Indigenising the Built Environment in Australia: Please join us on this journey of impact and transformation.

This project investigates the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia’s (AACA) National Standard of Competency for Architects 2021 (NSCA). This document details performance criteria for schools of architecture and practitioners in Australia. Carefully developed by the Australian Institute of Architects First Nations Advisory Group and Cultural Reference Panel, the AACA introduced Country and First Nations Communities and Cultures as core components to learning and practice implementation. This Indigenous-led research project will investigate the efficacy of these performance criteria through interactions with key stakeholders. The objective of the interactions is to collect critical information that can inform future iterations of the National Standard of Competency for Architects and provide important observations for the profession in 2024, 2025, 2026, and beyond.

The project will explore the National Standard of Competency for Architects, the key document for accreditation of architecture schools, graduates of architecture aiming to register as an architect, and annual requirements for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for architects in practice. The inclusion of broader First Nations Community representatives and practitioners in architecture and allied disciplines will provide vital commentary on the NSCA 2021. While there is currently little dedicated research information collection across a longitudinal study for the NSCA 2021 relative to the Country and First Nations Communities and Cultures specific performance criteria (FNPC), there is a broader AACA survey that touches on the performance criteria. This project will fill gaps in knowledge through a rigorous research process and activate new knowledge from an Online Survey, Group and One-on-One semi-structured Yarning Workshops to provide a rich dataset and evidence base for professions in the built environment such as architecture and broader society.

Link to the project: Indigenising the Built Environment in Australia

This project is led by Dr Michael Mossman and Professor Donald McNeill (University of Sydney), with support from research officers including Liam Coe, Ebony Syron, Bradley Kerr, Byron Kinnaird and Justine Anderson.

The project is funded through the Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Indigenous Project scheme.

For more information, please email adp.ibea@sydney.edu.au