COLLABORATE

As the highway fell away beneath us leaving sunny and beautiful Coffs Harbour we had a chance to recollect what a successful Australian Institute of Architects NSW Country Division Conference we had enjoyed this year.

At the Welcome Reception on Tuesday sponsors/partners and architects had a chance to catch up on what for most of us has been a particularly hectic 2017. We enjoyed great live music beside the lagoon at the Novotel Pacific Bay Resort. As some of us danced or just bobbed along to the music the conversations ranged widely and we had our first chance to put some faces to names we’d spoken to over the year – such is the nature of a profession so widely distributed around NSW. For many the annual conference is the main chance to meet or catch up with peers and friends in person and as partners and families are also welcome there is always a warm and friendly atmosphere. This was especially evident at the Reception.

We were enjoying the surrounds of Coffs Harbour as Tuesday’s rain was replaced by stunning sunshine when on Wednesday we travelled a short distance south to the picturesque coastal village of Sawtell. We enjoyed the presentations of Ken Maher (Hassell Studio) and Garry Murray (Red Belly Design) in the morning as much as the stunning beach at the Sawtell Surf Club. Sue-Anne Ware (U Newcastle) presented after lunch and everyone enjoyed the chance to stretch legs and walk to the community owned and run Sawtell Cinema. The afternoon sessions included a discussion with Ann Gee, Oliver Gee and Stephanie Ney and this was followed by a screening of Glenn Murcutt: Spirit of Place by the talented Australian arts filmmaker Catherine Hunter at the beguiling Sawtell Cinema. The theme of the 2017 NSW Country Division Conference was COLLABORATE and Wednesday’s sessions featured a broad and multi-faceted range of collaborations which generated much lively discussion over the coming days.

Thursday began with a special welcome and introduction of the partners/sponsors and this was quickly followed by a session with Catherine Hunter called Media Collaboration during which she encouraged architects to keep an archive of projects and processes for the future. AWS was then invited to present a Tech Talk on thermal performance of windows and doors which generated a lot of discussion later in the day. The architects who approached us afterwards spoke about how great it is to have an industry partner working on products that achieve exceptional results as the energy requirements of Australian buildings continue to become more stringent.

The following sessions by Andrew Nimmo (Lahznimmo) and Tim Horton (NSW Architects Registration Board) also contributed to the theme of collaboration and helped to inform the discussions later in the day including the member forum. We all enjoyed the smorgasbord lunch by the lagoon as the weather remained perfect. On Thursday afternoon AWS & Arcpanel co-sponsored a round of Ambrose Golf at the resort. Both beginners and seasoned golfers had a ball hitting little white balls all over the place. The Arcpanel team won the event but on such a stunning and warm day in October we were all winners weren’t we?

One of our favourite parts of the annual conference is the Awards Dinner where architects and sponsors/partners dress in their very best and enjoy celebrating each other’s company and the exceptional projects that received commendations and awards for the year. We recognize the great effort that architects go to in achieving excellence and appreciate the work involved in submitting their projects to the awards process. We were quite thrilled with the winners and commendations and humbled that AWS windows and doors featured in so many of the featured projects and that we receive such enthusiastic and dedicated support from so many architects across the state.

Friday’s conference continued to be excellent with sessions by Amy Child (Arup), Dan McKenna (Nightingale Housing) and James Gardiner (Laing O’Rourke). Such was the quality of the conference that the room was abuzz with conversations about next year’s event. 

AWS commends the NSW Country Division to architects and we encourage you to come next year for what is certain to be another very successful conference.

 

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