Archinect - News

Pro bono architecture initiative, Architects Assist, connects architects with people in need

2020-01-13T19:19:00-05:00

The massive brushfires in Australia have damaged a large portion of the country's landscape. As of today, according to BBC News, "more than 100 fires are still burning in the states of New South Wales and Victoria." Many have lost their homes and family members in addition to the amount of wildlife impacted by the fires. However, as with previous large-scale tragedies such as this, people have started to come together to provide aid to those impacted.

On January 4, 2020, architect Jiri Lev of, Atelier Jiri Lev, established Architects Assist, an initiative that aims to provide planning and design assistance to those who have lost their homes during the fire. According to the Architects Assist website, the initiative "acts as a simple referral service between clients and registered architects (it does not itself provide architectural services)." An initiative run under mantle of the Australian Institutes of Architects, Architects Assists has rallied to provide support for current and...

Canberra sees worst air quality ever as Australian forest fires continue to burn

2020-01-02T11:23:00-05:00

Canberra has experienced its worst air quality on record, as bushfire smoke became trapped by atmospheric conditions and residents were told to stay indoors and brace for more smog in the coming days. The ACT’s acting chief health officer, Dr Paul Dugdale, said the smoke was the worst since the 2003 bushfires and was “certainly the worst” since air quality monitoring started in the city 15 years ago.

According to The Guardian’s reporting, Air Quality Index (AQI) readings in Canberra city reached 3,463 on Wednesday afternoon, with readings above 200 considered to be hazardous.

According to reports, the fires have burned at least 14.6 million acres around the country so far with record high temperatures and atmospheric effects combining to make putting out the blazes nearly impossible. Estimates indicate that over half a billion animals have died in the brush fires around the country so far, while at least 17 people have perished, with thousands of structures burned to the ground as well.