We are delighted to announce that Emma Williamson, TFA Partner and Co-Founder, has been appointed by the Minister for Planning; Lands; Housing and Homelessness as Western Australia’s Government Architect.

Emma has been instrumental in shaping our suburbs through her role on numerous Local Government Design Review Panels and the WA and SA State Design Panels. She has continued to guide The Fulcrum Agency and to speak openly about our work and approach to practice in public forums. We are incredibly proud of her contribution to advocating for a more equitable and generous profession.

This appointment is also tinged with sadness for us at TFA, as Emma will relinquish her role in the agency. We will miss her daily connections with our practice, her delicious contributions to Tuesday Lunch, and her remarkable eye for form, colour, and materiality.

In many ways, this role consolidates Emma’s skills and complements her belief that good design is critical to the issues we face as a society. Emma will continue to advocate for the role of architecture in contributing to issues such as inequality, the housing crisis and climate change. This year will feel very different at the TFA office, but we are excited to see Emma’s impact grow.

Read the WA Government’s Media Release here .

In this film, Terrance Jack from Jamukurnu-Yapalikurnu Aboriginal Corporation describes the fight for Native Title rights and basic services, such as functioning sewerage and clean water, on Martu ngurra (Country) in the Central Western Desert.

Our role has been to facilitate the community co-design process, ensuring that people are empowered to contribute to the decisions that impact their lives. Martu will use the outcomes of this work in their continuing negotiations with the State Government. We are incredibly lucky to be involved in this work.

This line by Luke Pearson stopped us in our tracks. His article, ‘ What is Australia day for? ’ is worth reading if you’re struggling to make sense of the day. For years we have kept the doors open on the 26th, a quiet action in recognition of our belief that the date must change. This year, we’ve collectively decided to close and protest alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples instead. ⁠
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We particularly like how Pearson’s article forces you to consider whether we need a national day at all. Our clients are First Nations people living and working in Australia’s most disadvantaged communities, without access to the basic services that white Australia takes for granted. Maybe we should hold off on celebrations until this is corrected.

We wish you and your family the very best for the festive period and summer ahead.

In place of Christmas gifts, we have donated to the Warrawee Women’s Refuge, a critical service providing accommodation and support to women and children escaping family violence. They will use our donation to refresh their playroom.

As our 2023 Impact Statement demonstrates, it has been a busy year and we’re looking forward to a holiday! Our studios will be closed from Thursday 21st December, re-opening Monday 8th January.

We hope you enjoy a restful break and look forward to connecting next year.

The artwork featured in the Impact Statement is by emerging Noongar artist Deanne Hill in collaboration with The Fulcrum Agency.

We are delighted that Boola Katitjin, Murdoch University ‘s new academic building received the 2023 Daryl Jackson Award for Educational Architecture at last night’s National Architecture Awards! For us, the best bit of this project was working in collaboration with three great practices – Lyons , Officer Woods Architects and Silver Thomas Hanley (STH) .

‘Boola Katitjin is a bold and transformative addition to Murdoch University’s Perth campus on Noongar Country. Its name – in Noongar language, Boola Katitjin means “many facets and many levels of learning” – aptly captures the layering and flexibility that this building offers…. It is no easy feat to bring together many design minds and achieve a clear solution, but Boola Katitjin is an exemplar,’ the jury said in their citation.

Congratulations to all involved, and in particular, Nick Juniper and Akira Monaghan from our studio.

Emma Williamson is one of a group of leading architects calling upon the built environment profession to vote YES in support of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the upcoming referendum on October 14. ⁠ This article in ArchitectureAU outlines their motivation for championing this campaign.

Join us in sharing your reason for voting yes by clicking the link in our bio and tagging @architectsforthevoice and using these hashtags: #architectsforthevoice #yes23 #architectsforyes #ulurustatement

Join us in keeping the momentum going!⁠

Emma Brain is busy balancing her work in communications at TFA with a national role at the Association of Consulting Architects .

Last week she was interviewed by Michael Bleby from the Australian Financial Review for an article on the increasing demand for First Nations input into public and institutional building projects. The focus of the article was Jefa Greenaway, a First Nations architect and coauthor of the International Indigenous Design Charter, a practice guide for professionals. Greenaway describes how ‘with no more than 20 Registered Indigenous architects in this country’, the growth in Country-centric design has ’caused a crunch in terms of capacity and resources..’

In response Emma said:

At TFA, we see this as an opportunity, a call to change the way we do business as a profession. At the ACA and The Fulcrum Agency, we are treating this as an invitation to contribute to a built environment that offers a more truthful reflection of this country.

The Women for Yes campaign launch included an epic speech by Mary Crooks AO. Not epic in length, but in the way in which she so eloquently dismantled the no case and reminded us of the power of women’s activism. It’s a must listen type situation! Go here to listen now.