Denise Scott Brown to headline 2023 Australian Architecture Conference

The Australian Institute of Architects has announced Denise Scott Brown as the first keynote speaker for its 2023 Australian Architecture Conference, themed "precedent."

Scott Brown and the late Robert Venturi are among the most influential architects of the twentieth century because of their work and theoretical texts.

With Venturi and Steve Izenour, Scott Brown co-authored the 1972 Learning from Las Vegas, which became one of the defining tomes of the post-modern movement.

Scott Brown's best-known works include the Sainsbury wing of the National Gallery in London, the Seattle Art Museum, Indiana Fire Station Number 4 and the Squirrel Hill House in Pittsburgh.

She has also been an advocate for women in architecture throughout her career. In 1989, she published the essay "Room at the top? Sexism and the star system in architecture" and has been an outspoken critic of discrimination in the profession. The Hyatt Foundation awarded the 1991 Pritzker Prize to Venturi, with no recognition for Scott Brown. As such, she declined to attend the award ceremony in protest.

Scott Brown has received numerous accolades in recognition of her work, including the Jane Drew Prize in 2017, the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal in 2016, and the Vilcek Prize in Architecture in 2007, as well as the Benjamin Franklin Medal, the Harvard Radcliffe Institute Medal, and the Visionary Women Award.

At the 2023 Australian Architecture Conference, Scott Brown will be presenting a keynote address on the future of cultural sustainability.

The conference will be held in Canberra from 29 to 31 October. Early bird registrations close 26 June.