Evelyn Reynolds

The University of Technology Sydney has revealed the winning design for the first comprehensive Indigenous residential college in Australia.
Designed by Greenaway Architects, Warren and Mahoney and Oculus, the National First Nations College will be built on Gadigal and on Harris Street in inner-Sydney’s Ultimo, adjacent to the Dr Chau Chak Wing building designed by Frank Gehry.
The college will accommodate more than 250 students in studio, single and multiple-bedroom units with communal kitchens and dining areas. It will also include communal spaces and neighbourhood amenities, a central precinct space for informal gatherings, cultural events and smoking ceremonies, an arts centre with public art and performance spaces, a student art studio and music room, as well as a multi-purpose room, media room, quiet study areas, meeting rooms, office spaces, student support spaces.

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UTS National First Nations College by Greenaway Architects, Warren and Mahoney and Oculus. Image:

Greenaway Architects, Warren and Mahoney and Oculus

UTS first announced its plans to create an Indigenous residential college in December 2018 and a national design competition was launched in December 2022.
UTS said parts of the design competition brief was prepared by an Indigenous Australian architect, and each of the six shortlisted teams included an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander architect or designer as a cultural design lead.
“Because the college will be a place where Indigenous people feel at home and hosts to our non-Indigenous colleagues, it’s critical that we not just ensure the design process is Indigenous-led, but that it also incorporates cultural values and physical features that are important to Indigenous students,” said Robynne Quiggin, UTS Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement).

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UTS National First Nations College by Greenaway Architects, Warren and Mahoney and Oculus. Image:

Greenaway Architects, Warren and Mahoney and Oculus

The winning team’s design has been lauded for its connection to Country translated into the built environment. The building will embody architectural and design excellence and promote caring for Country. It will also strongly acknowledge Traditional Custodians and local communities.
“We’re building on the deep legacy of Indigenous knowledge in order to come up with a new model of a what a First Nations college is in the 21st century,” said Jefa Greenaway, a Wailwan and Kamilaroi architect and cultural design lead of the winning team.   “We’ve sought to really infuse the legacy and history of Indigenous people, trailblazers, warriors who have come before, so we’re not starting from a clean slate. We’re acknowledging not only the deeper history, but also the more recent histories around Aboriginal activism and the College’s proximity to places like Redfern, which were very much an incubator for Indigenous activism and civil rights.”
Simon Topliss, principal at Warren and Mahoney, added,“The design expresses Indigenous culture through its form and function, and supports a new generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island leaders to build culture, community and pride.”

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UTS National First Nations College by Greenaway Architects, Warren and Mahoney and Oculus. Image:

Greenaway Architects, Warren and Mahoney and Oculus

The project will include extensive native gardens and landscape features. “Our team’s deep collaboration was always embedded in Country and committed to a people-focused approach setting out to enrich the student experience and celebrate the power of Country in a contemporary urban context,” said Bob Earl, founding partner of Oculus.
The college aims to increase the number of Indigenous students accessing higher education and is in keeping with the university’s philosophy for Indigenous self-determination.
“The National First Nations College will raise the bar on efforts to increase Indigenous participation, retention and success in higher education, and help to remove a major barrier by providing access to cost-covered, culturally informed and enriched accommodation,” said UTS vice-chancellor Andrew Parfitt.
“It will not only address the student-housing gap, but also make a strong contribution to the national identity and Indigenous employment growth in Australia.” More

Australian multidisciplinary design firm SJB has claimed three awards at this year’s Inside World Festival of Interiors as part of the World Architecture Festival in Singapore.
19 Waterloo Street won both the Interior of the Year and the Residential Single Dwelling Award. The jury praised the modestly-sized residence for being “like a wardrobe for the architect himself to live in … not only a building or an interior but a pocket-sized tour de force.” The Tetris-like plan comprises seven internal floors and the façade is dotted with 15 openings onto the street—a design approach that the judges felt “generated a satisfying alignment and play of light.”

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19 Waterloo Street by SJB. Image:

Anson Smart

Adam Haddow, SJB’s director and the co-owner of 19 Waterloo Street, describes the project as an “exercise in how one can take a postage stamp site of 29 square metres and do more with less while achieving all the amenity of a ‘big house.’”
Writing in Architecture Australia, Anthony St John Parsons said: “The planning of the house is a wonderful interplay of varying levels, with seven different floors in total, all cantilevered around a slender central stair. The house stands no taller than its three-storey neighbours, and all seven levels are contained within the 12-metre height limit imposed on the build by the City of Sydney.”
Parsons goes on to highlight the designer-owner’s clever solution to size and zoning restrictions: “At just 69 square metres in total, with two bathrooms and 1.5 bedrooms (the study is occasionally used as a bedroom by a teenage niece), 19 Waterloo Street would, if it were an apartment, fail to meet the guidelines set by the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment’s Apartment Design Guide. However, this is a case of knowing the rules in order to bend them. Haddow’s in-depth knowledge of the state policy has enabled him to skirt the precise numerical requirements in a creative manner, furthering the argument that while the policy has raised the general standard of apartments, it has suppressed any design excellence or push for new ideas from which dense apartment buildings might benefit.”

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19 Waterloo Street by SJB. Image:

Anson Smart

The residence’s awards recognition highlights the challenges inherent in designing for dense urban sites while reinforcing the big potential of small spaces. In this case, giving its owners a shop, a self-contained flat and a home all in one.
“I’m always in awe of the calibre of projects presented at WAF and Inside, so to have received not just one, but three awards feels pretty surreal. I’m so proud of the work we do at SJB, and I’m incredibly honoured to lead a team that’s producing such exciting, forward-thinking projects that are not only beautiful but actively working to solve real-world issues,” Haddow said.

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19 Waterloo Street by SJB. Image:

Anson Smart

19 Waterloo Street was selected by a jury of global design experts comprising Nigel Coates, Nigel Coates Studio; Mark Dytham, Klein Dytham Architects; Ingrid van der Heijden, Civic architects; Friedrich Ludewig, ACME and Anna Xu, Dyson.
SJB’s third win at the World Architecture Festival was for their Eucalyptusdom exhibition, awarded in the Temporary/Meanwhile Use category.
Presented at the Powerhouse Museum site in Ultimo in 2021, Eucalyptusdom showcased 400 objects from the museum’s collection, in addition to 17 works that were newly commissioned for the event. The exhibition space was designed by SJB in collaboration with Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal recipient Richard Leplastrier, and 3D spatial designer Vania Contreras. More

A survey of architecture practitioners has found that an overwhelming majority of architects are concerned about the climate crisis, but they continue to face resistance to change from the wider built environment industry.
The survey was conducted by the cross-institutional research group Architecture Climate Future, comprising researchers from the University of Queensland, University of New South Wales, RMIT University, University of Sydney, Western Sydney University and Building 4.0 CRC.
Conducted in late 2022, the survey received 899 responses from practitioners.
“We asked practitioners about their perceptions of the climate crisis, what they and their practice were doing about it and their hopes for the future of the profession,” Liz Brogden, who coordinated the survey.
The survey round that 93 percent of architecture practitioners reported concern about climate change, and that 95 percent agree that architects should be part of the solution to climate change issues. 79 percent reported that their workplaces are actively involved in sustainable practices.
The survey also revealed a gap in knowledge for practitioners. While 86 percent were confident about applying passive design principles, only 26 percent were confident with whole life-cycle assessment and 22 percent were confident applying Indigenous care for Country strategies.
“Many felt that the profession falls short due to a lack of knowledge,” the survey report reads.
“This knowledge gap was observed by some as a “pipeline problem” starting in higher education, where outdated curricula perpetuate a lack of skills and knowledge about sustainability. In practice, staff need retraining, with some respondents expressing frustration that senior staff hold entrenched beliefs and resist change. The need to build change management skills was also mentioned.”
Brogden added that “Many respondents said they were overwhelmed by the number of different sustainability rating systems and tools available, with a strong call for a more ‘standardized’ central source of climate information.”
According to respondents to the survey, access to education is also scattered with 83 percent relying on self-education to upskill, 42 percent said target sustainability CPD would be useful, and 79 percent said Indigenous care for country is an important part of the solution to climate change.
Additionally, 82 percent of practitioners felt obstructed by barriers to achieving sustainable design outcomes, with the majority citing clients (61.3 percent) and developers (51.9 percent) among the top three barriers.
“[The respondents] observed that clients frequently focus on capital expenditure without considering operational costs over the life cycle of a project. Compounding this problem is the fast turnover development model driving a “race to the bottom” approach to sustainable design.”
The survey also generated 1063 recommendations for action, which included increasing knowledge about sustainability, advocating for more support and connecting across industries and disciplines, and with First Nations peoples.
Architects feel implicated in climate change issues because of the environmental impacts of the built environment, and this can have psychosocial implications for the profession,” Brogden said.
“But being solutions-oriented and a creative discipline, architecture is also perfectly placed to imagine and advocate for effective climate action.” More

A new library in south-west Sydney’s Liverpool has opened, marking the first stage of a wider $600 million activation of Liverpool Civic Place. The library, named Yellamundie – The Story Teller, has been designed by FJC Studio (formerly FJMT). The 5,000-square-metre library features public gallery spaces for exhibitions, working stations, children’s education areas, and more […] More

Revised concept designs for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo have been released, following the New South Wales government’s announcement in September 2023 that it would abandon the previously slated $481 million redevelopment and instead settle for a $250 million heritage revitalization of the existing museum.
The Powerhouse Museum Ultimo heritage revitalization project has been designed by Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Architectus and landscape architects Tyrrell Studio, all of whom were previously engaged for the scrapped redevelopment project after winning a design competition in 2022.
As per the new plans, it has been proposed Powerhouse Ultimo be reoriented to connect with the CBD, provide more exhibition space, and introduce an outdoor public square. In reorienting the museum, the main entrance would face the Goods Line – a shared pedestrian pathway and cycleway that connects Central Station and Haymarket.

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Revised concept designs for the Powerhouse Museum Ultimo have been released with designs by Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Architectus and Tyrell Studio. Image:

Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Architectus and Tyrell Studio

The updated museum arrangement would seek to enhance visual access to the historic facades of the original power station built in 1899 and the Turbine Hall built in 1902, as well as improve flow and access to support increased visitation.
The axed redevelopment plan had proposed to demolish the Wran building, a 1988 extension on Harris Street designed by NSW government architect Ian Thomson and project architect Lionel Glendenning, which had earned a Sulman Medal: the highest accolade for public architecture in the state. The government scrapped the previous redevelopment proposal on an election promise to preserve and renew the Wran building in line with heritage guidelines.
Powerhouse Museum Ultimo CEO Lisa Havilah said the new designs would permit them to present more frequent international exhibitions and allow them to host increased learning and industry programs on a larger scale through the integration of a purpose-built space for their Powerhouse Academy initiatives, which was also part of the previous proposal.
“The concept design includes the Powerhouse Academy, which will offer increased levels of access for secondary and tertiary students from regional NSW and beyond, providing immersive learning experiences that enable pathways into industry and tertiary learning,” Havilah said.

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As per the new plans, it has been proposed Powerhouse Ultimo be reoriented to connect with the CBD, provide more exhibition space, and introduce an outdoor public square. Image:

Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Architectus and Tyrell Studio

The revitalization project will be led by Infrastructure NSW in line with the museum’s Conservation Management Plan.
Minister for Arts John Graham welcomed the new concept plans in what has been a drawn out and contentious project.
“This is the next step in the process of reimagining the future of the Powerhouse Museum at Ultimo. After 9 years of divided opinions of this site, we are hopeful these new designs and a renewed focus on applied arts and sciences are more in line with the community’s expectations of this much-loved institution,” he said.
Powerhouse Ultimo will close on 5 February 2024 for building and conservation works anticipated to take up to three years. Estimated timings for construction commencement and project completion is subject to the outcomes of planning and procurement processes. More

Australian projects have taken out a suite of awards at the 2023 World Architecture Festival and Inside World Festival of Interiors Awards.

In the interiors category, SJB were the recipient of three accolades. SJB’s 19 Waterloo Street received the prestigious World Interior of the Year award, as well as the Residential Single Dwelling Award. The jury lauded the project as a “pocket sized tour de force,” for its generosity of space within a limited 30-square-metre footprint. The practice was also named winner of the Temporary/Meanwhile Use category for its interior design of a temporary space for an exhibition titled Eucalyptusdom.

“I’m always in awe of the calibre of projects presented at WAF and Inside, so to have received not just one, but three awards feels pretty surreal. I’m so proud of the work we do at SJB, and I’m incredibly honoured to lead a team that’s producing such exciting, forward-thinking projects that are not only beautiful but actively working to solve real-world issues,” said SJB director Adam Haddow.

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Boola Katitjin by Lyons with Silver Thomas Hanley, Officer Woods, The Fulcrum Agency and Aspect Studios. Image:

John Gollings

Day two of WAF/Inside saw six Australian projects either winning or being highly commended.
In the Completed Buildings category, Boola Katitjin by Lyons with Silver Thomas Hanley, Officer Woods, The Fulcrum Agency and Aspect Studios won the Higher Education and Research classification, while the Victorian Heart Hospital by Conrad Gargett (now merged with Architectus) and Wardle took out the accolade for Health. Iron Creek Bay Farm Stay by Misho and Associates was highly commended in the Hotel and Leisure division.

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Alexandria Health Centre by Warren and Mahoney. Image:

Warren and Mahoney

Under the Future Projects category, Alexandria Health Centre by Warren and Mahoney received the award for Health, while the Resource Recovery Learning Centre by Terroir was awarded in the Education section. Lighthouse in Darling Park by Henning Larsen and Architectus was highly commended in the Commercial Mixed-Use category.
Woods Bagot and Shop Architects earned the Futureglass Prize for 55 Pitt Street and Hillcrest Rose Bay, Sydney by Woods Bagot was highly commended for the Visualisation prize.
The 2023 World Architecture Festival and Inside World Festival of Interiors was held at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore until 1 December. To view the day one winners, visit here. More

The Australian Institute of Architects has welcomed the NSW government’s decision to cease further development on Western Sydney’s flood plains. In a move that seeks to prevent further homes from being developed and endangering lives, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Paul Scully announced on 29 November that the government had rezoned land in Western […] More

The tallest mass timber office building in Melbourne has been completed at 15 storeys, designed by Jackson Clements Burrows Architects. The 18,200-square-metre office building, named T3 Collingwood, has been designed with sustainability in mind. Constructed using Victorian oak responsibly sourced from Australian forests, the structure represents a 34 per cent reduction in embodied carbon. Glazed […] More