TFA Partner Emma Williamson was in the press this week for her efforts in opposing a proposed housing development near our Fremantle studio. Emma convened a group of design advocates to convince the State Administrative Tribunal that the development ignored the principles set out in the
Medium Density Code
and would do little to contribute to character and quality of the surrounding neighbourhood. Fortunately, SAT listened and the development was unanimously rejected! Go here to read more about
Monument East
.
We are aware of the demand for development and the need for housing. But it is all about getting the balance right. Our agenda is not to have award-winning design but good design that can be implemented as quickly and cost-efficiently as possible.
A fun and informative break from our regular programming!
TFA’s
Emma Williamson
was recently invited to share her thoughts on fashion and creativity as part of (our favourite store) Dilettante’s style series. In doing so, she had the opportunity to try some fabulous outfits and talk about the work we do at TFA.
Emma Williamson and Fremantle Mayor, Hannah Fitzhardinge
Fremantle is home for most of us at
TheFulcrum.Agency
. We feel passionate about the city and committed to doing our bit to ensure it has a vibrant and sustainable future.
The
City of Fremantle
recently invited TFA Partner,
Emma Williamson
to share her thoughts on how the city centre could be improved:: “It’s really about looking for the levers that can encourage activation and a dramatic increase in the resident population.” Those levers according to Ms Williamson include social and low-income housing, subsidised housing for artists and performers, limits on short-term accommodation and mechanisms to ensure buildings are not left empty when there is a clear demand for accommodation.
These problems are not unique to Fremantle. Go
here
to read more.
The Fulcrum Agency is delighted to announce that our Co-Founder, Emma Williamson, has been awarded the
2023 Paula Whitman Leadership in Gender Equity Prize
by the Australian Institute of Architects. This prize acknowledges Emma’s outstanding leadership and contribution to the advancement of gender equity in architectural practice, education, and governance.
As she reflects in the film above, Emma’s career has been a study in two parts: contribution to practice through the founding of CODA Studio and then The Fulcrum Agency, two respected, ethical, and award-winning practices; and through her efforts as inaugural Chair of the AIA National Committee for Gender Equity and her advocacy on issues related to balancing
motherhood and work
, and
progressive business practices
.
At The Fulcrum Agency, we are thrilled for Emma and know her to be a compassionate and encouraging practice leader. She is ambitious and expects us to be the same. Most of us have worked with her for a very long time, which we see as a reflection of the warm, challenging, dynamic culture that she has created. Work/life with Emma is always exciting!
TheFulcrum.Agency Partner and Co-Founder, Emma Williamson has been named a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects in recognition of her contribution to the profession beyond architectural practice.
Emma’s work is driven by her belief in the potential of design to improve everyday experience. Above all, she is committed to expanding design-related conversation beyond the architecture profession, and to breaking down barriers for others to contribute ideas. She uses practice as a platform for contributing to social and political discourse.
Emma has always been motivated to address inequity in practice, particularly regarding the ability of women to maintain meaningful careers in architecture. In 2014, she was appointed the Chair of the Australian Institute of Architects Gender Equity Committee and continues to advocate for workplace conditions that enable women to balance work and family life.
In 2018, Emma founded TheFulcrum.Agency, a creative consultancy that leverages community and social outcomes through evidence-based design thinking, advocacy and research. TF.A is a Social Enterprise, Certified B Corp and one of the few architecture practices in Australia to have an endorsed Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.
In addition to her work in practice, Emma is a recognised for skills in project critique. She is a member of both the Western Australian and South Australian State Design Review Panels, as well as Chair of various local government Design Review Panels. After many years as an academic, Emma still lectures occasionally through her role as Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Monash University.
The two Emmas (aka Emma Williamson and Emma Brain) had the pleasure and terror of participating in the latest episode of
Dave Sharp
‘s ‘The Architecture Firm Marketing Podcast’.
Brad from our agency describes it as a ‘candid and detailed overview of our journey so far’. If you’d like to know more about our business or better understand the things we do, you can listen here:
https://lnkd.in/gYcv2Mma
We decided we would not call ourselves a practice and instead call ourselves an agency – leaving ourselves open to be understood as built environment experts and problem solvers, but not necessarily architects.
TF.A Partner and Co-Founder, Emma Williamson, was recently guest speaker at the Association of Consulting Architecture’s Business of Design Lunch in Adelaide.
Emma’s presentation took the audience through the strategies she and co-founder Kieran Wong have used in building and rebuilding their business over the last 25 years.
If you’ve ever wondered how we got to where we are at TF.A,
this article
might provide the answers!
1724, ‘action of a lever’; use (something) to maximum advantage.
If this definition is anything to go by, then this third edition of our journal is the embodiment of leverage. A few months ago (in the midst of the pandemic) we looked to at our address book and used it to maximum advantage. Once again, we have been amazed by the generosity of our contributors – colleagues, friends and people we’ve admired from afar – and the intelligence that they have applied to our theme.
* Huge thanks to Tyrown Waigana aka
Crawlin’ Crocodile
for taking our headshots and turning them into the cutest illustrations ever.
In recasting our business, we have had the opportunity to open up a conversation about where we want to place our energy, how we want to spend our time and where we want to make an impact.
One of the things that came up quickly was our shared desire to create a platform for conversation. A conversation that exposes different approaches and views on how we interact with the built environment and offers commentary on issues of social justice, education, equity, art, culture and architecture. Our journal is the start of that conversation.
In each edition we want to invite contributors to help us unpack their experience or reflect on their work as it relates to a specific theme. Perhaps, because of recent experience and the journey of starting something new, we’ve decided to centre the first edition around the idea of the ‘pivot.’
Pivot is a word that has started to creep into commentary about all manner of things; an old word but with new significance. In the brash, confident world of Silicon Valley, it has come to refer to the need to adapt to failure and to shift the experience into new, more positive territory. In short, it is a word that turned failure into a rite of passage for the innovator and made it a strength rather than a weakness. It celebrates those that are not afraid, those that are open to change, are agile and resilient. It alludes to moving at pace, being willing to change direction but keeping up momentum. It rejects the idea of losing face.
Kieran and I have worked together for more than two decades now. In that time, I have come to appreciate that we spur each other on and make each other brave in the face of change. We have been bold in building our working life around our shared values.
With the benefit of hindsight, the bigger changes have happened in roughly five year intervals – that was until last year when we picked up a bit of speed and made a radical shift from large practice to small after only 18 months.
For us, the increase in pace afforded us the chance to refocus our internal drivers and to see where we can make the biggest impact, how we can leverage maximum impact through our efforts. With the reinvention of our practice life, also came the opportunity to confront and define what it means to be an architect and where we think architecture will make an impact in another 20 years’ time.
As our careers have evolved, our appreciation of the breadth of skills of an architect has deepened. The impact of buildings on our environments cannot be understated but nor can the processes and decisions that have led to the point of building. Architecture is far bigger process then we originally thought. Consider, the capacity for collaboration with so many people who are not architects. The capacity to really listen to what they are saying about our past and our future. We embrace the idea of a problem becoming bigger before we can work toward an answer. We think of this as a unique skill that comes from design thinking.
We have had the great benefit of support from our profession, our staff, family and friends as we have travelled (and pivoted) through practice. Many have been on this journey with us for many years and we are deeply grateful and indebted to you all.
In this issue we were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and speed with which people agreed to be part of our next bold adventure. Either through their conscious decision making or for reasons outside of their control each contributor has in some way engaged in something of a pivot. We hope you enjoy the read!
Justine Clark, Maryam Gusheh, Emma Williamson and Kieran Wong will be creative directors of the 2020 National Architecture Conference that will take “Leverage” as its theme.
“The role of the architect and architectural knowledge in contemporary society is shifting from a service provider to new roles that have the potential for transformative influence,” said creative directors Justine Clark, Maryam Gusheh, Emma Williamson and Kieran Wong. “This fluidity is hallmark of contemporary culture as rigid boundaries are increasingly blurred and challenged. Architecture appears uniquely positioned to extend its reach and amplify its impact. This is the ripple effect, the ability for architectural thinking to leverage positive change.
Where do we find our leverage, as individuals, as practices or organisations, as a profession? How can we exploit our contemporary professional circumstance, training and knowledge to instigate positive change well beyond our disciplinary remit? How can architectural wit and intelligence, agility and diligence, cheekiness and humour, restraint and flamboyance, ethics and goodwill maximise (social, environmental, economic) impact and advantage? How can we play with and agitate the rules to sustain our culture while we embrace new associations? What are the levers, large and small, at our disposal? How do we find them and how far do they need to be moved to make a difference?”
The conference will be organized around four streams: Policy and Politics (leverage through advice, strategy and negotiation), People and Partnerships (leverage through discourse, argument and education), Practice and Projects (leverage trough speculation, process and production), Publishing and Polemics (leverage through discourse, argument and education).
The creative team represents “intersecting fields of research, advocacy, agency, practice, production and teaching.”
Justine Clark is former editor of Architecture Australia and co-founder and director of Parlour: Women, Equity, Architecture. Maryam Gusheh is associate professor and deputy director of architecture at Monash University. Emma Williamson and Kieran Wong cofounded The Fulcrum Agency in 2018. The pair were previously directors of Cox Architecture and CODA Studio. Williamson is currently chair of the Design Advisory Committee for the City of Canning in Perth. Wong is also immediate past national president of the Association of Consulting Architects.
The 2020 National Architecture Conference will take place in Perth from 7 to 9 May 2020.
* This article was first published in ArchitectureAU on 2 July 2019.
