Evelyn Reynolds

A pink pond evocative of Australia’s inland salt lakes will be installed in the Grollo Equiset Garden at NGV International for the 2021 Architecture Commission.
Melbourne-based architecture practice Taylor Knights and artist James Carey were announced as the winners of the commission on Tuesday 11 May, for their installation Pond[er].
The design references Roy Grounds’s open-air courtyards in the original design of NGV International and comprises two key design elements: a body of Indigenous plants and a body of water.
The pink body of water makes a direct reference to the many inland salt lakes in Victoria and highlights “the scarcity, importance and political implications of water as a natural resource.”
Beds of Victorian wildflowers, designed in association with Ben Scott Garden Design, will bloom at different times throughout the installation, highlighting “the beauty, precariousness and temporality of our natural ecology.”

View gallery

Pond[er] by Taylor Knights and James Carey.

Pond[er] has been conceived as a part of the NGV garden rather than a separate architectural object. Visitors will be invited to move through a series of interconnected walkways and accessible platforms.
Visitors will also be encouraged to wade through the pink water, cooling off in the summer months and reflecting on their relationship with the environment.
“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 Tony Ellwood, NGV director.

View gallery

Pond[er] by Taylor Knights and James Carey.

The materials selected will be locally sourced and manufactured, and are intended to be distributed and used again by various Landcare, Indigenous and community groups upon deinstallation, including the Willam Warrain Aboriginal Association.
Pond[er] was selected from a shortlist of five contenders. The unsuccessful shortlisted entries were: Listening to the Earth by Aileen Sage Architects with Michaela Gleave (an installation that explores “interconnectedness between people at a time of restricted human interaction”); At the Table by Common and Enlocus (a sensorial, productive, and edible garden); by MDF (a playful oversized ring of swings); and Gas Stack by Simulaa with Finding Infinity (an installation that “evokes both a biotech lab and the vertical city”). More

A $60.5 million art gallery designed by ARM Architecture, the centrepiece of the Gold Coast’s cultural precinct, opened to the public on 8 May.
The vibrantly coloured building on the banks of the Nerang River is the third element in the Home of the Arts (HOTA) precinct, masterplanned by ARM and German landscape architecture firm Topotek 1. It follows an outdoor stage and a pedestrian bridge.
The gallery has more than 2,000 square metres of exhibition space across six levels, giving it the capacity to host international touring exhibitions as well as smaller and temporary exhibitions. It also has a dedicated children’s gallery and a rooftop bar with views across Surfers Paradise.
HOTA gallery overtakes the Art Gallery of Ballarat as Australia’s largest regional gallery.
Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate told the Australian Financial Review the brief to the architects was for a new building that reflects the personality of the city.

View gallery

HOTA Gallery by ARM Architecture. Image:

Brett Boardman

“It had to be fun – first and foremost – and make people think, ‘what is that?’ And the last thing, be unapologetic. It’s the ‘have-a-go’ spirit of the Gold Coast,” he said.
ARM’s design for the building is based on a voronoi pattern, a design motif used throughout the precinct, which can be seen at the HOTA outdoor stage.
Voronoi is a geometric shape found throughout nature in various patterns including cracked mud, animal skins and bubbles.
The voronoi pattern on the facades of the HOTA Gallery is expressed through multiple block colours. The Gold Coast council describes the gallery as a “cultural beacon” and a “must-see destination for residents and visitors.”
Alongside its exhibition spaces, the building also accommodates 1,000 square metres of storage space for the $32 million City Collection that consists of more than 4,400 artworks. ARM included a Juliet balcony in the building’s design, which allows visitors to see into the storage space.
The inaugural exhibition at HOTA Gallery features 19 new commissions by emerging and established artists and collectives, each with a connection to the Gold Coast. More

Queensland architect and “Renaissance man” Don Watson has been awarded Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal for 2021 at the announcement of the National Prizes.
With a career spanning more than 50 years, Watson is recognized as Queensland’s foremost architectural historian, as an activist and advocate for architecture, as well as a protagonist of postmodernist design, with work that traverses scale and type.
“Don’s lifelong contribution to Australia’s architectural landscape has been delivered with an unwavering focus on inclusivity and humility and the impact of this, together with his philanthropic endeavours and advocacy for the preservation of architectural works, will prevail for many generations to come,’ said Institute president Alice Hampson.
Awarded the National President’s Prize for his role in championing local architects and elevating awareness of Australian architecture was Andrew Mackenzie, director at Uro Publications and City Lab. “Andrew’s tireless efforts in advancing architectural excellence and interests through multifarious roles have captured our history, shone a light on important issues, and quietly elevated the profession’s standing and the prestige of local architects,” said Hampson.
The Leadership in Sustainability Prize was awarded jointly to Caroline Pidcock and Tone Wheeler, both recognized by the jury as founders of the sustainability movement in Australia. They were commended for leading the profession through their involvement in demonstration projects that “enable everyone to see that sustainability can be cost-effective, inclusive and beautiful.”
Suzie Hunt, the first female president for the WA chapter of the Institute and an “engaged advocate, mentor and policy commentator” was the recipient the Paula Whitman Leadership in Gender Equity Prize. The jury commended Hunt’s research-driven policy agitation, public speaking, and advocacy in working to improve gender balance and the welfare of women and families.
The Neville Quarry Architectural Education Prize was jointly awarded to John Macarthur, professor at the University of Queensland and Conrad Hamann, professor of architectural history at RMIT University.
The Bluescope Glenn Murcutt Student Prize went to University of Queensland architecture student Kelly Nortje for her project “Remove – Repair – Reciprocity,” and the Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture was presented to Alvin Zhu of the University of Queensland, for his global sharing platform, Projects by People.
Finally, Carly Martin, Simon Rochowski, Nick Roberts, Madeline Sewall and Elizabeth Walsh have been selected to join the 2021 Australian Institute of Architects Dulux Study Tour.
2021 National Prizes winners are:
Gold Medal – Donald Watson
National President’s Prize – Andrew Mackenzie
Leadership in Sustainability Prize – Caroline Pidcock and Tone Wheeler (joint winners)
Paula Whitman Leadership in Gender Equity Prize – Suzie Hunt
Neville Quarry Architectural Education Prize – John Macarthur and Conrad Hamann (joint winners)
Bluescope Glenn Murcutt Student Prize – Kelly Nortje, University of Queensland
Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture – Alvin Zhu, University of Queensland
Australian Institute of Architects’ Dulux Study Tour – Carly Martin, Simon Rochowski, Nick Roberts, Madeline Sewall and Elizabeth Walsh More

The Naomi Milgrom Foundation has announced it has commissioned Venice-based Map Studio to design the 2021 MPavilion. Map Studio was originally commissioned for the 2020 iteration of the annual architectural installation at Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens. However it was postponed due to COVID-19 and MPavilion’s program of events were held at various locations and online. […] More

The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Trust has unveiled a draft concept of its plan to revitalize the World Heritage listed Cockatoo Island. The draft vision follows an independent review commissioned by the federal environment minister in 2020 and draws from the complex and layered history of the 18-hectare island in the middle of Sydney Harbour, as […] More

Architects and heritage advocates have expressed concern about a proposal to transform Don Gazzard’s seminal Wentworth Memorial Church into a private residence.
The owner of the state-heritage listed church, which the late Sydney School architect said was “without a doubt” his most important building from the 1960s, has submitted plans for the development to Woollahra Municipal Council.
Sydney firm Architectural Projects has prepared the designs, which call for a three-level addition at the rear of the church along with an underground carpark and a plunge pool. In a heritage impact statement, the architects say the addition would be localized and reversible, and that it would read “as a minimalist element that is distinguishable from the original but compatible.”
But some architects have labelled the $5 million proposal “totally inappropriate” and the organization Friends of Wentworth Memorial Church has called on the architecture community to show their support for the heritage building.
“The church holds immense cultural value as a rare ecclesiastical example of Sydney School architecture and is widely considered to be Don Gazzard’s most significant building,” the group said in a statement.
Architect Nicholas Bucci, who formed Friends of Wentworth Memorial Church with colleague Jordan Silver, said they and Gazzard’s former business partner Mark Sheldon were looking to raise awareness about the proposal.

View gallery

Wentworth Memorial Church by Clarke Gazzard and Partners. Image:

Sydneysider: An Optimistic Life in Architecture

“It’s a state heritage-listed item and a former community and religious building,” he said. “It still has the capacity to serve the public, or serve some sort of function that allows the public to interact with it, and not be totally privatized as a luxury residence.”
The Wentworth Memorial Church was built in 1965 as a memorial to residents of the district who died in WWII. It was built on land given to the Church of England in 1927 by the descendants of colonial statesman William Charles Wentworth, for the purpose of building a church.
In May 1964, Clarke Gazzard and Partners, with Don Gazzard as design architect, was commissioned for the building that now occupies the site in May 1964.
The church’s state heritage listing describes the building as “citadel-like” with its “soaring white walls and walled courtyard” atop a rocky hill. Architectural historian and critic Jennifer Taylor has described the journey to the church along a winding path as one of “revelation.”
She writes that the church combines the “clear forms and high natural lighting” characteristic of the Sydney School with “a Greek sense of the three-dimensional form and sequential progression.”
Architectural Projects states that the public walkway, spatial promenade and courtyard would be retained in their current appearance and that the 350 square metre church space would remain intact.
The proposed plans does includes other interventions, however. Bucci notes that the project would involve excavating large amount of sandstone out of the church’s base. “The building is perched on this sandstone outcrop and the whole design is intended to be in harmony with the natural landscape,” he said. “The proposed design burrows deep into the rock, creates an underground leisure room, spa, lap pool and underground parking, and a lift that shoots up through the rock and pops out at the back of the church.”
The Friends of the Wentworth Memorial Church said that beyond stopping the current proposal a broader conversation should be had about an appropriate future for the church.
“We as an architectural community have real agency to shape the future of our most loved buildings and protect our cultural heritage, as proven by the recent campaign to save Sirius,” they said. More

The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences’ proposed $30 million expansion of its Museums Discovery Centre in Castle Hill, north-west Sydney, has been approved. Designed by Lahznimmo Architects, the expansion will include a public-facing building giving visitors access to the Powerhouse Museum collection, as well as hosting public education programs, workshops, talks and events. There […] More

Melbourne’s Birrarung (Yarra River), will be transformed by a new “Greenline” project along its north bank, according to an implementation plan that will be voted on by councillors on Tuesday, 4 May.
The $300 million Greenline, being pitched as one of the biggest transformations of the city since Southbank Promenade in 1990 and Fed Square in 2002, will include new pedestrian bridges and boardwalks and create a continuous green link along all of Northbank.
“We want Northbank to become one of the city’s premier destinations for workers, residents and tourists,” said Melbourne mayor Sally Capp. “This investment would transform some of the most unloved areas in the city into a series of connected parklands with opportunities for food, art, culture and entertainment.”
The council will be seeking funding contributions from the state and federal governments as well as the private sector to deliver the project.
The implementation plan notes that the north bank of the Birrarung is currently underused, with a lack of cultural expression and limited ecological and habitat value. It also describes poor pedestrian and community connectivity and a lack of social amenity.

View gallery

Greenline concept.

The Greenline will seek to address these problems, taking into considration some of the significant environmental and climate-related challenges that Melbourne faces. “It will focus on improving river health, creating a connected ecological corridor, reintroducing riparian edges and enhanced biodiversity, and providing opportunities for environmental education and public interaction with the river,” the plan states.
It will also seek to make visible layers of history via a historical trail with design interventions “to educate, celebrate and recognize Melbourne’s rich history and culture.”
The Birrarung is highly significant to both the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung peoples, with the Eastern Kulin people thriving along the banks of the river for at least 60,000 years prior to European colonization. What is today known as Enterprize Park, for instance, was once Narm jaap (the place of the tea tree shrub), an ancient crossing point of the river and a meeting place of the Woi Wurrung and Boon Wurrung peoples.
The Greenline will seek to celebrate this significance, formally recognized in Yarra River Protection (Wilip-gin Birrarung murron) Act 2017, as well as recognizing Northbank as a site of maritime and rail history.
“The Greenline would tell stories of Melbourne’s history and increase visibility and understanding of the area’s Aboriginal culture and heritage,” said Capp. “The Northbank could be used to recognize and celebrate Aboriginal culture and knowledge along the Yarra River – Birrarung.”
City of Melbourne noted that it does not own or independently manage the waterways or banks of the Birrarung, which is variously managed by state government, Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water and the City of Melbourne. The transformation will be “a collective responsibility of all Victorian Government partners and adjoining landowners.”
Consultation has begun with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, the Boon Wurrung Foundation and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation along with a number of state government departments and stakeholders. More