On International Women’s Day, the Australian Institute of Architects awarded the 2023 Paula Whitman Leadership in Gender Equity Prize, recognizing exceptional female leadership in the industry in areas of gender equity. Emma Williamson, West Australian Fellow of the Institute of Architects and co-founder of The Fulcrum Agency, has been recognized for her longstanding commitment to […] More
Seek Australia has released its advertised salary index, indicating the changes in advertised salaries over time for jobs posted on the site. For the year up to January 2023, Seek reports that advertised salaries in design and architecture recorded the second highest hike over the past year of all industries recorded in the survey. Architecture […] More
Melbourne practice Agius Scorpo Architects has designed and intricate seven-storey addition at the rear of an 1880 gothic revival brick bank in South Melbourne.
“BVIA on Bank” was commissioned by Anne Michaels, director of female-led developer She Built. The project, Michaels’s first solo endeavor, has been entirely facilitated by an all-female team intending to promote, empower and encourage female leadership within the building and design industry.
“The key element in the client’s brief was that it had to be glamourous,” said architect Claire Scorpo. The modern restoration and extension is made from curved glass and inscribed concrete, providing a contemporary counterpoint to the bank’s formal Gothic facade.
The project involves the partial demolition of the bank’s rear 1970s extension, while leaving the 1880s building intact. Upgrades and retrofits are being carried out to the heritage building, which was recently vacated by ANZ and will house independent retail, while the new rear building will house commercial offices, complete with an underground basement.
“A lot of care was given to creating the building as a singular form,” said Scorpo. “Most of the offset strategies requires wedding cake setback forms and we were concerned that something with a lot of parapets and levels was going to distract from the heritage building.”
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The facade is designed from curved glass and inscribed concrete, providing a contemporary counterpoint to the bank’s formal Gothic facade. Image:
She Built
The existing two-storey bank building on Clarendon Street was designed by 19th century firm Terry and Oaken from Hawthorn bricks and granite colonettes. It is one of the most enduring examples of English, Scottish and American chartered banks (known as ES&A) constructed in the gothic style.
“The key idea was to make a single facade that wraps around and forms a backdrop to the existing building,” said Scorpo. The new building will sit respectfully behind the bank, with the faceted glass curves of the extension peeling away from the building, made from a bespoke glazed curtain wall and a precast concrete facade. The inscribed pattern on the concrete panels was designed by Alice Springs artist Elliat Rich.
“There are elements that we borrowed from the existing form,” said Scorpo. “The oculus in the new building uses the ‘ox eye’ motif – little circular windows, on the side of the bank.”
Copper-coloured details have been added throughout the building, bordering a large oculus and on the pavement canopy, intended to reference the bronze colour of old one- and two-cent coins.
The main objectives of the project are to promote activation on Bank Street through good design, increasing pedestrian activity and reviving heritage connections, while supporting and promoting women in the building and design sector.
“From the beginning, it felt like a collaborative project,” said Scorpo. “The developer’s vision is unique in that she is a female developer who wants to promote women in the built environment. In some situations, getting a female lead for a team of structural engineers can be difficult – there aren’t many female-led practices – but what it allowed was for another female in the team to be promoted into that role, giving someone who may be overlooked a chance to be at the front of a project.” More
“Embrace equity” is the 2023 International Women’s Day campaign theme, which seeks to draw attention to the critical differences between equity and equality, and examine “why equal opportunities aren’t enough.”
“When we embrace equity, we embrace diversity, and we embrace inclusion,” the campaign states.
Ahead of International Women’s Day 2023 on 8 March, we asked a diverse group of women practitioners to share their insights on how architects create more inclusive environments.
Sophie Dyring, director of Schored Projects
Sophie Dyring Image: Supplied
This year, Schored Projects is celebrating 10 years of working in the inclusive and diverse social housing sector. Director Sophie Dyring says, “Inclusivity and diversity in the built environment doesn’t have a tangible look, but you know when it’s been achieved, at least in our public spaces, because people from every walk of life are utilizing and enjoying the space.
“That’s not to say that every aspect of the project relates to or is relevant to everyone; what it means is that women feel secure to walk through the project at night. It means First Nations people feel connected to the place. It means the LGBTIQ+ community feel safe and secure to be themselves. It means neurodiverse people can easily navigate the space. In short, inclusivity and diversity in the built environment is welcoming.
“Architects can foster diversity and inclusively in the build environment through representation. Through our post occupancy research for A Design Guide for Older Women’s Housing, it became clear that the voices of lived experience through the design stages of a project are critical in the success of a project for the future users/occupants. The project typology would guide the necessary representation, but at a minimum, all projects should include the voices of First Nations people, women and people from the LGBTIQ+ community.
“I recently read the term ‘experts by experience,’ and I think there is something in that approach. Architects must listen to these experts. They can participate on a smaller scale through specific focus-groups or on a larger scale through advisory boards and panels.”
Samantha Rich, graduate of architecture and adjunct lecturer at the Yuwaya Ngarra-li Institute of Global Development
Samantha Rich Image: Supplied
“We need diversity in how we design because that’s what our communities look like,” says Samantha Rich, a Wiradjuri woman who is dedicated to embedding a First Nations worldview into the design of buildings and the broader built environment. “A cookie-cutter approach shouldn’t be implemented in any of our built environments. Often, we believe as designers that we know how to design well. But until the designers and the way we design involves a broad array of people, they will only support the people we see in our offices.
“Inclusivity is about a lot of things. It means being involved at all stages of a project; it’s about having a voice, and being in positions where decisions can be implemented meaningfully. As a woman, and as First Nations person, I am taught to fit into this world. Things like: be less emotional, be more passive, don’t be too angry, juggle two worlds.
“For me it is also about making sure that our qualities, experiences and characteristics as people are valued and not seen as burdens or problems to manage. The ability to be open about how we see and feel in the world and that perspective is not seen as a risk or negative. This to me is true inclusivity.”
Rich adds that built environment practitioners should embrace the “lived experience” of the people they are designing for and “allow the community to lead you [and] make the space adaptable and supportive to varying types of people.”
“Don’t make people bend or change to fit into spaces or environments.”
Simona Castricum, postdoctoral research fellow in architecture, musician and producer
Simona Castricum. Image:
Naomi Lee Beveridge
“Architects have a unique place at the design table, working across many sectors and professional silos,” says Simona Castricum, whose PhD research explored gender nonconforming and queer spatial production in the city, in architecture and in public space. “Marginalized groups can benefit from advocacy across these sectors and silos to advocate for change that will enrich civic life.
“Architecture should always interrogate the administrative systems that exclude or cause harm to people in the built environment. We need radical practice to imagine the very futures that will alleviate some of the barriers people face in the built environment.”
Nicole Kalms, founding director of XYX Lab/Gender and Place
Nicole Kalms Image: Supplied
Nicole Kalms, who leads a team of researchers exploring gender-sensitive design practices, says there is still much to be done to achieve true inclusion.
“It is the everyday commitment, accountability and advocacy that will move everyone forward and create radical change in the built environment.”
She says that architects should “look at best practice, engage experts in gender sensitive and intersectional design. Most importantly, [they shoud] listen to those with lived experience in the communities that will (presumably) benefit from the work that you do.” More
The South Australian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects has named the recipient of the 2023 Jack Hobbs McConnell Travelling Fellowship, awarded to a promising designer (usually South Australia-based) to undertake an independent research program or course to further study in architecture or a related field. Recent graduate of the University of South Australia […] More
The Australian Institute of Architects has issued feedback on the NSW government’s Building Legislation Amendment Regulation 2023, held on 27 February, describing the government amendments to the building classes regulation as a “missed opportunity.”
“While we have been encouraged by the quality and the nation-leading volume of work which has been undertaken by the NSW government on these reforms to date, we believe the new Amendment Regulation is a backward step in the protection of consumers in NSW,” a spokesperson for the Institute said.
The regulation applies to Class 3 buildings – which the building authority defines as buildings that are “a common place of long term or transient living for a number of unrelated people,” including “care-type” facilities such as accommodation buildings for children, the elderly and people with disability – and Class 9c buildings, which are residential care buildings that contain 10 percent or more residents in need of physical assistance in conducting their daily activities.
The Institute said that endorsing an unrestricted class of building designer to document these classes of building will have negative outcomes for the community’s most vulnerable residents accommodated by these buildings.
“The Institute believes an unrestricted class of building designer may result in unintended consequences; will reduce consumer protection; and will impair international recognition of our skills base by indicating that an Architect and Building Designer (Level 1) are equivalent in terms of their education, skills, experience, ongoing professional development, regulation, and expertise,” a spokesperson for the Institute said.
The Institute said that the skills of an architect and a building designer (level 1) are “clearly not the same” and that conflating these two professions is signalling to the market, misleadingly, that the product delivered by the two will be of the same quality.
“Registration as an architect requires five years of full-time study to masters level, meeting a National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA), 3300 hours of logged, verified and supervised practice which can take up to five years to achieve, and then completing an architectural practice exam administered nationally by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia,” the Institute continued.
“Alternatively, building designers do not need to meet all these stringent requirements. It is critical to note that under the current DBP [Design and Building Practitioners] Act and Regulation, some fully registered and experienced architects are restricted from operating as Design Practitioners – Architectural due to the stringent new experience parameters.”
NSW Chapter president Adam Haddow said consumers should feel confident that the designing of complex buildings for the most vulnerable will always be put in the hands of those with the highest level of qualification and expertise. More
The New South Wales government’s Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) has submitted a development application for the demolition of existing buildings at 82 Wentworth Park Road, Glebe, for the construction of an SJB-designed, four-storey affordable residential building.
The site covers an area of around 1,600 square metres, bound by Wentworth Park Road to the east, Bellevue Street to the west, Cardigan Street on the south side, and the Glebe and Wentworth Park railway viaducts to the north. It currently contains a block of 17 semi-detached apartments and townhouses, comprising two- and three-storey masonry dwellings from the 1970s and ’80s designed by NSW Housing Commission.
Estimated to cost around $22 million, the multiresidential building is designed for older social housing residents, and would include lifts and other amenities to enable accessibility. The proposed architectural designs have been prepared by SJB for a four-storey building that would contain 43 affordable dwellings, made up of one- and two-bedroom apartments.
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The proposed design uses a palette of terracotta and white brick to complement the materiality of the existing heritage buildings in the neighbourhood. Image:
SJB Architects
According to LAHC, the residential building will be “modern and energy-efficient” to reduce residents’ bills and energy consumption. The design incorporates a green roof, intended to improve the outlook and extend the local ecological function. The planting selection aims to support a diversity of wildlife by incorporating a “living roof” into the urban environment. SJB said a diversity of wildflowers across all seasons would ensure that the native landscape would not go dormant for local pollinators.
Two communal gardens have been proposed, with edible and native perennials for base planting, to connect the future residents through landscape. The design uses a palette of terracotta and white brick to complement the materiality of the neighbourhood’s existing heritage buildings.
“The much-loved suburb of Glebe has a rich history and strong street character,” a LAHC spokesperson said. “Because of this, all plans for the future of our sites are designed to achieve the greatest benefit for social housing residents as well as the wider community.”
82 Wentworth Park Road is one of three Glebe sites proposed for revitalization, to deliver new social housing that meets the needs of contemporary tenants. These include a site at Franklyn Street and the renewal of Cowper Street.
The development application was lodged with the City of Sydney on 14 February and will be on exhibition until 15 March 2023. More
Round one of the Alastair Swayn Foundation grants program has launched, offering funding opportunities to individuals and organizations in the architecture and design community. The Alastair Swayn Foundation is a not-for-profit intended to advance Australian architecture and design culture. The late Alastair Swayn, one of Canberra’s leading architects, bequeathed his estate to establish the foundation. […] More
