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grow. : grow - Edition 1 - August 2016
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www.rockend.com.au S haun Carter’s talents have been recognised by various awards. Among them is the 2014 Timber Design Award for Spiegel Haus (Excellence in Timber Design). His Cowshed House was awarded both the 2013 NSW Residential Architecture – Houses (Alteration and Additions) Award and a Sustainable Architecture Award. Andrew Burns, a fellow architect and member of the Australian Institute of Architects judging panel that named Carter the 2014 Emerging Architect in NSW, says Carter is an incredibly energetic member of his profession. “He has displayed leadership across many areas of practice and has carved out a niche designing finely crafted buildings, mainly in the inner- west of Sydney. His buildings invariably make a positive contribution to their place, responding to the predominant materials and patterns of the location, and reinterpreting this into contemporary form. “If I had to comment on one specific aspect of Shaun’s approach I would say that he makes very nice openings: windows, doors, skylights. Their integration into building form and their mediation of the indoor and outdoor environment are always a delightful aspect of Shaun’s projects.” Carter is currently the president of the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects and principal architect at Carterwilliamson Architects, the company he founded in inner Sydney in 2004. He is chair of the Architecture Bulletin editorial committee, a committee member of the Gender Equity and CPD committees and a co-convenor of the Inner West Architects Network. He has been a design tutor at the University of Sydney and University of Technology, Sydney. His path to architecture was not a conventional one. “After being talked out of such a career by my Year 10 adviser, I followed a tangential path of engineering and construction,” Carter tells grow. “By the time the giftofalifetimelandedinmylap–agigasabus driver on a 28-day European architecture tour, studying the greats of the 20th century – my head was full of ideas. A couple of years later I decided to study architecture.” Carter believes architecture is much more than aesthetics. “Architecture can have a profound effect on our lives, and how we experience life. Architecture tells us a story about the places we visit, about the place where we live. They are the physical examples of what that society thinks of itself – a snapshot in time of their ideals, hopes and aspirations. “Increasingly, I believe Australians recognise the value of good design. Certainly the clients of Carterwilliamson Architects recognise the impact that good design has on their lives, and come to architects to help realise this in their homes.” He says that local councils are often restricted by numerical planning controls that don’t necessarily take into consideration design excellence. “In addition, many areas we operate in are influenced by Heritage overlays that need to be considered in designing appropriate responses. At times this can be a restrictive process, but great designers and councils recognise the opportunity of working within these constraints. “There is great architecture to be found all over Australia. The quality of the profession’s work can be seen in the Australian Institute of Architecture Awards. Held each year, the awards celebrate and highlight design excellence across 13 categories, including public architecture, residential architecture, small projects, Heritage and international architecture.“ In relation to providing low-cost housing, he says a key area is mandating key worker accommodation, and affordable housing provisions in our planning regulations, and protecting and maintaining diversity in our public housing. “An example of this is the fight to save Sirius (an apartment block in The Rocks built to rehouse public tenants who had been displaced after a controversial redevelopment of the historic suburb during the 1960s and 70s). The Save Our Sirius Foundation, of which I am the chair, was established for the preservation of an important piece of our architectural heritage, and argues for the retention of Sirius as a place for low-income and key worker housing.” Carter believes there is a great opportunity for our cities to support population growth in more sustainable and equitable ways. “Sydney has a lot of wonderful architects working in the apartment space at the moment, and with Sydney wanting to be a global city, design is a huge factor. I imagine a time when beautiful, high amenity apartment buildings could become the most recognisable quality of Australian housing, just as the sandstone buildings of Paris and New York are for their cities.“ 42821_036-039_Design A_Shaun Carter_2.indd 39 42821_036-039_Design A_Shaun Carter_2.indd 39 18/07/16 2:28 PM 18/07/16 2:28 PM
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