In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift in architectural approach in Australia, with greater emphasis on the relationship of a building to its community or users rather than simply on the built form itself. The ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact is our attempt to celebrate, promote and encourage this increasing focus on social values.
Design excellence is not found in the creation of beautiful buildings alone. It is also found in the architectural process – that is, how the problem or brief is defined, who is empowered to be part of the journey, and who benefits from the outcome. How does the building work to support the client? How does it align with the broader public benefit? And how does the design itself enhance these benefits?
Measuring the tangible social impact of an architectural project is not an easy task, but the jury for the inaugural ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact rose to the challenge. We drew on the diversity of the jurors themselves – from Troy Casey’s experience as director of First Nations design consultancy Blaklash Creative, Esther Charlesworth’s humanitarian work with Architects Without Frontiers, Ben Gauntlett’s advocacy for people with disabilities in his role at the Australian Human Rights Commission and Jeremy McLeod’s skill in creating environmentally and socially sustainable architecture. Chairing a jury of this status was quite an honour!
From 139 entries, the shortlist demonstrates the multitude of ways that our built environment can have an impact – from taking research into practice and nurturing community engagement to providing economic opportunities and fostering social cohesion. The awarded and commended projects consist of a genuinely collaborative approach to remote Indigenous housing; a healthcare hub, with embedded First Nations narratives, that has become a significant meeting place; an innovative, research-based approach to accessible and affordable housing in suburban Melbourne; a delivery of preschools for children in disadvantaged areas of India; and an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable means of caring for Country in an Elder-led tourism project. Each of them has something to teach us about how architecture can make a difference to society and reminds us that we need to continually re-evaluate the ways in which we practise.
The ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact is organized by Architecture Media, publisher of ArchitectureAU.com, and presented in partnership with the Melbourne School of Design and supported by Latitude, Peptolab, and NHO.
