From the EmAGN President, Liehan Janse van Rensburg
As 2024 comes to a close, I have been reflecting on the overwhelming spirit of generosity shown by the Institute’s various national and chapter committee members this year, as we worked together on all facets of how we practice, what we do, and how we are recognised in the wider community. It has been a privilege to serve as EmAGN President for 2024, and to work alongside such passionate volunteers.
EmAGN (the Emerging Architects and Graduates Network) makes up roughly 35% of the Institute’s membership, which translates to about 5500 members. Of those, an astounding 150+ are volunteers for their chapter EmAGN committees. With the key pillars of Advocacy, Career Support, Community and Networking, and Awards and Recognition as our guide, we have achieved great things together this year.
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Connecting our community: The EmAGN committees have worked tirelessly to connect the architectural community through over 200 events in 2024. That is a huge jump from 150 last year. These included social catchups, registration support sessions, mentoring events, talks and panel discussions, factory and building tours, and networking events with other professional bodies such as Architects Declare, AILA, and the PIA Young Planners. These events continue to make EmAGN the most active, inclusive and vibrant community within the Institute, and we hope all Institute members have benefited from them.
2. Supporting recently arrived, internationally qualified architects, graduates, and students through ArchiNATION: Following a successful pilot in EmAGN ACT in 2023, we have worked to expand ArchiNATION nationally in 2024 and beyond. This series aims to create a diverse and inclusive support network that shares stories, experiences, and lessons in architecture between those from different nations. ArchiNATION (and its founder, Gunjan Shah) won the ACT President’s Medal earlier this year for championing an often-overlooked community within the Institute. It has sparked conversations about how we as a membership body can do more to welcome and support new members into our ‘club’.
3. Continuing our focus on sustainability: This year saw EmAGN and SONA’s collaboration on Sustainability Snacks come into clear focus, with seven new episodes that aimed to demystify sustainability in practice. Led by Tiffany Liew, Blake Hillebrand, Callum Senjov, Liam Leblond and myself, we have heard from a varied group of practitioners and academics on how they are reducing their impact, and actionable steps on how they have achieved better sustainability outcomes in their work. If you haven’t had a chance to listen in yet, the entire series can be accessed on YouTube.
4. Celebrating the future of our profession: Recognising the next generation of leaders in architecture through awards such as the Emerging Architect Prize, Emerging Project Award, and the Dulux Study Tour. Further to this, I have worked with the Institute and National Council to put forward much-needed changes to the Emerging Architect Prize (EAP) to ensure increased awareness while also making it more equitable. As the ‘gold medal of the next generation’, the EAP is the most prestigious prize for an individual in the EmAGN demographic. I am excited to continue working with the Institute next year to roll out these changes, while also celebrating Jenifer McMaster’s work as she travels around Australia for her EAP tour early 2025.
5. Advocacy for architects and architecture through the Hearing Architecture Podcast: For a fifth season this year, our committees have worked closely with the Hearing Architecture podcast founder, Daniel Moore, to orchestrate interviews with practitioners, builders, academics and emerging professionals around the country. The podcast has quickly become one of the institute’s most far-reaching initiatives, often ranking highly on design podcast charts globally. It talks directly to the public about our built environment and explains what architects do.
6. International Chapter representation: Amy Learmonth has recently been selected as the new EmAGN representative for the International Chapter. Now based in Dublin, Ireland, she is originally from Brisbane where she completed her Master in Architecture at the University of Queensland. I am excited to see what this new partnership with the International Chapter will bring.
Outgoing EmAGN Co-Chairs
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the outgoing EmAGN Co-Chairs for their contributions after two years of leading their local EmAGN committees:
- Maiya McKenna, Rossi Architects, NT
- Mark Brook, MyMyMy Architecture, ACT
- Renee Bourke, Fulton Trotter Architects, QLD
- Sharaan Muruvan, Cox, WA
- Lee Yang Yang, Woods Bagot, WA
- Chris Shurman,TAS
- Malisa Benjamins, Bryant Alsop, VIC
National EmAGN Appointments
I am excited to hand over the leadership of EmAGN to Callum Senjov in 2025, who will step up as EmAGN President, while Candice Halliday has recently been elected as EmAGN President Elect. Read more about EmAGN’s leadership for 2025 here. I can’t wait to see where Callum and Candice take EmAGN over the coming years.
Key supporters
We would like to extend gratitude to our sponsors – Dulux (Dulux Study Tour), Brickworks (Hearing Architecture Podcast), and Bluescope (Emerging Architects Prize Tour). We also thank all the local sponsors for supporting our community of Emerging Architects and Graduates.
I would also like to thank the Board, National Council, and the Institute Staff, including Cameron Bruhn, Michael Linke, Claudia McCarthy, and Madelynn Jenkins for their support and championing of EmAGN.
A personal thank you also to my colleagues at Architectus Conrad Gargett and Bureau^Proberts for supporting me in my roles within the Institute over the past year, and also to my partner, family and friends for their encouragement and support.
Get involved
If you are interested in getting involved in your local EmAGN Committee, please follow your local EmAGN Instagram page for EOI callouts in the coming weeks.
Thank you again to everyone who contributed to and supported EmAGN this year. I am so proud of what we have achieved in 2024 and I can’t wait to see what 2025 will bring. Wishing you a happy time off, and a great start to the new year.
Liehan Janse van Rensburg
EmAGN National President
Australian Institute of Architects National Councillor
