Evelyn Reynolds

Over one week in June, Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA) members across the country participated in the 2022 Super Studio national conceptual design competition.
The student body of the Australian Institute of Architects, SONA’s competition followed the theme of sustainable and regenerative design, posing the challenge to designers to envision a future beyond sustainability, where design has the capacity to reverse the damage inflicted on the planet.
Designers were asked to select a familiar place to propose a design response that has the capacity to positively impact its community. More than 60 submissions were made, including presentations to local juries in each state and territory, after which a shortlist of designers progressed to national judging.
Submissions were judged on how well they responded to the brief; their design approach; the uniqueness and innovation of the submission; the concept’s promotion of sustainability and regenerative design; and the communication and expression of the submission components.

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The national prize was awarded to “The Rinse Cycle” by Caleb Lee and Nithya Ranasinghe. Image:

Courtesy of the Australian Institute of Architects

The national prize went to Caleb Lee and Nithya Ranasinghe (masters students, RMIT) for their proposal “The Rinse Cycle”: a concept for the reclamation of gas stations as laundromats with innovative greywater solutions for decontaminating the soil on the site.
In a two-pronged approach, the communal laundromat is envisioned to address social disconnection, while the water from the initial rinse cycle of the machines will be used in the process of “soil washing” to flush contaminants from the soil.
“The Rinse Cycle is an exemplary response to this year’s Super Studio brief,” the national Super Studio jury said. “The approach to the challenge is subtle, subversive, and powerful, providing not only a clever integration of regenerative design principles, but also a commentary on our social rituals, and current and future living arrangements.”
For their winning concept design, Lee and Ranasinghe received $3,000.
This year’s Super Studio state winners included a combination of systems, installations and policies that used architecture to generate better social and environmental outcomes.
The state winners were:
Australian Capital Territory
Community Hill by Jacob White, Ciaran French and Cameron Roxburgh – a “no phone dome” within the apex of Canberra’s federal triangle, intended to encourage connection and foster a sense of community.
New South Wales
Altogether by Kangcheng Zheng and Hongyu Huang – a network of living installations providing habitat for local species.
Northern Territory
Repairment of Community and Environment through Fragments of Paper by Albertina Ugwu – a system for recycling paper that gives back to the community.
Queensland
Textiles to Tectonics by Kaytee Warren, Maddi Whish-Wilson and Lucy Stefanovic – a pavilion for facilitating the exchange of unwanted clothes.
South Australia
Warnpangga Park by Wenxiu Zhang – a regeneration project intended to restore Warnpangga’s ecological integrity.
Tasmania
Re-Alley by Pei Kai Tan and Xing Ting Ng – a three-stage design to rebuild, reunite and regenerate a disused back alley.
Western Australia
The Usefulness of the Useless by Stephanie Alama Chavez – a design for a biodiversity corridor from the Canning River foreshore to Kensington Bush.
For more information visit the Australian Institute of Architects’ website. More

Brisbane City Council has revealed plans for the redevelopment of Crosby Park and the Albion Park Raceway in a vision to create a new sports precinct and centre for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
Designs were prepared by Brisbane City Council in collaboration with consulting architects Neeson Murcutt and Neille, and specialist games venue overlay consultants EKS.
Under the Breakfast Creek Sports Precinct plan, the raceway will be relocated to create the new 29-hectare site and make way for the construction of the Brisbane Indoor Sports Centre.
The indoor sports centre will include facilities for basketball, netball, volleyball, goalball and badminton, as well as dedicated para-sport facilities.
A large green pedestrian spine will run through the centre of the precinct, providing space for community events, and connecting Crosby Road with Breakfast Creek.
The Allan Border Field, which will remain in its existing position, will receive additional seating, while baseball and multi-use sports fields will be constructed, in addition to an off-leash dog area.
The concept plan also includes a new location for the Brothers Rugby Union Club, which will move closer to the Breakfast Creek Hotel and receive a new clubhouse and three new fields.

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Concept designs for the Breakfast Creek Sports Precinct plan. Image:

Brisbane City Council with Neeson Murcutt and Neille, and EKS.

Brisbane City Council said the fields would incorporate an innovative water harvesting and reclamation system by Urban Utilities, making the sporting fields environmentally sustainable and efficient.
As well as providing a venue for the Olympic Games, the new precinct will meet the growing interest in junior and women’s programs, and heightened demand for accessible sporting facilities.
Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the precinct presented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use entirely government-owned land to create “one of the most accessible sporting facilities in the world.”
“Our Breakfast Creek Sports Precinct plan can be part of that legacy by transforming an under-utilized and tired area of our city into a thriving precinct that would stage local, national and international sports events all year round,” said Schrinner.
“This is a really exciting proposal and we’ve already been working closely with the Queensland Government, Brothers Rugby and Queensland Cricket on these plans.”
Alongside the economic benefits of the Olympic Games, Schrinner said he was “confident” the sports and recreation precinct would deliver benefits to the community by helping to increase participation for all.
For more information, visit the Brisbane City Council website. More

A 14-storey boutique office tower has been approved for Sydney’s revitalized George Street precinct, incorporating the adaptive reuse of an existing heritage building.
Designed by Tribe Studio Architects in collaboration with Matthew Pullinger Architect, the tower will cantilever from a two-storey setback over the heritage facades at 319–321 George Street.
“The original 1900s heritage building forms the base of the new development, rising to a deep, two storey setback that is richly detailed in refined natural stone, before returning to the street alignment of the adjacent buildings,” a spokesperson for Tribe Studio said.
The architect has divided the George Street facade into three sections: the ground-level heritage building; the new extension reinforcing the scale of the original building; and a “handsomely detailed” stone level for the new commercial floors.

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Render of 319-321 George Street by Tribe Studio Architects in collaboration with Matthew Pullinger Architect.

The new building channels the grand masonry and traditional architecture of the surrounding buildings, using a considered material palette of stone and bronze to complement the streetscape.
While sympathetic, the facade will be a contemporary interpretation, with sculpted stone parapets and deep recessive windows creating striking angles with sunlight and shadow. Strong masonry architectural expression will contrast with the finer filigree detail in the fenestration.
“While very clearly a contemporary building and relying on present-day machining and technology,” said studio principal Hannah Tribe, “it is also a building in dialogue with its established context and keyed into the historic DNA of Sydney’s retail and commercial heart.”
The George Street building will include new retail spaces linking George Street with Wynyard Lane. In contrast to the George Street facade, the lane’s expression reflects its humbler surrounds and the utilitarian character of Sydney’s service lanes, the architect said.
319–321 George Street will form part of the City of Sydney’s George Street precinct renewal, which strives to transform the traffic-choked street into a pedestrian-friendly boulevard. According to Lord Mayor Clover Moore, 25,000 square metres of road has already been reclaimed for Sydney businesses and residents. More

First introduced in 2012, Architecture Media’s Eat Drink Design Awards has been celebrating the best in hospitality design across Australia and New Zealand for the past 10 years. From high-end restaurants and bars to pop-ups and hole-in-the-wall cafes, the diversity of gastronomic experiences has impressed the juries over the years.
“The Awards are a crucial piece of the scaffolding that supports our great Australian food and wine industry,” reflected Jill Dupleix, food writer, awards ambassador and a juror of the inaugural awards in 2012.
“The first thing I remember thinking is, ‘What do I know about restaurant design?’ Then I realised that people like me, who have an almost visceral reaction to how a restaurant feels and works, are probably very relevant as judges,” she said.
“The best thing I learnt that year was how many people actually care deeply about both design and hospitality, about the inner workings, the dreams, and the romantic nature of dining as well as the technical side of achieving perfectly suited environments.”

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The Dolphin Hotel by George Livissianis Image:

Tom Ferguson

We asked Jill Dupleix to nominate some of her favourite venues from the winning and commended projects of the past decade. Here are seven of her most memorable projects:

Pink Moon Saloon by Sans Arc Studio, a “simultaneously audaciously ambitious and modest” venue that occupies a former rubbish bin alley in Adelaide. Pink Moon Saloon was named Best Bar Design in 2016.
The Dolphin Hotel by George Livissianis, an “anarchic and cogent bar interior that balances diametric opposites in exquisite tension.” The venues was the winner of Best Bar Design in 2017.
Agnes by Amok, a venue that harmoniously marries its refined palette with historical fabric of the 19th century warehouse it sits in. Agnes was awarded Best Restaurant Design in 2021.
Lune Croissanterie by Studio Esteta, winner of Best Retail Design in 2016, which one juror referred to as the “Apple Store of croissants.”
Abbots & Kinney by Studio Gram, winner of Best Cafe Design in 2015, which the jury described as “a poster child for excellence in craftsmanship.”
Bar Di Stasio by Robert Simeoni Architects in collaboration with Callum Morton and David Pidgeon, which received a commendation for Best Bar Design in 2013.
Ester by Anthony Gill Architects, which received a commendation for Best Restaurant Design in 2014.

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Lune Croissanterie by Studio Esteta Image:

Tom Blachford

“I think the Awards help us define who we are as Australians,” Dupleix said. “There’s an increasing use of the Australian vernacular, as there is in the way we engage with food, and it’s only through being true to our time and place that we own who we are.”
Eat Drink Design Awards is organized by Architecture Media, publisher of Artichoke magazine and ArchitectureAU.com. The 2022 awards is supported by Latitude, Roca, and Norock.
Entries to the 2022 Eat Drink Design Awards have been extended until 29 July. More

The Sydney Opera House has unveiled the completed transformation of the iconic concert hall – the largest and final project of its 10-year renewal program ahead of the building’s 50th anniversary in 2023.
Designed by ARM Architecture and a team of acoustic, engineering, heritage and theatre consultants, the project combined restoration and technological innovation that transformed the acoustic properties of the venue, allowing the concert hall to host a range of performances from classical symphonies to contemporary music and theatre.
Inside the concert hall, 18 new acoustic reflectors have replaced the former acrylic doughnut-shaped reflectors on the ceiling. ARM Architecture designed these new petal-shaped reflectors in collaboration with German acoustic engineers Müller BBM. They are made from composite fibreglass by racing yacht manufacturer Shapeshift and Waagner Biro.
The semi-gloss magenta colour of the reflectors matches the upholstery on the audience seats in Peter Hall’s design for the concert hall interior.

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The renewal works included 18 petal-shaped composite fibreglass acoustic reflectors finished in semi-gloss magenta to match the upholstery of the seats. Image:

Getty Images

Elsewhere, special acoustic diffusion panels were added to the timber box fronts of the concert hall, which allow for more balanced, true sound in classical orchestral mode.
The Sydney Opera House concert hall had been plagued with acoustic issues since its opening in 1973. A 2011 Limelight magazine survey of performers and critics found that the concert hall ranked 18th out of the 20 listed classical music venues around Australia.
“Every great orchestra around the world has a symbiotic relationship with their home venue they become synonymous with the space. The place that an orchestra performs in is just as important as the instruments and musicians that are on stage – it shapes the way we sound and how an audience experiences live performances with us,” said Sydney Symphony Orchestra concert master Andrew Haveron.
“The extraordinary acoustic improvement of the Sydney Opera House concert hall, which has far exceeded any of our expectations, means that finally, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra can be heard at its finest!”
A new sound system for amplified mode has been installed, as well as automated stage risers, automated draping system, and new theatre flying system for lighting and scenery. The original stage has also been lowered by 400 millimetres to improve sightlines to the stage.
The renewal works also included improved accessibility with a new lift and passageways, doubling the number of accessible seating positions.
More than 90 percent of the demolition waste from the construction has been recycled. Timber salvaged from the former stage was made into 60 pairs of clapsticks for Indigenous composer and performer William Barton. More

A development application has been submitted for a $700 million, 28-storey tower in North Sydney designed by FJMT Studio.
The site is situated at 173-179 Walker Street and 11-17 Hampden Street, in an area known as East Walker Street Precinct. The design consists of a four-storey podium and six terrace houses fronting Walker Street.
The plans for the tower comprise 189 residences, which represents a 29 percent reduction from the initial proposal for a 226-residence tower. The resident parking has also been reduced by a third, from 339 to 228 parks. Five existing residential buildings will be demolished to make way for the development on the amalgamated site.

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Proposed designs for a 28-storey tower in North Sydney. Image:

FJMT Studio

The proposed building features a unique design with the upper storeys cantilevered over the podium in a receding scale. In the design concept submission to the local council, FJMT Studio said the unusual massing had been inspired by the “character of a freshwater gully stream eroding its way through this place of ceremony”.
“The tower and podium forms of Hampden Street suggest horizontally stratified and eroded undercrofts typical of the sandstone escarpments of the harbour and the subtropical gullies of the North Shore,” the report continues.
“With the brick terraces of Walker Street offering sympathetic scale, structure and contemporary reference to the typologies of our post-colonial past.”
The building has been designed within planning controls to maximize access to sunlight and views over Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House and the Harbour Heads for residents and neighbouring buildings.
The development application represents a wider trend of development initiatives in North Sydney. In its “Vision for the North Sydney CBD”, North Sydney Council estimates there will be an additional 20,000 workers in the area by 2036.
There are currently 19 government projects reinforcing Miller Street as North Sydney’s civic spine, joining its new network of parks, plazas, laneways and entertainment precincts. More

Organizers of the World Architecture Festival have revealed the shortlist for the 2022 Inside World Festival of Interiors Awards. Among the 65 projects shortlisted globally, eight projects are Australian, half of which are in the Workplace (Large) category. WAF program director Paul Finch said, “We reviewed everything from the fabulous to the austere, and found […] More