Evelyn Reynolds

More than 40 Australian projects have been shortlisted in the 2024 World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards.
In 2024, almost 500 projects from 71 countries have made the selection, with Australia among the top five countries with the most shortlisted projects, along with China, the United Kingdom, India and Singapore.
“Another terrific set of entries made shortlisting projects a tough process. Once again, the range of geographies represented was wide and we look forward to seeing architects across the world at this year’s Festival,” said WAF program director Paul Finch.
Shortlisted entrants will present to juries at the World Architecture Festival, to be held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from 6 to 8 November, before winners of the 33 categories will be announced. Category winners will be eligible for the World Building of the Year, World Landscape of the Year, and Future Project of the Year Awards.
The awards will be accompanied by a conference program themed “Tomorrow,” which will explore the directions in which architecture is taking in the 21st century.
On the shortlist are:
Completed Buildings
Civic and community
Bendigo Law Courts – Wardle
Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre (BARC) – Sam Crawford Architects
Embassy of Australia, Washington D.C. – Bates Smart
Liverpool Civic Place – FJC Studio

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Culture
MPavilion 10 – Tadao Ando Architect and Associates
The Round – BKK Architects and Kerstin Thompson Architects
Health
Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre – Lyons
Prince of Wales Hospital Acute Services Building – BVN with Terroir
Sunshine Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre – NTC Architects and NH Architecture
Higher Education and Research
Saint Teresa of Kolkata – Lyons
Hotel and Leisure
The StandardX – Woods Bagot
House and Villa (Urban/Suburban)

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Ararat House – SJB
Back to Front House – Ian Moore Architects
House for 100 years – Common ADR
Little Young Street 4A and 4B – David Langston-Jones
House and Villa – (Rural/Coastal)
Burnt Earth Beach House – Wardle
Hillside Residence – Rob Mills Architecture and Interiors
Holocene House – C Plus C Architectural Workshop
Housing
443 Queen St – Woha and Architectus
Beach House – Bureau Proberts
Canvas – Bureau Proberts
Nightingale Village – Architecture Architecture, Austin Maynard Architects, Breathe, Clare Cousins Architects, Hayball, and Kennedy Nolan
The Oxlade – Bureau Proberts

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Mixed Use
555 Collins Street – Cox Architecture in association with Gensler
88 Walker – Fitzpatrick and Partners
Production energy and logistics
Merlot 3 – HDR
School
Darlington Public School – FJC Studio
Mosman High School – Woods Bagot
St. Patrick’s College: Scientia Building – BVN
Sport
National Rugby Training Centre – Blight Rayner Architecture
Parramatta Aquatic Centre – Grimshaw and Andrew Burges Architects with McGregor Coxall

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Transport
Preston Level Crossing Removal Project – Wood Marsh Architecture
Future Project
Commercial mixed-use
Marion Park Mixed Use – Contreras Earl Architecture
Competition entries
Flow Lines – Bradfield Central Park – TCL
Culture
New Performing Arts Venue (NPAV) – Blight Rayner and Snøhetta

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Education
University Technology of Sydney – National First Nations Centre – Warren and Mahoney in association with Greenaway Architects, Oculus and Finding Infinity
University of Tasmania Forestry Building – Woods Bagot
Health
New Footscray Hospital – Cox Architecture and Billard Leece Partnership
Leisure Led Development
Bronte Surf Life Saving Club – Warren and Mahoney in association with Greenaway Architects, Greenshoot Consulting and Oculus
Minerva – Woods Bagot

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Masterplanning
Jabiru Lakeside Precinct Plan – Common ADR and Enlocus
The Greenline Project Master Plan – Aspect Studios, TCL, City of Melbourne
Office
Yennora Multigate Medical Campus – AJC Architects
Landscape
Transforming Southbank Boulevard – TCL
To view the full shortlist, head to the World Architecture Festival website. More

Melbourne Airport has resolved it will support the state government’s favoured option for an above-ground railway station at Tullamarine, ending a years-long standoff between the government and the airport.
The proposal for the long-mooted airport railway station has been in limbo due to a stalemate between airport operators, who favoured an underground station, and the Victorian government, which has claimed it would be cheaper and quicker to build it above ground. In 2022, the Victorian government submitted a business case for the above-ground train terminal, outlining a planned opening date of 2029. The proposal was rebuffed by the Melbourne Airport, who argued a subterranean alternative would ensure greater future-proofing, and to free up above-ground space for a third runway.
In May 2024, the state government delayed the airport railway station project by four years, and later threatened to build it at Avalon Airport instead if Melbourne Airport refused to agree to an above-ground station.
In the latest turn of events, Melbourne Airport’s chief executive Lorie Argus has stated the airport is “prepared to compromise” and support the state government’s preferred choice – a decision, she said, was driven by the necessity to get on with the project in the interests of travellers, Victorians and the airport’s growth.
“Victorians have waited long enough for an airport rail line,” Argus said. “With an estimated 45 million travellers a year predicted to be using our airport when the third runway opens, the rail link will support a massive increase in passenger numbers and billions of dollars in additional economic activity for Victoria.
“While Melbourne Airport has consistently advocated for an underground station, we are prepared to compromise on our position to ensure we have more transport options in place for the millions of new passengers that will visit Victoria and the airport precinct’s expanding workforce.
“The third runway project will allow for the growth of our existing airlines as well as attracting new carriers. There will be fewer delays with an additional runway and more flight options for travellers, putting downward pressure on air fares.”
Melbourne Airport has expressed a desire to immediately resume discussions with the state government, with an initial focus on the station’s design.
The state government disclosed that the lack of progression on the project may mean the opening date could be postponed to 2033. The state and federal governments have each allocated $5 billion to the project. More

Entries are open for the 2025 AA prize for Unbuilt Work, which recognises compelling works of a conceptual nature that embrace experimentation, speculation and intention.
Entries may be for works of any scale or typology, and may exist as proposals that are intended to be built or merely theoretical explorations on paper.
The 2024 AA Prize for Unbuilt Work went to architecture student Nathan Arceri for his scheme “Between There and Now,” which experiments with a new approach to developing and constructing cooperative housing and explores flexible and relevant ways of living and building together.
The prize is open to students and built environment professionals, including architects, interior designers, landscape architects, urban designers and planners.
The 2025 jury comprises Camilla Block (director of Durbach Block Jaggers Architects), Nic Brunsdon (principal and creative director of Nic Brunsdon Architect), Jocelyn Chiew (director city design at the City of Melbourne), Michael Mossman (associate dean Indigenous strategy and service at the University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning), and Georgia Birks (associate editor of Architecture Australia).
The AA Prize for Unbuilt Work is presented by Architecture Australia magazine and organised by Architecture Media (publisher of ArchitectureAu)
Entries close on Friday 23 August, at which date projects must be unbuilt. A cash prize of $5,000 is offered. To enter, head to the AA Prize for Unbuilt Work website. More

Details of the competition-winning design for Bradfield Central Park in Sydney’s west have been revealed as the state-significant development goes on exhibition.
An Aspect Studios-led team won the design competition in December 2023 with a scheme that honours Country, celebrates new and old knowledge, embodies natural beauty and intricate qualities of the Cumberland Plain.
The team also includes architect Collins and Turner, cultural consultant Jayne Christian (Baramadagal woman of the Dharug Nation), curatorial collaborator Emily McDaniel (Wiradjuri), artist Janet Laurence, structural engineer Eckersley O’Callaghan, and lighting designer Steensen Varming.
The two-hectare park is set to become the heart of Bradfield City Centre. To be located adjacent to Bradfield metro station, the park will be a gathering place and a welcoming point for visitors. Bradfield City Centre will develop in tandem with the new Western Sydney International Airport.
“We are excited to support the NSW Government in the delivery of this first key piece of the public domain at the heart of Bradfield,” said Tamara Donnellan, studio director at Aspect Studios. “It will be the green heart, where people can breathe, re-energise and immerse themselves in Country. It will set the tone for Australia’s first 22nd Century city.”
The design comprises three key elements that respond to the cultural values of Traditional Custodians and intends to strike a balance between nature, discovery, authentic cultural practice:

a forested edge, in deference the Cumberland Plains setting, which will provide shade with a layer of canopy and rich understory planting;
a “Skyring,” the defining element of the park, which will frame the sky as well as delineate a special clearing among the forest, which will be made from reclaimed timber with a reflective soffit;
and “caring for water” expressed through natural creeks and ponds.

A second clearing on the opposite side of the park will form the Gathering Green for large-scale events.
The Interwoven Heart will be the central social space of the park. Co-designed with a team of Dharug weavers, the space will celebrate the ongoing cultural creative practice of weaving through a series of woven shelters and play spaces.
“Central Park will be a high-quality urban amenity at the heart of Bradfield City Centre,” said Jennifer Westacott, chair of the Western Parkland Authority. “We’re delivering a beautiful and sustainable landmark city space that is going to be a gathering place for the people of Western Sydney for generations to come.” More

Concept designs for the new $715 million home ground of the Tasmanian Devils football team have been unveiled, with plans indicating the multipurpose stadium in nipaluna/Hobart’s Macquarie Point is slated to become the world’s “largest timber-roofed stadium.”
Cox Architecture was announced in May 2024 as the lead design consultant for the project alongside Tasmanian architecture practice Cumulus Studio, specialist engineers and technicians AECOM, Cova, Aldanmark, and Pitt and Sherry, and international partner Schlaich Bergermann Partners (SBP).
The stadium form, with its low profile and woven-style facade, was inspired by the historic character and formation of the roundhouse structures that once served the state’s railway network on site. Within the venue, a seating bowl design has been adopted, in a move that seeks to bring crowds closer to the field. The facility will house approximately 23,000 seats.

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A defining feature will be a fixed and transparent, dome-shaped roof, which will be supported by an internal frame made from steel and Tasmanian timber. The transparency of the roof will allow natural light to penetrate, assisting with natural turf growth and eliminating the need for sizeable light towers. The see-through roof portion will be composed of a fluorine-based plastic material called ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) that is resistant to corrosion and temperature fluctuation.
Minister for Sport and Events, Nic Street, said the stadium design is “welcoming, functional and uniquely Tasmanian.
“When completed, the stadium will be the largest timber roofed stadium in the world,” Street said. “While developing this stadium is an important step in realising our dream of seeing our own AFL and AFLW teams running out on our own field, this facility will offer so much more.
“The maritime heritage of the broader area has also been taken into account, and culturally informed under the guidance of Aboriginal community members.”
The renders indicate a stage pocket in the northern stand will host entertainment and performance events, while simultaneously minimising impact to the field. The facility will also include a 1,500-person function room with views of kunanyi/Mount Wellington, and separated catering and back of house facilities with a below-ground service road.
Accessibility, inclusivity and pedestrian flow has been prioritised through the inclusion of a single continuous concourse that will service the whole stadium.
Under the plans, an existing 1915 goods shed that was granted heritage listing in early 2024 will be relocated to a different area on the site.
A State Significant Development Application is being prepared for submission this July 2024. More

Brisbane Open House returns this July for a memorable weekend, offering behind-the-scenes access to the city’s most beloved and intriguing residences.
Across the weekend there are more than 50 experiences and activities planned, including house tours, talks and workshops. Some of the homes and adapted residences set to welcome people in include Wolston Farmhouse; Newstead House by James Cowlishaw; Miegunyah House Museum, and The Moreton Club by Andrea Stombuco.
Non-residential spaces such as the Annex by BVN; the Thomas Dixon Centre, renovated by Conrad Gargett, UQ Brisbane City, refurbished by BVN with heritage consultant Conrad Gargett and builder FDC, and Fish Lane Town Square by Richards and Spence, will also be welcoming visitors across the weekend.

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A new addition to the 2024 program is a one-day Speaker Series, which will be presented at Brisbane Powerhouse on 14 July. Among the sessions is a presentation by the deputy head of school at the UQ School of Architecture, Antony Moulis, titled, Housing: We know how to design good and economic housing – What stops us?
Brisbane Open House executive director, Melissa Hoedel said, this year’s program has been curated with inclusion, sustainability and wellbeing front of mind. This year, in “2024 is where we will be introducing aspects to our program to encompass inclusivity, with dedicated activities and access; sustainability, by creating a walkable and easily accessible program; and wellbeing through supporting active transport and the introduction of specific activities for our valued volunteers and visitors.”
The Brisbane Open House weekend will take place across 13 and 14 July. The 2024 program will be geo-focused, meaning that tours, experiences and house inspections will be predominantly located in inner Brisbane. More

The Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia is inviting submissions for its Education Prize for 2024 – open to architectural academics at all levels who have made positive contributions to education and wellbeing.
The prize, which launched in 2019, was formerly concentrated on rewarding early career architects. In 2024, to coincide with the release of key discoveries from a major research project, the Wellbeing of Architects: Culture, Identity and Practice, the prize will be awarded to architectural academics who have “demonstrated leadership in fostering a positive culture in architectural education and support for student wellbeing.”
The Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia (AASA) has contributed $5,000 toward the prize pool. The jury will comprise one member of the Wellbeing of Architects research project team and two members of AASA.
Academic staff who are full-time, fractional or sessional are all eligible to apply, however submissions must be endorsed and supported by the head of school.
Those planning to enter will be required to include a written statement detailing the context in which the staff member is operating, including a description of the specific challenges that have been identified, and a step-by-step account of the measures that the academic has taken in response to the situation. They will also need to provide a reflection on the outcome of this approach, including measures, evaluation and evidence of the benefits to students and staff.
The submissions portal will close on the evening of 15 July, with winners expected to be notified on 5 August. To find out more about the prize and the specific submission requirements, visit the Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia website. More

From an exhibition showcasing the work of esteemed architectural photographers to a lecture exploring the relationship between residential and fashion design, we’ve rounded up a series of events to broaden your perspective this month.
Image Makers Association Australia 1 Shot 24 exhibition
1 Shot 24 presents images from 42 captivating photographers from across Australia, each presenting their interpretation of the curatorial theme: Seeing and Knowing. 1 Shot is an annual, national exhibition that showcases works from members of the Image Makers Association Australia, including Richard Glover, Dianna Snape, Dean Bradley and Tom Blachford. The theme for 2024 prompts photographers to explore how the simple act of seeing is often the primary tool for knowing. This exhibition will take place on 10 July in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.
Homes of the Couturiers

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In this double lecture, the link between fashion and interior design will be explored, with particular focus on twentieth-century couturiers who dedicated substantial effort to the arrangement and presentation of not just their designs, but also their salons and homes. Many of these early fashion designers even included the term “the house of” in their brand titles, suggesting that fashion and interior design have long been intertwined. The two-part lecture will be presented by distinguished professor Peter McNeil, an award-winning fashion historian from the University of Technology Sydney.
Feng Shui Design for the Modern Home: DIA Online Sessions

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Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese practice for arranging living and working spaces to promote health, harmony and balance. Join the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) online to hear from Jane Langof on the history and modern application of Feng Shui. Langof is an award-winning Feng Shui designer, whose practice specialises in infusing traditional Feng Shui principles with modern design aesthetics. Since founding Feng Shui Concepts in 2008, she has transformed houses and commercial spaces into environments that foster health, wealth, and wellbeing.
Open House Melbourne

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The 2024 Open House Melbourne Weekend encourages Victorians to rediscover their city – all the places they never knew existed and all the homes they’ve always been curious to step inside. This year’s program will host more than 170 experiences between 27 and 28 July, including visits to recently completed projects, such as Naarm Ngarrgu Library by Six Degrees Architects and the Koorie Heritage Trust by Lyons, Greenaway Architects and Architecture Associates. Homes of all ages and typologies will also be open, including Armadale House by Neeson Murcutt Neille and Wildwood House by Robin Boyd.
Brisbane Open House

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Brisbane Open House returns this 13 and 14 July for a memorable weekend, offering behind-the-scenes access to the city’s most beloved and intriguing residences. Across the weekend there are more than 50 experiences and activities planned, including tours, talks and workshops. Some of the residences and adapted residences set to welcome people in include Wolston Farmhouse; Newstead House by James Cowlishaw; Miegunyah House Museum, and The Moreton Club by Andrea Stombuco. Other venues open for visitation include The Annex by BVN; Cox Architecture Studio by Cox Architecture, and the Thomas Dixon Centre, renovated by Conrad Gargett.
Paul Pholeros Foundation Fundraiser

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The Paul Pholeros Foundation is hosting a fundraising event to showcase the foundation’s efforts in improving the living environments of remote and impoverished communities. The PPF, a not-for-profit organisation, continues the humanitarian work carried out by the late architect, Paul Pholeros, who devoted much of his career to designing and advocating for better housing and sanitation within communities. During the event, renowned architect Richard Leplastrier will deliver a speech, scholarship recipients will give presentations, and the designer of a portable hand washing unit used in Nepal will demonstrate their design. Funds raised will be contributed to the foundation to support its projects. More