Evelyn Reynolds

The University of Wollongong has lodged a revised development application for its planned Health and Wellbeing Precinct, which will bring together health research and teaching with health facilities and independent housing for over 55s.
The $250 million development will cover a 3.5-hectare area at the southern end of the university’s Innovation Campus in North Wollongong. It will aim to “promote intergenerational living, life-long learning and improve health outcomes for people across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven region,” according to the university.
Prepared by PTW Architects, Scape Design and Six Degrees Urban, the phase 1 masterplan for the project was originally submitted to Wollongong City Council in January 2021.
In response to comments from the council and the independent Design Review Panel, the design team tweaked the proposal, reducing the scale of the residential buildings, removing some vehicle access to prioritize pedestrians and reconfiguring the open space.

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The University of Wollongong Health and Wellbeing Precinct, looking south to the central green space from the pedestrian spine.

The revised concept masterplan calls for:

A new larger, green open space, situated at the heart of the precinct and open to the whole community;
a primary community heath centre that will combine community health services with a significant focus on teaching and research activities;
an independent living retirement complex operated by the developer Lendlease that will feature quality facilities for residents and up to 240 apartments;

residential aged care facility with up to 144 beds;
childcare centre with approximately 80-100 places;
Community facilities including a wellness centre, café and community hub;
Neighbourhood retail to service the precinct;
Sustainability features such as solar energy and water-sensitive urban design.

UOW vice-chancellor Patricia Davidson said, “The Health and Wellbeing Precinct is underpinned by a social mandate to support the health outcomes for the region. UOW seeks to build on our strengths and reputation for leading health research, particularly in aged care, dementia and mental health. Our ageing population creates a number of complex challenges and opportunities for our community, which go beyond the absence of disease.
“This is a terrific opportunity to shape the future economy of the city and capitalise on the demographic challenge facing the Illawarra, Shoalhaven and South Coast.”
Lendlease Retirement Living managing director Nathan Cockerill said the independent retirement accommodation would offer residents the benefits of intergenerational living.
“Future residents will have the opportunity to interact with people of all ages who visit the precinct, and also enjoy the benefits of living in a green environment that supports a healthy active lifestyle, close to beaches, recreational reserves and cycleways,” he said. More

An evocative temporary installation has opened in the main square of Albury on the Victoria-New South Wales border. See the Forest by Akimbo Architecture is the latest pavilion in the City of Albury’s Summer Place series. The semi-circular form contains within it a “forest” of live-edge timber slabs, which are representative of the trees along […] More

Health Infrastructure NSW has submitted a development application for the second stage redevelopment of Nepean Hospital in Penrith, designed by BVN.
Stage two will deliver a seven-storey building to the west of the 14-storey Stage one tower, due to open this year. The second tower will deliver “significantly enhanced acute services,” as well as a new campus main entry and drop-off area.
In a design statement, BVN notes that pedestrian connections withing the existing campus were “not necessarily intuitive” and that the new buildings offered a chance to redress this.
“The integration of public space will establish a sense of entry and facilitate the development and appropriate identity for the hospital within the local community as it becomes a fundamental connector for pedestrians,” the statement reads.
The existing hospital campus is an amalgamation of diverse buildings of different scales and ages, with multiple arrival points spread across north, east, south and west blocks. BVN notes that this detracts from the perception of campus as a “unified whole,” particularly for the first-time or infrequent visitor.

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Stage 2 redevelopment of Nepean Hospital, designed by BVN.

“Combining a number of functions into a single Acute Services building, the Stage 1&2 Buildings will significantly alter the way people use and access the Hospital, and aims to become the first point of arrival for many visitors to the campus,” the firm notes. “As such, it presents an exciting opportunity to create a unique, easily identifiable and memorable ‘front door’ – a landmark building, which becomes synonymous within the Nepean and Blue Mountains Health District.”
The massing strategy for the building has been developed to closely tie into the building form and mass of the stage one tower, with the general strategy being to divide and breakdown long elevations and large masses with the use of deep recesses.
The stage two building will contain: front of house, including retail; education and training centre; transit lounge; medical imaging; interventional radiology; intensive care unit and close observation unit; in-centre dialysis and renal inpatient unit; paediatric in-patient unit; plant areas; clinical support areas; and kitchen.
The landscape architect for the project is Arcadia. More

The iconic domed former headquarters of Forestry Tasmania in Hobart is set to be transformed into a learning spaces for the University of Tasmania, under a development proposal submitted to the city council.
The multi-award-winning building on Melville Street comprises two original 1930s warehouses with a 22-metre-diametre glass dome designed by Circa Morris-Nunn Chua Architects in 1997. The restoration project received the RAIA Tasmania Recycled Buildings Award in 1998 and is also now listed on the state heritage register.
Forestry Tasmania vacated the building in 2017 and the building was almost partially demolished under a Tasmania Police proposal to alter the premises for its own headquarters. The University of Tasmania purchased the site in 2018.
Woods Bagot are working closely with architect Robert Morris-Nunn on new designs to restore the building, which includes plans to replant an urban forest that once stood underneath the dome.
“Seeing the building fall into disuse over the last few years has been really sad, so to know that the University is planning to restore it, and even reinstate the forest under the dome, is amazing news,” Morris-Nunn said.
“The dome was built in the 1990s, added on to an existing structure that dates back to the 1930s, and that dome has been deemed to have enough merit that it is now included in the overall heritage listing for the building.
“It’s the first time anything I’ve built has been heritage listed. So it’s nice to know that legacy is now going to be preserved and given new life.”

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The proposed refurbishment of the former Forestry Tasmania headquarters for the University of Tasmania, designed by Woods Bagot. Image:

Courtesy University of Tasmania

The refurbished building will form part of the Midtown precinct of University of Tasmania’s plans to move its campus to the Hobart CBD. It will be home to students and staff of law, business and economics.
“We are creating a very sustainable and beautiful building by retrofitting an existing space with a low carbon and circular design that makes extensive use of timber,” said Phil Leersen, University of Tasmania’s executive director of campus transformation.
“The design celebrates Hobart’s architectural heritage, scale and character. The building will provide great contemporary learning spaces for students that support our mission to make higher education more accessible.
“We are delighted to be restoring community access to an iconic Hobart space for everyone to enjoy. By bringing a major disused building back to life we will bring vitality and character to this part of the city.”
The redevelopment plans also include extensive green spaces linking inside and outside.
“The garden was always part of the intention for the space as I designed it, and to see it brought back to life to be enjoyed by the community will be wonderful,” Morris-Nunn said. More

Las Palmas, Byron emerged from an exceptional set of circumstances, embedded in the rolling hills of the Byron Bay hinterland and linked to the iconic Fenner House in Canberra, designed by modernist architect Robin Boyd. With such an enviable brief, Sydney architecture firm Duo Architects in association with Davis Architects aspired to create a home […] More

The full speaker line-up has been revealed for The Architecture Symposium, returning to Brisbane as part of the 2022 Asia Pacific Architecture Festival in March.
The symposium is exploring the overall theme of the festival, “Co-operate, co-design, co-exist,” and will include nine speakers from the Asia Pacific region, appearing both physically and remotely.
“We consider how architects and designers can leverage the myriad opportunities of working collectively – with other built environment professionals as well as with those working outside the industry,” say the organizers.
The speakers are:
Daniel Boyd, artist (Sydney, Australia)
Sanitas Pradittasnee, Sanitas Studio (Bangkok, Thailand)
Elisapeta Heta, Jasmax (Auckland, New Zealand)
Benjamin Mendoza, BAAD Studio (Makati, Philippines)
Amanda Sturgeon, Mott MacDonald (Sydney, Australia)
Marina Tabassum, Marina Tabassum Architects (Dhaka, Bangladesh)
Luke Hayward, Atelier Luke (Byron Bay, Australia and Kyoto, Japan)
Erika Nakagawa, Erika Nakagawa Office (Yokohama, Japan)
Song Yehao, SUP Atelier and School of Architecture, Tsinghua University (Beijing, China)
The symposium will be held at State Library of Queensland on Friday 18 March. For further information and to purchase tickets, head here.
The Architecture Symposium is a Design Speaks program presented by Architecture Media, publisher of ArchitectureAU. More

A $187 million “tourism and lifestyle” precinct surrounding an artificial surf lake has been given the green light by Livingstone Shire Council.
The Surf Lakes resort, designed by specialist aquatic architecture firm Liquid Blu and Place Design Group, will be built on a 37-hectare site between Yeppoon and Rockhampton, with Baga National Park as its backdrop.
Around the already existing artificial surf lake, the development will deliver accommodation, restaurants, cafes and bars, a surf shop, a scuba hole, a skate park and a solar farm.
The approved first stage of the project includes the delivery of a caravan park with cabins and camping sites, while a 75-room hotel is planned for a subsequent stage of development.

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The Surf Lake pavilion by Liquid Blu with Place Design Group. Image:

Liquid Blu

The major built component of the first stage is the entry pavilion, which will function as a welcome space for the surf lake, housing a series of programmable “pods” to support lake operations.
“The Pavilion roof creates large indoor/outdoor public areas and generous levels of shade whilst appearing to float above the pods,” a design statement reads. “Pods provide opportunities for informal gathering, flexible navigation and a more seamless experience. Further, orientation and arrangement improves site lines and views of the lake and allows for greater integration into the site over a traditional solid building mass.”
The pavilion and the accommodation cabins will be designed to complement each other, with both formed of timber and tin.
“The use of timber is extensive and assists in grounding both the pavilion and cabins in their natural environment providing buildings with an environmentally sensitive natural aesthetic whilst maintaining an extremely low embodiment of energy,” the design team note.

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The existing surf lake with Baga National Park in the background.

Livingstone mayor Andy Ireland said the development would be a drawcard for locals, interstate, and international visitors.
“The Surf Lakes project has continually been unfolding and developing in recent years and today’s meeting marks a major step forward in bringing this fantastic tourism drawcard to life,” he said of the decision to approve the project.
“Council understands the hugely positive impact this development would have on the Livingstone Shire region, placing us on the national and international map for world-class tourism facilities, while also providing a massive economic benefit with job creation during construction and once in operation.”
The project will require further planning approvals as the development proceeds. More

City of Melbourne councillors have unanimously supported an amended proposal for a 130-metre tower in Melbourne’s Southbank. The council has previously twice rejected proposals for the site at 344 City Road, before the state planning minister approved a scheme by Hayball in 2016. The new proposal, designed by Warren and Mahoney, seeks to replace the […] More