Architects Assist (AA) is a national organisation of Australian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s, other built environment professionals and students providing

pro bono ( en, 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. In the United States, the term typically refers to provision of legal services by legal professionals for pe ...

disaster recovery and resilience advice to individuals and communities affected by

natural disaster A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...

s, such as

bushfires A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identif ...

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

s, or other adverse circumstances. The organisation operates under the umbrella of the

Australian Institute of Architects (United we advance architecture) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , extinction = , status = Professional body; members association , headquarters = L1/41 Exhibition St, Melbourne , leader_title = CEO , leader ...

History

Architects Assist was launched on 4 January 2020 by architect Jiri Lev in response to the 2019-20 Australian bushfires disaster, as a "platform for equitable access to sustainable and resilient architecture". By 7 January hundreds of architecture firms, sole practitioners and student volunteers had registered as members and the organisation started receiving first assistance requests from bushfire victims. The organisation operated grassroots, without funding. On 9 January 2020 Architects Assist formally came under the umbrella of the Australian Institute of Architects. In February 2020 it had about 550 member architecture firms and 1500 architecture student volunteers. In March 2020 Architects Assist begun including members from related professions such as town planners ( PIA) and

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manage ...

s ( AILA) and had about 600 participating firms. Architects Assist Tour 2020 transiting central Australia

After broad initial response both national and global, the bushfire recovery was slowed down by the 2020

coronavirus outbreak Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

in Australia. Architects Assist representatives toured bushfire-affected regions across

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...

. Simultaneously, local bushfire recovery community workshops were organised by member architects. As of late 2020 hundreds of residential, commercial and civic projects initiated through the organisation were under progress. The initiative was fully taken over by the Australian Institute of Architects in March 2021 to continue serving individuals and communities affected by disasters and other adverse circumstances. In 2022 Architects Assist provided assistance in Eastern Australia floods recovery.

References

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External links

Assistance request page

Architects Assist homepage
Humanitarian aid organizations Architecture organisations based in Australia Organizations established in 2020 2020 establishments in Australia Architecture-related professional associations

History

See also

References

External links