Is aversion to risk stifling our creative culture? Andrew Mackenzie questions why design competitions are so undervalued in Australia.
October 26th, 2011
We live in a bi-polar topsy-turvy world when it comes to risk. While the once conservative world of banking and fund management has gone Vegas-crazy on risky debt pyramids (“lend me more, I can gamble my way out of this, honest guv”) the business of creative culture has become a form of accountancy, dominated by risk averse middle-managers.
There is no better example of this risk neurosis than in the curious case of the Australia Council’s architectural competition for a new pavilion in Venice. Instead of using the opportunity to celebrate Australia’s wealth of architectural talent, it has devised a mean spirited design competition (more a business competency test really); complete with assessment criteria that stipulates the detailing of international project delivery and previous art gallery experience.
Not only does this criteria disadvantage 99% of Australian architectural practices, it laughably disadvantages all but 3 or 4 of the last 20 years of AIA Gold Medal winners. My guess… there’s 7 or 8 practices in Australia that stand a chance. The reason is risk management (remember this building is 320sqm). Despite an army of project managers and local Italian consultants, this is a competition driven by the requirement for reliable project delivery, not inspirational architecture or cultural ambition.
Now for another topsy-turvy observation. Germany is not known for radical experimentation and profligate investments. It is the world leader in sensible shoes and engineering you can trust your life with. Yet it is also the world leader in architecture competitions. Somehow it seems to have cracked the puzzle while Australia’s still scratching its head; namely that design competitions are R&D. For a country that makes BMW, R&D means something. Competitions, treated as research, represent an efficient (and cheap) way to pressure test architecture, interrogate options and refine construction logic; to make every euro spent in construction, well spent.
Aside from the Venice Pavilion, we are seeing the pernicious spread of competitions turning into EOI’s. More competency tests, designed to reward large practices for simply showing up, while discounting the creative potential of all else. From a simple financial perspective this might be fine, if what you are looking for is more of the same, please. But if Australia wants to take its environment and its city-building future seriously, the last thing it needs to do, is more of the same.
Is it time for Australia to learn a lesson from the only economy still standing in Europe?
Catch Andrew’s feature essay on architectural competitions in this Friday’s Australian Financial Review Magazine – the Design Issue.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
In the bid to balance the desire to live amongst nature with the modest footprint of today’s homes, designer Victoria Azadinho Bocconi looks for inspiration in the depths of the Amazon jungle.
Living Edge definitely has the edge when it comes to supplying furniture for the education sector. With a plethora of brands and collections at their fingertips, Living Edge provides the perfect solution for any learning environment.
The workplace has changed – and it will continue to evolve. With dynamism at the heart of clients’ requirements, architects and designers at leading practices such as Elenberg Fraser are using and recommending Herman Miller’s OE1 products for the future workplace.
Soon-to-be alumni furniture associates of JamFactory, these three emerging designers/makers are destined for acclaim — but not without an official introduction.
Electrolux Design Lab is calling for entries once again. This years brief is to design ’Home Appliances for the Internet Generation’. Find out more here Go behind the scenes of the 2007 Electrolux Design Lab competition, with Design Lab TV here
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
A Milliken carpet sample provided inspiration for the colourful fit-out of the Ultimate Security head office in Sydney – and Inspired Spaces and Milliken closely collaborated to bring the vision to life.
From global icons to local heroes, these international names are ready to cast their eye over the region’s top award program!
Signed by the AACA, the UK’s ARB and the NZRAB, this landmark agreement will help architects register and study across the three countries.
A new Reconciliation Garden at the University of Queensland’s (UQ) Herston campus showcases the power of collaborative design. The project saw a partnership between Arcadia, Multhana Property Services and representatives of Traditional Owners of the land.