Tuesday, 18 October 2022

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2022 has been a year of incremental recovery for the tertiary sector in Australasia. The completion of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout and subsequent lifting of various restrictions in late 2021 has allowed for a relative normalisation of operations for member schools. Similarly, the end of international travel restrictions and border closures has resulted in a progressive return of international students to campuses across the year.

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At the same time, the omicron wave of January and February, followed by seasonal peaks throughout the southern winter of both covid and influenza, has presented significant challenges to face-to-face teaching. The ongoing restrictions in China and changing expectations around online learning options have resulted in many international students opting to delay their return to campus.

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While there is cause for optimism, the financial position of many Australian universities remains stretched, and it is anticipated that it may be several years before a return to pre-pandemic funding levels.

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In Australia, a change in the federal government has resulted in a suspension of the 2023 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) evaluation round and a suspension of all Australian Research Council (ARC) funding pending a review of their ambitions and processes. This has impacted many Australian members whose research activities are largely orientated around these frameworks.

As we emerge from the covid period, the focus of the AASA will be on supporting member schools in the recovery, advocating for greater resources and institutional/government support for architectural education, and celebrating the outstanding work of individual academics and teams working in the region.

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AASA Strategic Focus

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In 2022 the AASA executive reviewed its activities and projects and developed a new strategic direction for the association that focuses on its role as an emerging peak body advocating for architectural education and the discipline of architecture in Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.

Historically, the organisation's primary role was as a collegiate forum for architectural academics in the region, with member funding supporting a conference and publication. Since 2016 the association has shifted away from this approach, establishing a series of portfolios supporting teaching and learning, research, and engagement activities. While these portfolios continued through the pandemic, they became increasingly difficult to maintain.

At the same time, the AASA has taken on an increasing role in leadership around public policy, affecting architectural education and the discipline of architecture more broadly. Under the leadership of past president Peter Mcpherson, the AASA led submissions to Australian state and federal governments on proposed policies affecting the registration and regulation of architects and building practitioners generally. More recently, the AASA has taken an increasing role in issues surrounding the accreditation of architecture schools in Australia and New Zealand. In the absence of the conference, the AASA has sought to deepen our relationship with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) in North America and to form new partnerships with equivalent bodies in Europe and Asia, with the ambition of creating an extended international network and opportunities for our members.

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Over the coming years, these activities will become the central focus of the AASA executive and secretariat. The AASA will continue to support existing projects and will develop new projects. However, the criteria for assessing all future activities will be the degree to which these projects can support the core role of the association, contribute value to all members, and evidence excellence in architectural education and research in Australasia.

 

Accreditation of Architecture Schools

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Following the 2021 AASA AGM where the membership raised concerns around the process of accrediting architecture schools, the AASA executive has sought to play a more active role in advocating for the needs of member schools in the process of architecture provider accreditation.

The AASA has historically played a role in accreditation. The AASA made submissions to the AACA during the development of the current Architecture Program Accreditation Procedure. The AASA has had representation on the AACA Accreditation Management Committee and in the advisory panel developing the 2021 National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA).

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Following the 2021 AGM, the AASA sought to establish a closer working relationship with the AACA executive, which included a quarterly meeting between the AASA President John Doyle and AACA CEO Kathlyn Loseby.

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The outcome of this has a series of initiatives that have been developed in response to member concerns:

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1. Following a proposal by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) that specific National Construction Codes (NCC) tuition is included in all accredited architecture programs in Australia, the AASA drafted a statement describing how this content is already taught and assessed at a much higher level through the existing accreditation procedure. This has been accepted by the ABCB, and no further action is required.

2. In response to member concerns around performance criteria (PC) introduced in the 2021 NCSA – specifically those around first nations engagement and design – the AASA co-hosted a webinar with the AACA in September 2022 in which the authors and experts in the new first nations PCs were able to unpack their ambitions and describe their expectations as to how they might be implemented. This also provided a brief opportunity for members to ask specific questions about the PCs ahead of their implementation in 2023. The event was well attended, with over 100 attendees from around Australia.

3. The establishment of an AACA working group to examine potential adjustments to the Accreditation Procedure, to better reflect the way architecture is taught internationally, to align with graduate and overseas assessment processes, and simplify the process of preparing and evidencing compliance for architecture schools.

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As we head into the first year of the 2021 NSCA, the goal is for the AASA to maintain this close working relationship and, working with members, to develop the existing procedure and competency framework better to reflect the requirements of architectural education in the region.

 

Government Submissions

Following a series of letters drafted by the AASA raising concerns around the proposed ABCB’s National Registration Framework for Building Practitioners, we have received responses through 2021 and 2022 from numerous state and federal ministers. At present, this initiative seems to have stalled; however, the AASA will monitor the situation over the coming years and respond accordingly if required.

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In Victoria, the ‘Building, Planning and Heritage Legislation Amendment (Administration and Other Matters) Bill was introduced by the planning minister in June 2022. The bill included numerous changes to planning and building legislation in Victoria and included changes to the composition and nomination processes for the Architect's Registration Board of Victoria (ARBV). Upon reviewing the draft legislation, the AASA provided a submission recommending amendments to the wording of the bill to ensure appropriate representation for the architecture profession and architecture schools on the board. No response was received from the minister; however, the legislation was not passed before the Victorian Government went into caretaker mode ahead of the upcoming state election. Following the election, the AASA will follow up with whoever occupies the relevant ministerial position to advocate for our position. 

 

Association of Consulting Architects (ACA) partnership

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In July 2022, the AASA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the ACA. The ACA is the peak body in Australia representing architectural companies and employers in Australia. The decision to partner reflects the broader recognition of the AASA as the peak body representing architectural education. The terms of the agreement provide frameworks for closer collaboration around government advocacy, reflecting work undertaken in partnership over the course of 2020-21, as well as opportunities for research engagements and research dissemination around issues affecting the practice of architecture. Through the agreement, the ACA has provided access to its considerable library of resources and tools to support teaching professional practice and similar subject areas in Australian architecture schools. Several schools have already accessed these resources, and we strongly encourage members to reach out to the ACA to access them.

 

ADBED relationship

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At the 2021 AASA AGM, the then president of the Australian Deans of the Built Environment (ADBED) gave a short presentation highlighting the key concerns of the organisation. Of relevance was information highlighted around the current levels of ARC funding provided to built environment disciplines, relative to the percentage of GDP generated by the built environment sector in Australia. Following the 2021 AGM, a letter was issued to ADBED requesting a closer working relationship and collaboration around issues of mutual interest. In 2022 two president-to-president meetings have been held, and a standing invitation has been a table for attendance at respective AGMs.

 

AASA Indigenous Portfolio

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The leadership of the AASA Indigenous Portfolio remained unfilled during 2021 and 2022. At the June 2022 executive teleconference, it was resolved that in line with the proposed strategic direction of the AASA that a role could be created for the AASA executive for indigenous leadership in architectural education, recognising that the indigenisation of architectural education and practice should be considered an integral to the association’s activities. This approach would require an amendment to the articles of association and so will be discussed and voted on at the 2022 AGM.

 

ACSA relationship

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The AASA has maintained a formal affiliate membership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) in North America. This relationship has provided access to the resources and events of the ACSA, which has over 200 member schools and 7,000 faculty members. In 2022 the AASA funded Dr Liz Brogden to attend the ACSA Teachers Summit at Pratte Institute School of Architecture to present the findings of the Climate Literacy and Action Project. As a result of this exchange, we have entered discussions with the ACSA leadership around the potential to host a future teachers summit in Australia or New Zealand, providing an opportunity for international dissemination and networking for AASA members. The AASA is also pursuing the possibility for a member of the AASA to sit on the ACSA board commensurate with the financial and cultural engagement of the affiliate relationship.

 

AASA Projects

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In 2022 the following AASA activities were carried out under the AASA projects portfolio. 

• The Digital Learning Research Grant was advertised in January 2022 and awarded to Dr Anastasia Globa from the University of Sydney. Dr Globa’s research explores the use of VR technology as a tool to augment and support rich learning experiences. Dr Globa completed her research in August 2022 and submitted a project to the AASA. Her report will be uploaded to the AASA website shortly.

• The 2021 recipient of the Digital Learning Research Grant, Associate Professor Francesco Mancini, completed his project in April 2022, with the report available to the public on the AASA website.

• The AASA Webinar series was completed in 2021 with webinars exploring the findings of the Climate Action & Architecture Education project hosted by Dr Liz Brogden and Dr Naimi Iftihkar and webinars as a part of the Visualisation in Architecture and Beyond hosted by Associate Professor Tim Schork, Associate Professor Ian Thomson, Professor Gerard Reinmuth and Associate Professor Alex Munt. The recordings of these webinars are currently hosted on the AASA website.

• A call for webinar topics in 2022 was made; however, no submissions were received. The expectation is that, moving forward, webinars will be held around key issues of relevance to the organisation in line with the new strategic direction of the AASA.

• The Climate Literacy and Action project funded by the AASA, led by Liz Brogden, Naima Iftikhar, Philip Oldfield, Naomi Stead, Charlotte Kessler, Chris Knapp and Dagmar Reinhardt was completed, with the final report submitted in 2022. The report provides insights into current practices and understandings around addressing climate change in architectural curricula in Australia and New Zealand. While the report provides some cause for optimism, it makes a series of recommendations on how best to embed climate literate approaches in architectural education. The report is available through the AASA website. Dr Liz Brogden was sponsored by the AASA to present the findings of the report at the ACSA teachers conference in New York in July 2022. A report of her presentation is available through the AASA website.

• The AASA has continued its support of the ‘Architectural Work Cultures: Professional Identity, Education and Wellbeing’ project led by Professor Naomi Stead from RMIT University. The project released the preliminary findings of its practitioner survey in early 2022. The project team are currently compiling results from a similar survey of architecture students and conducting focus group sessions with practitioners. As a part of the project, we have invited Professor Stead to conduct a focus session with Heads of School, which is intended to build upon the findings of both the practitioner and student surveys. The final report and a toolbox of approaches for practice are expected in 2024 to complete the project.

• The Australian Modernism project, led by AASA Vice President Deborah Ascher Barnstone, has continued to develop through 2022. Working from the CSIRO National Map as the data host, the project will form a publicly accessible archive of primary resources on Australia and New Zealand Modernist architecture. The project team has grown to include a new partner, James Melsom, a GIS expert. Currently, the group is developing categories for the database to properly host the information and make it searchable by architect, project name or interactive geographic location. The team is setting this system up so researchers around the region can contribute to the database.

• The AASA has continued the Architecture Program Provider Longitudinal Study of Student, Staffing, and Coursework (2019–2029) led by AASA Treasurer Dr Chris Brisbin. We thank members for taking the time to provide information for the survey. The project is rapidly becoming an invaluable resource in assessing the impact of decisions on course and program structure, teaching hours and modes and overall staffing. This database intends to broadly support the AASA in advocating for members and the discipline. Several members requested information from the database in 2022 to support the activities of individual programs/schools.

• Following discussions with the ACA, the AASA began preliminary work in scoping out a potential ARC Linkage project to build upon work undertaken in the AASA Architecture Program Provider Longitudinal Study of Student, Staffing, and Coursework (2019–2029). The project is being led by AASA Treasurer Dr Chris Brisbin, who has reached out to potential stakeholders in the state & territory boards, AACA, ACA, and AIA and received strong support. Dr Brisbin will provide an overview of the project at the 2022 AASA AGM.

• The AASA Education Prize for Early Career Academics was relaunched in 2022. This edition focused on studio and other teaching activities that demonstrated innovation in using digital technologies or tools to support remote learning. The prize sought to recognise significant work undertaken by, in particular, early career and emerging academics during the covid-19 period. We had several outstanding submissions from Australia and New Zealand. We are excited to host a small exhibition of the shortlisted entries at Curtin University as a part of the AASA AGM, where we will announce the 2022 winner.

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Finally, the nomination of new officers – the position of AASA Co-Secretary (Dr Tanja Glusac) will be opened to members at the AASA AGM. We thank Dr Glusac for her outstanding contribution to the role.

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Should members be interested in these positions, please do not hesitate to contact the Secretariat, Dr Martha Liew.

 

Dr John Doyle

AASA President

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