Evelyn Reynolds

The long-mooted proposal to transform Sydney’s social housing building Sirius into luxury apartments has been placed on public exhibition, with the architect saying the scheme will allow for the retention of the iconic brutalist structure in a “long-term economically sustainable manner.”
BVN won a design competition for the building’s redevelopment in 2019 after the state government sold it for $150 million to private development company Sirius Developments, owned by JDH Capital.

The sale followed a years-long campaign to save the Tao Gofers designed building and keep it as social housing, after the government announced plans to offload it in 2015, and fears the building would be demolished then ensued. Sirius’s last social housing resident, Myra Demetriou, left the building in January 2018 and it has since sat empty.

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BVN’s proposal retains the concrete structure and adds “distributed pods” in copper-coloured metal and glass.

BVN’s scheme will see the existing concrete structure maintained, repaired and stabilized. The proposal also includes the addition of “distributed pods” in copper-coloured metal and glass, referencing the bronze and black colour of the existing metal framing.

A key focus will be maintaining legibility of the original building. “This includes its materiality, modulating roof line, proportions, construction and modular conceptual composition,” state the architects in planning documents.

There will be a slight reduction in apartments, from 79 to 76, along with improvements to the building’s ground plane with the introduction of a through-site link and fine-grain commercial and small home office (SoHo) spaces along Gloucester Walk, where this currently a security screen to the car park. At Cumberland Street, a new building will incorporate vehicle entry to the basement car park and support a new pool level for residents.
“New mass added to the tower echoes the massing of the original building as a modulating roof line that builds to a peak at the top of the tower,” state the architects. “At this point the new copper clad additions are carefully composed with particular regard to the views from the north along the Harbour Bridge.”
Another key move is the establishment of rooftop gardens in reference to the original design intent. The gardens will provide amenity to residents while also enhancing the views of the building from above – from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and neighbouring buildings.

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The proposed view from Gloucester Walk looking north.

Landscape architect 360 Degrees says the landscape design is conceived as a holistic urban garden.
“It will animate and activate the existing architecture, integrate with and complement the new architecture to provide a legible palimpsest narrative for this significant Sydney landmark,” state planning documents.
A design integrity panel comprising of the original design competitions jurors – Olivia Hyde (chair), Brian Zulaikha, Peter Mould, Shaun Carter and Margaret Desgrand – has overseen the detailed design development. It has found the current designs to “be substantially equivalent to, or an improvement on the design excellence qualities of the competition-winning scheme.”
BVN’s design was selected over schemes by Tzannes and SJB.
The planning proposal seeking approval for alterations, restoration and additions to the Sirius building is on public exhibition until 17 December. More

Melbourne’s Docklands Stadium will be redeveloped to include a multi-purpose “town square” under designs by Grimshaw with Smartform.
The redevelopment will revitalize the stadium’s eastern and southern entry points.
At the southern end, a community meeting place will be created, which will include indoor and outdoor spaces, as well as new cafes, bars and restaurants to welcome pedestrians from the Southern Cross railway station via the Bourke Street footbridge.
Some walls of the existing stadium will be removed to create a visual connection between the plaza and the playing field.

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The redevelopment of Docklands Stadium by Grimshaw with Smartform.
Image: Development Victoria
The plaza will also be able to host events such as markets. Inside the stadium, a host of food and beverage venues will be refurbished and athletes’ changing rooms will be upgraded.
At the eastern end, overlooking Wurundjeri Way, a city-side extension will be created to include function rooms with views of both the CBD and inside the arena. The redevelopment will also include additional bicycle parking facilities and a sensory room, a quiet space that will allow children and adults with autism, dementia, PTSD and other similar conditions to deregulate from sensory overload.

Development Victoria, Sport and Recreation Victoria and the AFL are jointly managing the redevelopment of the stadium.

“The designers have captured our desire to amplify the stadium’s ability to host multiple events across a calendar year and ensure fan experience has been front of mind when designing the upgrade,” said ALF chief executive Gillon McLachlan.
“By renovating the existing structure, it will provide a more environmentally sustainable way of building, as well as ensuring minimal disruption to fans.”
Docklands Stadium was originally designed by BVN (Bligh Lobb Sports Architecture) and Daryl Jackson Architects and opened in 2000. In 2018, the Victorian government allocated $225 million to the redevelopment of Docklands Stadium.
A town planning permit application will be submitted to City of Melbourne shortly and a construction tender will go out in late November. If approved, construction will begin in mid-2021. More

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The Architecture Symposium: Housing Futures will explore alternative models of housing and the impact of the climate, pandemic and recession crises.
In this video, curators Hannah Tribe and Andrew Burns explain how the future is “a really interesting conundrum in a year that’s completely blasted our future out of all recognition.”
The symposium will be delivered in a new four-part online format. Participants can choose to take part in just one, or all of the sessions.
“We ask, in four sessions, how the architects anticipated their future in these works, how they dealt with sustainability, affordability, density, city-making, delight, and how they would reconceive these projects looking into the future,” Tribe said.

Burns added, “While COVID-19 presents challenges to urbanism, we strongly believe that density is essential for sustainability. An attractive, walkable, compact city is a key element in preserving natural landscapes outside the city.”

Each session will close with a panel discussion lead by Hannah Tribe and Andrew Burns.
For tickets and to see the full program, head here.
Design Speaks’ The Architecture Symposium is organized by Architecture Media, the publisher of ArchitectureAU.com. It is supported by major partner Planned Cover.

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A Cox Architecture-designed tower that will incorporate a significant Art Deco facade has been approved for King William Street in the heart of Adelaide.
The 15-storey retail and commercial development will sit between King William Street and James Place, close to Rundle Mall. It will involve the demolition of the existing buildings at the Southern Cross Arcade site, but the retention of the state heritage-listed façade at 64 King William Street.
Known as the Sands and McDougall building for its association with the stationery firm, the heritage building was originally constructed in the 1880s, but was later altered by and Adelaide architectural firm Claridge, Bruer and Fisher in the Art Deco style, with the alteration being completed in 1933.

Cox Architecture’s design splits the built form into two elements, podium and tower, with the podium levels respectfully acknowledging the heritage context.

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60 King William Street by Cox Architecture.

“The presentation of the podium to King William Street is both a contextual and contemporary response to the formal character, scale and sandstone materiality synonymous with King William Street,” state the architects in planning documents. “The materiality of the podium transitions from sandstone to textural brickwork reflecting the finer grain qualities of James Place and Clarence Place.”
The podium will contain a mix of public realm, retail, food and beverage offering, end of trip facilities and contemporary office spaces.

Above the masonry podium will be 13 levels of contemporary office space enveloped in large-format high performance glazing. Integrated sun shading devices distributed gradually up the tower and dissipating on the upper levels will provide visual contrast to the primarily glazed façade and reference the masonry materiality of the podium.
Charter Hall is the developer behind the project, which will deliver 40,000 square metres of office space.
South Australia’s Government Architect and Heritage South Australia were supportive of the plans and the State Commision Assesment Panel voted to approve the development on 18 November. More

Sydney’s Sutherland Shire Council has voted unanimously to go ahead with the largest infrastructure project in the council’s history, the redevelopment of its Civic Centre.
A state-significant development application for the proposed Sutherland Entertainment Centre was approved in October.
Chrofi and NBRS Architecture won a design competition for the project in May 2019. Their winning scheme included a verandah structure that will be added to the north of the existing structure, the Sutherland Civic Centre, and form a large foyer space and connection to the adjacent Peace Park.

Other works include a refurbished theatre with tiered seating, a fly tower over the stage to cater for diverse performances, flexible teaching and rehearsal spaces, a new entry court incorporating flexible outdoor events space, and upgrades to Peace Park.

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Sutherland Entertainment Centre by Chrofi and NBRS.

“The Sutherland Entertainment Centre has been a much loved and well used performance and events space for over forty years, but we all acknowledge it is in need of a refresh to ensure it can continue to be the region’s premier entertainment destination for many years to come,” said mayor Steve Simpson.

“Plans to redevelop or replace our Entertainment Centre have been floated for almost as long as the building has been standing, with plans to upgrade the facility first brought before Council in 1984.
“It’s been a very long road to get where we are today, with plenty of spirited discussion among Councillors over many years to see that we get this project right, but I am confident the decision reached last night will deliver an entertainment facility of which the whole community can be proud.”
Construction will begin in early 2021, and completion is expected in 2022. The council is continuing to seek funding from relevant government agencies to support the project.

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The world heritage body International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) will hold its next global General Assembly in Sydney, the first time the event will be held in the Pacific region.
Scheduled for 2023, the program will include site visits, workshops, lectures, and meetings between heritage experts from around the world.
Delegates will visit heritage sites including Sydney Opera House, Hyde Park Barracks and Luna Park, and will also be given the opportunity to visit cities and regions across Australia.

Australia ICOMOS president Helen Lardner said the theme of the assembly – Heritage Changes: Resilience, Responsibility, Rights, Relationships – reflect the tumultuous changes taking place in the world. “But [it is] also a positive message about the role of our heritage in supporting rapid recovery and inclusive approaches,” she said.
“GA2023 will highlight stories and techniques for conserving important cultural sites and will make an important contribution to the re-emergence of Sydney and Australia more broadly as a leading cultural tourism destination”

Headquartered in Paris, ICOMOS is a professional association with has more than 10,000 members globally – architects, historians, planners, archaeologists and other specialists. It advocates for the protection of cultural heritage sites and advises the World Heritage Committee and national governments about heritage issues.

Federal environment minister Sussan Ley welcomed the announcement of Australia’s successful bid to host the assembly.
“Australia is a global leader in heritage conservation, and our hosting the General Assembly aligns closely with our commitment to the management of 20 World Heritage properties – with more nominations on the way,” she said.“As an active member of the World Heritage Committee, and one of the first nations to adopt the World Heritage Convention, we are delighted to partner with the NSW Government and ICOMOS to bring this prestigious global gathering to Sydney”, she said.

NSW heritage minister Don Harwin said the event would highlight the state’s achievements in cultural heritage management.
“Sydney and NSW boast wonderful heritage places ranging from important Aboriginal sites with rich stories, to the convict Hyde Park Barracks and Parramatta’s historic Female Factory,” he said. “Our ICOMOS visitors will share knowledge of great conservation practice and enjoy amazing cultural experiences at iconic venues like Sydney Opera House. This event will boost cultural tourism, and attendees will become advocates for the amazing experiences that our cultural heritage offers.” More

A number of building and infrastructure projects have receive additional funding in the NSW budget.
As part of the government’s $29 billion post-pandemic recovery package, the funding includes $10.7 billion for health infrastructure over the next four years, including completion of the Tweed Hospital Redevelopment by Silver Thomas Hanley and Bates Smart and the Campbelltown Hospital Stage 2 Redevelopment by Billard Leece Partnership; and $1.4 billion for new school infrastructure.

“We’ll deliver 200 new and upgraded schools and 47 new and upgraded hospitals,” said treasurer Domenic Perrottet.
“The scale of our infrastructure pipeline is unprecedented, supporting tens of thousands of jobs each year. This state-building pipeline will drive our recovery and strengthen our State, so we can stand tall today and lift future generations even higher.”
The budget also includes $812 million for social and Aboriginal housing across NSW, which will deliver more than 1,200 new dwellings, and upgrade another 8,000 more.

However, this pales in comparison to the neighbouring state of Victorian whose government announced it would allocate $5.3 billion in its state budget for social housing.

NSW has more than 51,000 applicants, or 110,000 people, on the waitlist for social housing, according to the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW.
Last week, the government also announced funding for two new wildlife hospitals and a refuge facility for platypus will be built across Taronga Zoo’s Western Plains and Sydney sites, with the NSW government allocating $37.5 million to the projects in its 2020-21 budget.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo will receive $14 million towards the wildlife hospital and $8.8 million for the Platypus Visitor and Education Facility, with the remainder going to the Sydney project. The government had previously committed $3.2 million, and a further $35.9 million needed for the projects will be sought from philanthropic and private donors. Construction will start next year, with completion scheduled for 2022. More

Perth’s Edith Cowan University has begun a search for a lead architect to design its landmark $695 million city campus.
A centrepiece of the Perth City Deal, the project will be the first university campus to be located in the CBD.
“Given the level of ambition, combined with the complex and multi-faceted nature of the project, we expect the lead architect will leverage international networks and knowledge to ensure ECU attracts the best advisors to deliver a project of international significance,” said Steve Chapman, vice chancellor of Edith Cowan University.

“We want this campus to be highly innovative and inclusive, where the transition between the university and the city is seamless, promoting unprecedented levels of community interaction and engagement.”
The campus will be built over Perth Busport adjacent to Yagan Square, and will link the Northbridge dining and entertainment precinct to the Perth Cultural Centre, home to the new WA Museum Boola Bardip.

ECU City Campus technical architect, Geoff Warn, said “It is the type of challenge that creative practices are trained for and dream about. This is the visionary project that Perth city has been wanting for a long time, which will have definite benefits for both the arts and business, opening up a world of new possibilities.”

The campus will open by 2025, accommodating 9,200 students and staff. That number is projected to grow to 11,000 by 2034. It will be home to the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
“Thousands of students flooding into the city will inject more life, vibrancy and dollars into the city centre and its local businesses,” said Alan Tudge, federal minister for population, cities, and urban infrastructure.
WA transport and planning minister, Rita Saffioti, added, “The university campus highlights what density can achieve and the well planned and vibrant communities it can create.”

Expressions of interest for lead architect can be made through Tenders WA. The university is simultaneously recruiting a lead design engineer for the project.
The campus is jointly funded by the federal and state governments and the university. The WA government will provide $150 million and the land, the federal government will contribute $245 million and ECU will contribute $300 million. The existing ECU site will revert back to the state government and a masterplan for the site will be undertaken to determine its future. More