Evelyn Reynolds

The Australian Institute of Architects’ 2022 Queensland Regional Symposium will take place in Yeppoon, engaging with the theme “Regional Futures: A Collaborative Perspective”. “Regional practice requires agile and collaborative mindsets, which provides the foundations for transdisciplinary practice and creative solutions to stakeholder engagement,” the Institute said. Collaborators from across the country will come together to […] More

ARM Architecture and exhibition designer Local Projects have delivered a $34 million revitalization of gallery and play spaces for the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, marking its largest redevelopment since opening its doors in 2001.
The 2,500-square-metre redevelopment, comprising the revamped Great Southern Land gallery and the Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre, follows ARM’s initial museum building design, conceived as a “Boolean string” in 1997, along with its subsequent extensions over the last 20 years.
The redevelopment builds on the architectural themes established in the 1997 museum concept, now used to shape a new window and lakeside stair and a revitalized mezzanine at the centre of the exhibition space.
Being a social history museum, the renovation was undertaken to “keep pace” with the changes the nation has experienced over the last 20 years, museum director Mathew Trinca said.
Based off of ARM’s masterplan, Local Projects revitalized the exhibition space by dramatically opening up the interior volume to improve the exhibition’s layout and navigation tools. The completed redevelopment includes the museum’s largest gallery space to date, as well as new immersive play spaces for children.

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Architects revitalized the exhibition space by dramatically opening up the interior volume to improve the exhibition’s layout and navigation tools. Image:

Anne Stroud

The expansion with the integration of new technology has enabled the introduction of 2,000 additional traditional and digital objects to be displayed in the museum. The new design increases connectivity to Lake Burley Griffin, opening the lakeside facade through a “dramatic, curved and red glazed stair”.
ARM director and original museum architect Howard Raggatt said the exhibition design “realizes the original intent for the museum” with the layout leaving room to experience and appreciate the unique form of the building.
“The design now allows for spectacular views over Canberra, while the Discovery Centre opens a part of the museum not previously accessed,” said Raggatt. “The redevelopment fulfils a key step in the overall vision for the masterplan and we look forward to the unveiling of remaining stages over the coming years.” More

Building works are in motion on a mixed-use development in Melbourne’s retail centre, in what will be the first built project in Bourke Street Mall in more than 50 years. The site, known as The Walk arcade, spans 3,600 square metres across eight separate building footprints. Designed by Buchan, the redevelopment will include 6,000 square […] More

The Tasmanian government is working with Housing Choices Tasmania to deliver a 65-unit expansion of the Queens Walk social housing complex site in Cornelian Bay, Hobart. Designed by Cumulus Studio, the $24 million expansion would provide 65 additional homes for Tasmanians in need of “safe, secure and stable housing” that is close to the city, […] More

The 2022 Old School / New School conference interrogates architecture’s role in the future of education and the creation of pedagogical spaces.
“As a driver for opportunity and independence, education has the potential to advance society as a whole and is an important investment for our future,” the organizer said. The conference will consider the question: How can architecture create learning environments with equity, community and longevity at their core?
The program comprises three virtual sessions over three Wednesdays in October, each followed by a panel discussion. Attendees will hear from leading practitioners, researchers and educators from Australia and abroad.
Session one, on 5 October, follows the theme “Thinking Ahead: Designing the Evolving Campus” and explores the relationship between design thinking and the evolution of the campus. The session features speakers Carroll Go-Sam from the University of Queensland, and BVN principal Ali Bounds, and Simon Lyager Poulsen, part of Danish practice Adept. The presentations will be followed by a discussion with the speakers, moderated by Hassell principal Adam Davies.
On 12 October, session two will cover “Beyond the Classroom: Designing a Neighbourhood Asset” and covers the pivotal role architecture plays in shaping a neighbourhood’s sense of place and identity. Speakers include Ben Cleveland from the University of Melbourne, MLKK Studio’s Kian Yam and Kwan Ho Li, and Thierry Lacoste of Lacoste and Stevenson and moderator Chad Brown from Hayball.
Session three on 19 October will explore “Getting Smart: Designing Spaces for all Learning Capabilities”, and considers how architects can better design spaces that cater to the diversity of learning types and capabilities. Speakers will present case studies and insights to discuss the importance of inclusivity when designing a learning environment. Speakers include Sibling Architecture director Amelia Borg, Matthew Springett and Fiona Macdonald of Matt and Fiona, and Peter Walker of the Australian Association of Special Education. The session will be moderated by Kellee Frith, education environments strategist at Architectus.
Delegates can purchase tickets for individual sessions or for all three. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased up until 4 November. The sessions can be viewed live or demand until 11 November 2022.
Old School / New School is a Design Speaks program organized by Architecture Media, publisher of ArchitectureAU.com, and supported by partner Moddex. More

Five leading Australian design teams have been shortlisted to participate in the Powerhouse Ultimo Design Competition. The competition, led by Create NSW, aims to generate an engaging proposal for the renewal of Powerhouse Ultimo (also known as the Powerhouse Museum) in Sydney – an expansive heritage site that includes a converted electric tram power station built in 1902.
This transformative project, which is underpinned by a $500 million investment by the NSW Government, will bring together heritage reuse and contemporary museum practice.
The Powerhouse Ultimo Design Competition will play a critical role in reimagining the landmark site for the benefit of future generations, providing an opportunity to engage with contemporary ideas and cater for diverse art, design and science programming.
Minister for the Arts Ben Franklin said the announcement of the shortlist was an important milestone, with the jury of design and cultural leaders now tasked with selecting the winning design.
“The renewal of Powerhouse Ultimo is a truly momentous project for NSW that will deliver new and expanded spaces to present exhibitions showcasing the extraordinary Powerhouse collection, international exhibitions programs that support the creative industries, and dedicated fashion and design galleries,” Franklin said.
The competition’s jury, chaired by Wendy Lewin, has revealed its shortlist of five design teams that will now move forward in to the next phase of the competition, developing a vision for the renewal and expansion of Powerhouse Ultimo.
The shortlisted design teams are:
Architectus, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Tyrrell Studio, Youssofzay + Hart, Akira Isogawa and Yerrabingin submitting under the working title SPARK.
BVN and Oculus with OCP Architects, TTW, Eckersley O’Callaghan, Transsolar Klima Engineering.
Cox Architecture, Neeson Murcutt Neille, Other Architects, Hector Abrahams Architects, Sue Barnsley Design and Arup.
John Wardle Architects, Billy Maynard, ASPECT Studios, Bangawarra, Eckersley O’Callaghan, Atelier Ten and Urbis.
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, JMD Design, TCL, Sibling Architecture, Freeman Ryan Design, Atelier Ten.
For more information visit the Powerhouse website. More

The Student Architecture Festival is a student-run event held annually by the Australasian Student Architecture Congress. Returning to Brisbane for the first time since 1991, the 2022 instalment, “Occupy,” aims to explore what it means to be an architect today and to compile a list of solutions for how to improve the architecture of the […] More

Tickets are now on sale for the next Design Speaks event, “A Broader Landscape,” which will interrogate how architects practising in Australia use (or misuse) the term “landscape” to many different ends. The discussion will expand and evolve our understanding of the specific histories and practices that have enabled our occupation of this land for […] More