MEDIA RELEASE Thursday 27 May 2010
New National President for architects’ peak body brings vast international reputation
A prominent Melbourne-based architect and committed urbanist with a portfolio of projects stretching from Paris to Shanghai has been appointed the Australian Institute of Architects’ 71st National President.
Karl Fender, founding director of award-winning architectural practice Fender Katsalidis, has been the design director of numerous major urban projects, with the most high-profile of these including Melbourne’s Eureka Tower, the tallest building in Australia.
His practice is also well-known for its work in the Docklands precinct in Melbourne; the multiple award-winning NewActon East building in Canberra, winner of the Canberra Architectural Medallion for 2008; and, most recently, for the under-construction ‘Little Hero’ building in Melbourne’s CBD with apartment modules assembled on site in a two week period using a new approach to pre-fabrication.
An avowed urbanist who thrives on life in the city and who is committed to sustainable, higher density residential typologies, Mr Fender was the President of the Victorian Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects for the term 2008-2010. He is currently working internationally on major projects in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Shanghai, and the design of a new town and marina in Gibraltar.
Mr Fender gained his Master of Architecture at Harvard University, and spent many years living and practising in London, Rome, Paris, Boston, Hong Kong, and Bangkok.
As National President, his key priorities over the coming 12 months are to focus on:
• Sustainable communities, cities and architecture.
• Furthering dialogue between the Federal Government and the profession on a range of issues and projects, particularly the establishment of an Australian Government Architect position within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
• Planning Reform
• Championing an urbanist view of the future of Australian cities
• A fostering of the Institute and architecture community working in Australia and offshore.
Above: Little Hero on Russell Place, Melbourne by Fender Katsalidis – currently being built using a new pre-fabrication technique allowing on site assembly within two weeks. Left: Australia’s tallest building, Melbourne’s Eureka Tower by Fender Katsalidis. Photo: John Gollings
One of Mr Fender’s key commitments is to increase awareness and adoption of sustainability, and he said: “The Australian Institute of Architects has proved itself a highly effective agency to underline and emphasise how important sustainability is. It was, and remains, the vision of our former President, Melinda Dodson, and it will continue to be a key tenet of our organisation.”
Mr Fender will be sworn in as National President tomorrow (Friday 28 May) at the Institute’s 2010 Annual General Meeting, with his term starting immediately. He succeeds leading ACT green architect Melinda Dodson, the youngest president to head the Institute in its 80 year history, and only the second female.
Speaking on Australian architecture generally and his hopes for the profession, Mr Fender said:
“At this point in time, the profession of architecture in Australia is facing an encouraging and positive future. Recent discussions with a wide range of stakeholders now indicate that architects are increasingly being regarded as agents of change capable of bringing about a better quality of life through the creation of sustainable, best-designed built environments.
“Our alignment with industry partners – strategically-driven to produce better outcomes for the Australian built environment – have never been stronger or more fruitful.
“Our membership and leading role with the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) is evidence of this.
“In the year ahead, we will continue to make inroads with our partners to produce research designed to encourage more informed debate on issues such as cities of the future, climate change, distributed resources and zero residential emissions.
“All of this will add to the growing body of evidence supporting the need for more sustainable cities.
“The Built Environment Meets Parliament (BEMP) program in Canberra, being held this year on Wednesday 16 June, is another key example. BEMP is an annual conversation between parliamentarians and industry leaders that showcases the relationship between Australian communities and their built environment.
“This alliance between the Institute, Planning Institute of Australia, Property Council of Australia, Green Building Council of Australia and Consult Australia continues to develop as a strong and close collaboration, offering an opportunity to explore the economic, social, environmental and governance issues that help shape national prosperity.
“This year, we’re taking this exchange to the next level, commissioning KPMG to conduct an audit of each capital city’s metropolitan strategy and how they perform against COAG’s nine key objectives for sustainable cities.
“This focus is entirely in line with COAG’s strong recent spotlight on the liveability and sustainability of Australian cities, and how we must maximize the potential of the built environment in these regards.
“Encouragingly, it’s also in sync with the Commonwealth Government’s and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s strong overtures in recent times that we must do more, sooner, better, and more collaboratively to improve the quality of our urban spaces.
“These are exciting times full of possibility for the profession of architecture, and for every Australian who should enjoy the benefits of a more sustainable, better designed built environment.”
Australian Institute of Architects
