The Sky Garden House is nestled on the banks of a waterway inlet to Noosa Heads Beach, Queensland. It is the first of two adjacent properties designed by Chris Clout Design. Glasshape was chosen to supply 12 mm, clear, bent glass for the two-storey curved feature staircase. Glasshape partnered with Frameless Shower Installations, initially providing […] More
Planning approval has been secured for the 51-storey Affinity Place project, which, when built, will become the tallest office tower in North Sydney. The Hassell-designed tower is expected to take several years to complete, and once finished, it will accommodate around 60,000 square metres of commercial office and retail space and could house up to […] More
An updated development application has been submitted for a pair of buildings on Montague Road in Brisbane’s West End. The proposal includes the development of two towers, 19 and 17 storeys respectively, and the creation of a public amphitheatre along the Davies Park side of the site. This submission is a significant reduction to the […] More
The Bondi Surf Club has received unanimous approval from Waverly Council for a redevelopment that will see the club better cater to its 1,500 members.
Waverley mayor Paula Masselos announced the approval on 3 June, stating the conservation and upgrade project would address accessibility challenges, equally redistribute the ratio of male to female facilities, improve space for nippers and return open space to the local community.
Designed by Lockhart-Krause Architects, the redevelopments will address some of the functional deficiencies of the existing building, with 50 percent of facilities to be dedicated to women to better reflect the club’s membership. Refurbishments also include the restoration of a portion of the heritage-listed building, with the addition of a public courtyard and kiosk, basement storage, and a new rear extension.
View gallery
The redevelopment will include a new publicly accessible courtyard. Image:
Lockhart-Krause Architects
The Bondi Surf Bathers and Life Saving Club was formed in 1907, making it the world’s oldest surf club, and the original clubhouse was built in 1934.
“The design preserves and restores the original clubhouse in all its glory, modern lightweight additions highlighting the original,” the architect said. “The proposal removes intrusive additions, reducing bulk and scale and allows the exceptional heritage of the 1934 original building to be appreciated in the round. Views to Campbell Parade are reinstated, supporting the heritage setting.”
The project will be delivered alongside the council’s $25 million project to restore and upgrade the neighbouring Bondi Pavilion, overseen by architect Tonkin Zulaikha Greer. The pavilion overhaul is expected to be completed by spring.
Designs for the restoration were submitted to council in 2021 after they were first revealed to the public in 2020. This most recent application was the third lodged for the clubhouse received no objections from the public. Lead architect Jesse Lockhart-Krause said this showed the community understood the project and supported its mission.
Construction is scheduled to begin on the conservation project in 2023. More
The 2022 Australian Institute of Architects Dulux Study Tour was held locally in Australia for the first time in its 14-year history, after two years of stalled tours and the ongoing uncertainty of international borders.
The cohort of promising emerging architects was given the opportunity to explore a curated selection of celebrated sites and practices on their very own doorstep. The two-week tour of Australian destinations covered buildings and landscapes across Tasmania, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
Below, Madeline Sewall (Breathe Architecture), Tahnee Sullivan (Sullivan Skinner), and Liz Walsh (Cumulus) share their reflections from each section of the tour with ArchitectureAU.
View gallery
Madeline Sewall in Captain Kelly’s Cottage by John Wardle. Image:
Rémi Chauvin
Madeline Sewell – Tasmania
Tasmania is a place that has always drawn me in – the pristine wilderness and atmospheric weather combine in an enchanting and amorphous landscape that feels deeply nurturing and almost sacred. The specialness of this place is something inherently felt by the whole group, and a clear point of pride for those who call it home. A deep sense of appreciation for the environment seems to feed into all aspects of life in Tasmania and this was palpable in the projects we visited.
Though diverse in typology and execution, all of the projects visited demonstrated a significant respect and understanding of the landscape and the environment in which they were situated. Sited on some of Australia’s most rugged and exposed coastlines, we saw projects that balanced the capture of views and amenity with resilient design to withstand Tasmania’s harsh conditions.
Core Collective’s Sunnybanks House is a commendable example of this, achieving a 9-star Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) rating by balancing strategic but generous views of forested surrounds with high-performance triple glazing and thermally broken window detailing. The house demonstrated a sincere commitment to sustainability, to the extent that founding director Ryan Strating collaborated with a European manufacturing company to develop and import an expanded clay aggregate for use as insulative, lightweight growing media for the building’s green roof. Hearing him describe this process of research and development was a powerful reminder that we as architects have the skills and expertise to influence the built environment well beyond individual projects, and arguably have a responsibility to do so.
The tour prompted many conversations and reflections, but for me, one of the biggest takeaways was the importance of resource management in the practice of architecture. At Breathe, we care deeply about the environment and consider the management of embodied and operational energy on each project we work on. But something the tour gave me perspective on is how various architects manage the resources of time and personal energy. We saw some exquisitely executed details on the tour – precision tile set-outs, bespoke door hardware, the perfect custom flush buttons. In seeing these things I have respect for the thought it took to craft them, but for me, it reconfirmed that I want to be an architect that uses my time and personal energy not just to make something beautiful, but to have a real impact. Impact not just on the residents, the visitors, or even the immediate community, but on the planet at large.
To build a better future in the context of climate change, every resource matters. As architects, we are in a powerful position to affect change on one of the largest contributors to global warming if we use our planet’s resources and personal resources thoughtfully. For me, the tour was a reminder of how critical this is and how creatively it can be done. Seeing so many strategic and skilful examples across three very different climate zones was heartening and certainly worth celebrating.
View gallery
Tahnee Sullivan on the Dulux Study Tour, Sydney. Image:
Alexander Mayes
Tahnee Sullivan – Sydney
The Sydney leg of the Australian Institute of Architects Dulux Study tour spanned four days, encompassing civic projects, a suite of practice visits, and tours of private residences – the majority of which were architects’ own homes.
The practice visits to Smart Design Studio, Durbach Block Jaggers, Renato D’Ettorre Architects and Welsh and Major Architects afforded a rare insight into the inner workings of small and large practice and allowed us to share in candid conversations with esteemed Australian architects. The convergence of multiple practice visits over such a short period highlighted a range of approaches or positions relating to design process, practice, studio culture, and prompted reflection on the architectural profession more broadly.
The residential project visits offered the opportunity to visit some remarkable homes, typically inaccessible to the public. The homes of architects William Smart, Adam Haddow and Conrad Johnston were each compact and cleverly designed to suit the specific lifestyle of the occupants, demonstrating the wonderful outcomes which result from an open-minded, innovative approach to the resolution of design problems coupled with an unwavering commitment to the architectural intent.
In these architects’ own homes, we see creative liberties taken which may not otherwise be explored in client projects. This is not to diminish the beautifully resolved Glebe House by Chenchow Little, which meets all the descriptors I’ve ascribed to the architect’s homes we visited. It is clear that this home is adored by, and unequivocally designed for, its occupants: a testament to the client-architect relationship, which in Tony Chenchow’s words, is paramount.
There was so much to learn from our time in Sydney, however a primary takeaway from the practice and project visits, and the subsequent conversations amongst ourselves, was the value of building relationships with peers, mentors and clients. Throughout the tour we benefited from an overarching willingness to share knowledge and offer support or guidance when asked. A reminder that those in small practice, such as myself, can still share in the expertise and knowledge of respected senior architects and a greater collective.
View gallery
Dulux Study Tour, Darwin. Image:
Bek Verrier
Liz Walsh – Darwin
The last leg of our Dulux Study tour was spent in the Northern Territory: two days in Darwin and two days in the Kakadu National Park. Both experiences were extremely moving – in Darwin we observed a kind of gloves-off approach to architecture, while in the Kakadu we witness Aboriginal community groups continuing to practice their culture on their country as they have done for thousands of years.
I found there was an honesty, a rawness, an acceptance of the human condition that defines the tropical architecture of Beni Burnett and Troppo Architects. Nothing is closeted or hidden away: in fact, even the walls don’t quite go up to the ceiling. Fridges are not concealed in joinery, laundries spill out and over into carports and there isn’t a glimpse of a butler’s pantry, a powder room or a slab of Carrara marble to be seen.
It’s a breath of un-air-conditioned fresh air. The architecture is colourful and quirky; there is something inclusive, flexible, accessible and responsible about Burnett’s and Troppo’s architecture that calls into question every “eco brass tap” I have specified and makes me wonder if, in a time of climate crisis and increasing homelessness, servicing the top five percent of the residential market is enough.
On our last day we visited the Ubirr rock art site in Kakadu National Park. The visit provided the perfect bookend to our first day of the tour which was spent exploring krakani lumi standing camp located in wukalina/Mt William National Park, Tasmania. From the bottom to the top and the start to the finish there was a poetic symmetry to our tour that spoke to a desire for a deeper understanding of place. From the outset, our tour had the unique opportunity to examine how country (land, sea and sky), culture, climate and community can conceptually challenge and perhaps even disrupt architecture. The tour shifted my thinking away from the objectification of architecture, away from buildings, that more often than not, sit intentionally at odds with their context, so desirous is their need to claim the spotlight, towards an architecture that sits quietly often in the background, allowing for, accommodating and sheltering in the most elemental sense of the words.
To read more about the 2022 Dulux Study Tour, visit the blog on the Australian Institute of Architects website.
The 2021 winners were: Carly Martin, Simon Rochowski, Nick Roberts, Madeline Sewall and Elizabeth Walsh. The 2020 winners were: Ksenia Totoeva, Sam McQueeney, Tahnee Sullivan, Keith Westbrook and Bek Verrier. More
Candalepas and Associates has won a design excellence competition for a “slim and elegant” hotel and apartment tower in central Sydney.
To be located at 525 George Street, the tower will comprise 292 hotel rooms, a gymnasium, outdoor pool and 115 residential apartments. It will replace the historic cinema which as occupied the site since 1903.
The proposal includes a six-storey podium that will accommodate a cinema, hotel lobby, conference facilities, a restaurant and retail tenancies.
View gallery
Proposed tower at 525 George Street, Sydney, by Candalepas Associates. Image:
Darc Studio
“The proposal is based around a building form with elegant vertical proportions, contextual linkages as well as a number of pleasing aesthetic offerings including atrium voids and striking public street front entrances,” the architects said in a design statement.
“The tower, with its dominant vertical proportions, creates an elegant form on the city skyline. The podium form makes a strong and articulated contextual connection to its adjacent neighbours.
“The material palette […] is formulated around both long lasting and natural materials. This is seen to compliment the adjacent masonry heritage buildings as well as speak to more lasting and substantive human values.”
Candalepas Associates created a stage one concept design for the project, and after its approval, the proponent held a three-way invited competition with the practice along with two others: Andrew Burges Architects and John Wardle Architects.
View gallery
Proposed tower at 525 George Street, Sydney, by Candalepas Associates. Image:
Darc Studio
The competition selection panel found the Candalepas Associates scheme “had the ambition of creating a sense of ‘repose’ which was rendered powerfully and appropriately in the reading of the tower as a subtle, elegant presence on the city skyline,” the Competitive Design Alternatives Report reads.
“The tower demonstrated a sophisticated reading over the multiple constraints at play and resolved them in a manner that liberated the architectural form.
“The selection panel found the tower component of this scheme to be the best resolved of the entries and to be the greatest strength of the scheme.”
A development application for the stage two assessment has been submitted to the City of Sydney. More
Royal Oak Floors has opened a showroom in Surry Hills, designed by leading Australian designer We Are Triibe. The Sydney showroom is the second Royal Oak Floors store, supporting the flagship store in South Yarra, Melbourne. Royal Oak Floors by Harper and Sandilands has 40 years’ experience and a wealth of knowledge in design and […] More
The Stratos Series by Austral Bricks is a vibrant new brick collection. Available in six colourways, the range emphasizes natural refinement and a nuanced depiction of the Australian coastal experience. Misty rainfall, expansive skies, moody storms and sparkling ocean reflections are echoed through marbling and subtle colour gradients. Brett Ward, general manager of international marketing […] More
