Jury Citations - Australian Institute of Architects

November 9, 2009 • HICC HyderabadIndia Semiconductor Association (ISA in collaboration with Fabcity is organizing the Solar PV Conclave on November 9, 2009 at HICC Hyderabad.This Conclave addresses the needs of this evolving sector in India; and gets together the key players, business leaders, technology experts andstrategists on a common platform. Delegates of the conclave will receive unique insights from reputed international and national speakers.Solar PV Conclave 2009 is planned to get a perspective of industry leaders on Solar PV manufacturing and applications This event is supported bythe Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), IREDA and the industry body SEMI.Solar PV: Powering India’s future – the way forwardWhy should you participate?India is on the threshold of growth in PV adoption and manufacturing.With recent government initiatives, policy announcements andenormous market potential, India will see transformational changesinSolar PV, over the next several years that promise to propel India toa global leadership role in Solar PV. This event offers you an excellentopportunity to explore and expand your business in this fast-growingmarketplace.Benefits• Meet and network with key decision-makers in the global and regionalPV supply chain• Learn, influence and draw business benefits from Solar PV’s newestand potentially largest market• Hear the global speakers share their knowledge• Visibility on global platform• Focused business-driven networking meetingsPanel topicsThe photovoltaic market landscape for India• Applications and Business model suited for India• Achieving grid parity – how can we accelerate the realization of thisimportant milestone in India?Government policies shaping the growth of the industry• Market drivers in key markets – a case study approach• Market drivers in key markets – Indian approachStrategies for cost competitiveness in India• Securing financing at competitive cost – can the Indian investors liveup to this challenge?• According financing to Solar PV sector as a priority sector lending• Innovative mechanism of mobilizing finance by project developersand end users in large scale deploymentMedia Awareness• Creating awareness about the industry. How media can effectively playa role in creating awarenessWho should attend?• Central & State government ministries / departments• Public sector undertakings• Financial institutions and banks• Private equity investors• Solar PV module and panel manufacturers• System integrators• Equipment manufacturers• Technology providers• Balance of System (BoS) product manufacturers• Vendors of materials used in solar PV manufacturing• Solar power appliances manufacturers• Power developers and operators• Power transmitters• Power distributors• Regulatory agencies• Infrastructure developers• Market research firms• Consulting companies• Certifying agencies

The addition of Darling Quarter, a major urban revitalisation project, has done more to cement this inthe minds of visitors than any other single project in recent times. It has transformed the publicdomain of Darling Harbour through its seamless integration of programming, architecture, urban andlandscape design in a way that imbues it with a sense of quality and permanence. Darling Quarter iswhere the built form at western edge of the city meets the open space of Tumbalong Park. Creating anew address to the city, the development is split at its centre to open up a welcome street level linkfrom Darling Harbour to the city centre. On the park side, the curvilinear forms of the buildings andadjoining promenade have been prescribed by the park and the natural pedestrian desire line to thewaterfront. The resultant public realm delivers a series of defined public spaces, including a newthreshold and pedestrian link from the city, a generous promenade, parkland and a dynamicplayground. The public realm is further activated by a children’s theatre, and an elevated terracelined with cafes and restaurants. The place is activated day and night with lighting to the playgroundand an interactive digital media façade that enlivens the space and creates an ever‐changingbackdrop. It is a place for everyone – for city workers at lunchtime and in the evenings for families,the young and old, visitors and locals. Recognising the role of government, developer and the projectteam, the jury has awarded Darling Quarter the Lloyd Rees Award for setting a new benchmark inintelligent place making.COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURESir Arthur G. Stephenson AwardEstablished 1979: Named for one of the founding partners of the firm of Stephenson and Turner, Sir Arthur G. Stephenson,this award is given for the design of an outstanding commercial building.Image: John Gollings 3/18

Darling Quarter – Francis‐Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt) with Aspect Studios, Lend Lease, E.G.O.Group and Davenport CampbellWith a shared government, private sector and corporate vision, Darling Quarter establishes abenchmark for the creation of new sustainable urban precincts. Its Green Building Council ofAustralia (GBCA) credentials include: 6 Star Green Star ‐ Office Design v2 rating; 5 Star Green Star ‐Office Design Interiors v1.1 rating; and the first building to achieve a 6 Star Green Star ‐ Office AsBuilt v3. Energy use and savings are conveyed back to the workplace through the BMS and a mediawall in the lobby so that the occupants understand how the building works and how it is being used.While the list of passive and active design features is extensive, this award recognises the project’stransformation of an under‐used urban area to a thriving destination for locals, city workers andtourists, and its potential to change the behaviour of how people work. Purpose‐built for a majorAustralian bank, this human scale, low rise campus‐style office belies its vast 68,000 square metrebuilding program. Central to the brief is a contemporary workplace that reinforces people,innovation and sustainability. A central atrium acts as the symbolic heart of the workplace, visuallyintegrating the multi levels and serving as the primary connective element through a series ofcantilevered stairs, bridges and expressed glass lifts. Ground floor cafes and restaurants, a major newchildren’s playground, and a community green extend the traditional workplace as an enabling,supportive, human and inspiring place to work. While its sustainability credentials as a commercialbuilding are strong in isolation; as a precinct, it is transformative.RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – HOUSESWilkinson AwardEstablished 1964: The Wilkinson Award was introduced to recognise exemplary domestic architecture and named for theEmeritus Professor of Architecture at the University of Sydney, Leslie Wilkinson. Wilkinson had won the Sulman Medal twice– in 1934 for a residential design and in 1942 for a suburban church.Image: Brett Boardman 5/18

29‐35 Prince Street Cronulla – Candalepas AssociatesThis is an incredible project that pays careful attention to its context, is well planned, exquisitelydetailed, and plays with the typology of beach side apartments while resisting a ‘glazing at allexpenses’ approach. There is beauty, delight and surprise in this project. Small celebrations capturelight and ventilation between the individual building parts, while beachside holiday references oftramping over sand dunes on boardwalks are evoked. Narrow, cool entry portals create anunderstated presence within the streetscape, reflecting the simplicity and casual nature of the localbeach environment. One cannot help but smile in happiness at the joy invested in this building by thearchitect for those who will use it over their lifetimes. Material richness plays an important role inelevating the dwellings to the luxury residential market. Combining warm timbers, bronze detailing,robust concrete and sandstone panels, Candalepas Associates have delivered a layered building withdepth and intrigue. The internal planning of the dwellings is thoughtful, straightforward and specific– capturing, creating and framing views while providing a variety of experiences for the inhabitantsto enjoy. This project acknowledges the harsh surrounding marine environment, cleverly employingit to wear the building into a comfortable patina, further anchoring it within its local context. Mostimportantly, this building is complex without being complicated, and simple without being simplistic.There is richness in both the individual experience and the architectural investigations undertaken inthis building which is welcome and refreshing.SMALL PROJECT ARCHITECTURERobert Woodward AwardEstablished 1997: In 2013, the former Small Project Architecture Award was renamed to honour architect RobertWoodward AM whose career was significantly altered after winning the Institutes’ Civic Design Award in 1964 for the ElAlamein Memorial Fountain in Kings Cross. ‘Small’ refers to the scale of the project rather than the budget and there are norestrictions on the entries provided that the work has been built.Image: Brett Boardman7/18

Art Gallery of NSW Forecourt Upgrade – Johnson Pilton WalkerThis remarkable and understated project combines discrete landscape adjustments with a sculpturalramp to resolve the longstanding problem of providing equitable access to the Art Gallery of NSW.The new ramp, which allows visitors to bypass the stairs up to the entry portico, is the most striking‘intervention’ to Walter Liberty Vernon’s majestic Art Gallery entrance. The architects have met thechallenge with a solution that sits respectfully within the original fabric but which is bold enough inconcept and rigorous enough in execution to be worthy of such a significant public space. Theresolution is a strong counterpoint to the Gallery’s solid and symmetrical entry. The ramp’s preciseplacement and curvature cleverly disguises its necessary length, minimises its visual and footprintimpact, and allows the ramp to widen into generous openings at each end. Details such as inclinedbalusters and panel jointing accentuate this dynamic form. A truss structure concealed within thebronze cladding of the inner balustrade gives the ramp a surprising weightlessness, and contrastswith the open outer balustrade to further reduce the bulk of the structure. This simplicity of form,combined with the refined detailing, results in the restrained elegance of the ramp. The design alignsitself with the world of contemporary art – a successful strategy in the context of Vernon’s classicism.It is an organic, unambiguously modern and confident addition to the existing frontage.HERITAGEGreenway AwardEstablished 1975An award for the conservation of historic buildings – the Greenway Award commemorates the work of the transportedconvict Francis Greenway, the first architect to be commissioned to design buildings for the fledgling colony of New SouthWales. This category now includes adaptive re‐use projects that involve alterations and additions to heritage buildings.Image: Simon WoodGowings and State Theatre Buildings Restoration and Hotel Conversion – Woodhead and GrahamBrooks and Associates, Sydney(Creative Adaptation)This project is a remarkable achievement in the conservation, refurbishment and adaptive reuse oftwo adjacent heritage listed buildings – the Gowings and State Theatre Buildings – that have beencombined and significantly adapted to house a new city hotel. (cont…) 8/18

It knits together two buildings of distinctive early 20th century styles: the State Theatre (1929) byarchitects Henry White and John Eberson is in an inter‐war Gothic Skyscraper style, originallydesigned as a theatre and vertical shopping complex. The Gowings building (1912, later renovated in1929) by Crawford H. Mackellar is in an inter‐war Commercial Palazzo style and was originallydesigned for retail and commercial office use. Although the two structures are combined into one,the unique spatial integrity and heritage character of each have been maintained. Presented with aset of highly technical challenges, such as differing floor heights and dissimilar construction systems,the design team handled issues of structural connectivity, interior design and heritage conservationwith the highest degree of skill and thoughtfulness. From the careful integration of building systems,to the curation of site specific installation art, the project team thoroughly considered each elementof the heritage fabric for preservation, reuse or adaptation. The architects have navigated a complexdesign process in a manner that still recounts the vibrant past of the buildings, yet in an utterlycontemporary manner. This conversion befits the original buildings’ scale and form, while preservingthe important internal spatial character and heritage spaces. The Gowings and State TheatreBuildings restoration and hotel conversion breathes new life into the site, enhancing the publicdomain by adding a vital new contemporary program to the city’s heart.AWARD FOR ENDURING ARCHITECTUREEstablished 2003: Following on from similar awards in America, England and New Zealand, the 25 Year Award wasrecently renamed the Award for Enduring Architecture Award with past winners including the Sydney Opera House.Image: David Moore9/18

The AMP Building Sydney Cove –PTW ArchitectsAMP headquarters, at Alfred Street Circular Quay, is a remarkable and outstanding example of aninternational style, curtain wall office building. Its simple curved building form and fine buildingarticulation elevate it above much of the banal city making that followed its construction. As the firstbuilding to breach the 150 feet building height limit it was not spared controversy; 12 months ofdebate ensued between the City of Sydney and the State Government before approval was granted.Thankfully this building set a remarkable agenda for the future of towers in this city. Its gracefulcurve and public domain offering are both generous and subtle. This building is imbedded in thehistories and memories of Sydneysiders, many of whom have personal memories of the day theywent to the top and viewed the world below. The building was innovative for its time employing:open plan office floors; high quality staff amenities to foster more effective work practices; an urbanplaza for the public; high speed passenger lifts; an elevated floor resulting in highly flexible workspace; use of harbour water to service ducted air conditioning; an automatic document conveyorsystem; and a telephone exchange. Now dwarfed by surrounding development, the AMP Tower sits asa jewel within the city skyline, a welcome address to the ferry terminals below and the harbourbeyond. This is a remarkable building, a valuable piece of city making, and an exceptional and generousgift to the character of the city.COLORBOND ® AWARD FOR STEEL ARCHITECTUREEstablished 2007: The COLORBOND ® Steel Award is given to a project which utilises steel in an innovative and creativemanner.Image: Richard Glover 10/18

Iglu Central – Bates SmartThis remarkable project relies on the use of steel to achieve the core of its architectural expression.The panelised weeping Core10 façade gives the building a calm and ordered expression within achaotic urban environment. The flexibility of the cladding system has enabled the architects toachieve an ordered and simple expression to a building typology which is programmaticallydemanding and services intense. Multiple housing projects are not renowned for their use of steelbeyond the quintessential custom orb roof sheeting profile employed by northern Australian lowerscale campus‐style housing. Here the use of the material, both in solid and perforated form, acts as arain screen to a hard working simplistic box behind. It is exciting and delightful to see steel extendedin such a creative and expressive manner to deliver a remarkable addition to the fabric of the city.Fundamentally this material use gives the building personality and expression while allowing it to ageand weather, delivering a richer building over time.BLACKET PRIZEEstablished 1984: This Prize was introduced specifically for buildings erected in country New South Wales and was named forthe 19th century architect Edmund Blacket whose picturesque Gothic Revival style churches can still be found in many countrytowns.Image: John GollingsCharles Sturt University National Life Sciences Hub – BVN Donovan HillThe National Life Sciences Hub (NaLSH) is a new teaching and research facility for the life sciences atCharles Sturt University’s Wagga Wagga campus. In a typical rural campus setting that ischaracterised by its lack of planning and disparate array of buildings, the National Life Sciences Hub,in response, brings structure, legibility and a new collegiate sensibility to the campus. (cont…)11/18

The building is organised as an ‘L’ shape in plan and is sited to define and terminate a new avenue inthe precinct. Marking the entry is the principal gathering space: a grand over‐scaled verandah linkinginternal and external spaces. Importantly, this element is scaled both to the building and to the widerscience precinct. The verandah and foyer form a nexus between research and teaching functions,supporting interaction between schools, researchers and students. The two wings house studentteaching and research laboratories which are folded around the entry foyer. The project’s fourfunctional strands can be read in the articulated roof form. Roof heights are modulated toaccommodate linear rooftop plant and skylights along the circulation spines of the building. The useof red, recycled clay brickwork builds on a history of masonry construction in the Wagga Waggaregion. The project achieves an environmental target of a 5 Star Green Star Rating. Given the highproportion of laboratories with strict climatic controls, this target represents Australian excellence inenvironmental performance for a building of this type. The jury pays tribute to the client and projectteam for exceeding the brief to create a high quality educational establishment that satisfies theaspirations of the individual school and the wider university. It is a model in planning, design andenvironmental performance for rural Australian campuses.NSW PREMIER’S PRIZEEstablished 1997: This prize is awarded by the NSW Premier from a shortlist of projects selected by the NSW GovernmentArchitect which are of benefit to the people of NSW ‐ whether they be educational, cultural, transport or accommodationfacilities.Image: Brett BoardmanMartian Embassy – LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture)LAVA’s Martian Embassy is the new home for the Sydney Story Factory, a not‐for‐profit creativewriting centre for marginalised young people in Sydney. The new shopfront ‘drop in’ centre at 176Redfern Street, Redfern is designed to awaken creativity in kids of all ages. (cont…) 12/18

The Martian Embassy attracts young people who have had difficulty in engaging with traditionallearning and creative writing pursuits. This is an asset for the whole community, to have a generationof imaginative, articulate and engaged people with their own place to learn and interact with oneanother. The design fires up the engines of imagination. For inspiration, LAVA travelled back to someof the great stories ‐ ‘Moby Dick’, H. G. Wells’ ‘Time Machine’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ by StanleyKubrick. Today passersby cannot resist entering to explore and embark on an ‘intergalactic journey’from the embassy at the street entrance, into the shop full of red planet traveller essentials, andthen to the writing classes at the back of the facility. A total immersive space of oscillating plywoodribs is brought to life by ‘red planet’ light and sound projections. Visitors of all ages are stopped intheir tracks, trying to work out what it looks like. Is it a whale? A time tunnel? The centre’s directorCath Keenan said: ‘Students feel it is their special space. The design has played a crucial role in ourcore mission – enhancing young people’s creativity’. The design and realisation of the MartianEmbassy was only made possible through the pro‐bono work of the many people. This is aninspiring example of innovative design through prefabrication, sustainability, using local resources,customisation, and community participation. The project has demonstrated how it is possible tocreate more with less. Better design and amenities, with less material, less energy footprint, andless cost. And most importantly, how to inspire and engage with the next generation of creativewriters and thinkers.CITY OF SYDNEY LORD MAYOR’S PRIZEEstablished 2013: The City of Sydney Lord Mayor’s Prize has been established to recognise a project that improves the qualityof the public domain through architectural or urban design excellence and may be for, or include, public art.Image: Florian Groehn13/18

Darling Quarter – Francis‐Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt) with Aspect Studios and Lend LeaseThe winner of the inaugural City of Sydney Lord Mayor’s Prize is Darling Quarter by Francis‐JonesMorehen Thorp (fjmt) with Aspect Studios and Lend Lease. The prize has been established to recognisea project that improves the quality of our public domain through architectural or urban designexcellence, and it may be for, or include public art. The inaugural winner amply fulfils this criteria. Itrevives the quarter with urbanity, flair and credibility, and provides an exemplary integration of workand recreation spaces, hard surfaces and green space, and active and passive uses. Underpinned by anew activity‐based campus for the Commonwealth Bank, Darling Quarter is a model of sustainability,with tri‐generation, black water treatment and energy saving systems. Its achievements insustainability are matched by its urban design achievements and its contribution to urban vitality. Itintegrates commercial offices and open space at a very human scale, with its six‐storey height and roofprofile allowing winter sunshine into the public spaces, making them a welcome gathering place yearround.At night, fixed and interactive lighting combines public art with extended operating hours forthe retail, cafes and restaurants. The development provides licensed and unlicensed seating as well as apromenade, public seating areas, parkland and the most wonderful children’s play area. This generous4000 square metre play area and youth theatre provides for active play, mental play and water play,and is a meeting place for carers, parents and grandparents. Darling Quarter is a most welcomeaddition to the city.NSW PRESIDENT’S PRIZEEstablished 1984: This prize is awarded at the discretion of the NSW Chapter President and is given to an individual who hasmade a substantial contribution to the profession of architecture.Sean O’Toole – UrbanGrowth NSWWithin the context of a new Planning Act for New South Wales, and a development‐focused MetroStrategy for Sydney, there will be an urgent need in coming years for greater urban renewal and infilldevelopment. Successful future urban renewal must balance and integrate quality public domain,urban design and architecture with community aspirations and greater density. In selecting therecipient of the 2013 NSW President’s Prize, the leadership of Sean O’Toole at UrbanGrowth NSW(formerly Landcom) has been exemplary over the past 18 years in delivering quality urban renewal.Sean’s leadership is collaborative and inclusive, empowering those around him. He has been astrong and pragmatic advocate, understanding the fundamental importance of quality urbandesign and architecture in urban renewal. He has led UrbanGrowth NSW in demonstrating thevalue of investment in quality public domain as a key to successful urban renewal. He has shownthat government can champion the public realm and lead the delivery of city improvements. UnderSean, UrbanGrowth NSW, has achieved this in partnership with design professionals, developersand the community. In its partnerships with developers it has shared the development risk, so ithas had a real stake in success.Landmark projects such as Victoria Park, Rouse Hill Town Centre, Prince Henry at Little Bay, andthose upcoming for Green Square and the Newcastle CBD demonstrate quality urban renewal andplace making. Common ingredients in this successful approach have been engagement with thecommunity as well as local and state governments, the introduction of comprehensive on‐thegroundsustainability measures, and most importantly, design excellence. (cont…)15/18

Sean is taking his well‐deserved retirement this year, having dedicated his entire productive career tothe public sector. He has consistently made the wider public interest central to his strategic decisionmaking.The practical legacy of his approach is an array of projects that have made a significantqualitative difference to the delivery of urban renewal in New South Wales.EMERGING ARCHITECT PRIZEEstablished 2011: The Emerging Architects Prize recognises an emerging architect or architectural collaboration’scontribution to architectural practice, education, design excellence and community involvement that advances theprofession’s standing in the public arena.Andrew Burns – Andrew Burns ArchitectWhile the emergence of Andrew Burns has been seemingly rapid and spectacular; this belies agestation in private practice of some six years and, prior to that, the development of strongfoundations working for leading practices over a 10 year period. Australia House opened just over oneyear ago in the Niigata Prefecture north of Tokyo. Secured through an open internationalcompetition which asked for a compact structure of no more than 130 square metres, it reveals alevel of maturity which Andrew explains simply as ‘an understanding of what I can do and what Ican’t do, and acting within those perimeters’. Australia House exhibits simplicity of form and strikingdirectness. Based on triangular geometries in plan and section, it is responsive to its site, and subtlyreferences the Australian vernacular as well as the Japanese landscape. Crescent House, alsosecured through a competition process for the Sherman Contemporary Art Foundation, sits withinthe Foundation’s courtyard. It is both art object and architecture, comprising the intersection of twoarcs, framing and transforming the surrounding landscape. Andrew’s other recent work includes acollaboration with Sarah Eberle in the design of an urban park for the 2012 London Festival ofArchitecture, and Karinya House, north of Sydney – again exhibiting a similar restraint andengagement with the landscape. Encouragingly, Andrew anticipates his future practice as beingfocused on projects that have a public element and a ‘socially restorative quality’. He cites both studentand social housing as areas of particular interest. Andrew is an excellent ambassador for theadvancement of the architectural profession within the public arena both locally andinternationally. We keenly anticipate his considered and thoughtful future contributions.MARION MAHONY GRIFFIN PRIZEEstablished 1998: Named for the pioneering woman architect, Marion Mahony Griffin, this prize, was established toacknowledge a distinctive body of work by a female architect, be it for their contribution to: architectural education;journalism; research; theory; professional practice; or built architectural work.Helen Lochhead – Sydney Harbour Foreshore AuthorityThis year’s jury was privileged to receive nominations from a superb group of women architects, all ofwhom fulfilled the requirements of this prize. The jury has selected Helen Lochhead to receive theMarion Mahony Griffin Prize this year. Helen is currently the Director of Strategic Developments atthe Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA). She has over 20 years of involvement in the designof the public realm in Australia. Helen has worked tirelessly to achieve design excellence in thepublic sector working on architectural, urban design and landscape design projects. (cont…)16/18

Through her role on committees, design review panels and competition juries, and from within localcouncil and state government agencies, she has worked determinedly, managing to extricate herselffrom procedural inertia and the daily difficulties of working in a bureaucracy to make design qualityand sustainability important considerations in major capital works projects. Prior to accepting asecondment as the Director of Strategic Developments at SHFA, Helen had attained the position ofAssistant Government Architect in the Government Architect’s Office (GAO), a position she has heldsince 2007. In this role she championed the promotion of women architects within the GAO, andhas played an important role in mentoring graduates. She has taught at three of Sydney’suniversities and is currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Sydney. One of theconsiderations in giving this prize is that the work be in sympathy with the work of Marion MahonyGriffin. The Griffins often worked at a master planning level, seeking to achieve socialimprovements by creating a new form of suburbia that was more responsive to the landscape andtopography than the standard colonial street grid. Working at the master planning level is a keytheme throughout Helen’s work, thus we consider her to be well deserving of the Marion MahonyGriffin Prize.ADRIAN ASHTON PRIZE FOR WRITING AND CRITICISMEstablished 1986: The Adrian Ashton prize was first introduced in 1986 as a biennial award, but is now awarded yearly.Adrian Ashton was a past president of the Institute and founding member of the National Trust in NSW; however, it is his roleas the first editor of the NSW Chapter’s ‘Architecture Bulletin’ that this prize commemorates.Laura Harding – Architecture Australia/Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban ProjectsWe embrace ease and eschew risk at our peril. 1 Written in the closing lines of Laura Harding’s reviewof extensions to the National Gallery of Australia, these words could just as well form the personalmotto of their author. Faced with the task of reviewing a contentious public project, amidst the swirlof competing agendas, and to a strict word count, it must have been tempting to polemicise orsimplify the story – but this is not how Laura writes. Her articles take a far riskier position. Walking atightrope, or better, multiple tightropes, she paces out in erudite and concise phrases the spider‐likenarrative strands interwoven through the architectural project. Ultimately, we are not just offeredthe critic’s informed judgement but insight into the many possible angles from which judgementcould be made. This makes for educational, entertaining, and deeply satisfying reading. AContributing Editor to ‘Architecture Australia’ since 2006, Laura regularly writes for the publicationand its online counterpart, ‘ArchitectureAU’. She has also contributed to ‘Architecture ReviewAustralia’, ‘Landscape Architecture Australia’, ‘Monument Magazine’, and ‘Houses Magazine’.Despite her considerable acumen as a critic, Laura is primarily engaged in architectural practice.She is a key contributor to the work of Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects, where she hasworked since 1996. Over the past year there has been lively debate about the state and purpose ofarchitectural criticism. If we are to invite public interest in architecture, we must transcend themystification of practice that makes architecture seem the selfish product of a singular creator. LauraHarding’s writing, as exemplified in her National Gallery review, expands the narrative by bringing tolight the contingencies, compromises and generosities embodied in practice.1. Harding, L. ‘Extending the NGA’. Architecture Australia. January/February 2011.17/18