Evelyn Reynolds

The winners of the Australian Institute of Architects’ annual Super Studio student design competition have been revealed today, with a Tasmanian team claiming the overarching national award.
United under the team name “Effort,” Luke Pendergast, Zachary Tregenza and Jacob Tripp were named as the national Super Studio winners for their project False Idols, which envisions architecture as both a product and shaper of collective belief in response to the competition’s theme, “Where nothing moves, everything begins.”
The team claimed the prize following their presentation to the jury, alongside the other state winners, earlier today, following the conceptual design competition which was held over the course of a week earlier this month. This year, the competition theme was shaped by Joel Alcorn and Chloe Middleton from Brisbane-based architecture practice Alcorn Middleton, alongside SONA vice president Senlina Mayer.
According to the creative directors, “The brief this year challenged participants to design for a future where seven black monoliths have appeared – one on each continent. In their presence, new economies, rituals, political systems and psychological behaviours begin to form. These silent masses have irrevocably disrupted the idea of public space. Students must now consider: what new types of civic rituals, services or responses could emerge?”
In the eyes of the jury, the national-award-winning scheme, False Idols, “delivers a dystopically original take on the monolith condition, [and] draws us into its world with immediate clarity and conviction. Its concept is imaginative yet grounded, exploring every aspect of the monolith’s spatial and systemic influence across both Sydney and Hobart. This proposal positions architecture not merely as a product of culture, but as an active participant in shaping it.”
Adopting a dual-city design approach, the project speculates on how divergent cultural and spatial behaviours might arise in response to the monolith’s presence. “Thoughtfully considered across scales, it challenges us to see the monolith not just as an object, but as a catalyst for transformation, narrative and critical reflection within diverse urban contexts,” the jury noted.
The Super Studio competition is run by the Institute’s student body, the Student Organised Network for Architecture (SONA), and is open to SONA members from all year levels across Australia.
The state winners were:
Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory
Fear and Intuition by Barton Taylor – a network of underground labs known as “Hives,” designed around systems of fear, curiosity and intuition.
New South Wales
Eucalyptus Phenomenon by Kien Bui, Edwina Tu and Yen Nhi Nguyen (team name: Radical Frugal) – a public space designed around collective sanctuary for grieving, praying and remembering.
Queensland
Anchored In Time by Michelle Weir, Lujaine Hussain and Reis Azlan (team name: Kinetic) – a response that reimagines the brief, prompting societies to confront and reinterpret their histories in a way that reveals how each culture’s relationship with the past shapes its future.
South Australia
Urbs Aeterna – The Eternal City by Chuyao (Talia) Liu (team name: Arabesque) – a concept that explores the inevitability of societal collapse, framing Rome’s fall as a metaphor for humanity’s cyclical return from constructed order to primordial chaos.
Victoria
Beneath the Weight of Progress by Adalina Galliamova, Pryde Sciascia and Sarah Chen – a reimagining of Manila Bay as a vertical city grown through improvised, parasitic architecture, transforming from a symbol of untapped power into a dense, chaotic and communal structure.
Western Australia
The New Swan River Colony by Bec Mangano – a scheme that uses the monolith’s arrival in Perth as an allegory for colonisation, subverting settler permanence attached to the city’s heritage Federation homes by reimagining them as spaces of collective, improvised living.
For more information visit the Australian Institute of Architects’ website. More

Tom Skeehan of Skeehan Studio has been named the inaugural recipient of the 2025 Australian Design Commission — a new three-year initiative that invites Australian designers to create a prototype of a product that embodies the future of the Australian home.
An initiative launched by Powerhouse and David Jones in 2025, the commission awards $50,000 and a nine-month creative development program to an Australian designer each year.
The Canberra-based designer’s winning concept, What We Keep, features a sculptural glass cabinet that is designed to display its contents from all angles. The cabinet features textured glass, created in collaboration with Canberra Glassworks and local makers, and a wrapped timber frame.
Functioning as both artwork and furniture, the cabinet is a place to showcase meaningful items and reflect on their significance, Powerhouse commented in its winner announcement.

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Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah said, “We are delighted to award Tom Skeehan this prestigious commission. His work exemplifies Australian contemporary design, and Powerhouse and David Jones together are thrilled to support the next generation of Australian designers.”
Reflecting on the design, Skeehan said, “The glass softens what’s inside, creating a sense of quiet and care. Inside, hidden compartments and moving parts invite people to interact with it – some sections slide, pivot or unfold – turning the cabinet into a discovery box. What We Keep is not simply a cabinet. It is a meditation on how we live, what we hold onto and the emotional utility of objects in the home.”
The culmination of the commission will be the creation of a prototype, set to be unveiled in 2026 at David Jones’ Elizabeth Street store in Sydney. The designer will collaborate closely with the retailer on a special window display, offering a public debut of their new creation.
For more stories on Skeehan Studio, check out a profile of the studio here. More

Global design firm HDR has announced the opening of its new Melbourne workplace in the city’s CBD. According to the practice’s communique, the office brings together architecture, engineering and transportation teams in a single space designed to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration and deliver integrated solutions that position the practice for growth in Victoria’s expanding infrastructure and design sectors.
“This move marks a significant milestone for HDR in Melbourne,” said Clive Baker, director of planning, design and transport at HDR. “After three years of laying a strong foundation, we’re ready to accelerate our growth and deepen our presence in this dynamic city.”
“Co-locating our architecture and engineering teams is not only breaking down traditional silos between disciplines but transforming HDR’s project delivery across Melbourne,” Baker added.

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The firm’s newly appointed design principal Alison Potter said the new Melbourne office embodies the firm’s design philosophy around “creating spaces that inspire creativity, enable integrated thinking and support meaningful design dialogue.”
Managing principal of Architecture at HDR, Huai Lim, added, “This new space reflects our ambition – to lead with design that is collaborative, purposeful and deeply responsive.”
With offices in Sydney, Brisbane and now Melbourne, HDR’s presence across Australia now encompasses 235 staff. More

Stage one of the Sydney Children’s Hospital and Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre project in Randwick has reached construction completion.
Completed works include a new 12-storey, $658 million structure known as the Randwick building. Shaped by consultation with more than 1,000 stakeholders, the building is a key component of the Randwick Health and Innovation Precinct – a medical hub that integrates clinical treatment, research and education facilities.
Billard Leece Partnership (BLP) designed the new facility, which was developed in collaboration with Health Infrastructure, the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network and the Children’s Cancer Institute. Aspect Studios was appointed for the landscape design of the project.
The new building will house a paediatric cancer centre that brings together both clinical care and translational research.
A communique from the architect notes that the design has been guided by a biophilic design approach. The form of the new building wraps around a central courtyard, providing access to daylight and fresh air. Landscaped terraces, rooftop gardens and outdoor spaces feature throughout the building, intended to promote connection to nature and wellbeing for both patients and staff.
Managing director and health lead at BLP Tara Veldman said the project has involved years of planning and co-design. “Children heal in hospitals that have been purpose-designed for them, especially when their full spectrum of needs, including clinical, emotional and social, are met,” said Veldman.
External works, fitout and operational commissioning is ongoing, with the building set to open to patients in late 2025. More

Powerhouse has unveiled the program for Sydney Design Week 2025, set to run from 12–24 September across the city. Now in its 29th year, the design festival returns with the theme ‘Community Design’, spotlighting how design can foster connection, resilience and cultural identity in a changing world.
This year’s program places people at the heart of design, bringing together renowned national and international architects, artists and creative leaders through a dynamic lineup of talks, tours and industry workshops. The festival also deepens its engagement with Western Sydney, working with community leaders and local practitioners to shape a program that reflects the region’s distinct contemporary culture.
The festival will open with a public conversation featuring Pritzker Prize-winning architect Francis Kéré, co-director of Incidental Architecture Daina Cunningham, and Western Sydney high school students. Together, they’ll explore how sustainable design can transform schools into inclusive and culturally resonant environments. Kéré’s work, celebrated for responding to heat, climate, and community, sets the tone for a festival deeply rooted in public and environmental design.
Other major highlights include a keynote by Open Architecture, the Beijing-based studio led by Li Hu and Huang Wenjing, known for their ecologically sensitive approach to public space. Their keynote at the UTS Great Hall will examine how architecture can reconnect people with nature and one another.
Acclaimed Dutch architectural photographer Iwan Baan – renowned for capturing the interplay between built environments and daily life – will also speak, offering rare insights into a practice that has documented projects by both Kéré and Open.
Other speakers include Thai landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom, professor Elizabeth Mossop of Living Lab Northern Rivers, Phillip Birtles from Sydney Water, and CHROFI director John Choi, drawing on case studies from Bangkok, New Orleans and Sydney.
Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah said, “Sydney Design Week 2025 celebrates the power of design to bring people together. This year’s program highlights the role communities play in shaping public spaces, and how design can respond to place, climate and culture in meaningful ways.” More

A new 56-storey Sydney skyscraper proposed on the site of the 42-storey 1979 Pacific Power office building, designed by Kann, Finch and Partners – which was last refurbished 2006 – has secured development approval from the NSW government. Located on the western edge of Hyde Park in the CBD, the approved design from FJC Studio for property developer Charter Hall includes a hotel and apartment tower on a near-island site bordered by Castlereagh Street and Park Street, with an address at 201 Elizabeth Street.
According to FJC Studio’s design report, “This is a significant site in the city, at the edge of our greatest urban park and central city threshold of Park Street.” They note that the project “marks a significant change to our city-making with the removal of a dominant tower overshadowing our park, and a collaboration of public and private interests to achieve a more sustainable, public and pedestrian-focused urbanism.”

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The firm was awarded the project following their success in a 2018 architectural design competition for the site involving six competitor teams. FJC Studio’s scheme, which remains true to their competition-winning design, involves a tri-partite cluster of interconnected towers at differing heights, fanned to capture north-eastern views of Hyde Park and Sydney Harbour.
At its base, the scheme’s 13-storey high podium is described by FJC Studio “as a piece of urban repair, addressing the existing gap in the streetscape” on Elizabeth Street and creating a corner linkage to Park Street. At the heart of the podium design, a north-west to south-east diagonal cross-block link called Anzac Parkway is designed to enhance the pedestrian permeability of the site and create a visual axis with the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park. In addition, the podium is set back on the south to create a new east-west pedestrian lane centred on the spire of the 155-year-old St George’s Church.

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The podium includes a mix of retail and hospitality frontages that engage with the street on the ground floor, with 441 hotel rooms, function spaces and amenities located above. The tower, comprised of three interconnected forms, includes a mix of one- to four-bed dwellings, totalling 264 apartments. Residential amenities, including a pool, a gym, a kitchen, music practice rooms and a landscaped terrace, are located on the rooftop of the podium.
Despite the initial proposal having exceeded the approved building envelope, the competition jury showed support on the proviso that the extent of overshadowing be reduced – a condition FJC Studio claim to have addressed in the approved development. According to the firm’s report, modifications to the design concept also address the jury’s recommendation to resolve the architectural expression and programmatic functioning, noting that “through collaboration, this [revised] proposal seeks to stretch the boundaries of the concept approval, yielding measurable public, environmental benefits.”

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One of these is the calibration of the new tower form to provide Anzac Memorial with solar access on Anzac Day, with FJC Studio ensuring “that the northern steps are not overshadowed on this day of remembrance.”
Much like the memorial, the project adopts a material language grounded in its locale, including Yellowblock sandstone, quarried in the Sydney basin. Glass-reinforced concrete is complemented with bronze and white metal finishes, as well as bronze-tinted and clear glazing.
For FJC Studio, the development represents “a unique opportunity to provide … an exceptional experience, blending luxury with the natural beauty of the park. The design aims to enhance the urban gateway site, making a significant contribution to the streetscape while establishing a refined and inviting presence that reflects both the city’s heritage and its vibrant future.”
Details of the approved state significant development can be viewed online. More

Entries are currently open for the 2026 AA Prize for Unbuilt Work, which rewards compelling work in its conceptual stages.
Architects, landscape architects, planners, urban designers, interior designers, and students of these disciplines are all eligible to submit their unrealised designs.
A cash prize of $2,500 will be awarded by the jury, which is comprised of esteemed industry voices. Each member of the 2026 jury has made their own contribution to expanding the built environment conversation, through practice, research and advocacy.
Ingrid Bakker has worked in architecture and interior design for more than 25 years and for more than half that time she’s been helping turn Hassell into the competitive, international design practice it is today. Ingrid has led teams on a large variety of workplace, residential, hospitality, retail and commercial projects and is highly experienced in project delivery and client liaison.
Kirsteen Mackay was appointed as South Australian Government Architect in 2015 and leads the Office for Design and Architecture SA, which oversees the state’s design review programs, provides independent design advice across state and local governments, administers legislation on behalf of cabinet and supports strategic projects and policy development.
Deo Prasad is an internationally recognised expert in the field of environment and sustainability with a focus on net zero carbon innovations. His experience covers practice as a consultant, long-standing experience as a thought leader and a distinguished academic, and significant leadership and governance expertise.
Stuart Vokes is an architect and co-founder of Brisbane-based Vokes and Peters. Recognised for its private houses and sustained research into suburban Brisbane, the practice also works across a range of cultural and commercial projects, including social housing and heritage conservation, furniture and teaching.
Jury chair Georgia Birks is the associate editor of Architecture Australia, a graduate of architecture and a proud descendant of the Birpai, Dunghutti and Kamilaroi people. Georgia is the curator for Design Speaks, a member of the Australian Institute of Architects First Nations Advisory Committee and a member of the City of Melbourne’s Design Excellence Advisory Committee.
Entries for the 2026 AA Prize for Unbuilt can be submitted until 22 August 2025, at which date projects must be unbuilt.
The shortlist will be published on ArchitectureAu on Thursday 13 November 2025.
Awarded schemes will be published on ArchitectureAu on Thursday 15 January 2026. They will also be published in the January 2026 issue of Architecture Australia.
The AA Prize for Unbuilt Work is organised by Architecture Media, and supported by presenting partner Adelaide University. More

Masterplanning is now underway to relocate the City of Gold Coast council chambers from its existing location within the Home of The Arts (HOTA) cultural precinct.
While plans are yet to be confirmed, the council has revealed it is exploring opportunities for relocation as part of a long-term strategy to centralise the city’s civic and administrative services in a single location. The move would also allow the HOTA precinct to be fully dedicated to cultural and creative functions.
The current chambers are sited at 135 Bundall Road and are being considered for relocation to the western side of Bundall Road. The recently acquired Wyndham Building and Corporate Centre within the Bundall Precinct are being evaluated as potential sites for the new chambers. It has not yet been confirmed whether the existing chambers will be demolished or retained.
Urbis has prepared preliminary renders while an architect for the project is yet to be engaged and detailed design to be undertaken.

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A spokesperson for the council said the current chambers “occupy some of the most strategically important land on the Gold Coast.”
“This is a once in a generation opportunity to rethink how we use one of our most valuable civic assets,” the spokesperson said. “Relocating the chambers will allow us to explore bold new uses for the HOTA site, aligned with our long term vision for the precinct as a cultural and creative hub for the city.”

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The spokesperson said the move also supports broader financial and operational objectives.
“Our recent acquisition of the Wyndham Building and the Corporate Centre in the Bundall Precinct presents significant opportunities to reshape how and where our workforce operates, including the potential development of a purpose built chambers facility.”
The council chambers masterplan will be presented to the council once finalised. In addition, council remains committed to plans for a new lyric theatre in the HOTA precinct. More