Evelyn Reynolds

The Victorian Health Building Authority has released designs for a new $59.5 million day rehabilitation facility at Bendigo Hospital. Designed by Clarke Hopkins Clarke, the Bendigo Hospital Rehabilitation Centre will include a hydrotherapy pool and bring together outpatient rehabilitation, allied health, dental, mental health, renal dialysis, breast screening and diabetes education services. Bendigo Hospital Rehabilitation […] More

The Western Australian government has announced it will invest $875 million to create thousands of social housing homes across the state. The government will establish a new $750 million Social Housing Investment Fund which includes $228 million allocated to short-term projects and $522 million to deliver new homes in 2022-23. As well, the government plans […] More

i2C Architects has been appointed to design a two-level community hub in the Western Sydney suburb of Vineyard. Located on the corner of McGrath and Windsor roads, the hub will include a childcare centre, a community playground, a gym, a car park, two food and beverage outlets with an oversized alfresco area, and a range […] More

Townsville City Council has approved Conrad Gargett’s design for a new home for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the first stage of the wider Hive development.
To be built opposite the Reef HQ aquarium in central Townsville, the five-storey office building will have a gross floor area of 6,472 square metres and incorporate a mixture of office space, retail and service industries, with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as the main tenant.
A shared pedestrian and vehicular laneway will also be constructed, providing access from The Strand through to Flinders Street.
Townsville deputy mayor Mark Molachino said the development would be a welcome addition to the eastern end of Flinders Street.

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Hive stage 1, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority office by Conrad Gargett.

“There’s no doubt that this end of Flinders Street has been ready for development for some time and I am delighted that this project is coming to fruition,” he said.
“Council’s planning team have undertaken a thorough assessment of the application and given it the green light, subject to a number of conditions covering issues such as landscaping, car parking and footpath upgrades.”
With masterplanning by Conrad Gargett, the Hive development is a multi-stage “placemaking” project covering around 18,000 square metres.
Future stages may include a concert hall and convention centre; renovation of the state heritage-listed Queen’s Hotel; a new hotel; residential apartments; office space; facilities for tertiary education, marine and tropical science research, tourism, and medical and allied health; and an Indigenous art gallery.
The developer behind the project, Gleeson Group, will tender for a builder for the project in the coming months, with construction expected to begin in mid-2022. More

Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art has lodged plans to build an exposed-sandstone tunnel running from the ferry drop-off point to the museum’s entry. Designed by Nonda Katsalidis Architects, the proposed tunnel follows the earlier subterranean Siloam expansion, which delivered a network of gallery spaces and chambers connected by tunnels. The museum is also […] More

The architecture industry is suffering from a “collective COVID hangover,” even as the effects of the pandemic and ongoing lockdowns continue to be felt, new research released by the Australian Institute of Architects reveals.
The survey of Institute members found that firms in all states and territories were largely in recovery mode after the initial shock of the pandemic, while there continued to be changes in the type of opportunities available to architects and a consolidation in remote working.
A similar survey undertaken in July 2020 revealed a substantial slowdown in projects as well as cutbacks in employment and wages. This year’s survey found that 55% of respondents had retained and grown their client base, while a further 7% had retained and sustained; 35% had lost and replaced their client base, with only 3% losing and not replacing clients.
There has been a significant shift in the type of project opportunities available to architects, however. One-off residential opportunities have increased, while there has been a marked decrease across some sectors, including commercial (–30%), multistorey residential (–29%), retail (–21%) and culture and entertainment (–21%).
The findings also underscore the importance of face-to-face contact with new clients. While only 10% of respondents reported that their relationships with existing clients had been negatively impacted by the shift to exclusively virtual interactions, 29% reported a negative impact on relationships with new clients. One respondent remarked, “Nothing beats a face-to-face meeting.”
The pandemic has had a lasting impact on practices’ remote working policies, with 36% reporting that they had now introduced a flexible approach to work, with time both in the office and working from home. This is on top of the 26% who already had a flexible work policy in place and in contrast to the 25% who expect their team to eventually return to full-time work in the office.
Views diverged on whether working from home impeded creativity, with one-third of respondents (33%) believing it did while the majority (60%) said creativity was unchanged.
An overwhelming number of respondents thought design outcomes were unaffected by remote working. On questions of communication, productivity and collaboration, the results were mixed, with respondents more or less evenly split on whether working from home has had a positive or negative impact.
Institute CEO Julia Cambage said the survey results were encouraging. “As we have learnt over the last year and a half, the world can change overnight,” she said. “While the pandemic continues to affect the operation of architectural practices around the nation, this survey shows that members are responding well with agility to changing market dynamics.”
Some of the key findings of the survey were:

76% of firms said their relationships with existing clients remained unchanged as a result of forced online networking and meetings.
The negative impact of solely connecting with clients online jumps from 10% with existing clients to 29% with new clients.
55% of respondents reported that they had retained and grown their client base, with only 3% losing and not replacing clients.
78% of respondents are now networking with clients through a new COVID-19 norm (a combination of online and face-to-face engagements), with 17% returning to face-to-face only and 5% remaining online only.
The percentage of practice participation among respondents has dropped across all sectors other than one-off residential projects.
The sectors where respondents identified the largest decrease in project opportunities over the last 1.5 years included commercial (30%), multistorey residential (29%), retail (21%) and culture and entertainment (21%).
27% of respondents said that they have explored new services to sell to clients over the last 1.5 years.
70% of practices reported that the change to remote working had not impacted design outcomes.
36% of practices surveyed now offer a flexible approach to work, with time both in the office and working from home.
As at July 2021, 48% of practices surveyed reported observing somewhat of a decline in mental health within their practice due to COVID-19.

The data within the report was collected in July 2021 and represents the views of more than 135 practices around the country that collectively employ approximately 4,700 architects. Download the report here. More

Tasmanian firm Artas Architects has drawn up plans for a $60 million cultural centre on the kanamaluka (Tamar River) in Launceston that promises to be a “beacon for performing arts.” A joint venture between the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and developer Errol Stewart, the kanamaluka Cultural Centre would house a 750-seat concert hall, large flexible spaces […] More

The second stage of Woods Bagot’s transformation of the Younghusband wool and grain store has been given the tick of approval by City of Melbourne planners, despite not complying with the council’s heritage policies and height requirements.
The transformation of the historic sawtooth red-brick warehouses into a commercial and creative hub is being delivered over three stages, with construction of stage one having begun in 2020.
Going before the Future Melbourne Committee on 7 September, the application for stage two calls for the partial demolition of Tallow Store (Store No. 3), fronting Elizabeth Street, and the complete demolition of the adjacent Wool Store No. 5.
An eight-storey tower articulated with an undulating, “silo-inspired” facade would replace Wool Store No. 5, while a six-storey building would be built at the site of the Tallow Store, with the Elizabeth Street facade of the historic building to be retained, along with part of the southern facade.

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Younghusband Wool Store Stage 2 by Woods Bagot.

Council planners noted that the extent of the demolition did not comply with the council’s heritage policy. “However, when the loss of this fabric is weighed against the overwhelming conservation of original fabric achieved in Stage 1 … the overall heritage outcome for the site is considered to be highly positive, and the extent of demolition has been supported for this reason.”
Similarly, while the eight-storey tower exceeds the allowable limit of six storeys, the planners found that the conservation efforts of stage one, and the “sophisticated design response” of stage two, meant the additional height was supportable.
Woods Bagot explains in planning documents that the form of the eight-storey building will sit in dialogue with the nearby Allied Mills silos.
“A cylindrical form echoes the neighbouring silo whilst galvanised perforated screening captures the spirit of an industrial village,” state the architects.

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Younghusband Wool Store Stage 2 by Woods Bagot.

The building will adopt the principles of Passivhaus, with a variation in apertures and layering of screen densities working to shade it efficiently. Balconies will be provided at every level as social spaces.
The three additional levels at the site of the former Tallow Store will be recessed in order to reduce visibility from the street. “When viewed from the street the additional levels are hidden by the parapet of the existing facade and the overall additional form appears as a single level addition,” states the architect. Atop the new building, a roof terrace will be designed as an urban garden for the community and a place for occupants to temporarily escape from work.
The two new buildings will be primarily used as commercial office space, with supporting spaces for hospitality, manufacturing and sales and retail.
Should councillors approve the development on the recommendation of the council planners, the application will go through to the state planning minister. More