Evelyn Reynolds

Construction is underway for a $24.8 million STEM precinct and automotive training facility at Mabel Park State High School in Slacks Creek, south of Brisbane.
Central to the project is a new learning centre designed by Thomson Adsett, which will house science and robotics labs, graphics studios, a staff hub and seven classrooms. It will also include dance studios and a “United Cultural Centre” with prayer and wash facilities for the school’s Muslim students, as well as an all-faith prayer room.
The three-storey building is positioned centrally on the campus and will “establish itself as the heart of the school,” according to the architects. All levels will feature outdoor learning areas.
A $3.96 million automotive facility in the same building will allow students to explore the latest automotive technologies such as electronic scooters and solar powered vehicles.

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Mabel Park State High School learning centre by Thomson Adsett.

Local MP Shannon Fentiman, visiting the construction site, said the project was much needed, since the school had seen student numbers “almost triple” since 2016.
“Mabel Park has already been recognised for its achievements in training with its nationally recognized health hub,” she said.
“And it’s fantastic to see these state-of-the-art facilities will continue to provide valuable hands on, industry relevant skills and training for Mabel Park’s students to get a job and have a successful career.”
Mabel Park principal Michael Hornby said the project would support the school’s ongoing collaboration with the Queensland University of Technology.
“We currently have eight female students being mentored in Engineering at QUT, and this is about to expand to 40 students, so this workshop will be a huge asset to our STEM and automotive technology curriculum.
“We are developing a partnership with QUT Engineering so we can continue to collaborate with the experts in this field locally, nationally and internationally, to take our students on the right path for future study and employment.” More

A significant brutalist building at Perth’s oldest private boys’ school has been earmarked for expansion as part of a proposed $18.3 million redevelopment designed by Kerry Hill Architects.
Hale School is proposing to expand the 1961 Memorial Hall at its Wembley Downs campus, while at the same time demolishing and replacing the Stow Theatre, delivering new media studies classrooms and house homerooms, and creating a new courtyard.
Kerry Hill Architects was selected as the lead architect for the project through a design competition held by the school. The assessment panel noted that the practice challenged the brief, preparing a concept that not only met the need for an expanded Memorial Hall, but also addressed the presentation of the school to the prominent corner of Hale Road and Unwin Avenue.
The Memorial Hall, designed by Marshall Clifton and Anthony Brand, with Brand Ferguson and Solarski in association, was awarded the 1961 RIBA Bronze Medal and is listed on the Australian Institute of Architects register of nationally significant twentieth century architecture as the first building in WA “to be influenced by the brutalist style of Le Corbusier.” Increasing the seating capacity to 1,650, the redevelopment will see much of the internal structure demolished while the external envelope will be fundamentally kept as is. Significant elements of the brutalist design, including the significant east elevation, prominent external concrete columns and concrete fenestration and the bas-relief moulded balustrades, will be retained.

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Hale School Memorial Hall and Stow Theatre redevelopment by Kerry Hill Architects.

The new 220-seat Stow Theatre, the media studies hub and house homerooms will be contained in a new building to the south of the Memorial Hall, while a new courtyard with an outdoor stage will be introduced between the buildings.
Kerry Hill Architects states in planning documents that the design concept responds to Hale School’s location on the sand dunes of the Swan coastal plain and the materials palette reflects this, with the new masonry and concrete to be rendered in muted, sandy tones.
Similarly, the landscape design by Aspect Studios aims to “mimic the swathes and undulation of the dunes through colour, texture and form.”
In addition to the works designed by Kerry Hill Architects, the school is proposing to build a new maintenance shed and carpark, which Site Architecture has designed.
The planning proposal is being considered by WA’s Metro Inner-North Joint Development Assessment Panel today, 4 October. More

Victoria’s planning minister has approved the City of Melbourne’s Central Melbourne Design Guide, which will introduce a range of new requirements for the urban design of the inner city and Southbank. The new guide and associated planning scheme policy represent the biggest overhaul of the city’s planning priorities since the 1990s. The guide focuses on […] More

St Vincent’s Health Australia is planning to redevelop its Kangaroo Point hospital site in Brisbane, submitting a development application that outlines a series of health and residential developments over the next 20 years. Architecture firm Bickerton Masters has developed a design strategy for an “interconnected wellness campus” at the site of St Vincent’s Private Hospital, […] More

A pink pond installation in the rear garden of the National Gallery of Victoria will open to the public in November.
Designed by Taylor Knights in collaboration with artist James Carey, the 2021 NGV Architecture Commision, Pond[er], will present an opportunity for visitors to cool off during the summer months while reflecting on their relationship with the natural environment.
The installation design, which was revealed as the winner of the commission in May, references the original open air courtyards of the NGV International building, designed by Sir Roy Grounds in 1968.
It consists of two primary components – a pink pond which references the inland salt lakes of Victoria, intended to highlight the scarcity of water as a natural resources; and a garden bed designed by Ben Scott Garden Design, which will feature indigenous wildflowers that will bloom at different times throughout the installation, highlighting the beauty, precariousness and temporality of Victoria’s natural ecology.

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2021 NGV Architecture Commission designed by Taylor Knights in collaboration with James Carey and Ben Scott Garden Design. Image:

Courtesy NGV

The installation will not only occupy the garden but become part of the garden, with a series of interconnected waterways and accessible platforms encouraging visitors to explore the flower beds and wade in the water.
The project will be made from locally sourced and locally manufactured materials, which will be reused after its time at the NGV by Landcare and Indigenous and community groups, including the Willam Warrain Aboriginal Association.
“Through an elegant interplay of architectural and landscape elements, this work draws our attention to the challenges facing Australia’s many catchments and river systems, whilst also ensuring that the design itself has minimal environmental impact by considering the future lifecycle of the materials used,” said NGV director Tony Ellwood.
The design of the 2021 NGV Architecture Commission was selected through a two-stage national competition.
It will be on display from 20 November 2021 until 28 October 2022. More

Sydney firm Scott Carver has won a design competition for a two-tower development in Parramatta that will combine a 32-storey hotel with a 25-storey office building.
The development at 197 Church Street, modest in comparison to the previous 83-storey tower proposal for the site designed by Spanish architect Rafael De La-Hoz in partnership with Group GSA, will feature two distinct forms, tied together with common horizontal massing breaks.
The tall and slender hotel tower fronting Marsden Street will rise above the layered, terraced form of the commercial tower, with the terraces providing space for a series of green rooftops.
In a statement, Scott Carver director Nicholas Bandounas describes how the design responds to historic Indigenous pathways and geomorphological lines through the Parramatta region. “Our key design principles are equal parts physical and philosophical, driven by geomorphology, contextual history, community, and the urban framework,” he said. “Importantly, these key principles are also underpinned by cultural layering and connection to Country.”

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The 197 Church Street development by Scott Carver.

The firm has worked with Indigenous design consultancy Fellingham Consultancy and Design with the aim of ensuring “the Barramadigal voice and Dharug Nations’ ethos was captured in multiple design elements.” A key outcome of this consultation was that a through-site link will be named Ngara Nura Way, meaning, “connecting to Country by practicing active listening, hearing and thinking whilst on Country”.
The design also responds to nearby heritage buildings, with th epodium featuring a double-height entry volume lined with contemporary arches that respond to the adjacent Murrays’ Building and Post Office.
Overall, the architect said, the development will “contribute positively to the urban life of the precinct, connect with its rich history and culture, and align with the transformational evolution in growth and prosperity happening in Parramatta.” More

Warren and Mahoney’s design for the redevelopment of the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Melbourne’s north has been finalized, with works scheduled to begin later this year.
The redevelopment of the centre, built in 1968, will keep the outdoor 50-metre pool and 25-metre indoor pool while adding more indoor facilities, including an added warm water pool for exercise and rehabilitation.
Warren and Mahoney associate principal Brett Diprose said the design aimed to keep the historic and much-loved features of the centre while improving its energy performance and sustainability credentials, in line with Darebin council’s climate emergency strategy.
“The 6-Star Green Star centre will be the first of its kind in Australia to run completely on electricity, both on site generation and power purchasing agreements, removing the reliance on fossil fuel based, non-renewable gas,” he said. “A large solar panel array on the roof will power the heating of all the leisure water areas, while materials and systems have been specifically selected to minimize the carbon footprint during construction and reduce energy use once operational.

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Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre redevelopment by Warren and Mahoney.

“The timber structure provides sustainability benefits by capturing carbon dioxide and its renewable and recyclable properties, as well as delivering a low maintenance facility with a warm, welcoming aesthetic.”
The design has also been shaped by consultation with the community and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
“Another key design consideration was the relationship between cultural engagement and sustainability, including the stewardship of resources, appropriate engagement with First Nations people and identification of how to acknowledge and celebrate that in a future-forward way; be it through artistic engagement, interior approach or selection of materials and architectural expression,” said Diprose.
“We have started that process and will continue to work in collaboration with our Indigenous partners until the project is complete.”
Darebin council completed a feasibility study in 2017 to explore options for the centre, and found that the facility was nearing the end of its lifecycle. The redeveloped centre is scheduled to open mid-2023. More

Two Gabrielle Poole houses, an 1896 lighthouse and a diverse mix of beach houses old and new are among the architectural highlights in the Sunshine Coast Open House program, launched at the Caloundra Regional Gallery. The 2021 Sunshine Coast Open House weekend, scheduled for 23 to 24 October, will see 25 buildings of historical or […] More