A huge congratulations to Andrea and Isabella who were awarded the Christopher Procter research prize and David Lindner research prizes respectively!
The prizes were awarded at the 2023 NSW Australian Institute of Architects Honours and Awards celebration at the Ace Hotel, Sydney.

Andrea’s research is titled “Chinatowns are disappearing around the world – how can architecture ensure their future?”
Jury Citation:
Chinatowns around the world are unique cultural and urban spaces which make a rich contribution to our cities. Through the 19th and 20th century they became places to congregate for many migrants from China and Asia more broadly. They served as vibrant hubs of significant cultural and economic activity, attracting locals and tourists alike.

Changing demographics, post Covid-19 challenges of our inner cities combined with the virus’ origin in Wuhan have left Chinatowns across the globe struggling to regain that vibrancy. Andrea’s research will focus on San Franscisco’s Chinatown which is one of the largest and oldest of its kind. Her study will be about its distinct cultural, economic and physical characteristics, as well as which local renewal strategies may be translatable into an Australian context.

Growing up with regular visits to Sydney’s Chinatown and now working on its reimagination as an architect and urban designer Andrea’s proposal is personal and highly relevant. It meets the mission of the Christopher Procter prize to enable research and professional development with a focus on improving our cities.”

Andrea has also received a Byera Hadley Travelling Scholarship to further her research into this topic, where she will travel to the US, Europe and South Pacific.

Isabella’s research is titled “Soft Spaces: Designing for Pain in the Public Realm.”

Jury citation:
Isabella’s submission brings to the fore the high proportion of Australian’s living with the invisible experiences of chronic pain and disease and how good design within our built environment should consider people living with these conditions.

Her proposal builds on her previous research into this topic, where she catalogued how public spaces affect people living with chronic pain. The David Lindner Prize will enable Isabella to continue this research through establishing a set of recommendations in the form of a practical guide for future public buildings and spaces to palliate the effects of chronic pain. This research will be strengthened through collaboration with nominated industry leaders in this space as well as medical professionals.

Through highlighting the statistics around chronic pain and the impact of our environmental conditions on this, the jury considered that Isabella’s work could be a very poignant topic within the architectural profession about how we design our spaces with empathy and inclusion.”