Evelyn Reynolds

The Architecture Symposium: Beyond the Building, begining this November, will examine how architecture can be a catalyst for transformation at all scales.
Curated by NSW government architect Abbie Galvin and Smart Design Studio founder William Smart, the symposium will bring together Australia’s world-class architects whose public projects have an impact that is beyond the built form itself.
“In this iteration of The Architecture Symposium, we are keen to explore architecture’s potential as a catalyst for change by examining projects that are deepening cultural understanding, responding to environmental concerns and opening our minds to new possibilities,” said Katelin Butler, editorial director at Architecture Media, the organizer of the symposium (and publisher of ArchitectureAU).

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Phoenix Central Park by John Wardle Architects and Durbach Block Jaggers. Image:

Trevor Mein

In the first session, streaming live on 11 November, delegates will hear about projects and programs that have left a mark in four different cities. Hassell principal Mark Loughnan will present Perth’s WA Museum Boola Bardip, the landmark project designed with Dutch firm OMA; Ingrid Richards of Richards and Spence will discuss the “small but important” Fish Lane project in Brisbane; Jesse Judd and Mark Raggatt of ARM Architecture will present the Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast; and Naomi Milgrim will discuss MPavilion, the architectural commission that has become a Melbourne institution.

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Fish Lane by Richards and Spence. Image:

Scott Burrows

The second session, on 18 November, will focus on projects that “have evoked emotive or spiritual responses and left a lasting impression.”
Kerstin Thompson will discuss her firm’s expansion to the Riversdale property owned by the late twentieth century Australian painter Arthur Boyd; Angelo Candalepas will present his firm’s latest ecclesiastical project, the Church of the Living God in Sydney; Camilla Block will present Durbach Block Jaggers and John Wardle Architects’ Phoenix Central Park and Dillon Kombumerri from the Office of the Government Architect NSW will discuss his work developing policies and frameworks around connecting to Country.
The third session, on 25 November, will examine the role of the “micro” within larger precincts or cities. Mark Jacques of Openwork and Amy Muir of Muir Architecture will present Victoria’s Family Violence Memorial; Tim Greer of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer together with Anita Panov and Andrew Scott of Panov Scott Architects will discuss developments at Sydney’s famous El Alamein Fountain; and Jessica Spresser will discuss her eponymous firm’s work on the Barangaroo Pier Pavilion.

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Plastic Palace by Raffaello Rosselli Architect. Image:

Jeremy Weihrauch

The final session, titled Making versus Taking, will be all about the ethical questions facing architects. “Architects have a collective ethical responsibility for the public good and our critical thinking skills are needed now more than ever to address the challenges of the built environment,” note the organizers.
Speakers will include Raffaello Rosselli, Raffaello Rosselli Architect; Grace Mortlock and David Neustein, Other Architects and Peter Walker and Keith Westbrook, Cumulus Studio.
The symposium will be presented through Design Speaks’ virtual portal. Delegates will be able to view the sessions live, or watch them on demand up until 21 January 2022.
The Architecture Symposium: Beyond the Building is supported by major partner Planned Cover. More

Buster and Punch is the pioneering home fashion label that changes the way we connect with ordinary home fittings.
Launching a new range of light switches, dimmers and power outlets, the Electricity collection is infused with the London subculture attitude that is synonymous with the Buster and Punch brand.
From its roots in a garage in East London making custom motorcycles, Buster and Punch has grown fast into one of the industry’s most engaging and authentic creators. With its reinventions of your home’s forgotten details, the brand is defined by precision metal work and a unique lifestyle that captivates its followers.
Buster and Punch’s Electricity is a holistic one-stop solution that effortlessly ties together entire spaces, homes and contract interiors.
The Electricity collection, comprised of unique light switches, dimmer switches and power outlets, is crafted from solid metal, and crowned with the iconic Buster and Punch trademark solid metal coin screws and diamond-cut dimmer knobs and toggles. The metal cover plates and trim accents are imbued with the clean, industrial look Buster and Punch is renowned for.
Aidan Mawhinney, CEO of Living Edge, says of the new range, “Electricity is one of the most important details of the home, and Buster and Punch’s Electricity range transforms a functional fitting into an opportunity for creativity. The daring collection offers unrivalled tactility and a strong visual impact, crafted from the highest quality materials to ensure longevity.”
The Electricity range is available in steel, brass, smoked bronze and black solid metal fixtures, with additional detail kits for added customization.
The range is optimised, fully engineered and code approved for Australia and New Zealand residential and contract applications. The products are designed to complement the wider range of Buster and Punch hardware and lighting, so you can mix and match to create a look that suits your design aesthetic. Transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary, the Electricity collection creates a connection with your space that grows each time you feel Buster and Punch’s trademark solid metal detailing during use.
The Electricity collection is available at Living Edge now. More

Liverpool City Council has unveiled a 30-year masterplan to transform the 28-hectare Woodward Park in south-western Sydney into a social, cultural and recreational hub.
The Woodward Place masterplan, developed with People Place and Partnership, Hassell, Aspect Studios, Terroir and Yerrabingin, outlines plans for a leisure centre; green spaces; community facilities including a community hub, childcare centre, halls, markets and public parking; exhibition, events and conference facilities; and sporting parks.
The council says the vision will be a catalyst for the growth of Liverpool’s centre, tipped to become the third CBD of Sydney.
The transformation will allow residents to enjoy the parkland setting and have access to a variety of community and lifestyle facilities.

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Liverpool City Council’s Woodward Place masterplan. Image:

Perspective produced by Terroir

“Our City Centre has been undergoing cataclysmic change and transformation in recent years, with the development of Liverpool Civic Place, the Liverpool Innovation Precinct, and the endorsement of the Liverpool City Centre Public Domain Masterplan,” said Liverpool mayor Wendy Waller. “The Woodward Place Masterplan ensures this momentum continues.”

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Liverpool City Council’s Woodward Place masterplan. Image:

Perspective produced by Terroir

The first stage of the masterplan includes the revitalization of Brickmakers Creek and the development of a new aquatic and leisure centre adjacent to the creek. The indoor and outdoor pools will be integrated into the landscape setting to create a unique nature play space. It will also include indoor and outdoor slides and a flying fox from the centre of the building to the creek and picnicking and gathering spaces. The masterplan states that the existing Whitlam Leisure Centre will be “decommissioned once the new leisure centre is operating.”
Further stages of the masterplan include the creation of a multi-purpose community space that will primarily serve as a market hall. A multi-storey carpark will be located above the community space and a forecourt will host events such as music and live performances. An overpass across Hume Highway will connect Woodward Place to Liverpool city centre.
The council is seeking community feedback on the masterplan as well as funding from the state government. More

It follows their win (in the Best in Class category) at the awards in 2018 for their launch product – the 13 series of trimless flush-fit switches and outlets range that has since revolutionized the electrical market both nationally and globally. Each year, Australia’s most prestigious design awards program attracts new and innovative products and […] More

With so much activity happening around today’s kitchens it stands to reason that many people prefer not to close off this communal space, but to keep it open and integrated with the rest of their living zones. Keeping in mind the design aesthetic, an open plan setting that accommodates entertaining, family time, homework and cooking requires exceptional ventilation to prevent steam, heat and vapour permeating the area.
Assisting this need, Gaggenau, the luxury professional-grade kitchen appliance manufacturer, has released its new table ventilation 200 series. Bringing professional technology to the private kitchen, the model is minimalist in design and blends perfectly into any kitchen architecture, sitting discreetly along the top edge of your cooktop. Functioning with the utmost discretion, it is completely transparent when emerged as it works to reduce cooking vapours and odours quietly and efficiently. The model can also enhance the aesthetic with an ambient lighting function that ensures optimum cooktop illumination and a cosy atmosphere.
The high performing product utilizes guided air technology – additional air flow behind the screen that captures more vapour in front of the screen. This innovation increases the air extraction from pans anywhere on the cooktop, so vapours and odours are extracted directly from the source. This is an ideal solution for kitchen islands and open spaces. Available in a 90 cm width, it is flush-mounted and complements the Gaggenau 400 series full surface induction cooktops as well as the 200 series framed induction cooktops.
The fully retractable table ventilation 200 series forms part of the wider Gaggenau ventilation 200 series, which includes the integrated rangehoods in stainless steel and glass, the island hood in stainless steel, the wall-mounted hood in stainless steel, the Vario downdraft ventilation in black and the slide out rangehoods in the 200 series.
Additionally, the product is Home Connect enabled; controllable via the cooktop, it can be set to automatically detect and remove vapour, even after cooking. The Home Connect app allows you to communicate intuitively with your Gaggenau appliances digitally, remotely and whenever you want.
Gaggenau Australia has also released its updated downdraft ventilation from the 400 series. Quietly efficient, it fits flush into any of the Vario 400 series cooktop arrangements and offers effective odour and vapour removal at the source. Complementing the aesthetic of the cooktops, it utilizes the same stainless steel controls and has been updated to incorporate a classic black interior. More

A mid-rise office building planned for Alexandria in Sydney will feature a stack of meeting rooms in the form of a “tree house” looking out over a central courtyard. With detailed design by John Wardle Architects, the mixed-use development at the corner of Bourke Road and Bowden Street will feature food and drink premises, shops, […] More

The Australian Institute of Architects and the Green Building Council of Australia have joined the more than two dozen global built environment peak bodies and 60 of the world’s largest building industry firms to call for a faster transition to net-zero emissions in the lead up to the COP26 climate change conference.
In their 1.5oC COP26 Communiqué, the organizations “call on all sovereign governments to ramp up their Nationally Determined Contributions, and 2030 emissions reduction targets, to limit planetary warming in line with the remaining global 1.5ºC carbon budget.”
The signatories say they are each taking specific steps towards reducing emissions and they demand that governments do the same.
Spearheaded by US-based non-profit Architecture 2030, the group includes the American, British and Canadian institutes of architects together with big architecture firms such as Grimshaw, SOM, Studio Gang and Perkins and Will and engineering and building companies.
Collectively these organisations represent more than one million building industry professionals worldwide and are responsible for over US$300 billion in global annual construction.
Australian Institute of Architects national president Tony Giannone said the United Nations conference known as COP 26 represented an important moment.
“Globally, governments, companies, communities and individuals must all start responding to the climate crisis with the urgency that is so clearly required,” he said.
“The latest IPCC report was more than a wake-up call; it was an ultimatum to act now. Architects have the capacity, and we believe the responsibility to be at the forefront of this action.
“The Institute is championing a transition to net-zero emissions in Australia’s built environment by 2030.
“The products, materials and design expertise exist to make the shift; what we need now is the will and determination to achieve it.
“It is imperative that Australia is not only represented at COP26 by our Prime Minister but that we embrace more ambitious emissions reductions targets as a nation.”
COP 26 is happening in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November and will be attended by world leaders including Joe Biden and Boris Johnson. Scott Morrison has been cagey about his plans for the conference, and is yet to confirm attendance.
At the Youth4Climate summit held in Milan in late September, prominent climate activist Greta Thunberg denounced world leaders for their lack of action and empty words. “Build back better. Blah, blah, blah. Green economy. Blah blah blah. Net zero by 2050. Blah, blah, blah,” she said. “This is all we hear from our so-called leaders. Words that sound great but so far have not led to action.” More

Sunshine Coast Council has appointed Brisbane firm Wilson Architects to complete the detailed designs for the Caloundra District Library. The project will transform the aging council chambers at 1 Omrah Avenue into a three-level contemporary library with community meeting space and council administration offices. It will replace the existing Caloundra Library, just across the block, […] More