The act of making; the dirtiness, directness and honesty of architecture is the inspiration behind the theme for the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2014 National Architecture Conference

The conference will be hosted in Perth for the first time in more than a decade.

Adam Haddow, Helen Norrie and Sam Crawford were announced as the 2014 creative team with their theme, Making, by the AIA’s national president Paul Berkemeier.

Inspiration for the theme came from the process of making architecture, rather than simply the presentation of architecture as a finished product. Additionally, the collaborative relationship and catalytic projects that lead to cultural change and shift the context of architectural practice also contributed.

The team explained, “Our interest lies both in the machinations of the process, and the beauty, delight and surprise of excellence. Making will be a celebration of ideas. It will celebrate approaches to achieving architectural excellence that challenge cultural, economic, social and political environments. It will be through an investigation of the unknown that our own place will be revealed more clearly.

“How do we learn, as practitioners, from these alternative processes, the wins and losses, the mistakes and coincidences that led to better outcomes?

“‘We want to hear from the speakers about other ways of making architecture. How architecture is made in other cultural, economic and geographic contexts, particularly Asia, Latin America and Africa,” they say.

The theme of Making will also explore the expanding role of the architect and consider a broader definition of ‘architect as maker’ – not just of singular buildings, but as the maker of environments and connections that extend the bounds of traditional practice.

Contemporary architects are not constrained to the drawing board, the team say, but are engaged with communities and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Architects are often a champion of political change.

“We are interested in a new emerging role of the architect and the different ways of “making” across a range of circumstances.”

The national conference is an opportunity for architects to celebrate their profession and enjoy a collegiate environment, as well as be inspired and energised from practitioners who share the same ambition, but differ in approach and context, the team says.

Keynote speakers, panelists and the creative team will further investigate ‘making’ through four sub-themes – Making: Culture, Life, Connections and Impact.

About the team

Adam Haddow is a director of SJB. He has received numerous awards and is known most for his work on multiple housing and his engagement in ideas about the future of our cities. He is a contributor to many journals and is actively involved in built form advocacy through the AIA.

Helen Norrie is an academic in the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Tasmania and a writer, curator and architectural critic contributing regularly to national and international architecture and design discussions.

After leaving university Sam Crawford established his own practice. Sam Crawford Architects has since been widely published nationally and internationally and has been recipient of numerous state and national awards including a 2012 NSW Architecture Award and National Commendation for the Smee Schoff House.

The National Architecture Conference - Making - will be held in Perth from 8 to 10 May 2014.