Evelyn Reynolds

Melbourne’s Southbank will soon have a new green recreational space, following the announcement of a new park near the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA).
Member for Albert Park Nina Taylor announced a $1.5 million investment for the design and delivery of the park, which will complement new urban gardens in the surrounding area, as well as serve as an accompaniment to the future works to be delivered as part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation.
“Today is just the first step in delivering what will be a fantastic open space for Southbank locals to enjoy,” Taylor said. The space, delivered in partnership with the City of Melbourne, Creative Victoria, and ACCA, will serve as a gathering place for locals and visitors to connect with nature. The park is one of 11 open space projects across Victoria, as part of the state government’s $7.4 million Better Parks and Playgrounds program.
Minister for environment Ingrid Stitt said the introduction of green spaces in metropolitan areas ensures communities still have unique and inclusive open spaces to take pleasure in.

“We’re ensuring Melburnians in urban areas have easy access to quality open space to exercise, relax or just enjoy the outdoors,” she said.

Through the Suburban Parks Program, 87 new and improved public spaces, including parks and dog parks, have been delivered.

Once complete the Suburban Parks Program will create up to 6,500 hectares of new parkland, walking and cycling trails, pocket parks and dog parks – the equivalent of more than 170 Royal Botanic Gardens. More

Billard Leece Partnership (BLP) and Cox Architecture have been appointed as the designers of the new Bundaberg Hospital, a $1.2 billion project that will provide vital health care services to the growing city.
The architects are part of the CPD Contractors consortium, which was selected as the preferred bidder for stage one of the development by the Queensland government.
The six-storey facility will house critical health departments including acute, medical, surgical, and mental health care, as well as emergency and clinical support services, supplemented by essential infrastructure.
BLP managing director, Tara Veldman, said they are thrilled to be involved with the delivery of such an important and beneficial project.
“It is a privilege to contribute to the delivery of the new Bundaberg Hospital, a project that will significantly enhance the Queensland region’s health infrastructure,” she said. “Our shared vision aims to establish a modern, future-proofed health facility that caters to the needs of the Bundaberg community and the wider Wide Bay-Burnett region.”
The design for the new hospital is expected to be completed in early 2024, with construction to follow. More

The Adelaide Aquatic Centre is one step closer to becoming a reality after a development application for the $135 million world-class facility has been submitted.
The application contains updated artist impressions of the design, a planning report that describes the proposed development, as well as several reports and assessments.
The State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) is expected to review the application in the upcoming months, with formal consent required prior to beginning construction in North Adelaide’s Pardipardinyilla / Denise Norton Park.
JPE Design Studio and Warren and Mahoney were appointed as the designers of the centre in September 2022.
Replacing the existing structure, the reimagined multi-level facility will offer amenities such as a 25-metre, an eight-lane outdoor pool with a lagoon; dedicated pools for rehabilitation as well as a gym, sauna and steam room facilities; a cafe and play areas.
The new centre will occupy less space than the existing one, returning approximately 1,000 square metres to the Adelaide Park Lands that surround the city.
The building’s design aims to blend in with the natural surroundings and align with National Heritage principles, with clear delineation between the city and the parklands. More

Tell us where we should send the Latest news
Join our architecture and design community for the latest news and reviews. Be first to know.

Thank you!
You may also like other Architecture Media network newsletters:

Thank you!

Close More

The City of Melbourne has a draft masterplan for the transformation of the north bank of the Birrarung/Yarra River. The Greenline project, by Aspect Studios and TCL, is set to create a four-kilometre stretch of interconnected promenades, parks and open spaces between Birrarung Marr and the Bolte Bridge in what will become Melbourne’s largest green […] More

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Sydney Opera House, Royal Australian Mint has released a collection of commemorative coins. Each coin will have a detailed illustration of the Sydney Opera House and the number 50. The limited-mintage collection includes two 50-cent uncirculated coins that depict the Sydney Opera House viewed from the west, with […] More

The Australian Capital Territory government will hold a competition to find ideas to transform Canberra’s City Hill from a “roundabout rabbit warren” into a city park attractive to people. A five-hectare landscaped hill surrounded by the Vernon Circle, City Hill was central to Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin’s design for Canberra, which marks a […] More

The library, the law court, the town hall, the city square, the memorial or the cemetery – historically, these were the hallmarks of civic design. But are they still the case?
Coming to Melbourne on 8 September, The Architecture Symposium: Acts of Generosity will seek to expand the boundaries of civic design, exploring projects that commit generous acts of design that go beyond the formal architectural brief.
“We are interested in projects that consciously contribute to the evolution of architecture and, more importantly, support the evolution of society,” said guest curators Amy Muir of Muir Architecture and Rachel Neeson, of Neeson Murcutt Neille.
“This symposium explores our industry’s responsibility to community through built outcomes – how has it changed and how can we further challenge the status quo?”

View gallery

James Loder will discuss Wardle’s work at UTAS Inveresk. Image:

Adam Gibson

One speaker will be 2023 Gold Medal winner Kerstin Thompson, who will discuss her practice’s sensitive design for the Jewish Holocaust Museum in Melbourne.
Also speaking on civic memory will be Mat Hinds of Taylor and Hinds and Rebecca Digney of the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, who will discuss a proposed truth-telling project at Wybalenna, an Aboriginal settlement established on Flinders Island in 1834, where hundreds of banished Tasmanian Aboriginal people died premature deaths under the “protection” of George Augustus Robinson.
James Loder of Wardle and Simone Bliss of SBLA Studio will discuss their practices’ respective university and TAFE revitalization projects, while Danielle Peck of Architecture Associates, Graham Crist of Antarctica Architects and Peter Stutchbury of Peter Stutchbury Architecture will present of “shared civic assets” – a library and a tourism centre.

View gallery

Danielle Peck of Architecture Associates and Graham Crist of Antarctica Architects will present Drysdale Library. Image:

Supplied by architects

Other speakers include Jocelyn Chiew, City of Melbourne (Dodds Street Linear Park, Vic); Bridget Smyth, City of Sydney (George Street pedestrianization, NSW); Kevin O’Brien, BVN (Yarrila Place, NSW); Nicholas Braun, Sibling Architecture (Darebin Intercultural Centre, Vic); Challis Smedley, Challis Smedley Architect on behalf of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects (Bondi Pavilion, NSW); Aaron Peters, Vokes and Peters (Nambucca Heads Library Extension, NSW); Sonia van de Haar, Lymesmith (Parramatta activations, NSW); Annabel Lahz, Lahznimmo Architects (Mahon Pool Amenities, NSW); Ross Harding, Finding Infinity (A New Normal, Vic); and Emma Williamson, The Fulcrum Agency (Martu Community-Led Design).
The day will conclude with a panel discussion with co-curators Amy Muir and Rachel Neeson, Kat Rodwell (Balert Mura Consultancy), Carey Lyon (Lyons) and Philip Thalis (Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects), moderated by Shelley Penn (Shelley Penn Architect).
For further information, and to buy tickets, head here­­.
The Architecture Symposium is a Design Speaks program organized by Architecture Media and supported by major partner Informed by Planned Cover, supporting partners Tasmanian Timber and Galvin Engineering, and hotel partner Ovolo South Yarra. More