threeninefivenine Exhibition

Late in May, we hosted the first exhibition in our studio gallery for 2021, that explored the role of eighteen architecture practices in bushfire recovery projects.

Curated by Graduate of Architecture Callum Andrews and produced with the assistance of the Alastair Swayn Foundation – alastairswaynfoundation.org, threeninefivenine began as a research project.

The intent was to investigate, map and present how architects have previously intervened and provided assistance to bushfire-affected communities, in contrast to the current methods of assistance being provided by architects after the devastating 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.

“I wanted to examine what the role of architects is in the re-making of public and private space after bushfires, and how they play a role in responding, assisting, performing, and generating mitigation across design for bushfire-prone communities of Australia,” said Callum.

Presenting the culmination of his research, the exhibition featured interviews from each of the practices, highlighting projects they are working on that are assisting individuals or communities in recovery after being affected by bushfires; whether it be the re-design of a house that was lost or a new building in a bushfire prone area.

Accompanying the interview pieces were displays of architectural models, drawings, sketches, plans, and images of the buildings, that ranged from completed works to those that are still on the drawing board.

“Originally, the project aimed to collate information from both clients and architects involved, in order to raise questions on how we as a profession could do things better and more importantly, how architects can make radical change. However, the early conversations provided tremendous insight into the different ways individuals and practices are contributing to the profession of architecture in the bushfire sphere.” Said Callum.

As a result, the focus of his project shifted, concentrating on a larger collection of interviews that exposed specific knowledge to the wider design community of the finer details and commitments for bushfire design.

“It is my hope that this project will prompt conversation and spread the knowledge which others have learned or are in the process of learning about, so we can be better.”

To read the full interviews with each of the architects, visit the threeninefivenine website here.

The Architects that were featured in the exhibition are as follows:

• Anderson Architecture
• Andrew Simpson ArchitectsArchitects Nicholas + Associates
• Aspect Architecture
• Casey Brown Architecture
• Chris Connell Design
• CplusC Architectural Workshop
• Dickson Rothschild
• Dieppe Design
• Ian Weir Architect
• John McAuley Architecture
• Lindsay Holland Architects
• Matt Goodman Architecture Office
• Nielsen Jenkins
• Scale Architecture
• Supercontext
• Susan Fuller Architects
• Virginia Kerridge Architect