Off to Uluru!

Only 1 sleep to go and the Edmiston Jones team, 20 of us, will be on the way to our retreat at Uluru. The indigenous history of this land continues to amaze me. The recent news that Aboriginal people have been in Australia for at least 65,000 years was uncovered by Archaeologists working in Kakadu. The archaeological team at the Jabiru mining lease east of Darwin uncovered a stone axe 18,000 years older than any evidence of human activity found before in Australia. Our retreat, this year will have two interlinked themes: culture and place. The time together, away from the day to day of the office, will help us appreciate how each individual makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts. The culture of the firm has evolved and we have a good understanding of  "the way things are done around here". Edmiston Jones benefits from English, Macedonian, Spanish, Catalonian, Italian, Chilean and Japanese family lineages in the firm and this diversity enriches our view of the world. [caption id="attachment_3510" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] The firm has been organised into 4 teams who will each run a workshop during the retreat.[/caption] As an architectural practice, we are placemakers. Our vision is to enhance people's lives by creating spaces and places that are inspired and inspiring. In a previous blog I described our co-operative design approach and how this complements our respect for site. We are striving for an even deeper understanding of the land on which we build and as importantly 'place', the broader context of a development site.  My sense is that we are better 'placemakers' if we better understand our place. The Uluru retreat is going to be a special opportunity to reflect in a unique location - and have a ball while we are there!