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Adam Haddow is an Australian architect, partner at SJB and the current National President of the Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA).
In this conversation, Adam makes the case that architects have spent decades drifting toward irrelevance, avoiding the hard conversations about cities and housing while celebrating beautiful houses and hoping politicians notice. He believes that needs to stop.
We cover what meaningful influence looks like for the profession, why AI is the biggest democratisation architecture has ever seen, how his own 67sqm terrace house is a direct argument against suburban sprawl, and what the RAIA needs to become to stay worth belonging to.
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00:00 Intro
00:53 Growing up in rural Victoria
02:03 Early interest in architecture
03:24 University experience
05:45 The walk-in catchment philosophy
07:12 Joining SJB
10:08 Transitioning practice ownership
13:22 Bringing in multidisciplinary voices
17:13 The tiny terrace house project
20:32 Housing density and apartment standards
26:31 Becoming RAIA National President
27:46 Architects and political relevance
30:28 Rethinking the architecture profession
43:02 How the architect identity has shifted
45:44 Advice for the next generation