THE BENEFITS OF BELONGING
Members’ corner.
Michael Gay – ACA and AIA member, two-architect practice
On ACA : Members have access to tools they can immediately use, particularly the fee calculator, which gives cost estimates based on national research and practice data. This is not something you are taught as a student. The tool gives peace of mind.
Other attractions:
■ ACA’s short-form client agreement is perfect for small practice. (The Institute agreement can be a bit cumbersome for what we need.) And there was a webinar to explain it.
■ The Association can focus on business without other burdens like running awards programs.
■ Membership fees cover most benefits.
On AIA : The Institute is the profession’s main advocate; i.e. with government, so it is important to support it, even though its benefits can sometimes be less tangible for smaller practices.
Other benefits /observations:
■ It supports and advocates for the profession.
■ It gives access to Australian Standards.
■ Members can enter the AIA Awards.
■ The need to pay for most things on top of membership is currently making a lot of positive change.
Jo Whelehan – AIA and ArchiTeam member, sole architect
While there are some older
