Architecture practice Common (previously known as NAAU) has completed preliminary concept designs for Australia’s first space vehicle manufacturing facility. The project, initiated by Gilmour Space Technologies, was granted $52 million by the federal government on 29 March for the manufacturing and testing hub on the northern Gold Coast. The $157 million space centre will draw […] More
The final development application has been submitted for a $3 billion precinct near Sydney’s Central Station precinct.
The submission for Central Place Sydney features completed designs for the two final elements of the workplace complex – The Connector and The Pavilion – that will transform the precinct into a technology hub. Fender Katsalidis and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill are the lead designers for Central Place Sydney.
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Central Place will be built at the heart of the new technology and innovation hub. Image:
Fender Katsalidis and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
The Connector, positioned at the Lee Street frontage, will be a 10-storey, mixed-use office and retail building and the cornerstone of the precinct. Edition Office have designed the Connector with collaboration from Indigenous design and strategy studio Balarinji.
Edition Office co-founder Kim Bridgland said the Connector is designed to stand as a “beacon” in its urban surroundings and a cogent focal point to the sequence of public squares around the site.
“With the understanding that this site has been, and continues to be, a critical gateway into Australia’s largest city, it was important to us to utilize the design of the Connector to mark this place and give presence to the square and its role as a meeting place,” said Bridgland.
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The Pavilion will provide an amenity space for programmed events and community activation. Image:
Fender Katsalidis and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
The second component is the two-storey pavilion, designed by Fender Katsalidis and Skidmore, Otwings and Merrill, located on the site of the future connection to a potential Central Precinct over-station development.
The Pavilion will provide an amenity space for programmed events and has been designed as a flexible structure that can be disassembled and relocated once plans for a future over-station development are finalized.
Central Place will be built at a new technology and innovation hub ‘Tech Central’ and will be the largest integrated workplace on the premises.
The updated designs for the Central Place Sydney have responded to the request for information (RFI) raised by the City of Sydney. The community will have the opportunity to provide feedback through the exhibition process.
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Fender Katsalidis and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill are the lead designers for Central Place Sydney. Image:
Fender Katsalidis and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Project director Kimberly Jackson said the new design completes the vision for the precinct as a multifunctional development.
“These finalized designs have been specifically created to help tech and innovation businesses take on tomorrow – creating a space that combines the lifestyle amenities, connectivity and opportunities to collaborate that are critical to keeping teams engaged and productive in the new hybrid way of working,” said Jackson.
The Central Place is being delivered as a joint venture between Frasers Property Australia and Dexus.
Jackson is hopeful the project will be approved by mid-2022. Subject to planning approvals, construction is targeted for 2023, with the first stage of the project expected to be delivered in 2026. More
The Australian Institute of Architects has expressed disappointment and sadness at the federal government’s 2022 budget, which it says lacks ambition to address the country’s most critical challenges.
The budget, delivered 29 March, included greater investment in affordable housing and an expansion to its first home buyer scheme.
The Institute said it acknowledges the government’s proposed $2 billion funding for affordable housing, but said it was “dismayed” by a lack of measures for social housing and climate change.
National president Tony Giannone said the budget was a “status quo proposal.”
“Before the Budget, the Institute called for multibillion-dollar funding to address our social housing crisis and the climate emergency,” he said. “We are saddened at the lacklustre approach to both these issues.”
The Institute recently released a pre-budget submission calling on the federal government to commit $1 billion to decarbonizing the built environment, among other recommendations with social housing and climate action at the core.
In its submission, the Institute called for $4 billion in community housing, co-designed with First Nations people. Giannone said the government’s corresponding commitment to repurpose $7.7 million in existing Indigenous home ownership programs was “insufficient.”
There was also no new direct funding identified in the budget for renewable energy generation projects. Rather, the government is investing $250 million over five years to support investment in low emissions technologies such as hydrogen.
“As custodians of Australia’s built environment, we know there are ways that we can improve efficiency and lower emissions in our homes, offices and buildings,” Giannone said.
“Industry leaders in the property sector are demonstrating what is possible, but for large-scale, national changes to our built environment, we need government support. This was a disappointing omission.”
The Institute was also disappointed that the budget did not support a move away from fossil fuels, nor did it offer a comprehensive post-disaster strategy for climate-induced catastrophe.
The Institute welcomed the additional trades training places, but again urged the government to expand this offering to graduate skills.
Click here to read the institute’s pre-budget submission. More
The Adelaide Riverbank Precinct has a new plaza designed by ARM Architecture, catering for increased activities and public events.
Designed in conjunction with landscape architecture practice TCL and documented in collaboration with Aspect Studio, the plaza’s 8,600 square meters of public space allow for public and community activation with event-ready areas and play spaces.
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ARM’s design references the South Australian landscape with an avenue of steel arbour structures, providing shade, scale and wind protection. Image:
Renae Schulz
The central premise for the plaza design was to maximize public space in a way that engaged with the natural environment. ARM’s design references the South Australian landscape with an avenue of steel arbour structures, providing shade, scale and wind protection.
A water feature takes inspiration from the rives of South Australia, inviting the public to engage with the mist jets and actively creating a cooler microclimate during harsher weather.
The opening of the new Festival Plaza has coincided with the events of Mad March, dubbed for its intersection of three cultural festivals: the Adelaide Fringe, the Adelaide Festival and Adelaide Writers Week.
ARM principal Philippe Naudin said the opening of the plaza has been particularly significant given the disruption to Adelaide’s March festivities in recent years due to COVID-19.
“After many years behind barriers, it’s wonderful that the space can be open during Adelaide’s vibrant Festival Season,” said Naudin. “Unlocking accessibility and reconnecting pedestrians with the city was key in this project and we’re thrilled to bring people back to this iconic part of Adelaide once again.”
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The opening of the Festival Plaza is complemented by the recent completion of ARM’s redevelopment of the Adelaide Railway Station entry. Image:
Renae Schulz
Festival Plaza has been delivered under the second stage of ARM’s Adelaide Riverbank Masterplan, originally launched in 2011.
Stage one of the $662 million masterplan was completed in 2014, and around 60 per cent of the public area delivered under stage two.
“The renewed precinct accommodates multi-use functionality for event-goers as well as the everyday commuter, worker and school-goer,” said Naudin.
Once fully completed, the Riverbank Precinct will feature renewed open and walkable spaces, with eight dedicated places, including King William Road, Festival Plaza, Arts Space Plaza, Eastern Plaza, Station Road, the Northern Promenade and Adelaide Railway Station Entry Concourse.
The opening of the Festival Plaza is complemented by the recent completion of ARM’s redevelopment of the Adelaide Railway Station entry, which has allowed for greater pedestrian access. More
The Australian Institute of Architects has called on the federal government to commit $1 billion fund to prioritize decarbonizing the built environment in its pre-budget submission. The submission highlights the need for investment in efficient infrastructure, with specific measures to improve accessibility, sustainability and disaster resilience. The Institute submitted that the government should commit $1 […] More
Designs for the upgrade of the Albert Hall in Launceston have been released, featuring improved visitor facilities and a stronger connection to the City Park.
Originally built in 1891, the Albert Hall it is one of Launceston’s most significant heritage buildings in Launceston today. Featuring classical Victorian architecture and covering an area of 1,300 square metres, it also houses Australia’s largest surviving organ, predating 1860.
The $10 million redevelopment, designed by Terroir, is being delivered under the Launceston City Deal – a 10-year, $569 million partnership aimed at transforming Launceston into one of the country’s most liveable regional cities.
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Tasmanian-founded architecture practice Terroir is the primary practice leading the redevelopment. Image: Terroir
The redevelopment is intended to revitalize the building, while preserving the integrity of its historical features. The classical Victorian elements will be retained while ensuring the hall is fit for purpose as a contemporary meeting and exhibition space.
One of the major alterations to the hall will involve a significant redevelopment to the eastern wing. A new entrance and extension to the hall fronting City Park will “reimagine” the intrinsic connection originally planned between the hall and the park, Launceston’s acting mayor Danny Gibson said.
“Through the body of work Terroir has undertaken, their design concept is clear – to integrate Albert Hall with City Park, and to engage visitors more deeply and meaningfully,” he said.
“This was one of the key recommendations made by our independent heritage consultant during the development of the Heritage Conservation Management Plan.”
The redevelopment will be delivered in three stages: the first stage includes upgrades to the hall’s heating, lighting and audiovisual capabilities, while the second stage will see major improvements to the hall’s amenities and meeting rooms.
Stage one and two developments are expected to be completed this year, while stage three, which is the civil works, is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
The City of Launceston has engaged significantly with current users and operators following a four-week public engagement process in order to progress the project in a meaningful way. Gibson said the city will continue to engage with the local community moving forward.
Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher has identified the hall as an important drawcard for the city’s regional identity.
“The redevelopment of one of Launceston’s most significant heritage buildings will serve the Northern Tasmanian community for many years to come, providing the region with a venue that will help attract local visitors and tourists,” Minister Fletcher said. More
Award-winning Australian architect John Andrews has died aged 88. The Australian Institute of Architects issued a statement on 28 March saying it was “saddened” by his passing.
Born in Sydney in 1933, Andrews was known internationally for his work in Canada, the United States and Australia.
He designed significant buildings including Harvard University’s Gund Hall (1968), the Miami Seaport Passenger Terminal (1967), the Canadian National Tower (1970) and Australia’s Cameron Offices and Toad Hall in Canberra.
The death of the University of Sydney and Harvard graduate was announced on 24 March.
The Institute’s national president Tony Giannone said Andrews was a “giant” of the Australian architecture community and one of Australia’s first internationally recognized architects.
Andrews established his practice John Andrew Architects in Toronto, Canada, in the 1960s, where he also taught the local university. He designed a number of university residences as well as higher education facilities across Canada and the United States.
In 1967, Andrews received Canada’s Centennial Medal followed by the Arnold W. Brunner Award in 1971. He received both the American Institute of Architects Honour Award and the Bartlett Award in 1973.
He returned to Australia in the 1970s and established John Andrews International. His Australian buildings also include Sydney’s King George Tower (1970), Garden Island Parking Structure (1980), Eugowra Farmhouse (1980), Little Bay Housing (1981), Perth’s Merlin Hotel (1983), the Sydney Convention Centre (1989), the World Trade Centre and Hotel in Melbourne (1989), and the Veterinary Science complex for Sydney University (1995).
In 1980, he received the RAIA Gold Medal and he was also presented with an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sydney. The following year, Andrews was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in recognition of his service to architecture.
Giannone said the industry ought to reflected on the work and legacy of Andrews’ “outstanding” contribution to the profession. “We often fail to listen to the elders and statesman of our profession,” he said. “We are too busy trying to disrupt everything and anybody. Perhaps the greatest lost opportunity of the year was not to reconnect with John Andrews.” More
