04 April 2022
Although our climate has been sending us some not so subtle reminders in the first quarter of 2022, the month of March has actually been neatly packed full of lots of wonderful things.
On Tuesday 8th March we had International Women’s Day 2022, which saw us extending the messaging beyond gender and encompassing overall progress in Diversity and Inclusion in our design community and beyond.
I was so happy to note that in 2022, International Women’s Day seemed to stretch the entire week and perhaps even the entire month of March.
Perhaps one day in future there will be no need for a single date in calendar to signify recycling targets that fell flat the previous year, and instead International Women’s Day and the broader agenda, will extend to the entire year and into perpetuity.
In line with this overall goal, AILA released Practice Note 10 A Guide to Equitable Practice and presented it to the membership on International Women’s Day itself. The Practice Note is an excellent step forward and I encourage all of you to download it, read it and consider how your practice can be guided by this framework. As AILA Members we should all be looking inwards as to how we can make a difference in 2022.
AILA also announced the 2022 Festival of Landscape Architecture theme will be ‘Country’ and will be held in Brisbane on 13th-16th October 2022. Register your interest here to receive updates as the details are announced. I look forward to seeing you all there in sunny Queensland later this year.
The 30th March saw the inaugural launch of the ShadeSmart CPD programme Module 1 – The Health Challenge, seeing just shy of 100 members dialling in to hear AILA’s Andrew Turnbull, Liz King, Cancer Council NSW and Susan Thompson UNSW present a compelling set of data on the health challenges associated with UV exposure in Australia. ShadeSmart Module 2 - Shade and UV is scheduled for Wednesday 27th April, where you will be lucky enough to see me present a short segment along with a few other guest speakers. Places are open now, so I encourage you all to sign up.
This Wednesday 6th April I also encourage you to register your place for a Member Connect to discuss the 2022 Landscape Architecture Salary Survey. AILA CEO, Ben Stockwin, will present the latest data and trends in the industry in relation to salary and working conditions within Australia including a breakdown by segment, age, experience and location. This will be followed by a panel discussion on workplace and industry trends led by AILA directors, Ben Willsmore and Katharina Nieberler-Walker with an interactive Q&A to follow.
AILA Fresh NSW are running their Studio Tours this Friday 8th April. Place Design Studio, Turf Design Studio and Sprout Landscape Architecture have kindly offered to host Students and Graduates at their Practices, where members can gain an insight into the daily workings of a landscape practice. Places are limited and filling fast- email [email protected] to secure your spot !
I think that covers it all from my side for March, I wish you all a happy and safe Easter and Anzac Day holidays and I hope that you all get a small break to rest and recharge after what has been a busy start to the year!
NSW Executive Member
Katie Earle