The Design Council announced a pioneering new partnership with the Integrated Design Commission (IDC SA) of South Australia, which recognises the role of good quality, well-designed places in improving quality of life and stimulating economic growth.
As part of the agreement, the IDC SA will draw on the expertise of the Design Council to demonstrate the value of design review in improving the quality of major projects and producing well-designed places. The partnership with the IDC SA is the first of its kind, and marks the start of a stronger international role for the Design Council.
The partnership will create the first international Design Review process endorsed by the Design Council. The Design Council team are developing Design Review guidance and visited the IDC SA this week to train staff and panel members. In South Australia, Design Review will be lead by the South Australian Government Architect, Benjamin Hewett, who also leads the IDC SA.
This is ahead of a joint meeting of Australian State Government Architects later in the year, to be hosted by the IDC SA in Adelaide. One item on the agenda is to discuss more effective ways to promote "world class urban design and architecture"; a priority agreed by the Australian Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in December 2009, and reflected in the Australian National Urban Policy released earlier this year.
"Design crosses boundaries and borders and is the creative force that turns new ideas for a better world into a reality," said David Kester, Chief Executive of the Design Council. "This new partnership between the Design Council and the government of South Australia will spread the many benefits of good design to communities and improve our everyday lives."
The South Australian Premier, Mike Rann applauded progress made by the IDC SA to pioneer the first formal process for Design Review in Australia, and this further move to make a strategic agreement with the Design Council. "In the global contest for talent and resources, Adelaide is regularly acknowledged as one of the most liveable cities in one of the liveable countries in the OECD," The Premier commented. "How we design, plan and build our public spaces, our buildings and products, contributes to our exceptional quality of life. From its inception 175 years ago, Adelaide has exemplified great city planning. From hosting the first Town Planning conference in the early years of the Australian Federation, our unique connection to nature, and our commitment to sustainable development through our 30 Year Plan for Greater Adelaide, this agreement with the UK's Design Council represents a unique design partnership across cultures, time zones and latitudes."