The AAA has a mission to educate the public about architecture. The Rotary Club of Sydney has initiated a campaign to join the world wide effort to Make Poverty History.

Both organisations want to help people – one in an economic way the other in a cultural way, their meeting point is the AAA launch of its 2007 tour programme with a full day of tours being run throughout the day on Saturday 24 February.

This is an event that implements both organisation’s aims, by donating the proceeds of thirty tours to the Make Poverty History campaign being run by the Rotary Club of Sydney, we can draw people’s attention to the extraordinary buildings that surround them in Sydney, introducing them to local architectural culture.

From the Rotary Club of Sydney’s perspective, the generosity of the AAA in holding this full day of tours on 24 February, will enable us to get closer to the basic objective: to finance a Micro-credit Bank in a very poor region of the Northern Philippines; we hope to lift some 15,000 Working Poors up the economic ladder,’—Gerry Rihs, President, Rotary Club of Sydney.

All of our Tour Leaders are volunteers who have been trained by the AAA, they fully support the event and believe that this is one of the most important philanthropic campaigns currently being run in Australia.

The Tour Leaders will be taking three different tours starting at 10.30 am in the morning, each tour lasts two hours and covers most of the significant buildings in the Sydney CBD.

The tours are the Sydney City Walk, the Walk Through Time and the Harbour Edge Walk. You can be part of the action by booking with the following forms (PDF):

• Harbour Edge Walk
• Sydney City Walk
• Walk through time

These tours are a great place to start to understand Sydney’s architecture whether it be learning about the development of the high-rise building, explaining terms like ‘curtain wall’ or gaining an insight into Harry Seidler’s contribution to Sydney, everyone will learn something in the tours.

...architecture is a symbiosis of the conceptual and the pragmatic, of the everyday and the exceptional, of the radically different scales of urban planning, buildings, their immediate context, their spatially balanced interiors and the objects that render them not only useful but also comfortable.

Wow! That is architecture according to reknowned architects Bolles+Wilson. Australian born Peter Wilson is giving a talk next week (20 Feb, 6pm) at Sydney University in which he will show some of their recent work.

Bookings are essential: download a booking form here.

The Australian Architecture Association is a not for profit organisation dedicated to advancing public interest in architecture.

If you would like to make a donation to the Australian Architecture Association Fund you may do, all donations are tax deductible as the AAA Fund is included on the Register of Cultural Organisations.

To make a donation, use the following form.

Thanks to our volunteer tour leaders, all AAA tours tell a compelling story about Sydney and its architecture with a focus on the contemporary city.

Sydney City Walk every Saturday morning at 10.30am.

Sydney’s central business district from Martin Place down to Circular quay changed dramatically after World War 2. We examine many of the buildings in the cbd and trace the development of modernism and the high rise tower. From Harry Seidler’s iconic Australia Square completed in 1967, the tour explores the most exciting free-standing buildings of the late twentieth century, including the recently completed Deutsche Bank Place by British architect, Sir Norman Foster. Also on this tour are ingenious solutions to more recent heritage requirements, like the dramatic canilevering of the Governor Philip tower that protects 19th century terrace houses, or the excavation beneath the Botanic Gardens to provide more classrooms for the Conservatorium of Music.

Download the booking form here or call 02 8297 7283 to reserve a place. Tours take 2 hours and start from the fountain in the plaza at Australia Square, 95 Pitt Street, Sydney.

The AAA’s harbour cruise, like all of the AAA tours is led by a highly knowledgeable guide. On the cruise you will not only learn about buildings along the shoreline, but also gain an understanding of the underlying characteristics that give Sydney its sense of place and how our settlement patterns and architecture evolved.

Download the booking form here or call 02 8297 7283 to reserve a place. Tours take 90 minutes and start from the Eastern Pontoon, Circular Quay.

Without a doubt, Surry Hills is one of Sydney’s most interesting areas.

It started off housing the city’s poorer workers before becoming the centre of the ragtrade – now it is a highly desirable inner city address.

Discover its architectural secrets with one of the AAA trained volunteer guides during a two hour walking tour on Saturday 31 March starting at 2.30pm on the corner of Elizabeth & Cleveland Streets.

Bookings recommended call 02 8297 7283 or download a booking form here.

Cruise the harbour on Saturday 7 April and discover Sydney’s architecture from another angle with one of the AAA’s guides.

The ninety minute cruise departs at 2.45 pm from the eastern pontoon (opposite the Toaster) at Circular Quay.

Once on board the Deerubbun our guide will give you an insight into the architecture and issues surrounding developments on the harbour foreshores.

Tickets are $38.00 and bookings can be made by calling 02 8297 7283 or downloading a booking form here.

Tour Sydney’s CBD on Saturday 14 April at 10.30 am and discover its architectural secrets with an AAA guide.

This is the original and best tour of the cbd that looks at Sydney’s most significant commercial and public buildings of the late 20th century.

Download the booking form here or call 02 8297 7283 to book.

Tours start from Australia Square, 95 Pitt Street, Sydney – in front of the fountain in the plaza. Duration 2 hours.

Tour houses on 28 April and go inside with the architects.

The Northern Suburbs Residential Experience will kick off the AAA’s 2007 houses tours.

Go inside some of the most interesting contemporary residential architecture with the architects, Bruce Rickard, Paul Berkemeier, Andy Harding, Vivianne Marston and Kooi-Ying Mah.

This is an all day bus tour with a delicious lunch to be held in the Seidler Apartment overlooking Sydney harbour.

Tour starts at Customs House at 9.30 am. Tickets are $175 or $150 for AAA members. Bookings are essential.

Book now by calling 02 8297 7283 or downloading the booking form here.

Col Madigan is one of Australia’s architectural luminaries.

In our first joint activity with the RAIA we are holding a talk for Col on Monday 30 April.

Venue: 3 Manning Street, Potts Point. Time: 6.30pm

AAA and RAIA members are free, non-members $10.00 and students $5.00.

In this talk Col will confront the situation he has faced at one of his most significant projects, the National Gallery in Canberra.

Download this news release to read more.