Evelyn Reynolds

The Royal Institute of British Architects has awarded their 2024 Sirling Prize to the Elizabeth Line, designed by Grimshaw, Maynard Equation and Atkinsréalis. Completed in 2023, the project for London’s new transport network includes ten new stations, each designed in response to their individual contexts, connecting into unified line-wide architecture.
RIBA Stirling Prize jury chair and RIBA president Muyiwa Oki commended the project for its highly-inclusive, cohesive outcome, one which, according to the Institute, has already evidenced its social, economic and environmental value by expanding capacity, reducing congestion and creating employment opportunities since its opening.

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“The Elizabeth Line is a triumph in architect-led collaboration, offering a flawless, efficient, beautifully choreographed solution to inner-city transport,” Oki commented. “It’s an uncluttered canvas that incorporates a slick suite of architectural components to create a consistent, line-wide identity – through which thousands of daily passengers navigate with ease.”
On behalf of the design team, Neill McClements, partner at Grimshaw, said, “The Elizabeth Line is a piece of infrastructure that has been transformative, not only for London’s transport network but also for many people’s lives, highlighting the role design plays in elevating our every day.”
Across myriad elements, including platform architecture, passenger tunnels, escalators, concourses, signage, furniture, fittings and signage, the project was designed with longevity and in mind. According to the architect, the curved glass-reinforced concrete cladding that lines the tunnels was selected to enable an economy of scale while ensuring future ease of maintenance.

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McClements observed that the project is “a recognition of the challenges that our profession faces today – the responsibility we have to rapidly respond to the climate emergency, decarbonise our cities and prioritise social and economic equity. We know this is only achievable through collaboration and the Stirling Prize recognises all of the design and construction teams that have come together to make the project the success that it is.”
Other nominees in the six-strong shortlist for the prize included the large-scale regeneration of King’s Cross by Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates and the transformation of the National Portrait Gallery in London by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell. More

Seven Australian projects and four student projects have been named winners in the 2024 Architecture Masterprize.
The awarded projects include a Brisbane school building, Sydney aged care facility and Melbourne residence. Tadao Ando’s MPavilion 10 and Rob Mills’ Hampden by RMA – also in Melbourne – have earnt the Best of Best title, which recognises the top five percent of projects in the awards.
The prize, formerly known as the American Architecture Prize, was started in 2015 by publishing and awards company Farmani Group. In 2024, it accepted entries from 43 countries in 47 categories spanning architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture.
In addition to their Hapden by RMA project, which was awarded in the Residential Architecture – Multi Unit category, Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors took home a second prize for their Hillside Residence in Prahran in the Residential Interior category.
Two Sydney projects were also awarded prizes. Kaunitz Yeung Architecture’s Yutjuwala Djwarr – Nhulunbuy Flexible Aged Care Facility – a project which unites First Nations knowledge with contemporary technology – was recognised in the Health / Wellness category, and Archer Office’s Allan Border Oval Pavilion – a clever combination of grandstand and club house – was recognised in the Recreational Architecture category.

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An innovative and transformational educational facility, the Brisbane Grammar School STEAM Precinct by Wilson Architects was named a winner in the Educational Buildings category.

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In landscape architecture, Decibel Architecture was awarded in the Installations and Structures category for their “floating” Waratah Studio in Melbourne’s Chelsea Garden.
The awards’ overall winners were Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Centre by Rockwell Group in the United States (Architectural Design of the Year), Nobu by Cuaik CDS in Mexico (Interior Design of the Year) and Qin Lake Park: From Culture to Nature by Grasp Earth Architecture and Landscape Design Co., Ltd in China (Landscape Architecture of the Year). The newly minted Social Impact Project of the Year Award was given to 54 Social Housing in Inca, Mallorca by Fortuny-Alventosa, Morell Arquitectes in Spain.
A jury of 58 designers, architects, curators and academics from around the world selected the winning projects. More

The National Gallery of Australia in Kamberri/Canberra have announced the winner of their National Sculpture Garden Design Competition, which was launched back in April. Based in New South Wales, the winning team comprises CO-AP, JEF, TARN and Plus Minus Design, under the name CO-AP Holdings.
National Gallery director Dr Nick Mitzevich said the collective won the international competition with a thoughtful approach that showed a sensitivity and respect for the garden’s history and heritage. Their plan for renewing, reconnecting and revitalising existing gardens and infrastructure more than doubles the space for public art, creating opportunities for new experiences and a permanent building.

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According to Mitzevich, “the jury were struck by the devotion and care CO-AP Holdings had for the National Sculpture Garden. CO-AP Holdings understood the significance and gravitas of the existing garden and its legacy, but also the importance of bringing the garden into the 21st century.”
CO-AP Holdings’ proposal replaces the existing Sculpture Garden marquee with a permanent stainless steel and glass pavilion, and introduces a new promenade and multi-campus square at the National Gallery forecourt. The existing summer, winter and spring gardens that surround these elements will be reworked into seven distinct gardens linked in a continuous circuit with enhanced accessibility and lighting. Comprising eucalypt forests, a fern gully, casuarina groves and grassy woodlands, these gardens are intended to capture Australia’s rich and biodiverse landscapes.

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Will Fung, director of CO-AP and member of the winning team reflected, “We decided to enter the competition because we shared a deep love for the Sculpture Garden originally designed by Harry Howard, Barbara Buchanan and Roger Vidler. It is the most important modernist landscape in Australia and provides a beautiful counterpoint to Colin Madigan’s magnificent gallery building. We feel that this is a sustainable and respectful design decision. We are very much looking forward to exploring, developing and implementing our ideas for the National Sculpture Garden with the National Gallery of Australia.”

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The winning consortium was selected from a shortlist of five teams from Victoria and New South Wales by a jury of distinguished experts. Chaired by architect and chair of the Heritage Council of Victoria Professor Philip Goad, the jury comprised National Gallery director Dr Nick Mitzevich, Barkandji artist and curator Nici Cumpston, and renowned Chilean landscape architect Teresa Moller.
First Nations consultant Bradley Mapiva Brown (Bagariin Ngunnawal Cultural Consulting), artist Leila Jeffreys, structural engineer PMI Engineers, lighting designer Arup, wayfinding consultant Studio Ongarato, heritage consultant CAB Consulting, art consultant Felicity Fenner and quantity surveyor Heymann Consulting also contributed to the successful proposal.
The National Gallery will begin working with CO-AP Holdings and key stakeholders to develop the design next year. Mitzevich commented, “We are very much at the beginning of the journey and we look forward to working with the team to develop a final design and future vision for the Garden.” More

A state significant development application proposing a nine-storey student accommodation building has been submitted by the University of Newcastle to the New South Wales Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
The student housing complex forms part of a 2018 masterplan that proposed the development of seven new university buildings over a 10-year period in the Honeysuckle precinct. The buildings were conceptualised to support teaching, research and accommodation.
The accommodation building – designed by Architectus – would be sited at the university’s city campus, on the corner of Worth Place and Civic Lane. The proposed building houses more than 400 beds for both domestic and international students.
University of Newcastle vice-chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky said the university’s vision for providing much-needed accommodation options for existing and prospective students is one step closer to becoming a reality.

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“Addressing the housing needs of our students has always been one of our highest priorities, and with the proposed 445 beds in this new building, we aim to provide some relief to the growing demand for student accommodation,” Zelinsky said.
According to Architectus’s design statement, the proposed concept aims to cultivate a sense of community by providing students and staff with welcoming spaces for social interaction, such as communal areas positioned outside the lift core on every floor. Additionally, the design aims to foster wellbeing through the integration of greenery and a layout that organises residences around a naturally ventilated central corridor.
“At the core of the development is the provision of diverse student living accommodations, offering a range of types designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s students,” the statement reads.

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The ground level features activity spaces, including a music room and areas for cooking, dining, recreation and administration. Also on the ground floor, 130 square metres has been dedicated to retail amenity.
Architectus associate principal Craig Earley said the design revitalises a formerly industrial area of the city. “Both the architecture and interior design have been deeply influenced by the site’s cultural and colonial histories. This approach offers students the opportunity to gain a richer understanding of the Country they inhabit while helping them build a strong identity within their student community,” Earley said.
Feedback received during the application’s exhibition is currently being compiled for determination. Should the application receive approval, the university anticipates that construction will commence in 2025.
Earlier concept designs for the accommodation building were unveiled in January 2024. More

In partnership with Bric Housing, St George Community Housing has lodged a development application at 41–49 Carseldine Place to deliver new social and affordable homes in Brisbane’s north. The $87 million project designed by long-time collaborators DKO comprises 62 social and 90 affordable housing units.
Located 12km north of Brisbane’s CBD in Carseldine Village, the project is designated within Economic Development Queensland’s Fitzgibbon Priority Development Area (PDA) – a zone targeted for residential development incorporating significant bushland area and open space.
Director of DKO’s Brisbane studio Kai Chua commented that the team’s approach prioritised sustainability and passive design alongside resident amenity, longevity and ease of maintenance.
“The building has been designed as a series of boutique blocks to break up the long and narrow site, navigating scale and identity within Carseldine Village,” Chua said. “These spaces between the blocks became opportunities for us to incorporate ventilated corridors, communal break out areas, landscape elements and even moments for art.”
Of the 152 residences, 75 percent achieve cross ventilation. Sunshades and balconies have been incorporated along the building’s east and west facades to minimise heat gain. The proposal is set to achieve a 5-Star Green Star rating.
Chua commented that the firm has been “incredibly proud to have been involved in designing critical housing in this area and look forward to progressing the building through its next phases.” More

A development application that proposes the establishment of dual towers up to 17 storeys tall in Cottesloe, Perth, has been filed with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
The application proposes the construction of two towers – one at 15 storeys in height and the other reaching 17 storeys – connected by a three-storey podium. The nominated site, a 3,232-square-metre parcel located at 7–11 Station Street, is positioned between the Cottesloe Train Station and the historic Albion Hotel.
Currently, the site is occupied by two single-storey retail and commercial buildings, which would be demolished if the development is granted approval.
Designed by Architectus, the building would accommodate 125 residential dwellings and residential communal amenities on the podium roof including a pool, cocktail lounge and gym. Additionally, it would contain a 128-room hotel with a restaurant, a function area, a bar, co-working spaces and a pool.

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Under the plans, four levels of basement parking and 1300 square metres of commercial and retail floor space would also be introduced, along with a new pedestrian link connecting Station Street to De Nardi Lane.
Property developer Sirona Urban first submitted plans for the site in 2021, with the plans having undergone multiple design iterations since then.
In its design report, Architectus notes that the proposal aims to revive the neighbourhood’s fine grain character at the ground level and reactivate the street edge. In aiming to accomplish this, the architects have envisioned a layered facade, the creation of a double-height laneway and the introduction of dining offerings that have the potential to spill out onto the street. Landscaped public spaces surrounding the building further aim to activate the area.
According to the design team, the articulation and materiality of the building was conceptualised to extend Cottesloe’s natural and built context. “Materials have been chosen to reflect the limestone and sand that characterises the Cottesloe coastline and historic quarries,” the report states.
“The soft and rounded corners, and gradation from darker to lighter tones, are also informed by the natural landforms’ erosion over time.”
The plans are on exhibition until 4 November 2024. More

A new housing development project at Sydney Olympic Park has been given approval from the New South Wales Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
Located above the new Sydney Metro station, the precinct will include more than 300 new homes and nearly 35,000 square metres of commercial and retail space across three buildings ranging 21 to 45 storeys high.
Minister for planning and public spaces Paul Scully commented that “the NSW government is getting on with the job of actively planning and delivering more homes for the next generation. This approval cements our plan to support the delivery of well-located homes close to transport, jobs and amenities.”
Following the precinct’s approval, Sydney Metro have outlined their intent to revise the development by including 190 more dwellings, in line with the NSW government’s priority to increase housing supply. This will result in a total of 490 homes on the site.
While work on site is currently underway on the Sydney Metro station, the integrated development is not expected to commence construction until 2027, following a review prepared by the future development partner.
Further development opportunities are currently being considered along the line at Westmead, Burwood North and The Bays, while plans for integrated station developments at Parramatta and Pyrmont are under review.
Sydney Metro has also commenced the process to select a developer for over station developments at Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD. More

The first stage of a climate-resilient masterplan for a housing precinct in Dubbo, central New South Wales, has been granted development approval.
The first stage was approved via a fast-tracked design and approval process to meet urgent housing demand in Dubbo. The North-West Dubbo Urban Release Area, a greenfield site, has been designated as the location for the development, which is planned to accommodate up to 5,500 new dwellings over the next two decades.
The first stage of the masterplan focuses on housing. It features eight residential types, designed by Marra and Yeh Architects, including single residences, townhouses and apartments. Notably, 30 percent of the residences within the precinct have been designated as tenure-blind social and affordable housing.
The architects have confirmed that prefabrication methods will be used to build a portion of the housing, to further expedite the delivery of housing.

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Marra and Yeh Architects worked in close collaboration with landscape architects Latstudios on masterplanning and urban design. The architects also liaised with Dubbo Regional Council, private landowners and a supporting design group.
The project brief called for the establishment of a walkable, green precinct that embraced the Wambuul/Macquarie River and met the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also requested a design that demonstrated resilience against possible extreme temperatures and natural disasters.
To fulfil the brief for a “walkable” precinct, Carol Marra, co-director of Marra and Yeh Architects, emphasised that the practice’s key design priorities included maintaining low ground temperatures and creating shaded areas. “Road widths are reduced to keep paving to a minimum whilst maximising tree canopy,” said Marra. “The aim is to provide a shaded and enjoyable walk or cycle to any part of the precinct.”
The layout and arrangement of the precinct have been largely dictated by the natural contours of the land and river. The design aims to take advantage of rainfall by establishing a network of green spaces to retain and filter stormwater, then redirecting the captured water to trees. According to a design statement, the planning revolves around a village green that will eventually support retail and medical tenancies, pending approval of later stages.
Consultation with the site’s First Nations community – the Tubba-gah People of the Wiradjuri Nation – led to the new precinct being named Gunyah, which translates to “home” in the Wiradjuri language. This consultation played a crucial role in shaping various design elements, including the decision to transform the land along the riverfront into open recreational space, restoring the original floodplain and protecting the river gums, which are of cultural importance to the community.
The masterplan designates space for the future development of aged care facilities intended to support Indigenous elders to stay on Country. Space for these facilities has been allocated around the village green to minimise walking distance to nearby services and shops. More