The Lifetime Achievement category at the 2021 Sustainability Awards seeks to champion architects who have devoted the majority of their working lives to the betterment of Australian architecture. With the awards centred around sustainable architectural practice, those who are shortlisted are leaders in sustainable practice and through their work have endeavoured to ensure their projects do not cause environmental impact but also create positive change within the built environment.
We, at Architecture & Design, would like to celebrate those on the shortlist of the Lifetime Achievement category and investigate just why they have been chosen. Shall we begin?
Lang Walker AO - Walker Corporation
The Founding Director of Australian architectural mainstay Walker Corporation, Lang Walker is a living embodiment of the Australian built environment. Delivering a staggering 1,000 projects during his time as a practicing architect, Walker is renowned for his passion and enthusiasm and innate ability to create masterplanned communities. Heavily involved in a number of projects the corporation undertakes, Lang himself supports a number of charities through the Walker Family Foundation, and was awarded the Order of Australia Officer (AO) for a number of his philanthropic initiatives.
Nigel Richmond Bell - ECOdesign Architects + Consultants
The Principal of ECOdesign Architects + Consultants, Nigel Bell has been a practicing architect for some 35 years. As a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects, Bell has been elected onto the AIA and NSW Architects Registration Board multiple times. At the coalface of bushfire-safe design, Bell was an Expert Witness for the 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, which centred around the Black Summer bushfires. Bell has been the recipient of a multitude of accolades and awards and he continues to operate as sustainably as possible in practice and through his projects.
Peter Stutchbury - Peter Stutchbury Architecture
Renowned as an architect who has continually innovated throughout the years, Stutchbury is a product of his architectural upbringing. Spending time in far-west NSW during his architectural infancy, Stutchbury holds a deep appreciation of the Australian landscape. After founding Peter Stutchbury Architecture in the 1980s, the architect has won a number of AIA awards across within multiple contexts, including the Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal in 2015. Stutchbury’s crowning moment is arguably his work in designing Silverhouse in the extremely cold climate of Cherepovets, Russia, that saw him crowned the winner of the International Living Steel competition.
Tone Wheeler - Environa Studio
A long-time contributor to Architecture & Design via his weekly column Tone on Tuesday, Tone Wheeler is a jack of all trades. An architect, author, educator and consultant, Wheeler is a leader in Environmentally Sustainable Design. In the 1970s, Wheeler assisted in the construction of Autonomous House, a low energy house composed completely of recycled materials. Former Chairperson of the AIA National Environment Committee and former Member of the architectural body’s sustainability committee, Wheeler’s affinity with sustainable architecture is strong. Teaching the next generation of architects for more than 30 years, Wheeler has remained at the forefront of sustainable practice and principles for decades, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Bluescope Australia is the official category sponsor of Lifetime Achievement at the 2021 Sustainability Awards. Providing steel to Australia for lifetimes, Bluescope is intent in employing sustainable qualities into all of its operations. A brand synonymous with Australian steel, Bluescope continues to innovate, reducing its environmental impact where possible at any opportunity.
There you have it, our Lifetime Achievement shortlist. Irrespective of who is the winner on the night, all architects on the shortlist have had a profound impact on sustainable architecture in Australia. For more information regarding the 2021 Sustainability Awards and Summit, we ask that you head to sustainablebuildingawards.com.au.
