up regarding Mirvac’s Net Zero commitments. There are more questions to ask Mirvac around what they are saying and actually doing. This is ongoing.
Jon Lowe Architect’s Spotted Gum House made the cover of Sanctuary magazine.
Photography: Belinda Monck.
The profession
NSCA and business development – we contacted the AACA CEO to ask about draft competency 13 – which focused on business development and marketing – and was included in the draft NSCA, but was dropped from the final 2021 version. We haven't had a response yet. This is ongoing.
Australian Institute of Architects – we contacted the National Awards and Prizes Lead regarding the Dulux study tour, and the predominance of Victorian applicants on the shortlist. We asked whether future prizes could be decided on a pro rata basis population/membership figures? The reply: “As mentioned, I will pass on this information to the Awards Review Working Group once it has been established as this group will be the most appropriate body to tackle these questions.” So this is ongoing.
UNSW / C+C Architectural Workshop student scholarships and grants: We ran the first announcement of this new initiative to promote equity and inclusion in the profession, whereby architecture students from low socio-economic backgrounds receive financial assistance with their studies and gain practical on-the-job-experience. It kicked off our new "Architects doing Good" blog series. That series is ongoing. (Feel free to submit your story!).
Working in the Middle East: We asked on social media for Australian-based practices that are engaged in current projects in Saudi Arabia and Qatar to comment on the ethical challenges of working in a repressive regime. We didn't receive any responses yet. This conversation is ongoing.
Awards as a form of advocacy: We ran a CPD session called Strategically plan your Awards, that explains how you can use your awards entries as a form of advocacy, to shift public perceptions about who architecture is for, and who should benefit from good design. You can purchase the training here. Our efforts to reframe the profession - and who it serves - are ongoing.
Wellbeing, value and business
Sarah Wigglesworth’s speech - On Value and Values - was one of the most and talked about articles of 2022.
Values and Value: We highlighted the need for architects to operate from their personal and professional values, and to better articulate their value to clients and the wider community. This message is beautifully encapsulated in Sarah Wigglesworth’s great speech On Value and Values. (And this is marketing gold, in that her speech has gone viral and been shared by others - something to strive for in your own marketing and communications!).
The Wellbeing of Architects Survey: we highlighted survey responses that focused on the value of architects and architecture, on Instagram, here and here. This ties in with an earlier blog article that I wrote when I completed the survey, that you can read here. (Also an example of viral and shareable content: this article was republished by the ACA here). This campaign is ongoing.
How to generate a waitlist: this three-part series sets out an alternative model of architecture practice/business; one where profit and sustainability are at the forefront of strategic planning, and where a queue of future clients only want to work with you. This reframing of practice/business is ongoing.
Hearing Architecture podcast: Rachael was invited to appear on the Public Engagement series, to talk about her vision for an optimistic future for the profession, one where climate emergency goals, the value of good design, and the importance of communicating effectively come together. You can listen to the episode 40 wherever you listen to podcasts, or here. There may be more podcast episodes in future, so this one is also ongoing.
My First Archi job recording: Sarah Lebner invited me to speak to her membership about how to promote yourself in your career to future employers, across the profession, and more broadly to the community. She made the recording public last year and you can watch it here. This topic is ongoing.
And last but definitely not least:
Affordable Housing
My article on Sustainable and Affordable Housing appeared in The Architect magazine.
Cover image: Jimmy’s House by MJA Studio. Photography by Jack Lovel.
The Architect magazine: Rachael was invited to contribute an opinion piece in the WA Chapter's publication, about her Churchill Fellowship on Sustainable and Affordable Housing, and the current state of play in Australia. Not much has changed in the past 20 years! You can read the article here.
Sanctuary magazine: Rachael has been a regular contributor since Issue 2 in 2006, and last year she wrote five stories about small, smart and sustainable housing projects. Email her to request PDFs of these stories, or if you'd like to discuss publication of one of your recent projects. This is ongoing.
The Easter Egg
I have one more bonus topic for you, relating to how you can improve your own business development, marketing (and advocacy!) activities with a 120% tax deduction. You can claim an extra 20% on the cost of digital transformation technologies (Email newsletters, website upgrades, e-commerce systems etc) and CPD training for your business. Find out more about both schemes on the ATO website, here.
What issues do you want The Drill to focus on in 2023?
This advocacy work demands time, energy and attention, and I'm keen to gather support from readers - that's you - this year to progress these issues and campaigns.
So all monthly paid supporters will be able to vote on future advocacy initiatives, or suggest new topics for us to pursue. If you'd like to support The Drill and help to shape our future advocacy work, please sign up as a paid subscriber, by clicking the Subscribe button at the top of this post/email. You can choose the level of support you're comfortable with, and please encourage others to also join us.
We're stronger together and we can achieve progress on these important topics with more people joining our cause.
Thanks for reading!
See you on the barricades!
Rachael