We see their work featured in the glossy magazines and on TV, yet have you ever wondered what the architects own homes are like? Now is the opportunity to find out!

The Australian Architecture Association is proud to announce a new addition to its AAA Open House series, 'At Home With the Architect'. On this self drive tour you'll get to experience the home of an architect.

The first 'At Home With the Architect' takes place on Sunday 30 June. Featured on the tour will be the residence of architect Sam Crawford.

Sam established Sam Crawford Architects in 1999 and mostly undertakes residential and community projects. The firm has been the recipient of numerous awards. including the Australian Timber Design Awards in 2002 and 2005 and the Waverley Design Award this year for a house in Bronte.

Sam's work has been widely published, nationally and internationally and he actively participates as a teacher for the next generation of designers through guest critique at NSW universities.

The house will be open for two hours and Sam will be there to lead you through and talk about the design.

House Location: Stanmore
Please note that the address will only be forwarded to ticket holders in the days directly preceding the tour.
Tickets: $30 (early bird discount) / $40 (public) / $ 25 (members)
Time: 11am-1pm
Date: Sunday 30 June 2013

Numbers are limited so don't miss out! Book your place on the self drive tour, click here.

Images: Supplied by Sam Crawford.

On Thursday 20 June the AAAA, in association with InHouse Group 3, will host the CPD talk 'Thermal Mass and Energy Efficient Design'.

Discover the thermal performance of typical Australian construction techniques from research undertaken by the University of Newcastle over the last 10 years.

Learn about thermodynamic principles of thermal resistence and thermal mass.

Discover the thermal performance of various construction types including lightweight, brick veneer, cavity brick and reverse brick veneer.

Understand why R value alone does not predict the thermal comfort.

The talk will be presented by Cathy Ingliss, who holds the position of Group Research and Technical Manager for Brickworks and its companies, which include Austral Bricks, Austral Precast, Bristile Roofing and Austral Masonry. Cathy is responsible nationally for research and development of new products, technical matters and sustainability, including energy and carbon reporting.

The 'Thermal Mass and Energy Efficient Design' talk is perfect for design enthusiasts, as well as architects or designers looking to top up their continuing professional development (CPD) before 30 June.

Earn 1 formal CPD (1 GBCA Approved CPD) point by attending the seminar.

Tickets: $25 (public) / $15 (AAA members)
Presentation Duration: 1 hour
Time: 6pm light refreshments served, 6.30pm start of presentation.
Location and Parking Details: ACTIU Showroom, Unit 5, 37-69 Union Street, Pyrmont.

As a bonus, attendees receive a free magazine courtesy of media partner to InHouse Group 3, Trend Magazine.

To book your place at the talk click here.

• Image: Five Dock Residence, designed by Neeson Murcutt
• Photographer: Vanessa Couzens

To coincide with the Castlecrag Fair on Sunday 16th June, we are offering $10 discount on the popular Castlecrag Walk 1 on the day.

This walking tour is primarily in the Burley Griffin Estate and includes seeing some of Griffin and Nichol houses as well as wonderful examples of domestic architecture from some of the well-known and not so well-known architects.

Come along and enjoy a 2 hour walk with a knowledgeable AAA tour guide, in one of Sydney's most picturesque suburbs, perched on a rocky peninsula surrounded by the sparkling waters of Middle Cove, only 15 minutes from the CBD of Sydney.

Castlecrag Fair Special discounted price $20 and Family ticket $25. Don't miss out, book now !

For those of you unfortunate enough to miss out on last years AAA Special talk by Julian Lipscombe, Director of UK based firm Bennetts Associates Architects, you can now listen to this inspiring speaker on eClassroom and acquire CPD points.

For an overview of his talk click here to visit our May 2012 'All About Architecture'.

In September 2012 AAA Board members Annette Dearing and Vanessa Couzens undertook an architectural odyssey across Europe. Visiting architecture (both old and new) across Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain and England, the journey would not have been complete without visiting the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST) in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is north-west of London.

Bennetts Associates Architects won the national design competition for the redevelopment of building and it was completed in 2010. Julian Lipscombe kindly agreed to meet us there and show us around this impressive project undertaken by his firm.

One of the most striking impressions from our visit to the redevelopment is its understated sympathy to the architectural features of the existing buildings. Bennetts Associates' interventions mesh together the formerly disparate styles of the original Victorian Shakespeare Memorial Theatre completed in 1897 (the shell of which houses the Swan Theatre completed in 1989) and a second Art Deco theatre space (The Royal Shakespeare Theatre) by English architect, Elizabeth Scott, completed in 1932.

A new corner tower provides the complex with a formal destination for entry and gives a great view of the surrounding town and countryside.

This leads the visitor into a generous linking lobby / corridor between the theatres, that once had separate entries. The corridor / lobby also spills out into the grounds to provide new outdoor performance areas.

The secondary role of the corridor / lobby is in providing functional access to the backend operations for delivery and movement of sets between the two theatres.

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre housed in the Elizabeth Scott extension was completely refigured from its ‘cinema style' proscenium stage into a compact drum formation with a thrust stage. While experiencing the existing and reconfigured theatre, Annette and Vanessa enjoyed a sneak preview of rehearsals and got to experience the operations of the theatres first hand.

After a satisfying morning of architectural exploration, Annette, Vanessa and Julian adjourned to the RST Rooftop Restaurant to enjoy some culinary edification! Within the restaurant, elements salvaged from the redevelopment have been utilised to provide visual interest to the decor.

• Article: Vanessa Couzens
• Photographs: Vanessa Couzens

The next AAA Open House Residential Bus Tour takes place next month on 18 May 2013. Don't miss out on an opportunity to experience some great architect designed houses across the inner east and inner west of Sydney.

Over the day you will visit houses situated between Bellevue Hill and Rozelle. You'll meet some of the clients, along with the architects from practices such as Carter Williamson Architects, David Edelman Architects and Sam Crawford Architects.

This is an all day bus tour which includes lunch, commentary and coach travel.

Tickets: $195 (Public) / $175 (AAA Members)

Tickets will sell out fast, so book now to learn how the designs evolved and be inspired!

Click here to secure your place.

• Photographs: supplied by Carter Williamson Architects
• Photographer: Brett Boardman
• Image 1: Rozelle Terrace
• Image 2: Cow Shed House, Glebe

The Australian Architecture Associations' first residential bus tour for 2013, the Central Coast Residential Bus Tour, is almost fully booked.

Taking place on Saturday 23 February, don't miss this great opportunity to go inside some of the most interesting contemporary residential architecture in the NSW Central Coast.

Some of the architects taking part include, David Boyle, Jorge Hrdina, Kristin Utz and Duncan Sanby. Projects located in areas such as McMasters Beach, Killcare, Phegans Bay and Avoca.

Walk with the architects and listen to their story about how the projects were developed and became a reality.

This is an all day bus tour which includes lunch, commentary and coach travel.
Tickets: $175 (Public) / $150 (AAA Members)
Click here to secure your place.

• Images: provided by David Boyle Architects
• Photographer: Brigid Arnott

The Australian Architecture Association is pleased to announce the addition of a brand new walk to our tour program, the McMahons Point Walk. Developed by one of our experienced AAA volunteer guides, the walk will be officially launched on Saturday 8 December 2012.

McMahons Point is a small lower north shore peninsula jutting into Sydney Harbour, flanked on the west by Berrys Bay, on the east by Lavender Bay and terminated at the tip by Blues Point..  The history of this suburb started in the late 1800's.  It was a popular place to catch a ferry to the city before the Harbour Bridge came along.

This suburb was known for its boat building and maritime activities. Now, it is predominantly a residential suburb, made up of a variety of housing stock from small stone cottages, terrace houses to high rise apartments, all enjoying outstanding views of the harbour.

Blues Point Tower designed by the late Harry Seidler in 1961, is a well known landmark for McMahons Point. It was Australia's tallest residential building until 1970.

If you are a local or visitor to Sydney, don't miss this opportunity to wander through McMahons Point and enjoy it's architectural delights.  This new tour will showcase a wonderful variety of housing types which are waiting to be discovered.

The very first McMahons Point Walk will be our last scheduled walk of the year.   To celebrate the launch and the completion of our 2012 program, we will hold a special launch event with drinks and refreshments at a nearby venue after the end of the tour.  To secure your ticket for this walk and the launch event, book early!

Ever wonder how we conduct our weekly tour program to promote architecture to the public? The answer is that we have a dedicated team of volunteer tour leaders who share our passion in the art of architecture.

We are accepting new intakes for the 2013 volunteer tour leaders training program. You don't have to be an architect to join the team as you will be trained to conduct our tours with full narratives. Soon you will learn about design features of the most interesting pieces of Sydney architecture and be equipped to preach out your love for architecture.  This training program will be from January to March 2013.   We will be training our new volunteers to lead one of the following themed or district tours: Sculpture Walk, Walk through Time, Redfern Walk, Surry Hills Walk and The Rocks Walk.

We will be holding a Volunteer Recruitment Information Evening on 5 December 2012 at the CATC Design School in the Rocks.  To register to come and know more about the program, please register through the link below.

If you know anyone who might be interested in volunteering for us, please forward this webpage to them.

In the meantime, please take a look at our "Becoming a Volunteer" page for some more information.

24 October 2012 - 4 November 2012

The Annual Sydney Architecture Festival turns everyone's focus to the city's architecture and aims to engage the public in exploring aspects of the built environment.The Sydney Architecture Festival is about understanding Sydney and imagining the future of our city through its urban and built environment. SAF invites wide participation in dialogues about the future of our metropolis.

The 2012 Sydney Architecture Festival theme, Beyond Boundaries will encourage attendees to form connections across the city, encouraging a mode of celebrating, enjoying and investigating architecture that is outward focussed and collaborative.

One of the first major event of the Festival will be our Black Talk by internationally renowned green architect Ken Yeang on Thursday, 25 October.  While the Sydney Talk is a Sydney Architecture Festival event, he will also be talking in Melbourne on the following day.  For more information and to secure your ticket click here.

Learn more about Sydney architecture by going on one or more of our walks!

• Sydney City Walks - 10am, Saturday mornings (27 October & 3 November)
• Twilight Walks - 6pm, Wednesday evenings (24 October & 31 October)
• Castle Cove Walking Tour - 2pm, Saturday 27 October
• Redfern Walk - 10am, Sunday 28 October
• Surry Hills Walk - 2pm, Saturday 3 November

All walk tickets are $30 ($15 for students), for Sydney City Walk and Twilight Walk, you will get 33% off if you book more than one week ahead. As in all our other walking tours, AAA members can book online anytime and join these Festival tours for free to feel the architecture vibe!

Events for the Festival will be held across the City of Sydney and will also feature talks, exhibitions and much more. For more information on the Festival, visit www.sydneyarchitecturefestival.org