Who we are
AACA is the national voice for architect registration boards around Australia. AACA owns the National Standard of Competency for Architects. The National Standard underpins all assessment processes including the accreditation of architecture programs leading to registration as an architect in Australia.
Set up as a not-for-profit organisation, we were established in the 1970s in response to the need for a nationally consistent approach to eligibility for registration and the recognition of overseas qualifications in architecture.
We are building our capacity as the key source of information about the architecture profession in Australian and how it compares with architectural education and regulation around the world.
What we do
Locally we:
- consult with key organisations to develop, maintain and promote the National Standard of Competency for Architects
- develop and provide competency-based assessment programs to determine eligibility for registration as an architect in Australia
- administer the Architecture Program Accreditation Procedure in Australia and New Zealand on behalf of the architect registration boards.
Internationally we:
- Facilitate international mutual recognition agreements in regard to architectural education and registration as an architect in Australia
- Assess overseas qualifications for architects seeking to register as an architect in Australia
- Provide accurate data on the profession of architecture in Australia and overseas
Who we work with
AACA operates as the gatekeeper of threshold standards for eligibility to practice as an architect in Australia. We work with:
- State & Territory Architects Registration Boards
- Australian Institute of Architects
- Associations of Consulting Architects in Australia
- Australian Schools of Architecture
- Commonwealth Government Departments of Education and Immigration and Border Control
Collaboration with Architect Registration Boards
Each of the Nominating Bodies (architect registration boards) is an independent statutory authority and is responsible for administering the Architects Act in its jurisdiction. The Boards and the AACA work in collaboration on matters of national interest to the profession, industry and the public.
Directors
Keith Drew, President
Keith has been a registered architect in Tasmania since 1987, and has successfully delivered hundreds of commercial and institutional projects for government and the private sector. Keith began his involvement with professional associations as graduate representative on the RAIA Tasmanian Chapter, moving through various roles including the professional development and practice committees to RAIA Tasmanian State President and RAIA National Councillor. He is currently an AIA Senior Counsellor and Fellow of the RAIA. Keith has been AACA APE Regional Convenor (Tas) since 2009 and is currently AACA APE National Convenor.
Dr Kirsten Orr
Kirsten is currently Registrar of the NSW Architects Registration Board(2019-). She is a registered architect with a sustained background in academia, bringing a unique combination of professional, academic and regulatory experience and achievement to enhance her contributions as a Director of the AACA. Kirsten has held senior academic roles at the University of Tasmania (2016-2018) and the University of Technology Sydney (1999-2015). She has also held significant high-level appointments to all the major Australian government and professional bodies regulating the practice of architecture, the education of architecture students, and the accreditation of Australian architecture programs. Her extensive and long-standing engagement with the AACA, NSW Architects Registration Board and Australian Institute of Architects has benefitted the architectural profession, higher education sector and community through the integration of her knowledge of professional issues with her university activities. The insights drawn from these various roles over many years inform her comprehensive understanding of the architectural profession, the university sector, and the workings of State and Federal Government, as well as the complex interrelations between them.
Dr Giorgio Marfella
Dr Giorgio Marfella is a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne and a registered architect in Victoria. He is the current chairperson of the Architects Registration Board of Victoria (ARBV), where he is appointed as the nominee of the Victorian schools of architecture. Giorgio is an overseas qualified architect from the University of Florence (Italy) with a PhD from the University of Melbourne. He is an internationally recognised researcher of high-rise architecture and author of several scholarly publications in construction history and tall building regulations and technology. Before becoming a full-time academic, he has worked in several large practices in Australia, developing an expert profile in facades and high-rise projects. Giorgio is a registered expert of the Australian Tertiary Education and Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) and he has an extensive teaching track record in post-graduate subjects of architecture, architectural engineering, and construction management programs
Paul Boyce
Paul’s experience over the last three decades has covered all aspects of the role of the AACA. Paul has been an examiner for the Architectural Practice Board of South Australia since 1998, moving into the role of State Convenor in 2009. Paul was elected a member of the Architects Board of South Australia and was then elected for three terms on the Architectural Practice Board of South Australia. During which he was presiding member and contributed to drafting the Code of Conduct, the Board branding, the What Does an Architect Do video series and the introduction of mandatory Compulsory Professional Education.
Paul is the National APE Convenor, a NAP member, an AMC member and an ASP member and has been an AACA director, an assessor for the PASA, RAE, RGE and OQA programs and a moderator for the NPrA program. He has also taken part in two ARPs, one NVP and several IRPs and SVPs. As State and National APE convenor he has provided input into the development of the National Standards of Competency for Architects in both 2015 and 2021.
Paul is cognisant of his obligation to effectively identify, disclose and manage any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest to protect the integrity of the AACA and manage risk.
Tania Dennis
Tania Dennis is a registered architect, a licenced builder, a GAICD, a AACA Accreditation Standing Panel Member, and she serves as a Regional Member on the BOAQ.
For the profession to be valued, architects must identify and solve complex challenges to create inspiring places for people. Tania is passionate about architecture that responds to the human experience, and she has amassed a diverse portfolio of work that is inspired by local people and the places they live.
An experienced director and member of several boards, Tania is dedicated to maintaining public confidence and integrity in the architecture profession.
CEO
Kathlyn Loseby
MBA(Exec) GAICD JP LFRAIA Architect 6267 (NSW)
Kathlyn joins the AACA as the previous COO / General Manager of national architectural practices; the NSW AIA President 2019-2021 (Feb); and an AACA Assessor (2013-2020). She brings a background of considerable involvement in shaping changes to the regulatory frameworks in the construction industry, particularly the NSW design and building regulations of 2019-2021(Feb). She has appreciated multiple perspectives from experience working for US, UK and Australian architectural businesses.
