Evelyn Reynolds

Following a national design competition, Western Sydney University has revealed the winning team for the design of its new Indigenous Centre of Excellence, on Darug land, at the university’s Parramatta South campus.
The winning team comprises Sarah Lynn Rees, Jackson Clements Burrows Architects (JCB), Peter Stutchbury Architecture and Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture. The team also includes Uncle Dean Kelly, Hill Thalis Architecture and Flux Consultants. The winning consortium’s design was selected from four shortlisted groups.
The design competition selection panel said they were thoroughly impressed with the winning team’s design concept, which successfully brought to life the vision for a community-centric, transformational new building that integrated Country and First Nations knowledge.
Chair of the Design Competition Selection Committee, Dillon Kombumerri, said the winning scheme is “an outstanding, Country centred design that promotes First Peoples’ leadership, knowledge sharing, creative skills and living cultural practices. As well as being an iconic destination that the Western Sydney University and the communities it serves can be proud of, the facility will be a welcoming place for everyone who visits, ensuring its enduring legacy.”
The purpose-built facility will enable visitors of all ages, abilities and interests to learn about the Indigenous history of the Western Sydney region. The centre will house arts and cultural collections to facilitate the sharing and preservation of Indigenous Australian culture.
Other building features include informal learning spaces, interdisciplinary research areas, and events spaces for performances, talks and screenings.
Winning team spokesperson and senior associate at JCB, Sarah Lynn Rees, said they are thrilled to have been selected as the design team for the project.
“It is not very often that you have the opportunity to respond to a brief that is seeking to holistically embed and care for Country, culture and community. We could not be more excited for the next stages, walking side by side with Western Sydney University, Darug Ngurra and the community to realize a place that shows the world how powerful mob can be when we are allowed to be,” said Rees.
The winning building design will be shared in early 2024. More

The proposal to establish Australia’s first year-round indoor snow resort – the $400 million Winter Sports World in Penrith, Western Sydney – has been given the tick of approval after an eight-year process.
On 11 January 2024, the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment granted the protracted project State Significant Development Application approval. Environa developed the original scheme over a period of six years, receiving planning approval from the NSW government in December 2021. A subsequent competition to design the building’s facade resulted in the selection of a proposal by Collins and Turner.

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The indoor snow resort will comprise a 300-metre advanced open run for skiers and snowboarders, as well as learn-to-ski runs and a dedicated winter wonder snow play area. Image:

Environa Studio, Collins and Turner

The indoor snow resort will comprise a 300-metre advanced open run for skiers and snowboarders, as well as learn-to-ski runs and a dedicated winter wonder snow play area. The tourist attraction will also feature a dedicated competition venue for snow sports, spaces for ice climbing and crevasse outdoor rock climbing, dining options, and a 170-room hotel with conference and function rooms.
Kinetic lighting will illuminate the Jamison Road facade at night, creating the impression of a blizzard. Meanwhile, the public area and curved lower-level facade will be designed to look like melting ice, adding to the overall frosty aesthetic.
Currently the site of a 2.35-hectare horse paddock, the landscape will be transformed to include features such as water streams, pathway networks, landscaped plantings and eight-metre-tall wooden message sticks (one First Nations medium). Visually imitating mountains and melting ice, the message sticks will tell stories about First Nations people and their connections to Country.
Winter Sports World has been designed to generate net-zero carbon. To achieve this, the design team has incorporated rooftop and north-facing wall photovoltaic panels, which will be used to generate 50 percent of the resort’s energy. The remaining power will be drawn from solar, wind, and hydroelectric sources offsite, with any further emissions to be offset.

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View from the restaurant. Image:

Environa Studio

The project’s wider design team comprises First Nations artist Jamie Eastwood, JLA Landscape Architects, engineer Atelier Ten, and an environmental design consultant. Facade engineer Eckersley O’Callaghan and lighting designer Electrolight collaborated on the exterior design.
In early 2024, the project will enter a phase of detailed design and engineering development to prepare for construction. The first stage of construction will involve excavation works for the basement, which will house a large underground water tank for snowmaking as well as mechanical plant rooms, loading docks and a car park.
Peter Magnisalis, the property developer behind Winter Sports World, said the project will be technically challenging and highly complex: the first of its kind in Australia.
“We need to take the time in this crucial preparation stage to ensure we get the project right before it can start to rise above the ground,’’ Magnisalis said. More

Revised designs for Sydney’s Central Barangaroo precinct have been released for public feedback, after the original plans for a 20-storey apartment tower were scrapped due to concerns over building height.
Property developer Aqualand was initially appointed to redevelop the site in 2018, however, since then, the project has encountered significant delays. In 2022, former New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, announced there would be a reduction in height limits in the Central Barangaroo area to preserve views of Sydney’s harbour – a move that would require Aqualand to reevaluate and modify its plans.
The updated concept plans, designed by SJB, include a total of seven buildings, with six of the seven ranging from seven to eight storeys, and a seventh building of up to ten storeys. An underground food court and shopping centre linked to the Barangaroo Metro stop are part of the latest proposal, as well as a luxury hotel – to be operated from the tallest of the buildings.

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Six of the seven buildings range from seven to eight storeys tall, with a seventh building of up to ten storeys. Image:

SJB, courtesy of Aqualand

Aqualand project director, Tim Roberston, said he hoped the latest plans had addressed previous concerns regarding height. “Projects like these get a lot of scrutiny, that comes with the territory, but we’re ready to get on with it,” he said.
“Once the [Barangaroo] Metro opens later this year [2024] we expect that many people will ask what the hold up has been with Central Barangaroo. Thankfully, we’ve had really clear direction from the new government and we’re ready to get on with delivering a fantastic lifestyle precinct for Sydney.”
If the development is approved, construction on the precinct is expected to commence in 2024, with the project expected to be completed in 2029. The revised Barangoo Central concept plans are on exhibition until 2 February 2024. More

Redevelopment of the 10-hectare community park designed by Context is complete and the park is now open to the public. The site of Tench Reserve is narrow and undulating, constrained on each side by the Nepean River, a motorway and housing developments. The first stage of the masterplan, focusing on the riverside precinct, was composed […] More

Haymes Paint has revealed it has seen strong demand of its Artisan Collection paints in the lead up to and beginning of 2024. The popularity of the collection demonstrates a shift toward highly textured, industrial finishes. Highly sought-after in 2023 was Artisan Collection Surface, with the emergence of a new ‘cut and polish’ finish that […] More

Singapore has once again been selected as the host country for the 2024 World Architecture Festival (WAF), following its successful hosting of the event in 2023. Last year saw the festival being held in Singapore for the first time in almost a decade. The 2024 edition will be held across 6–8 November, with the Marina […] More

This collection of products from Houses issue 155, takes a long-term view, championing low-carbon manufacturing and waste-material reuse. Kami chair Kami Chair by Reddie. Image: Supplied Furniture house Reddie has established Reddie ReUse, an initiative that applies waste materials such as solid teak wood and bottle tops to its existing furniture range. The Kami dining […] More

The first tower of R.Iconic, an $850-million multiresidential complex in South Melbourne, has been finished, marking the completion of the first stage of the project.
Two towers will be established on the site at 259 Normanby Road, designed by Plus Architecture (lead) in collaboration with Design Office, interior designer David Hicks, and landscape architect Paul Bangay. The first completed tower, which stands 31 storeys tall, contains 451 apartments and five townhouses. It has already won a Design Excellence Award at the 2023 Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) Victorian Awards for Excellence.

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The building features a pronounced sloping glass facade atop a brick podium. Image:

Tom Roe

The building features a pronounced sloping glass facade atop a brick podium. Ian Briggs, director of Plus Architecture, said the distinctive, angled facade was selected to create a noticeable visual landmark in South Melbourne, while the brick podium was integrated to reflect the materiality of the surrounding context.
“Referencing the masonry of the existing neighbourhood, the building is like a sculptural object, engaging and evocative in its expression. It will serve as an important wayfinding device that’s visible from across the city and the bay, a gateway to the emerging CBD South precinct, and, importantly, a new destination for the wider community in an area that does not yet have a commercial centre,” Briggs said.
“The building language of R.Iconic’s brick base podium and glass towers speak to its unique location. The towers and their deliberately distinct ‘sliced’ built form are contemporary hallmarks that physically represent this idea of transition.”

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Perched above the podium of the completed tower is a rooftop garden designed by landscape architect Paul Bangay. Image:

Tom Roe

Perched above the podium of the completed tower is a rooftop garden designed by landscape architect Paul Bangay. The 1-acre garden contains a 300-metre running track, a gym, a playground, private dining pods and a heated pool.
Once complete, the second tower will contain 41 storeys and a further 424 apartments. The project developer, R.Corporation, has articulated its aspiration for the site to become a “village hub” for the wider public. The vision includes shared workspaces, innovation labs and hospitality spaces. More