The Australian Institute of Architects is pleased to announce the jury for the 2023 National Architecture Awards.
The panel comprises five distinguished professionals from diverse backgrounds, each bringing a unique perspective to the task of judging Australia’s most prestigious architecture awards.
The jury members are Shannon Battisson FRAIA (Chair), Shaneen Fantin FRAIA, William Smart FRAIA, Stephanie Kitingan RAIA, and Scott Burchell.
Battisson said “Everyone benefits from good architecture, and the Australian Architecture Awards present examples of the best of the best. As a jury, we are thrilled to come together to witness work across the country, and celebrate the achievements of our peers bringing work to fruition that is considered, sensitive to its place and context, and generous to those who move within and around its built form. We look forward to sharing an inspiring array of projects, from the most humble enclosure to the larger scaled public projects with everyone in the coming months.”
The winners will be announced at the 2023 National Architecture Awards in Canberra on 31 October 2023, the event concluding the program of the Australian Architecture Conference.
The National Jury will be commencing their National Jury Tour in mid-July and finishing in early August.
Shannon Battisson FRAIA (CHAIR) | Director of Architecture, The Mill: Architecture + Design
Shannon Battisson is an architect with a great passion for people, place and the spaces we create for ourselves. She is the National President and a Director on the Board of the Institute, as well as a highly contributing member of the profession in both Canberra, and beyond. She is an experienced public advocate for the benefit of good design, and an accomplished public speaker. As a leader, Shannon believes in the strength of our collective diversity of voice, experience, and stories. She hopes to inspire others to step up to the challenges of both culture and climate through the sharing of stories and a celebration of our combined vulnerability. As an architect, Shannon has developed a strong ethos of people centric design over 20 years of practice. Having studied at the University of New South Wales, and having lived abroad, Shannon consciously settled in Canberra to establish her practice, The Mill: Architecture + Design, with business partner Sarah Welsh. Together, they are dedicated to working towards a world where all people have access to the essential elements of home (safety, comfort, and retreat) whilst ensuring these spaces are also climate responsive, affordable and joyful spaces to live in.
Shaneen Fantin FRAIA | Director, People Oriented Design (POD)
Shaneen has a unique combination of skills in architecture, community engagement, research, and project management. A generous leader, she gives time and knowledge to facilitate opportunities for her clients, colleagues, and the wider community. As a third generation local to far north Queensland, she is passionate about sustainable and appropriate development and has dedicated her career to understanding the relationship of culture, design and architecture with First Nations peoples. With over 25 years of experience on a broad range of community, health, and housing projects in Australia and the Pacific, she continues to advocate for sustainable design solutions, and culturally and socially inclusive outcomes for the whole community. Shaneen holds positions on National and State level panels for the Australian Institute of Architects and the Queensland State Government. She is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Queensland and James Cook University where she continues to influence through teaching and research.
William smart fraia | Creative Director & Owner, Smart Design Studio
William Smart is the Founder and Creative Director of Smart Design Studio, established in 1998. His approach to design is holistic, combining both architectural and interior design with passionate attention to detail. Over the past 23 years, Smart Design Studio has delivered a wide range of projects ranging from large-scale master planning, cultural buildings, offices, workplaces to private houses and product design. Although varied in scale, the projects are united by an ethos of “Architecture from the Inside Out”. Smart Design Studio’s buildings have received critical acclaim. Since its inception SDS has received over 50 international and national awards for architecture, urban design and interior design. William was also the recipient of Inde Awards Luminary Award. William has also taught and lectured across Australia, published written work and is an active participant in the design community.
Stephanie Kitingan RAIA | Architect & Director, Placement Studio
Before founding Placement, Stephanie gained experience on projects ranging from commercial, civic, and residential across Australia, crafting her knowledge within the industry through this diverse range of typologies. Her residential projects featured in recent publications have garnered awards nationally, and this recognition has spurred her forward in her budding career - motivating her to offer insights on the 2023 National Awards Jury. Inspired to work collaboratively and driven by social impact, Stephanie’s experience positions her as an effective communicator of ideas and facilitator of positive outcomes to complex projects. In conjunction with delivering outcomes that are creatively robust and considered, her shared role with the other co-founders of Placement involves intimately managing the practice including the mentoring of staff. Stephanie has taught at Melbourne University and continues to offer to the broader discipline through guest moderations at the School of Architecture as well as sitting on the Jury for the 2023 Victorian Architecture Awards.
Scott Burchell | Director, Comb Construction
Scott Burchell is a residential builder in Melbourne, specializing in complex architectural builds in a variety of scales. As director of COMB construction, he has had the pleasure of working with some of the very best architects and designers in the country. Having started out with a couple of years studying architecture at Sydney University, he has never lost his passion for architecture in general, and especially for a finely crafted modernist detail. In 2017 his love of Brazilian modernism led to the extraordinary opportunity of spending a number of days in studio with Paulo Mendes da Rocha in Saõ Paulo. As well as observing his design process first hand, he had the opportunity to spend time in many of his significant works, including staying at his masterful Casa Gerber outside Rio on a subsequent visit in 2019. Scott continues to explore his love of architecture via his Instagram feed @combconstruction, a generous community of like-minded design enthusiasts. In 2022 Scott was invited (with @the_donnies) to deliver a talk at The Berlage, at TU Delft in the Netherlands.
