Following on from the three accolades received at the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2024 SA Chapter Awards in July, we garnered four honours across eight categories in October’s Learning Environments Australasia SA & NT Chapter Awards!
Christmas came early!
It’s no secret 2024 has been a busy year at Russell & Yelland. But hard work has been rewarded with four more project honours and some significant professional milestones celebrated as a team over the past few months.
Nazareth Catholic College Kidman Park senior campus was named the Overall Winner, also taking out the New Campus with New Educational Facilities category. The art, design and technology-focused Angelico Centre at Cabra Dominican College, Cumberland Park, won best New Building/s or Facilities – Small, while the Caritas Centre at St Joseph’s School in Port Lincoln received a commendation in the same category. Director, John Held, and Associate, Lauren Knight, were on hand to receive the certificates at Concordia College, St John’s, Highgate, who hosted the event.
The end of the year has provided a chance for us to reflect on some significant contributions on the part of both of our directors here at R&Y.
John Held steps down as National President of the Association of Consulting Architects (ACA) this month after six-years in the role, which follows a further seven years as Vice President. Also departing as ACA SA Branch President, John has given 13 years of concurrent service at the state level. Widely respected, John has made a vast impact on the industry, having helped to guide the ACA through a significant period of change while navigating the pressures of the pandemic. At the national level, he passes the baton to long-time VIC/TAS Branch President, Paul Viney, but remains Deputy Chair of the Australian Construction Industry Forum (ACIF).
In November we also raised a glass to R&Y Director, Stewart Caldwell, who was made a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects. Stewart was recognised for his significant contributions to the profession, particularly the advancement of digital technology in architectural practice. Across almost 25 years of service, Stewart has been a Course Coordinator in Construction at the University of Adelaide, chaired software user groups, and is the co-founder of the popular industry design and construction seminar series, BuildSA. This year also marks his ten-year anniversary as a Director at Russell & Yelland. Stewart was one of five industry leaders celebrated in a ceremony at the AIA’s SA Chapter office.
The celebrations continued in November with the news of two freshly-minted architects within our ranks. Georgie Jackman and Nicole Wilksch received their architectural registrations, marking the culmination of a significant portfolio of work. Both said they benefited greatly from taking part in the Association of Consulting Architects’ Keith Neighbour study group in the lead-up to registration. The pair has chosen to give back to the next intake of the program, offering their support to graduates hoping to secure registrations in the coming year.
In other staff news, we welcomed a new Senior Architect, Brychan Asaris, to the fold in October. Brychan comes to R&Y with almost a decade of experience in health, education and aged care projects for practices across South Australia. We look forward to his support continuing our good work in these sectors.
As you might have heard, we also formalised an office-wide 9-day fortnight in November after testing these arrangements for almost a year. This change was adopted for several reasons. Like many businesses navigating the pressures brought on by the pandemic, we wanted to explore more flexible work arrangements for our staff. At the same time, we hoped to address the parallel issue of unfair working hours so prevalent within the design and construction industry. There is now a significant body of research supporting the benefits of flexible work hours to mental health and wellbeing. Ultimately this change will ensure better outcomes for both our staff and clients. With total hours worked remaining unchanged, the R&Y office is now open from 8am until 6pm on weekdays but closed every second Friday. As always, the Directors remain contactable on closure days for urgent matters.
