Evelyn Reynolds

Victoria’s planning minister Sonya Kilkenny has approved a proposal to construct a second tower on the site of the Harry Seidler-designed Shell House at 1 Spring Street in Melbourne’s CBD.
The proposed 33-storey tower designed by Ingenhoven and Architectus will occupy part of the existing northern plaza of Shell House on Flinders Lane and would require the partial demolition the existing Shell House.
The architects were selected through international design competition. Christopher Ingenhoven said in a presentation to the City of Melbourne that the proposed tower had been designed in coordination with Penelope Seidler and Greg Holman, who had originally worked on Shell House.
Ingenhoven described the proposal as “a well-integrated, non-dominant, and an elegant addition,” as well as “a friendly neighbour.”

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Shell House was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 2017. Heritage Victoria had originally refused to grant a permit for the redevelopment proposal in August 2021.
In December 2021, the then planning minister Richard Wynne called in the development application prior to a scheduled Heritage Council hearing to review the application, which led to the cancellation of the hearing.
In April 2022, the proposal was unanimously supported by City of Melbourne councillors. Then deputy lord mayor Nicholas Reece, “The design of this tower is striking in sculptural form and elegant in the way it adds to the skyline of the city. And if it is approved by the minister [it would become] an important addition to Melbourne’s skyline and one which will come to be considered of architectural significance to the city.”

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However, the National Trust of Australia (Victorian branch) and the Victorian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architect have both had reservations about the proposal. The Institute said in a submission that a second tower on the site “would result in irreversible damage to a significant heritage place that actually helps define the high quality environment of Melbourne.”
The National Trust criticised the minister’s use of call-in powers. “There has been a concerning increase of recent ministerial call-ins pre-empting the outcome of appeals before the state’s independent Heritage Council which undermines the integrity of the state heritage register,” said Samantha Westbrooke, executive manager – conservation and advocacy at the National Trust of Australia (Victoria).
“Decisions about our most important places should not be made behind closed doors. This approval sets a dangerous precedent for other state listed sites with refused ‘highest and best use’ development proposals that have also been called-in by the Minister for Planning.” More

The nationwide ban on the use, supply and manufacturing of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs came into effect on 1 July to safeguard workers who handle the material from inhaling silica dust, which has been linked to various illnesses such as lung cancer and silicosis. Engineered stone had been widely used in home kitchens.
Here are some inspiring benchtop solutions where architects have used alternative materials:
Timber: Coopworth by FMD Architects
A contemporary farmhouse on Tasmania’s Bruny Island opts for land over interior space, enabling the occupant’s Coopworth sheep to graze around the house. Glazed walls in the living spaces provide a constant visual connection into the daily movements and behaviours of the sheep. The eyes repeatedly gravitate toward views out in the paddock, particularly given that the internal colour palette is pared back and muted. The warmth of the plywood panels on the internal walls and ceiling, the simplicity of the recycled timber kitchen counters, and a textured portion of the ceiling that is lined with sheep’s wool collectively create a cosy atmosphere.
Stainless steel: Union Street House by Prior Barraclough

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Prior Barraclough’s expansion of Union Street House in Northcote, Melbourne, introduced a timber-lined living volume to the rear of the existing residence. This new volume contains a loosely programmed mezzanine, a staircase, a dining area and lounge, and a stainless steel kitchen. Stainless steel benchtops, a splashback and a workstation in the kitchen have been scaled to match the dimensions of the Victorian ash timber boards that wrap the interior walls, cabinetry and island bench. The workstation and stairs can be left exposed or concealed behind flush doors at the discretion of the occupants.
Concrete: Inala Apartment by Brad Swartz Architect

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Architect Brad Swartz maximised space and light in his compact North Sydney apartment by repositioning the kitchen, pushing it from the north-west corner back towards the entry. This move has ensured the living room has become the most light-filled room within the home and that previously wasted space has been activated as a functional kitchen. The refrigerator, pantry and laundry have all been tucked in around the corner in the entry hall. Free of unnecessary frills and clutter, the kitchen consists of a simple setup: a countertop, sink and stove, and an island bench. White Corian solid surface covers both the benchtop and splashback, complemented by an island benchtop made of glass reinforced concrete, resulting in a clean and crisp aesthetic.
Copper: Paperbark Pod by Bark Architects

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The occupant of this single-bedroom “pod” on the Sunshine Coast described the copper sheets applied on the kitchen and bathroom benchtops and splashbacks as evolving “artworks” that continue to develop character over time. Each use of the countertops adjusts the patina and appearance of the surfaces, producing distinct colour patterns. Honey-toned plywood cabinetry and joinery complements the array of colors that copper tones introduce to the space.
Terrazzo: Gable Clerestory House by Sonelo Architects

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In Melbourne, a gable-roofed addition has infused both heritage and contemporary features, resulting in a balanced and sophisticated family residence. The confident new kitchen with its clay-coloured joinery, terrazzo countertops and warm grey tiles is a standout feature within the new gable volume. Terrazzo is repeated on other surfaces, including the bathroom vanity, splashback and shower, creating a sense of cohesion and consistency between materials.
Microcement: Karri Loam by Studio Stooks

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The intent behind the material palette in this Margaret River residence was to celebrate the crafted, allowing the materials to express themselves rather than manipulate materials to achieve perfection. This meant accepting naturally occurring “flaws” as features and allowing finishes to change with age. There is evidence of making at every turn: rammed-earth walls, rough-sawn marri boards and hand-troweled Milestone microcement on kitchen benchtops. Owner-designer Ash Stucken of Studio Stooks said the crafted quality of the home lends itself to a different kind of timelessness – “one that favours time and tactility rather than just fixed appearances.”
Laminate: The Cottage by Justin Humphrey Architects

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This 1970s house on the Gold Coast was carefully recalibrated through a series of simple interventions that prioritised observation. With new kitchen, dining and living areas, the fabric that wraps around this corner block now serves to both enclose a private yard and establish a relationship with the street. The rearranged plan has opened up sightlines between rooms that once felt disconnected and isolated from one another. Although the home now better suits contemporary occupation, traces of its original 1970s charm remain evident, as seen in the kitchen countertops and cabinetry by Laminex and Navurban. More

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