Uncle Max Dulumunmun Harrison welcomes participants

Peter Stutchbury, Lene Tranberg, Brit Andresen, Chris Major, Antoine Perrau, Lindsay Johnston, Julie Stout, Gabriel Poole, Ingerid Helsing Almaas, Richard Leplastrier

DEERUBBIN WEEKEND ARCHITECTURE CONFERENCE 2016

Milson Island, Hawkesbury River, 11-13 March

HOTS AND COOLS

The publicity said –

This event differentiates itself from the big impersonal architecture conferences, where participants often end up 'hanging out' with their friends, do not meet other people, and never see the guest speakers who are whisked off to VIP events. This 'all together' residential weekend conference ensures that all participants stay together and get a chance to meet each other and the guest speakers

.

Well it happened that way. There were about 150 architects on Milson Island to hear speakers from hot and cool climates, including speakers from Denmark, Norway, New Zealand and Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Participants attended from all over Australia, a large number from New Zealand and from overseas, one participant came especially from Slovenia.

Highlights included the traditional ‘smoking’ welcome ceremony by Aboriginal elder Uncle Max Dulumunmun Harrison, the Friday evening address by keynote speaker Lene Tranberg of Lundberg and Tranberg Copenhagen, and the address by Queensland elder of the Australian profession Gabriel Poole, who received a standing ovation. Underpinnings, influences and inspirations were explored by Lene and the

predominantly female panel of speakers, Professor Brit Andresen, Ingerid Helsing Almaas Editor of the Norwegian Architectural Review, Julie Stout of Mitchell and Stout Auckland and, on behalf of younger practices, Christine Major of Welsh and Major Sydney.

Brit Andresen

Ingerid Helsing Almaas

Antoine Perrau, presented an explanation of a substantial body of work in the tropical environment of Réunion Island, using air movement, natural ventilation and vegetation to eliminate the need for air-conditioning. Richard Leplastrier and Peter Stutchbury took a joint journey of vernacular buildings and recent buildings from the north, in the extreme cold of Russia, through the tropical and temperate climates of the Pacific and Australia, to the extreme winds of the south in Tasmania. The weekend was knitted together by Lindsay Johnston, convener of the Architecture Foundation Australia.

Fine weather allowed participants to mingle with speakers, sponsors and fellow participants in the outdoors and explore the beautiful island, have an occasional swim, and dance under the stars to – the ‘Scotland Island Blues Band’’, who came by classic Halversøn boat.

Delegates travelled by ferry from Palm Beach in Pittwater, or from the train station at Hawkesbury River, or from the Pacific Highway at Kangaroo Point.

Antoine Perrau

Gabriel Poole

This was the second Deerubbin Conference – Deerubbin is the Aboriginal name for the Hawkesbury River, and means ‘deep and wide water’. The first was held in 2014, and it is planned to hold another in March 2018. The event lectures took place in the beautiful Michael Heenan AJ+C designed sports hall. Sponsors for the conference included Stormtech drains and channels, Velux roof windows, Dulux paints, Metalcraft New Zealand roofing and cladding, Murobond paints and Hire intelligence who supplied the video wall. The event attracted 9 formal and 1 informal CPD points under the Refuel program.

Please watch the web site for future events by – OZ.E.TECTURE – the Architecture Foundation Australia, an independent not-for-profit organisation.

www.ozetecture.org

Richard Leplastrier

Eminent elders - Gabriel Poole and Uncle Max

Farewell