Parlour is thrilled to have been awarded the Adrian Ashton Prize for Writing and Criticism at the 2015 NSW Architecture Awards. Thanks to Callantha Brigham for representing us on the night (and to David Tickle for the photo).
On the same night Justine Clark received the Marion Mahoney Griffin Prize for a body of work, which includes her work on Parlour.
The citation for the Adrian Ashton Award is as follows:
Since its launch in 2012 at the National Architecture Conference in Brisbane, Parlour has been a relentless and rigorous advocate for gender equity within the profession of architecture.
Based in the successful research project ‘Equity and Diversity in the Australian Architecture Profession: Women, Work and Leadership’ (2011–2014), the Parlour organisation is much more than just a website. It has filled a gap in our architectural culture that most in the profession did not even realise existed.
Collecting hard data, collating original research, and curating a culture of discussion, Parlour has assembled an exemplary database. In the fine tradition of open source, Parlour is sharing its knowledge and findings with anyone who will listen. The influence of Parlour stretches beyond the architecture profession, as it has become a model for gender equity discussions and research around the world. Parlour is in fact the benchmark, which others are now trying to emulate.
In raising the issue of gender equity within the profession, in 2014 Parlour launched the ‘Parlour Guides to Equitable Practice’ at the National Architecture Conference in Perth, in association with the Australian Institute of Architects and researchers from the University of Melbourne and University of Queensland. Parlour continues to build its program of advocacy through on-going research, on-line surveys and new initiatives.
Parlour is many people, but it requires the energy and dedication of a particular few. In awarding the 2015 Adrian Ashton Award for Architecture in the Media to Parlour, we honour the work of Justine Clark, as curator and editor, with support from co-editors Naomi Stead, Karen Burns, Sandra Kaji-O’Grady, Julie Willis, Amanda Roan and Gill Matthewson.
