Emergency Architects Australia

Hosted by: AIIA NSW

The event will start on: Tuesday, 16 November 2010 6:30 PM

And will end on: Tuesday, 16 November 2010 7:30 PM

At The Glover Cottages, Sydney

124 Kent Street , Sydney NSW

02 9247 8504     nsw.branch@aiia.asn.au

Posted by: nsw   

Architects are no luxury in emergency or development scenarios. Good design is about finding effective solutions to difficult and multifaceted problems: exactly what disaster or development situations are. How do you balance issues of long-term quality, sustainability, forward planning, skills transfer and local ownership of the project, all within the tight financial constraints that face all small NGOs?

Emergency Architects sends experienced architects and other built environment specialists to disaster areas to address impacts of climate change, natural disasters and war. They work alongside aid agencies, local communities, governments, and funding institutions to rebuild devastated areas. Emergency Architects believes the construction of permanent rather than temporary structures, using local materials, delivers faster long-term results.

Since 2001 Emergency Architects has fielded operations in 19 countries, facilitating the work of almost 900 architects from around the world in the aid of populations affected by disaster. Emergency Architects is a global, independent, not for profit organisation based in Australia, France and Canada, and is not aligned with any religious or political beliefs.

Meet David Chesterman, Chairman, and David Kaunitz, Director of Operations, both from Emergency Architects Australia.

David Chesterman AM is Chairman of the board of Emergency Architects Australia. Projects and studies for which he has been responsible cover most facets of development and planning and include projects in PNG, Vietnam and China. He has served on various committees and been a Vice President of the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects and on committees of the Planning Institute of Australia.  He was a member of the NSW Heritage Council and Chairman of the Premier's Consultative Committee on Ageing. Part time he teaches post-graduate students of urban design at UNSW.

David Kaunitz is Director of Operations of Emergency Architects Australia. During his work in the UK he designed the award winning Barnsley Transport Interchange, in Barnsley Yorkshire, ran a commercial architectural practice in London for 4 years and was a senior architect on the London Olympic Village for Bligh Voller Neild. In April 2007 he led Emergency Architects Australia's response to the 2007 earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands, where EAA played a key role in supporting Government and other agencies in the shelter and school reconstruction programs. Subsequently David became Emergency Architects Operations Director overseeing operations in Timor-Leste, PNG, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Cook Islands and Australia.