The Australian Institute of Architects’ annual National Architecture Conference will be held in Brisbane for the first time in 2012. The conference attracts over 1,000 international and national attendees but traditionally alternates between Sydney and Melbourne. Next year Brisbane will play host to international speakers including the world’s leading architects and Pritzker Prize winners, landscape architects, architectural advisors and authors.
Announcing this shift in location, the Institute confirmed Brisbane-based architects and academics Shane Thompson, Michael Rayner and Peter Skinner have been appointed 2012 Creative Directors and Architectural Advisors.
The trio have helped play a significant role in Queensland’s rise in architectural acknowledgment nationally and globally over the past decade, including playing key roles in:
- Place Makers - the first exhibition of architecture held at the Gallery of Modern Art (2007)
- HEAT - Queensland Government’s program intended to elevate the profile of Queensland architects internationally, including at the Venice Biennale 2008 and 2010 and at Shanghai EXPO 2010
- Unlimited - Queensland’s Asia-Pacific Design Triennial held in October 2010
Thompson, Rayner and Skinner want to infuse the event with a strong Queensland flavour. Describing their approach, they said: “We’ve chosen as a theme, a single word that carries a depth of meaning: experience. This term encapsulates the theoretical concept underpinning the conference; describes an important attribute sought in keynote speakers; informs the structure, character and conduct of associated events; and evokes an inspirational touchstone from popular culture.”
More information on the Creative Directors is available from Australian Institute of Architects.
