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The Australasian Student Architecture Congress (ASAC) is a biennial meeting of architecture students from Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. Established in 1963, the congress has influenced the development of architectural education and student activism in the region of Oceania. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The first recognised congress took place in Auckland in 1963, where Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck spoke on the social aspects of housing. [5] [6] [7] Origins of the movement can be traced to a 1960 meeting at the University of New South Wales on the theme The Quest for Ideals, which followed a 1959 event organised by Auckland students. [6]
Around 1962 the Australasian Architectural Students Association (AASA) formed, and congresses in 1963–1971 addressed topics such as social housing (Auckland, 1963), low-cost housing (Sydney, 1964), and education (Perth, 1966). [8] [4]
The 1971 Warkworth (Auckland) congress built a temporary “village” of student-designed structures and invited speakers including Serge Chermayeff and Sim van der Ryn. [4] Described as “more like an experimental festival than a professional conference,” the event instigating curriculum change at the University of Auckland in 1972. [5] [7]
Despite the absence of a permanent governing body, the congress has drawn speakers such as Buckminster Fuller (1966 Perth, 1968 Hobart, 1970 Sydney), Balkrishna Doshi (1969 Adelaide), Christopher Alexander (1970 Sydney), Roger Walker (1971 Auckland), Paolo Soleri (1983 Auckland), and Peter Stutchbury (1999 Sydney). [4]
The congress has also seeded student organisations. The Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA) was established after the 1997 Geelong congress, [4] while the Student Architecture Network of New Zealand (SANNZ) formed following the 2007 Wellington congress. [4] The 2011 Adelaide congress hosted the inaugural meeting of the International Network of Indigenous Architects. [4] [9]
ASAC is organised by a local student committee and rotates between host cities every two years. Each congress adopts a theme that frames lectures, workshops, exhibitions, and site visits. Examples include:
The 2024 congress, Ground Matters, was hosted in Hobart (nipulana / Lutruwita) from 25–29 June 2024. The program examined connections between land, cultural narratives, and sustainability. [12] Speakers included Michael Mossman, Kristiina Kuusiluoma and Martino De Rossi, Sarah Lynn Rees, and Eleena Jamil. [13]
| Year | Location | Theme | Notable speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Auckland | Social Aspects of New Housing | Aldo van Eyck [5] [6] [4] |
| 1966 | Perth | Education | Buckminster Fuller, Aldo van Eyck, Jacob Bakema, John Voelcker [8] [4] [14] [15] |
| 1971 | Auckland/Warkworth | Environment | Roger Walker, Serge Chermayeff, John Scott [5] [8] [4] |
| 1983 | Auckland | Gone to Kiwi | Paolo Soleri, Marcel Marceau [4] |
| 1993 | Adelaide | Alchemy | Bahram Shirdel, Richard Leplastrier [4] |
| 1999 | Sydney | Flashpoint | Peter Stutchbury, Wolf Prix, Ken Yeang [4] |
| 2007 | Wellington | CtrlShift | Peggy Deamer, David Mitchell, Andrew Maynard [4] |
| 2011 | Adelaide | Flux | Ken Yeang, Nathaniel Corum [4] [9] |
| 2017 | Sydney | Agency | Jeremy Till, Yoshiharu Tsukamoto, Julie Eizenberg [16] |
| 2024 | Hobart | Ground Matters | Sarah Lynn Rees, Eleena Jamil, Matt Hinds [12] |
The congress has continued for more than sixty years without a permanent governing body, with each congress organised by a new group of students. Early congresses have been described as important moments in student-led experimentation and debate around architectural education. [1] [2] [3] [4] The 1966 Perth event constructed of geodesic domes tested alternative approaches to architectural education. [15] The 1971 Warkworth event has been characterised as a catalyst for student activism in New Zealand, [5] and a number of early congresses as providing “a forum for questioning architectural orthodoxy.” [8]
