Evelyn Reynolds

Renewal SA has released initial plans for a new 12-storey mixed-use building in Bowden, Adelaide, with designs by ARM Architecture.
The development – proposed for Third Street – features 84 apartments, 94 percent of which will be affordable rentals and four of which will be warehouse lofts available for purchase. The building will accommodate a new public multideck car park with 221 parking spots, four commercial or retail tenancy spaces, an open air function area and a seventh floor garden terrace for residents of the building.

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The open-air upper level of the car park has the capacity to be converted into a public activation space. Image:

ARM Architecture

The multideck car park will be constructed on the lower levels of the 12-storey building. The car park’s adaptable design allows for the potential ability to retrofit some parking levels into housing should future demand require. The car park has been designed to be a point of interest, with sections of the walls and an open roof deck to display art – in reference to Bowden’s mural culture. The open-air upper level of the car park can be converted into a public activation space.
Philippe Naudin, principal at ARM Architecture, said, the building envelope was inspired by Bowden’s history as an industrial area. “Our architecture translates aspects of this rich narrative through icons and recognisable motifs – house symbols, distinctive sawtooth roofs, repetitive truss patterns, even subtle nods to the iconic Clipsal fittings – creating a playful design language that’s both contextual and distinctive, paying homage to past stories and familiar forms,” Naudin said.
“We are looking forward to these stories being discovered, lived in and further enriched by the community that inhabits them.
“We hope our architecture will contribute to a true sense of pride of place, creating not just a place to live, but providing a place that residents can truly be proud to call home.”

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The proposal includes the reconstruction of Field Lane to create improved pedestrian links. Image:

ARM Architecture

The proposal also includes the reconstruction of Field Lane to connect Third and Second streets and create a critical pedestrian route between Plant 3 and 4 and the Bowden Train Station.
Chief executive of Renewal SA Chris Menz said the building will help to alleviate housing supply issues and provide a much-needed parking solution for the Bowden community.
Early works and site preparation will commence in 2024, with the first residents anticipated to move in at the beginning of 2026. More

Powerhouse Parramatta and the Cité Internationale des Arts have revealed the recipients of the 2024 galang residency program, which provides First Nations creative practitioners with the opportunity to undertake two intensive three-month residencies in Paris.
Sydney-based Worimi and Biripi guri architect Jack Gillmer and multidisciplinary Yuggera and Biri artist from Brisbane, Jody Rallah, have been selected to participate in the 2024 program.
The galang residency selection panel consisted of Powerhouse Associate, Wiradjuri artist writer and curator Brook Garru Andrew, head of the residency department at the Cité internationale des arts Vincent Gonzalvez, and Powerhouse associate director First Nations Beau James. They commended Gillmer and Rallah’s proposed projects, commenting that they would “inspire conversations about restitution and accessibility in the cultural sector.”
Gillmer, an architect at SJB, will travel to Paris in July. He has long been a proponent of including Country and First Nations voices in architectural and design practice.

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Jack Gillmer was a part of the team that designed the installation titled Eucalyptusdom which was displayed at Powerhouse. Project completed by SJB in collaboration with Rick Leplastrier and Vania Contreras. Image:

Zan Wimberley, courtesy of Powerhouse

During his residency, Gillmer will investigate the display and treatment of Indigenous artefacts and collections, reckoning with the colonial history of museology and the future of acquiring and exhibiting cultural materials. He will also study the concept of a “Global off-Country Keeping Place” for cultural materials undergoing repatriation or lacking an on-Country Keeping Place.
The program will assist him in initiating conversations with institutions about restitution. Furthermore, it will seek to support him with his objective of “decolonising” museology through the introduction of a framework or set of design principles that empower First Nations communities to reshape historical and colonial narratives.
Gillmer said it feels surreal to have been chosen. “I’m ecstatic, encouraged, and positively assertive. The residency provides support to continue the exploration of my personal and professional drivers, giving agency, opportunity and voice to Traditional Custodians in areas that are inherently colonial,” he said.
“Using architecture as a medium of investigation, I’m excited to see the potential this will have on defining an approach to architecture and museology to Indigenise practices.”
Rallah will commence her residency in May 2024. She will develop work that reflects her research into the application of Braille and other tactile language systems to intimate and collaborative haptic artmaking approaches. Beyond her investigation of tactile communication methods, she aims to broaden her knowledge of how the built environment, architecture, and curated recreational spaces can be used for cultural preservation.
For more information about the 2024 galang residency program, visit the Powerhouse website. More

The Northern Territory government has filed a development application for the proposed National Aboriginal Art Gallery in Mparntwe/Alice Springs.
The cultural institution, to be located at 7 Wills Terrace, will be dedicated to the display of works created by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The design team includes BVN, Susan Dugdale and Associates (SDA), and landscape architects Aspect Studios and Clarsen and Clarsen. The key themes prioritised during the design process were “Designing with Country, habitable gardens, identifiable presence, rooms with a view and logical planning.”
The main building is a five-storey gallery that consists of retail and cafe spaces at ground level, event spaces on the fourth floor, workshop spaces and a central spine atrium. The gallery envelope was inspired by a woven basket, which is reflected through the open weave of diagrid glazing and strategic apertures on the facade. A separate services building will also be established on the western side of the main gallery building.
Proposed external features include a publicly accessible open-air ampitheatre that overlooks the Todd River, a cultural space and landscape remediation area, on-site parking, a water play area named Kwatye Play and a main pedestrian thoroughfare called the Track, which will feature shade structures, seating and an offshoot network of smaller tracks.
An outdoor public amenities area has been proposed to serve users of the ampitheatre and Kwatye play area. The public amenities area takes the form of three disconnected pods under a floating canopy roof, with the separation of the pods providing greater visual permeability across the site.

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Shaded public amenities area. Image:

Courtesy Northern Territory government

Plans state that the National Aboriginal Art Gallery (NAAG) will empower and support the advancement of First Nations people as it will be governed, managed, curated and staffed by Indigenous Australians.
According to the December 2023 design report, the facility “will be an example of architectural excellence for national cultural institutions; a landmark building synonymous with Mparntwe (Alice Springs) and First Nations art, both nationally and internationally.
“The site includes a number of sacred sites. In addition, the surrounding landscape is culturally inscribed. Measures to protect the sacred sites and, where culturally appropriate, share stories will be incorporated into the design and landscaping.”
The development application is on exhibition until 5 April 2024. If approved, construction is expected to begin in late 2027 and the gallery is anticipated to open in early 2028. More

An exhibition displaying student designs and a symposium featuring architects who completed recent projects in Blacktown will soon be held in Sydney, as part of Western Sydney University and Powerhouse Parramatta’s Urban Transformation Summer School.
Now in its second year, the annual summer school is offered to Western Sydney University (WSU) Masters students studying architecture and industrial design. The two-week program supports students aspiring to become urban designers by offering them practical industry experience and guidance from established academics and practitioners on both a national and international scale.
Each year, the program engages a council from Western Sydney to develop a real-world design challenge for students to solve, using the local urban area as a model.
In 2024, 21 summer school students collaborated with Blacktown City Council to take on a design challenge focused on a pedestrian thoroughfare in Mount Druitt — from Mount Druitt train station to Mount Druitt Hospital. Students evaluated the walking route and proposed interventions that could improve the spatial, environmental, and practical amenity of the thoroughfare, while designing in spaces for rest, engagement and environmental protection.
Western Sydney University professor Michael Chapman said the Masters students were required to develop micro-architectures that have potential to optimise the landscape. “They were given a limit of 10 square metres for the footprint, but could site their project anywhere across the CBD. As these architectures became more resolved and considered, they reinforced the power of small things to make a meaningful distance,” Chapman said.
The designs will be presented in an exhibition between 20 March and 8 April 2024 at the WSU Engineering Innovation Hub in Parramatta.

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Woodcroft Neighbourhood Centre by Carter Williamson Architects. Image:

Brett Boardman

On the same day at 2 pm, a symposium titled Becoming Blacktown will be held at the university. The symposium will focus diverse architectural and design approaches to Blacktown’s built form, with presentations from practices responsible for recent projects, such as McGregor Coxall on Warrick Lane Plaza, Sam Crawford on Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre, Chrofi and JMD on Mount Druitt Town Centre, ARM and Architectus on Blacktown Exercise Sport and Technology Hub, Lahznimmo on the Disability Sport Centre of Excellence, Eoghan Lewis on Kings Langley Cricket Pavilion, and Carter Williamson on Woodcroft Community Centre.
For more information about the summer school program, visit the website. More

The federal and Northern Territory governments will jointly allocate $4 billion over 10 years for housing development in remote communities across the Northern Territory, in a move that they say will contribute toward Closing the Gap.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed the funding commitment during a visit to the Northern Territory’s Binjari community, near Katherine. Under the initiative, 270 new homes will be constructed each year, with the aim of reducing overcrowding in houses by half. The funds will also assist with housing repairs and maintenance.
“This landmark agreement between the commonwealth, Northern Territory government and Aboriginal Housing NT delivers a significant investment in remote housing in the NT over the next decade,” Albanese said. “The Northern Territory has the highest level of overcrowding in the country which we are working to halve by building 270 houses each year.”
The Wilya Janta Housing Collaboration — a not-for-profit Aboriginal cultural consultancy comprising Aboriginal Housing NT, Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation, Emergent Group, Original Power, King and Wood Mallesons, and architecture firms Office and Troppo – has welcomed the funding but is pushing for First Nations involvement during the design and planning process.
Wilya Janta CEO Simon Quilty said the “current model of community engagement in housing design is failing. Homes in remote communities are overcrowded and overheated, fuelling the social, health, and cultural inequities faced by Aboriginal communities.
“While commendable, this funding will only make a difference if governments are genuinely committed to engaging with community and working on innovative solutions to housing design and evaluation. Building houses is one thing, building trust and community is another.”
Jimmy Frank Jupurrurla, a Warumungu man and chair of Wilya Janta, mentioned that while the announcement is a positive step in the right direction, it is crucial that these new houses are well-equipped to withstand extremely hot weather caused by climate change.
“Governments focus too much on cost efficiency and doing things quickly, but in the long run, these houses are making our people sick, our well-being is forgotten. The new houses being built today are not designed for our culture or our climate,” Frank (Jupurrurla) said. “Us Wumpurrarni people really want to work with government.”
The announcement comes after the Australian Institute of Architects made repeated calls for the federal government to contribute $4 billion to First Nations co-designed housing in its 2024 and 2023 pre-budget submissions.
In addition to the $4 billion, the federal government will commit a further $120 million across three years to match the territory government’s annual investment, which enables housing improvements and infrastructure upgrades to be undertaken in remote areas.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney said the funding will “make a difference to the lives of so many Aboriginal people living in remote communities. “Increasing the housing supply will ease overcrowding, which we know is a major barrier to closing the gap.”
Northern Territory Chief Minister Eva Lawler echoed those sentiments and said the partnership will see the delivery of “2,700 homes in ten years … for more than 10,000 people.”
To support the delivery of the new and improved housing, a partnership agreement will be established between the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments, Aboriginal Housing NT, the state’s peak First Nations housing organisation, and Aboriginal Land Councils. The federal government will provide Aboriginal Housing NT $1 million over the next two years to support its role in the partnership agreement.
The governments stated the initiative would create local employment opportunities and support Aboriginal Business Enterprises. More

The National Gallery of Victoria has launched the program for the 2024 Melbourne Design Week, an 11-day schedule of more than 300 talks, tours, exhibitions, installations and workshops.
Themed “Design the world you want” the 2024 design week will focus on energy (how design can champion new technologies in the transition to renewables), ethics (how design can be guided by societal values), and ecology (how design can respond to the physical environment and the influence of nature).
Nigerian architect Toshin Oshinowo will be headlining the 2024 program with a keynote lecture on architecture and urbanism in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and diverse design approaches to meet cultural and climatic needs. Oshinowo founded Lagos-based Oshinowo Studio in 2013 and has completed a projects throughout Nigeria. She is known for her socially responsive approaches to architecture, design and urbanism. She was co-curator of the Lagos Biennial in 2019 and in 2023 she curated the second Sharjah Architecture Triennial.

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DAAR’s Concrete Tent for the Sharjah Architecture Triennial 2023, curated by Tosin Oshiwono. Image:

Edmund Sumner

The program also includes a satellite event presented by Open House Melbourne that will explore the relationship between design and death and how spaces of burial can provide insights on how we live.
Design week favourites including Melbourne Art Book Fair and the Melbourne Design Week Film Festival will also return, as well as the announcement of the Melbourne Design Week Award on the opening day. NGV and Stylecraft will also announce the Australian Furniture Design Awards on the eve of design week.
The winner of the 2022 Melbourne Design Week Award, Revival Project, will be back with an exhibition of 100 timber urns made from salvaged Cypress Macrocarpa trees from Box Hill cemetery.

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The making of 100 Circles for Revival Projects. Image:

Revival Projects

Popular Youtube channel Never Too Small, which focuses on compact living, will present Multi-Functional Pet Furniture – a collection of designs that combine pet housing with aesthetics and affordability.
A public symposium on speculative designs for Birrarung/Yarra River will be held, ahead of an exhibition later in 2024 that challenges eight landscape architects to reimagine and reinvent sites along the river for 2070.
Also along the landscape architecture theme, the Urban Landscape Design Cake Competition invites landscape architecture studios to reimagine an underutilised site in the city as parkland in cake form.
Melbourne Design Week will also extend to regional Victoria with events in Bendigo, Ballarat, Geelong and Shepparton.
The full program for the 2024 Melbourne Design Week will be available from 11 April. Events are free but some will require bookings. More

From textured brass taps to sleek towel racks, this curated list from Houses issue 156 can uplift kitchen and bathroom projects. Legrabox by Blum Legrabox by Blum. Image: Supplied Legrabox is more than just a box system with elegant drawer sides and superb functionality. Mix colours and materials; use printing, laser texturing and embossing to […] More

The Australian Institute for Infectious Disease (AIID) has appointed Kane Constructions as the early works contractor in the development of its Melbourne research facility, the largest infectious disease centre in the Southern Hemisphere.
The $650 million facility will accommodate services aimed at preventing, containing, preparing for and responding to infectious diseases and pandemics. The centre is to be established at 766-780 Elizabeth Street and 213-223 Berkely Street in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, nestled among institutions such as the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Illumina and the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
The centre is designed by Wardle with Wilson Architects, international workplace specialist Studio O+A and laboratory specialist Perkins and Will. The centre will comprise high-containment laboratories, a human infection challenge unit, areas for robotic bio-banking, vaccine development facilities, dry laboratories, interview rooms and spaces for industry engagement and partnerships.
The building will be physically linked – across multiple levels – to its neighbour the Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, designed by Grimshaw and Billard Leece Partnership.
Kane Constructions will prepare the site for development, as well as demolish four existing buildings. The early and enabling works will prioritise sustainability, including diverting at least 90 percent of materials from landfill.
University of Melbourne chief operating officer Paul Axup said it has taken a substantial amount of work spanning several years to get the project to the its current stage.
“Now in 2024, we are thrilled to engage Kane Constructions to lead the enabling and early works that will kick-off on-site activity and really bring this project to life,” Axup said.
University of Melbourne assistant vice chancellor and AIID co-chair James McCluskey said the news facility will “vastly improve the speed, equity and innovation with which we prevent, prepare and respond to future pandemics.”
The project is jointly funded by the Victorian government and the foundation partners – University of Melbourne, Doherty Institute and Burnet Institute – contributing $400 million and $250 million respectively.
Early works, including the demolition of the existing buildings, are expected to be complete by late 2024. All subsequent construction works are anticipated to be finalised by 2027. More