Evelyn Reynolds

Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) has unveiled the developed designs for their Next Iconic Walk proposal in the state’s Tyndall Range. The updates follow feedback from community consultation sessions held throughout 2021–2024.
Starting at Lake Plimsoll, the three-day walking track heads south to Lake Margaret via campgrounds at Lake Huntley and Lake Mary. Designed by Jaws Architecture, the trail’s new architecture and infrastructure includes communal huts with shared bunk rooms, private pods and tent platforms for camping at each of the two overnight locations on the hike.

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The final designs cater for a maximum of 44 walkers each day, with 12 in two-person pods, 22 in four- to six-person bunk rooms and 10 camping on single- and double-bed tent platforms. Jaws Architects’ design also includes a walk departure gateway – a shuttle bus turnaround and small under cover shelter area with amenities for walkers commencing the hike.

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In response to community feedback, the PWS note in their media communique that there has “been an extensive number of considerations during the development of the overnight node concepts.”
The updates include refinement of the project’s sustainability through maximising renewable energy, locating the project near natural water to ensure adequate supply in a bushfire event, capturing fly-out black water, managing grey and storm water on-site, and reducing ongoing maintenance requirements. Further sustainability initiatives include orienting buildings with respect for prevailing winds, bushfire threat and solar gains, and consolidating building footprint and overnight accommodation in two nodes rather than three.

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Additionally, the PWS claim that the updated designs have reduced visual impact in their “form, size, scale, location, orientation, colours and consideration of surrounding natural features.” The release notes that “improved thermal performance, heating, ventilation, insulation and building health” have been prioritised alongside refinement of the project’s “materials, costs and construction method, with a focus on pre-fabrication off-site and fly-in construction.”
The designs are set to be included in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is currently being finalised. The EIS will be submitted for public consultation as part of the Reserve Activity Assessment (RAA) process and the council Development Application (DA) process. The project will also need to be approved by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, which includes a period of public comment and review of the final plans.

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The PWS expect these periods of public comment to occur during mid-2025. Construction is anticipated to commence in the summer of 2025–2026 with the trail complete and open to visitors by summer 2028–2029. More

Plus Architecture has received development approval for a boutique hotel project in Orange, New South Wales. Located opposite the town’s train station, the six-storey hotel proposal includes 117 serviced apartments, conference facilities, a restaurant, swimming pool and rooftop communal garden, as well as retail spaces.
According to a communique from the practice, “The development will transform a heritage site at the southeastern gateway of Orange’s town centre into a contemporary hospitality destination that celebrates the region’s character.”

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Plus has sought to integrate the existing building’s facade with the hotel’s dual street frontages through a masonry interpretation of the retained fabric. Above, the architecture is contrastingly lighter, with the articulation of the building’s balconies referencing traditional verandahs. Ensuring each room benefits from a private balcony with views across Orange has been central to Plus’s approach in prioritising the guest experience.
Drawing inspiration from Orange’s industrial roots and wine industry, the project’s materiality comprises earthy tones, textural brickwork, fine-grain detailing and profiled bronze columns. The building is crowned by a mansard roof that aims to harmonise with the town’s skyline.
On the ground plane, a new public laneway articulated with two-storey arched brick gateways cuts through the block. According to Plus, “this thoroughfare enhances urban connectivity while providing an intimate setting for local events.”

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Plus note that “the design incorporates passive design elements, energy-efficient systems, and Building Management System optimisation. Additional features include photovoltaic panels, LED lighting, water-sensitive design and native landscaping.”
The practice has sought to aligning with Orange City Council’s Future City Project and masterplan objectives. In the words of Plus director Rido Pin, “In regional centres like Orange, we see incredible opportunities to design spaces that support local aspirations while attracting visitors who want to experience authentic Australian destinations.”
Pin further added, “This project shows how thoughtful design can create spaces that bring people together. We envision the hotel as more than accommodation – it will be a destination where Orange’s lively culture, arts and culinary scene can flourish.” More

With ten offices across Australia and New Zealand, Plus Architecture have chosen to expand to the country’s capital by establishing a new location in Canberra. According to a communique from Plus, the decision marks “significant expansion of the firm’s regional presence.”
Plus Architecture director Sumedh Kataria noted that the expansion into Canberra reflects the city’s emergence as a knowledge capital and a hub for innovation. With this new location, the practice aspires “to deliver exceptional architectural outcomes that align with Canberra’s vision as a progressive, sustainable and innovative city,” Kataria said.
According to Plus, “the studio’s establishment aligns with Canberra’s economic development priorities, which emphasise sustainable infrastructure and climate resilience in building design. The ACT Government’s commitment to net zero emissions by 2045 presents unique opportunities for innovative architectural solutions.”

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Returning to his hometown, Paul De Sailly will lead the new studio, bringing 20 years of experience working across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and London. His appointment builds on a long-standing relationship with Plus Architecture, having joined the Melbourne studio in 2008.
Reflecting on the city’s evolution, De Sailly said, “Canberra is experiencing an exciting period of growth and transformation, particularly with an influx of young professionals seeking both career opportunities and lifestyle benefits. The city now offers a sophisticated urban experience while maintaining its unique character as our nation’s capital. Having grown up here, I’ve witnessed this evolution firsthand.”
Plus Architecture’s Canberra studio will work across a diverse range of sectors including build-to-rent and medium-density residential developments, hotel and hospitality projects, mixed-use developments, commercial office spaces, and civic and institutional architecture. More

Perth Design Week 2025 features more than 75 events and activities, each highlighting a range of design firms and disciplines. One program highlight is a conversation between architects Joel Benichou from Spacemrkt and Archive Office, alongside Craig Nener from Grotto Studio, who will together explore the evolution of Australian home design, touching on both historical influences and innovative advancements. Titled Pre-Designed Homes: A New Vision Rooted in Tradition, this discussion will additionally introduce Benichou and Nener’s new initiative, Project_Home, which aims to redefine housing with a focus on efficiency and creativity. Another highlight is a tour of a zero-waste retail space designed by Foolscap Studio, which will feature restored historical furniture from Cultivated, as well as recycled timber pieces from Mark Tuckey.

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Australian designer Dean Toepfer is bringing his evocative design vision to Melbourne with his first solo exhibition, Death and Life, presented by Useful Objects. The show features a new collection of objects, lighting, and mirrors crafted from reclaimed synthetic silk parachutes, materials that Toepfer transforms into striking, functional sculptures. The exhibition explores the life cycles of materials and their potential for reinvention. Parachute silk, once used to save lives in freefall, is now a discarded waste product. Toepfer breathes new life into this once-vital fabric, using it to create luminous pieces that blend art and function. Each object is imbued with a sense of narrative – inviting reflection on the history of its material and the people it once served. This exhibition is running until 5 April 2025.

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The Regional Architecture Association presents a three-day event between 20–22 March that considers Canberra’s progression as a regional centre to its current status as the nation’s capital. Curated by co-creative directors Hal Guida of Guida Moseley Brown and Regional Architecture Association president Tim Lee, the event will examine the city’s planning journey and the growing pains that have been experienced along the way. Featured speakers include: Julian Raxworthy, landscape architect and academic; Nikos Kalogeropoulos, director of property developer Molonglo; Rob Stefanic, formerly Department of Parliamentary Services for the Parliament of Australia; Adam Wigg, lecturer of architecture at the University of Canberra; Joanna Nelson, architect and founder of Joanna Nelson Architect, and Thurston Empson, architectural photographer.

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On 27 March, audiences will have the opportunity to hear from architects as they share the defining moments that have shaped their lives and careers in architecture. Established in Germany, the Architects, not Architecture (AnA) event series has shared the personal journeys of architects for more than a decade, hosting 75 events across 12 countries. Featured speakers at this particular event include Abbie Galvin, NSW government architect; Emma Williamson, government architect of Western Australia, and John Choi, founding partner at Chrofi.

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An empowering example of championing women in the built environment, the architectural scope of an addition to an 1880 gothic revival bank in South Melbourne is now complete.
The project stands out as it was led entirely by an all-female team. Titled BVIA on Bank, the project was commissioned by Anne Michaels, the director of the female-led developer She Built. Michaels engaged Melbourne practice Agius Scorpo Architects to design an addition that replaces a 1970s extension. The brief was to design a commercial office building that was glamorous and contemporary, but that did not detract attention from the bank, which was designed by 19th century firm Terry and Oakden.
The seven-storey addition that now sits adjacent to the bank features inscribed concrete, curved glass and copper-coloured elements on its facade. In contrast, the now-demolished 1970s addition replicated the material and colour palette of the 1880 bank facade. The 1970s portion was setback considerably from the street, while the new addition sits parallel to the bank, greeting passersby with an activated street frontage and a ground floor hospitality offering.
“We were very mindful of how these buildings would engage with each other,” said Agius Scorpo director Claire Scorpo. “Our focus was on creating a form that would complement the bank rather than compete with it – creating a companion building, rather than something separate and unrelated.”
“While the bank is detailed and angular with strong contrasts in tone and materiality, we designed the addition to be softer, with no sharp edges and a continuous, fabric-like pattern rather than an articulation of floor plates.”
One of the key strategies for visually tying the two structures together was to incorporate a large oculus on the facade as a playful scale-up of the ox-eye motif found on the bank’s facade, visually tying the two structures together.

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The design has allowed for the establishment of a courtyard between the two buildings, connecting elements of both buildings physically and conceptually and adding to the activated experience of the buildings.
“Our client has had a deep connection to this place since childhood […]. She was passionate about bringing back a sense of pride and glamour to this part of South Melbourne, building upon the existing businesses across the street and helping to reinvigorate the area. The project was designed with this in mind, aiming to encourage activation through its programmatic mix.
“Hospitality on the ground floor and offices above encouraged a steady daytime presence, contributing to the economic and social vibrancy of the neighborhood. The intention was for this building to create a ripple effect, supporting surrounding businesses and fostering a renewed sense of care and community.”
Scorpo reflected that being part of a project that was facilitated by an all-female team was an incredible experience.
“From the outset, there was a strong sense of commitment and investment from everyone involved. Women often hesitate to put themselves forward, but this project created space for individuals to step up and be recognised. Our approach was genuinely collaborative and open, with many people remarking on the unique dynamic that emerged from this way of working.”
“This shows that when given opportunities, women can step into leadership roles and thrive. It’s a reminder that representation matters and that an inclusive industry creates richer, more thoughtful and more engaged outcomes for the wider public. We all bring different life experiences and perspectives, and the broader the team, the richer the outcome.”
Beyond delivering the addition, the design team was also involved in upgrading parts of the heritage building. This included reactivating the first-floor rooms – frequently treated as underutilised storage spaces – and improving accessibility throughout the space.
The internal fitout of office floors is currently being undertaken by tenants. More

Liu Jiakun has been announced as the 2025 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize – an award described by the Pritzker team as “architecture’s highest honour.”
According to the Pritzker Architecture Prize jury, Liu was a deserving recipient due to his endorsement of architecture as a transcendent power that forges community, inspires compassion and elevates the human spirit.
“Through an outstanding body of work of deep coherence and constant quality, Liu Jiakun imagines and constructs new worlds, free from any aesthetic or stylistic constraint,” the jury’s citation noted.
“Instead of a style, he has developed a strategy that never relies on a recurring method but rather on evaluating the specific characteristics and requirements of each project differently. That is to say, Liu Jiakun takes present realities and handles them to the point of offering sometimes a whole new scenario of daily life. Beyond knowledge and techniques, common sense and wisdom are the most powerful tools he adds to the designer’s toolbox.”
Hailing from Chengdu, China, Liu founded his practice Jiakun Architecture in 1999. Over a career spanning four decades, the practice has produced more than 30 projects ranging from academic and cultural institutions to civic spaces, commercial buildings and urban planning projects across China.
Liu’s work is celebrated for its ability to create public space in densely populated urban environments. “By multiplying typologies within one project, he innovates the role of civic spaces to support the breadth of requisites for a diverse society,” the Pritzker Architecture Prize media communique reads.
Significant projects of Liu’s include West Village (Chengdu, China, 2015) – a five-storey building enclosed by a perimeter of ramped pedestrian pathways on the site of an entire city block, and the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Department of Sculpture (Chongqing, China, 2004) – a project that maximises space with protruding upper levels on a narrow site.
Liu aspires to honour classic Chinese architecture through contemporary interpretation and pursue honest, enduring materiality across each of his projects. He prefers traditional craft and local raw materials that sustain the economies of the communities in which he practices.
For Liu, “Architecture should reveal something – it should abstract, distil and make visible the inherent qualities of local people. It has the power to shape human behaviour and create atmospheres, offering a sense of serenity and poetry, evoking compassion and mercy, and cultivating a sense of shared community,” he explained.
Chair of the jury and 2016 Pritzker Prize Laureate Alejandro Aravena reflected, “Cities tend to segregate functions, but Liu Jiakun takes the opposite approach and sustains a delicate balance to integrate all dimensions of the urban life.”
“In a world that tends to create endless dull peripheries, he has found a way to build places that are a building, infrastructure, landscape and public space at the same time,” Aravena noted. “His work may offer impactful clues on how to confront the challenges of urbanization, in an era of rapidly growing cities.”
Other significant works of Liu’s include: Museum of Clocks, Jianchuan, Museum Cluster (Chengdu, China, 2007); Design Department on new campus, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute (Chongqing, China 2006); Lodging Center of China International Practice Exhibition of Architecture (Nanjing, China, 2012); Chengdu High-Tech Zone Tianfu Software Park Communication Centre (Chengdu, China, 2010); and Songyang Culture Neighborhood (Lishui, China, 2020). More

Mumbai-born, London-based designer Nipa Doshi has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the annual Mecca x NGV Women in Design Commission. She is the fourth recipient of the five-year commission series, established in 2021, which each year invites a globally-renowned designer to create new work for the NGV Collection with the aim of redressing its historical gender imbalance.
The purpose of the commission is to drive meaningful progress towards gender equality, by championing opportunities for women and girls in the arts and design, and to inspire the next generation of female creatives. According to a release from the NGV, the commission is “the first and only series of its kind in Australia” that “creates a platform to present topical, world-premiere works of international significance to highlight the contributions and practices of women in design.”

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For her 2025 commission, Doshi will create a new piece of conceptual furniture, titled A Room of My Own. The work will take the form of a handcrafted, multidimensional cabinet that serves as both a shrine and a dressing table, fusing functionality with personal history and memory.
Doshi commented, “I […] see it [the commission] as an opportunity to create exceptional new work, bringing together all the different aspects of my design practice. The creative freedom offered by the commission allows me to make work with a strong narrative, resulting in a collectible piece that embodies my values as a woman in design.”

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Drawing inspiration from portable Indian shrines known as Kavad, the cabinet is a space for personal ritual and care. Abstract portraits concealed behind the cabinet’s doors pay homage to generations of women who have shaped the artist’s life and career, including an avant-garde 1970s Indian actress, an elderly matriarch who lived in Doshi’s neighbourhood while she was a child and a compassionate nurse who cared for the designer.
The work is characteristic of Doshi’s approach, which draws upon an array of influences and memories from her own life. In the past, these have included seminal 1970s Bollywood films, Indian pigments and textiles, the architecture of Le Corbusier, Doshi’s grandmother’s traditional Indian gold and enamel earrings, and the royal miniature paintings of Jodhpur.

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Reflecting on Doshi’s win, founder and co-CEO of Mecca Jo Horgan noted, “She is one of the global leaders in design for a reason: she challenges established norms and ensures her cultural identity is infused into everything she does. More than that, her products, design and detail keep us all focused on the value of women’s voices, experiences, and craftsmanship.”
Along with her husband, Jonathan Levien, Doshi established Doshi Levien studio in 2000. Their work has been exhibited across the globe in institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Art Institute of Chicago, and MoMA in New York.

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This year’s NGV Women in Design Commission will be unveiled at NGV International in Melbourne on 25 September. Ahead of the artwork’s unveiling, Doshi will give an in-conversation talk and host a workshop at the NGV International this International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March. More

Australia’s Workplace Gender Equity Agency (WGEA) has released its gender pay gap data for 2023–2024, revealing the gender pay gap information of architecture and landscape architecture firms.
The first instalment of data was released in February 2024, after reforms that advocated for greater transparency on the gender pay gap were enacted by parliament in 2023. The passing of this reform means that businesses with more than 100 staff are required to submit their gender employment data to the WGEA. The first set of data revealed the gender pay gap for more than 5,000 private employers during 2022–23, while the data for 2023–24 instead encompasses 7,800 individual employers and 1,700 corporate groups.

The second round of data indicates that just one in five (21 percent) Australian employers have an average gender pay gap in the target range of + or – five percent. Fifty-six percent of employers improved their gender pay gap since the first round of data was released, while 79 percent of employers still have a gender pay gap outside the target range of +/-5 percent.

Among the architecture and landscape architecture firms that submitted data to the WGEA, Group GSA has achieved the lowest gender pay gap for the second consecutive time, improving from 5.6 percent in 2022–23 to -0.6 percent in 2023–24. Following Group GSA, NBRS Partners achieved a gender pay gap of 5.8 percent.
In contrast, Populous Design had the greatest gender pay gap at 26.5 percent, while Grimshaw saw the most significant increase in its gender pay gap, rising from 16.3 percent in 2022–23 to 24.7 percent in 2023–24.
Mode Design, which previously had the highest gender pay gap in 2022–23, made remarkable progress, decreasing from 26.9 percent in 2022–23 to 13.9 percent in 2023–24. Other firms that showed notable improvements include Hassell, which reduced its gap from 26.4 percent to 20.9 percent, Bates Smart, which decreased from 17.5 percent to 10.8 percent, and Buchan Group, which dropped from 19.8 percent to 11.7 percent.

Company

Median total gender pay gap 2023–24 (%)

Median total gender pay gap 2022–23 (%)

Total workforce gender composition (women/men)

Upper pay quartile gender composition (women/men)

Had a gender pay gap policy

Undertook payroll analysis

Group GSA

-0.6

5.6

45/55

54/46

Y

Y

NBRS Partners

5.8

6.7

47/53

48/52

Y

Y

Lyons (Newpolis Pty Ltd)

7.7

N/A

51/49

38/62

Y

Y

Clarke Hopkins Clarke (Vermont Lodge Pty Ltd)

7.9

N/A

54/46

54/46

Y

Y

Aspect Studios

9.3

16.6

53/47

32/68

Y

Y

Bates Smart

10.8

17.5

51/49

34/66

Y

Y

Buchan Group

11.2

19.8

40/60

36/64

Y

Y

Woods Bagot

11.3

9.4

50/50

39/61

Y

Y

Wardle Studio

11.7

16.8

48/52

26/74

Y

Y

Mode Design

13.9

26.9

34/66

20/80

Y

Y

Cox Architecture (The Trustee for Philip Cox and Partners Unit Trust)

14.0

17.1

43/57

28/72

Y

Y

Tract Consultants (The Trustee for Tract Consultants Unit Trust)

14.6

13.6

55/45

42/58

Y

Y

Francis-Jones Carpenter

14.7

15.3

49/51

31/69

Y

Y

Hayball

15.4

19

46/54

35/65

Y

Y

Architectus

15.8

19.3

47/53

29/71

Y

Y

Rothe Lowman

19.4

19.4

51/49

40/60

Y

Y

Billard Leece Partnership

20.6

18.2

54/46

48/52

Y

Y

BVN

20.7

18.5

48/52

24/76

Y

Y

Hassell

20.9

26.4

51/49

34/66

Y

Y

Nettleton Tribe (The Trustee for Nettleton Tribe Practice Trust)

21.4

20

50/50

19.81

Y

Y

Silver Thomas Henley

21.7

N/A

47/53

38/62

N

N

Balpara Pty Ltd

22.6

N/A

19/81

18/82

Y

Y

HDR

23.1

21.1

42/58

19/81

N

Y

SJB

23.4

N/A

52/48

38/62

Y

Y

Designinc Sydney

24.6

23.8

58/42

35/65

Y

Y

Cottee Parker (The Trustee f0r Cottee Parker Services Trust)

24.6

N/A

50/50

29/71

N

Y

Grimshaw

24.7

16.3

41/59

22/78

N

Y

Populous Design

26.5

N/A

38/62

16/84

Y

Y

Table: ArchitectureAu. Source: Workplace Gender Equity Agency’s 2023–24 Employer Census.
Nettleton Tribe and Woods Bagot have attained a balanced 50/50 ratio of female and male employees within their organisations. Meanwhile, NBRS Partners and Billard Leece Partnership are nearing parity in the upper pay quartile, with female employees representing 48 percent and male employees making up 52 percent.
This year, several architecture firms have released statements to coincide with the release of the data outlining the steps they are taking to improve their median gender pay gaps. These firms include Architectus and SJB Architecture. A communique released by Architectus states that the practice is falling short on female representation at principal and senior associate levels, however, its executive management group is now 50 percent male and female, 51 percent of graduates employed are females, and females account for 62 percent of student intake.
To view the data in full, visit the WGEA Data Explorer. More