The Future of Building: Procurement, Quality & Urban Equity (29 November 2023)

Let’s talk about the thing no one wants to talk about: procurement. It’s the black box of the construction sector—technically everywhere, yet somehow always left out of reform conversations. In response to the ongoing failure of the industry to self-correct, I joined Peter Raisbeck, Paul Viney (FPPV Architecture), and Peter Lochert to organise a series of unapologetically direct events—endorsed by the Association of Consulting Architects (ACA)—that aim to break the echo chamber.

This panel confronted the reality that procurement isn’t just a contractual exercise—it’s a cultural one, with direct consequences for urban liveability, public trust, and climate resilience. Drawing on the Shergold Weir report and decades of industry inertia, panellists Wayne Liddy, Wendy Poulton, Sarah Slattery, and Adam Kiekebosch, moderated by Norman Day, addressed the uncomfortable truth: short-term value management is killing long-term design outcomes. The conversation tackled the core contradiction of construction—balancing time, cost, and quality—with urgency, nuance, and the understanding that “business as usual” is no longer an option.

Panel Discussion: Victoria’s Future Cities, Suburbs & Building Reforms (20 July 2023)

While government policy scrambles to address housing, infrastructure, and sustainability, the construction industry remains tangled in competing priorities, misaligned roles, and legacy systems that make meaningful reform nearly impossible. This panel was an attempt to cut through that noise.

Held in mid-2023, the discussion brought together Peter Maddison (moderator), Peter Elliott, Michaela Lihou, and Tom Trevaskis to consider how policy, profession, and public outcomes collide—especially in the context of Victoria’s urban futures. With building reform sitting awkwardly between regulatory theatre and real transformation, the discussion interrogated how architects, developers, and consultants might actually regain agency in a system designed to marginalise them.

Related Research & Publications

Day, K., Raisbeck, P., Vaz Serra, P., Bates, D., & Greenham, P. (2024). The unintended consequences of novated design construct procurement and the impact on the education of graduate architects in Victoria. In Dewsbury, M. & Tanton, D. (Eds.), Architectural Science and User Experience: Sustainability and Health. ANZAScA.

Day, K., & Huppatz, D. (2022). Repositioning Architecture. Inflection: Journal of the Melbourne School of Design, 9, 86–94.

Raisbeck, P., & Day, K. (2016). Architectural specialisation and the death of architectural practice. In Daniel, L., Soebarto, V. (Eds.), 50th International Conference of the Architectural Science Association. ASA & University of Adelaide.