And so the waiting game begins! As I write, the INDE.Awards 2019 Jury is sitting down to review the many hundreds of entries we’ve received in this year’s Indo-Pacific-wide awards program. More than any other awards program in this country, the INDE.Awards calls on architects and designers to think big, and look beyond the scope of your immediate locality to have your voice heard, and your work recognised, within a larger regional context.

Speaking recently with Mat Hinds of Taylor and Hinds Architects, (2018 winner of The Building, and Best of the Best for ‘krakani-lumi’ in Tasmania) he reminded me of the immense reach of our region, and the INDEs’ unique capability to span its many continents and bring unity to a diverse industry of creatives.

“As a small practice, coming from a small island on the southern tip of that region, it just goes to show that this awards program does facilitate recognition for work that is on the margins, regionally,” says Mat. “We were completely overwhelmed [by the win]. It allowed us to focus the meaning of the project in a broader regional context. We saw it had potency for an entire region of the world, beyond the community of people who were our client.”

So the question remains, what will this year’s Jury verdict reveal? We can’t wait to see the outcome, and share it with you on 21 June, when the INDE.Awards Gala returns for its third major awards night.

Speaking of iterations, in this edition of Indesign, the ‘Workplace Evolution’ issue, we traverse the full shapeshifting spectrum of the ‘modern workplace’. Together with our returning special edition editor, Paul McGillick, and a few key thought leaders (special thanks to Jerad Tinnin, Gijs Nooteboom and James Calder), we tackle topics of automation and AI, co-working, hybrid working, hotel hot-desking, innovations from Orgatec… Wait, I’m giving it all away. Enjoy the issue and we look forward to seeing you at the INDEs in June.

Alice Blackwood | Editor