Australian Institute of Architects


The Australian Institute of Architects, officially the Royal Australian Institute of Architects, is Australia's professional body for architects. Its members use the post-nominals FRAIA, ARAIA and RAIA. The Institute supports 14,000 members across Australia, including 550 Australian members who are based in architectural roles across 40 countries outside Australia. SONA is the national student-membership body of the Australian Institute of Architects. EmAGN represents architectural professionals within 15 years of graduation, as part of the Australian Institute of Architects.

History

State institutes

A number of Australian colonies formed professional societies for architects.
The Royal Victorian Institute of Architects was established as the Victorian Institute of Architects in the colony of Victoria in August 1856, receiving royal charter in 1889.
After a couple of predecessors dating at least as far back as 1859, the South Australian Institute of Architects was founded in the colony of South Australia on 20 September 1886, and in 1904 Walter Hervey Bagot designed its seal.
The New South Wales Institute of Architects was established in 1871, headed by George Allen Mansfield. The secretary was Benjamin Backhouse, who was later a Member of the NSW Legislative Council.
The Queensland Institute of Architects was established in 1888, and the West Australian Institute of Architects in 1896.

Australian Institute of Architects established 1929

The Australian Institute of Architects was established on 6 September 1929,
when state architectural institutes combined to form a unified national association. The RVIA became a foundation member of the federated body in 1929. On 18 August 1930 the 'Royal' title was granted, and it became the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
The Queensland Institute of Architects joined in 1930, with WAIA following in March 1943. SAIA joined up in July 1962, becoming the "South Australian Chapter".
The national headquarters was formerly located in Red Hill, Canberra, in a 1968 building designed by Bryce Mortlock from Sydney firm Ancher, Mortlock and Woolley. This building still functions as the ACT Chapter offices.
In August 2008, following an informal poll of members in 2001, the National Council resolved to continue trading as the 'Australian Institute of Architects', while retaining 'Royal Australian Institute of Architects' as the legal name. The postnominals of FRAIA and RAIA continue to be used with the legal name abbreviated.

Purpose, functions, affiliations

In the preamble of the AIA's constitution states its wider purpose as "The Royal Australian Institute of Architects, established in 1930, is a national member based organisation for the architecture profession. The Institute supports and advances the architecture profession by advocating for high quality design and responsible sustainability for the built environment."
As a professional body representing architects, the institute is represented on many national and state industry and government bodies, and is affiliated with the International Union of Architects.
A chapter is maintained in each state and territory. Each chapter runs a range of events, activities and annual state and regional architecture awards, that feed into the national awards program.

National awards and prizes

National Architecture Awards

The National Architecture Awards are held in late October or early November each year and have been presented since 1981. The shortlisted entrants are drawn from relevant state based awards programs held earlier in the year. The awards cover residential, public, education, commercial, interiors, small projects, urban design, international projects, steel construction and sustainability.

National Prizes

National Prizes have been awarded annually since 2010, usually in early May and often as part of the Australian Architecture Conference. Each prize has a separate jury who assess a shortlist in each category. The inaugural 'Australian Achievement in Architecture Awards' were held on 18 March 2010 at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, presented separately to the National Awards. In 2017 the program was renamed as 'National Prizes'. National Prizes recognise achievement across a range of categories that support and promote advocacy, innovation and education, and do not relate to particular buildings which are judged at the National Awards later in the same year.

AIA Gold Medal

The AIA Gold Medal is the highest individual prize of the Australian Institute of Architects and had been presented annually since 1960.

Other National Prizes

  • Paula Whitman Leadership in Gender Equity Prize
  • National Emerging Architect Prize
  • National President's Prize
  • Leadership in Sustainability Prize
  • Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture

    State and Territory architecture awards and prizes

Each of the State and Territory chapters also present annual awards, including Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria. The winners of these awards form the shortlist for consideration of the National Awards later in the same year. The International Chapter of the AIA also run an awards program.

Regional architecture awards and prizes

Separately judged awards occur in regional New South Wales and Queensland.

National Presidents

  • 1929–1930 Alfred Samuel Hook
  • 1930–1931 William Arthur Mordey Blackett
  • 1931–1932 Philip Rupert Claridge
  • 1932–1933 Lange Powell
  • 1933–1934 Charles Edward Serpell
  • 1934–1935 Arthur William Anderson
  • 1935–1936 Guy St John Makin
  • 1936–1937 James Nangle
  • 1937–1938 Louis Laybourne Smith
  • 1938–1939 Frederick Bruce Lucas
  • 1939–1940 Otto Albrecht Yuncken
  • 1940–1942 William Ronald Richardson
  • 1942–1944 John Francis Deighton Scarborough
  • 1944–1946 Roy Sharrington Smith
  • 1946–1948 William Rae Laurie
  • 1948–1950 Jack Denyer Cheesman
  • 1950–1952 Cobden Parkes
  • 1952–1954 Robert Snowden Demaine
  • 1954–1956 Edward James Archibald Weller
  • 1956–1957 William Purves Race Godfrey
  • 1957–1959 Wilfred Thomas Haslam
  • 1959–1960 Kenneth Charles Duncan
  • 1960–1961 Thomas Brenan Femister Gargett
  • 1961–1962 Henry Ingham Ashworth
  • 1962–1963 James Campbell Irwin
  • 1963–1964 Max Ernest Collard
  • 1964–1965 Raymond Berg
  • 1965–1966 Gavin Walkley
  • 1966–1967 Mervyn Henry Parry
  • 1967–1968 Acheson Best Overend
  • 1968–1969 Jack Hobbs McConnell
  • 1969–1970 John David Fisher
  • 1970–1971 Ronald Andrew Gilling
  • 1971–1972 Kenneth William Shugg
  • 1972–1973 Henry Jardine Parkinson
  • 1973–1974 Robert Peter McIntyre
  • 1974–1975 Harold Bryce Mortlock
  • 1975–1976 Blair Mansfield Wilson
  • 1976–1977 Eustace Gresley Cohen
  • 1977–1978 John Davidson
  • 1978–1979 Geoffrey Lawrence Lumsdaine
  • 1979–1980 Alexander Ian Ferrier
  • 1980–1981 Michael Laurence Peck
  • 1981–1982 Richard Norman Johnson
  • 1982–1983 David Allan Nutter
  • 1983–1984 Richard Melville Young
  • 1984–1985 Roland David Jackson
  • 1985–1986 Graham Alan Hume
  • 1986–1987 Robert Darwin Hall
  • 1988–1989 Dudley Keith Wilde
  • 1989–1990 Ronald Barrie Bodycoat
  • 1990–1991 Robert Lindsay Caulfield
  • 1991–1992 Jamieson Sayer Allom
  • 1992–1993 Robert Denyer Cheesman
  • 1993–1994 James Taylor
  • 1994–1995 Louise Cox
  • 1995–1996 Peter Robertson Gargett
  • 1996–1997 John Stanley Castles
  • 1997–1998 Eric Graham Butt
  • 1998–1999 Graham Humphries
  • 1999–2000 Nigel Warren Shaw
  • 2000–2001 Edward Robert Haysom
  • 2001–2003 Graham Jahn
  • 2003–2004 David John Parken
  • 2004–2005 Warren Merton Kerr
  • 2005–2006 Bob Nation
  • 2006–2007 Carey Lyon
  • 2007–2008 Alec Tzannes
  • 2008–2009 Howard Tanner
  • 2009–2010 Melinda Dodson
  • 2010–2011 Karl Fender
  • 2011–2012 Brian Zulaikha
  • 2012–2013 Shelley Penn
  • 2013–2014 Paul Berkemeier
  • 2014–2015 David Karotkin
  • 2015–2016 Jon Clements
  • 2016–2017 Ken Maher
  • 2017–2018 Richard Kirk
  • 2018–2019 Clare Cousins
  • 2019–2020 Helen Lochhead
  • 2020–2021 Alice Hampson
  • 2021–2022 Tony Giannone
  • 2022–2023 Shannon Battisson
  • 2023–2024 Stuart Tanner
  • 2024–2025 Jane Cassidy
  • 2025–2026 Adam Haddow

    State and territory chapter presidents

Australian Capital Territory

ACT Chapter established 1962

Sources:
  • 1962–1964 Malcolm Moir
  • 1964–1966 John Scollay
  • 1966–1968 Peter Harrison
  • 1968–1970 John Goldsmith
  • 1970–1972 Horrie Holt
  • 1972–1974 Arthur Tow
  • 1974–1976 Neil Renfree
  • 1976–1978 Tony Cooper
  • 1978–1980 Mervyn Willoughby–Thomas
  • 1980–1982 Ian Thompson
  • 1982–1984 Geoffrey Butterworth
  • 1984–1986 Barry Cameron
  • 1986–1988 Rick Butt
  • 1988–1990 Alastair Swayn
  • 1990–1992 Colin Stewart
  • 1992–1993 Peter Freeman
  • 1993–1994 Annabelle Pegrum
  • 1994–1998 Graham Humphries
  • 1998–2000 Dominic Maiuto
  • 2000–2002 Colin Stewart
  • 2002–2006 Catherine Townsend
  • 2006–2008 Melinda Dodson
  • 2008–2010 David Flannery
  • 2010–2012 Sheila Hughes
  • 2012–2014 Tony Trobe
  • 2014–2016 Andrew Wilson
  • 2016–2018 Rob Henry
  • 2018–2020 Philip Leeson
  • 2020–2022 Shannon Battisson
  • 2022–2023 Jane Cassidy
  • 2023–2025 Shoba Cole

    New South Wales

NSW Institute of Architects established 1871

  • 1871–1878 George Allen Mansfield
  • 1878–1889 Thomas Rowe
  • 1889–1895 John Horbury Hunt
  • 1895–1898 Thomas Rowe
  • 1898–1902 John Barlow
  • 1902–1903 George Allen Mansfield
  • 1903–1905 Cyril Blacket
  • 1906–1908 Harry Kent
  • 1908–1910 Ernest Alfred Scott
  • 1910–1911 George Birrell Robertson
  • 1911–1912 John Francis Hennessy
  • 1912–1914 George Sydney Jones
  • 1914–1916 Arthur William Anderson
  • 1916–1919 Arthur Pritchard
  • 1919–1919 Charles Henry Slatyer
  • 1919–1920 Arthur Pritchard
  • 1920–1921 George Sydney Jones
  • 1921–1922 George Herbert Godsell
  • 1922–1926 Sir Charles Rosenthal
  • 1926–1929 Alfred Samuel Hook
  • 1929–1931 James Peddle
  • 1931–1932 Henry Budden
  • 1932–1933 Ernest Alfred Scott