A Brilliant New Career…By Design!
Education is a cornerstone of the mission, programs and activities at the Building Designers Association of Australia. And our student members hold a special role in BDAA, earning a whole host of benefits and advantages in an association determined to give them the best possible start in a challenging industry.
Building design students qualify for free membership in the Building Designers Association of Australia. The benefits of student membership are many and generous for students who may seek meaningful work as a sustainable building designer, project manager, CAD drawing, TPA assessor, designer, construction professional, building design industry journalist, and more—basically, anyone who plans to have a role in the creation and the sustaining of the Australian built environment.
Membership benefits include:
- FREE MEMBERSHIP: Free membership for building design students—all the time, not as a special promotion. In our ongoing effort to support and encourage the careers of young building designers, we offer all building designer students free membership in BDAA. No strings attached!
- MENTORING: Access to a mentorship program that will allow them to learn from and come into contact with the top building designers in the industry. Student members can benefit greatly from direct, one on one tutelage and guidance from experts in the field of building design. Our mentors are available to answer questions, resolve issues, and provide valuable guidance and advice for our talented up and coming student designers.
- AWARDS: The BDAA National Design Awards program features several top awards for our student designers.
Every year, the National Design Awards honours the best in member designs; recognising the finest in residential, business, commercial, and institutional designs of all sizes and price levels. The competition includes numerous categories for our student designers, who get a brilliant start to their design careers by including a nationally recognised design award in their postgrad portfolio! - EDUCATION: Education of all members is a primary mission and purpose of our association and its activities. BDAA offers an active yearlong schedule of CPD sessions, classes, webinars, masterclasses, etc. In addition, BDAA offers a weekly Five Things You Need to Know feature that keeps members apprised of the latest news in the Australian building design industry. Particularly for student members, a BDAA class or educational feature could prove a vital part of their coursework, as they learn the most relevant, accurate and most up to date information regarding today’s Australian building industry and built environment.
- ONLINE COMMUNITY: BDAA now offers a thriving online community for members, plus numerous social media groups. This feature holds special appeal for our student members, as people of a certain age group generally live online, counting their groups and communities—not only as a vital source of information regarding the current state of the Australian building industry and built environment but as a sort of online family.
- NETWORKING: From commonsense advise to job opportunities, students have a lot to gain from the networking opportunities available in BDAA. Students can network anytime with our members at chapter and national meetings, socials and events, and through our online community and groups. In short, BDAA offers student members unprecedented opportunities for networking—and at an organic, purpose-driven level.
- CONFERENCE: Special student rates are available for tickets to the BDAA National Design Conference and Awards; a nationally recognised event that features speakers, multimedia presentations, masterclasses, factory tours and more. Students may participate as conference speakers, masterclass participants—and at this event, they will get the opportunity to network and make valuable connections to give them a brilliant start on their career.
- CHAPTER AND NATIONAL MEETINGS: Student members are welcome to participate in national and regional chapter meetings of BDAA, in which all important association business is conducted. This gives them a crash course in the sublime experience of membership in a top quality professional association, along with additional opportunities for networking and leadership.
- INDUSTRY PARTNER MEMBERSHIP DISCOUNTS: BDAA maintains a thriving network of industry partners that offer members discounts on vital building supplies and services. These discounts could prove essential to up and coming building designers, who may find themselves limited in their budgets. It also empowers them to make their designs the very best.
Support Documents:
CLICK HERE for Full Membership Declaration of Authorship.
CLICK HERE for an Associate Membership Declaration Form.
For a student building designer, joining the Building Designers Association of Australia is more than a good idea. It’s an essential first step in the career of any ambitious building designer. For more information, please download these helpful resources:
Design and build the ultimate career today. Join the BDAA.
Membership Application: Student Member
Terms and conditions
This offer is open to all Bona Fide students who reside in Australia and are enrolled in an approved Building Design course or have graduated or ceased studying from such course within 12 months of applying for membership. After this period a Student Member has a further 18 months in which to register as an Associate Member.
A Student Member must provide evidence of their current enrolment or graduation status on an annual basis when requested in April each year.
Once a Student Member of BDAA, completes their studies and begins practicing as a Building Designer, either as a sole trader or an employee, they must upgrade to Associate Membership within 18 months of completing their course. They must remain at Associate Membership level for at least two years, to enable the former Student Member to obtain the two years’ experience required for Full Membership, or until they meet the criteria for Full Membership.