Evelyn Reynolds

The final design of the 200-metre-long Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway has been unveiled with construction expected to be carried out over 18 months, commencing in early 2024.
The announcement of the timeline of the project comes after a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) and a comprehensive period of community consultation.
Landscape architects Aspect Studios are working alongside Collins and Turner, Yerrabingin, Design 5 Architects, Eckersley O’Callaghan, JMT Consulting and Electrolight on the project.
The three-metre-wide bike ramp will extend from Bradfield Park North, connecting with the Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway via an upgraded cycle route that links Middlemiss Street to the existing bicycle network. A new zebra crossing will also be established on Alfred Street South for pedestrians and cyclists to cross.
The elevated cycleway will feature a large-scale Aboriginal artwork depicting interconnected eels, as well as Indigenous names to honour the Gadigal and Cammeraygal people. The illustration, designed by Aboriginal artists Jason Wing and Maddison Gibbs as part of a design competition, shows two different coloured eels on their journey between freshwater and saltwater, highlighting the lifecycle of the eels as well as the physical transition. The eels signify the past and present resilience of Aboriginal people in overcoming barriers, adapting to new landscapes and seascapes and surviving social changes.
New South Wales Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said projects that incorporate First Nations elements facilitate the sharing of culture. “Aboriginal culture is a living, dynamic culture and integral to Aboriginal identity. It has the ability to attribute places with meaningful identity and connection to Country. Initiatives such as this bring the oldest living culture in the world to life in meaningful ways, for all of us to share,” Harris said.
Transport minister Jo Haylen said they received more than 1,000 submissions from community members, organizations, schools and councils with input on the design. Following the high volume of community feedback, design refinements have been made to minimise the visual impact of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and improve safety.
“This project will be a game changer for kids, people on e-bikes, or people using cargo bikes. The Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway will finally be accessible for anyone riding a bike,” Haylen said.
“The Minns Labor Government wants to make it easier for anyone who can walk or ride a bike, to walk and ride. It frees up space on the roads and on public transport for others, it’s a lot of fun, and you get to enjoy one of the world’s best views as you zoom along the deck of the Harbour Bridge. I look forward to seeing work begin early next year.” More

The third and final stage of the Geelong Arts Centre redevelopment is now complete, making it the largest dedicated regional performing arts centre in Australia.
Designed by ARM Architecture, the $140 million phase is the third and largest of the more-than-decade-long project to transform the precinct. It follows two refurbishments: the Playhouse Theatre by Studio 101 Architects in 2010, and the Ryrie Street facilities by Hassell in 2019.
The latest stage, Little Malop Street, consists of a 550-seat, multi-format theatre – which can expand to host 850 in live gig mode – and a 250-seat contemporary hybrid theatre that can open out onto Little Malop Street for indoor-outdoor events.
The project was achieved through a co-design process with Geelong Arts Centre, the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and the wider First Nations community.

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The Moonah forest is represented in the carpet of level one. Image:

Peter Foster

“Geelong Arts Centre had quite a strong Indigenous engagement and Indigenous inclusion policy,” explained Ian McDougall, founding director of ARM Architecture.
The practice was appointed to the project in November 2019, but its work was delayed by pandemic lockdowns: “We abstained from doing a lot of design until we had a discussion with the Wadawurrung in late 2020,” McDougall said.
“Performing arts centres are strongest when they speak of their place, their location. And that requires or demands engaging and continuing the story of Indigenous place – that was a very strong part of the process of designing and creating the building.”
Traditional stories of land, water and sky have been woven into the design. The street level of the building draws on the theme of the ochre Country; the middle floor represents the Moonah forest; the carpet of another level and the walls of the 250-seat theatre evoke the sea. Sky Country and the night sky are represented by Bunjil, whose features can be seen in the carpet of level three.
ARM Architecture also worked with proponents of the project to select four Indigenous artists, all of whom live on Wadawurrung Country, to embed artworks into the spaces’ designs.
Art by Tarryn Love (Gunditjmara Keerray Woorroong) was selected for the 550-seat theatre. Her work, which focuses on yoowak (the night), is embedded into the timber wall panels.

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The 550-seat Story House Theatre is lined in timber panels that feature artwork by Gunditjmara Keerray Woorroong artist Tarryn Love. Image:

Peter Foster

For the ground-floor restaurant, tattoo artist Gerard Black (Worimi) created a large-scale work inspired by his time growing up on Wadawurrung Country and his experiences of Spring Creek. The artwork represents eels moving through water and ripples forming in their wakes.
Musician Mick Ryan (Ngarrindjeri Gunditjmara) made a soundscape with a range of instruments, tree branches, nesting birds and winds to emulate the environment of the Moonah forest.
Textile artist Kait James’ (Wadawurrung) works reference souvenir Aboriginal tea towels from the 1970s and 1980s. Twenty-three of her “tea towel” artworks have been digitally scaled and printed onto metal panels for the building’s facade.
The Little Malop Street facade features a sculptural form – a calliope – inspired by the travelling circuses of the early twentieth century.

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The “drape” of the Little Malop Street facade is intended to create drama and theatricality on the street. Image:

John Gollings

“Part of the thematic of the building is the history of performance,” McDougall said. The calliope is part of a set of decorated circus wagons, which usually contained music machines.
The design concept “is an amalgam of both post-settlement thematics as well as original and continuing narratives of the place of Geelong.”
Internally, each of the spaces has its own distinct aesthetic identity. A stairway is lined in several colours of stone, and a vivid tunnel connects the building to the adjacent Ryrie Street building. The tunnel is an extrusion of the Little Malop Street entrance’s calliope motif, which is also repeated at the tunnel entrance inside the Ryrie Street building.
“The brief and the ambition for Geelong Arts Centre was to make it a welcoming space and to express the diversity, cultural difference, demographic difference that is the community of Geelong,” McDougall said.
The idea of it being welcoming is that there isn’t one theme. All worlds are possible. It’s an expression of the diversity and also of richness and joy.”
Geelong Arts Centre CEO and creative director Joel McGuiness said, “The Grand Opening Festival marks the culmination of years of dedication, passion, and community collaboration, reaffirming Geelong Arts Centre’s commitment to extraordinary cultural expression for the region, Victoria, and beyond.” More

The Australian Institute of Architects has opened entries for the 2024 Dulux Study Tour, a coveted prize for early-career architects to travel the world and visit some the best international architectural sites and practices. The prize is open to Institute members who are within 10 years of graduation from the AACA Accredited Master of Architecture […] More

Eliminating the need to install several taps, Zip Water has introduced a new all-in-one pull-out tap to their line, offering the convenience of five water types, a unique integrated hose system and a retractable, snag-proof retractable sprayer.The Zip HydroTap Celsius Plus All-In-One Pull-Out utilises uses HydroTap G5 technology to provide instant filtered boiling, chilled and sparkling drinking water, as well as a spray mode. Functionally versatile, the new tap enables users to switch between models and temperatures, at the press of a button. The hose management system, which is compact in size, will be concealed beneath the bench. “With the HydroTap Celsius Plus All-In-One Pull-Out, we’ve gone back to uncover even more consumer insights to see what additional solutions we can offer – and in this case, it’s the guarantee of a snag-proof pull-out sprayer – a significant consumer pain point when it comes to pull-out sprayers,” said Zip Water’s managing director of Australia and New Zealand, Mike Abbott. “Whether you’re preparing food, washing dishes or cleaning up at the end of the day, it effortlessly reaches all angles and corners of the sink, gliding back into place when not needed, all the while making an impressive design statement.”
Zip Water is also launching the Celsius Plus All-In-One, which features a new intuitive touchpad with antimicrobial protection for enhanced hygiene, as well as instant filtered boiling, chilled, sparkling drinking water and unfiltered hot and cold water, from one carefully engineered tap. Both models were released on 14 August, 2023, in seven contemporary finishes and can only be purchased in-store from select specialist retailers.
For more information, including where to locate retailers, visit www.zipwater.com/Celsius-Plus More

Emerging architects and recipients of the 2022 Paul Pholeros Architecture Scholarship, Victoria King and Genevieve Quinn have finalized their reports on improving the living conditions of those affected by catastrophic floods in 2022 and a new round of scholars has been announced.
The Paul Pholeros Architecture Scholarship was established in 2022, to honour the spirit of the late Paul Pholeros and his lifelong dedication to bettering Australian living conditions. Sponsored by the Paul Pholeros Foundation (PPF), two $3,000 scholarships are awarded annually to candidates whose proposals explore the social purpose of Australian architecture.
As part of the scholarship, students are required to explore a social or environmental issue in Australia and conceptualize solutions for improving the built environment for impacted communities. Applicants are given 12 months to complete their study and may choose to respond to issues such as social housing, sustainable resources, urban planning, climate change, rural development, First Nations housing or population growth. The outcome of the study has the potential to be applied and put into practice, thus contributing to better living conditions in Australian society.
The 2023 scholars, Isabella Reynolds and Michi Playford, have now commenced their research on their proposals titled ”Soft spaces: designing for pain in the public realm” and ”Cohousing as a solution to improve health and living conditions in Australia,” respectively.
They will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, Victoria King and Genevieve Quinn, who both elected to research the devastating 2022 east-Australian floods, with King’s study focused on Lismore and Quinn’s on Brisbane.

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Victoria King was awarded the Paul Pholeros Architecture Scholarship in 2022. Image:

Courtesy of the Paul Pholeros Foundation.

King’s report analysed opportunities for new housing as well as the adaptive reuse of existing buildings. The primary solution offered in the report focused on converting shops into shophouses, making homes more flood resilient while also preserving the unique character and heritage of Lismore’s city centre.
“Shophouses have inherent flood-resilient qualities, seen in many vernacular examples around the world. The potential for sensitive integration of shop-top development was also inspired by the characterful and sometimes under-utilized shopfronts that line the main streets of Lismore and many other regional town centres in NSW,” King said.

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Victoria King’s report proposed using shophouses as a flood resilient housing model. Image:

Courtesy of the Paul Pholeros Foundation.

Quinn’s report investigated ways for communities to self-construct small architectural elements that could withstand natural disasters and prevent displacement.
“My research topic looks at the idea of ‘building back better,’ a common phrase heard in the architectural world after a natural disaster such as flooding has occurred. I was interested in how this trend can be exclusive to those who may not own their home, those with disabilities or people who simply cannot afford an architect (around 98 per cent of Australians),” Quinn said.
“This question or curiosity led to diverse studies of temporary architecture, global communities post-disaster, best practices for community engagement, sustainable materials, government aid and protocols for natural disasters. A varied and multi-faceted approach was invaluable to me as an early career practitioner, looking to learn and develop my skills in various aspects of architecture.”

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Genevieve Quinn’s report proposed using temporary shades and screens on unlined studs for privacy, following a flooding event. Image:

Courtesy of Paul Pholeros Foundation.

King and Quinn said the scholarship allowed them both to pursue further work as an extension of their research.
“The scholarship was like a springboard that encouraged me to reach out and engage with community groups, local government and practitioners who are shaping the future of the Northern Rivers Region. Fortunately, it has also led to further work assisting with the Living Lab Northern Rivers, which is facilitating community talks, exhibitions and research from a Lismore shopfront,” King said.
“The experience was incredibly supportive, and it was refreshing to test ideas and discuss research directions with the diverse mix of professionals who are involved with the Foundation. It was also great to have an overlapping research theme with Genevieve, prompting new insights that helped shape my own work.”
For Quinn, the scholarship was the first step towards other explorations and research in greater depth. “Having the flexibility of the scholarship allowed me to explore these many facets without committing to a very particular output or result. In doing this, I feel that the research is more nuanced and prepared for further development.
“The scholarship provided me with the opportunity to gain independent research skills and pursue work that is not typically available to young graduates of architecture. I am committed to social justice in the architectural field, a topic that is often not highly funded or focused on. Being able to research topics surrounding affordability, equity and accessibility equipped me with the knowledge and authority to move forward in my career whilst holding on to my values and ethics.”
The Paul Pholeros Architecture Scholarship provides an opportunity for emerging architects to explore their passions and interests in architecture with the support of the PPF and its wider professional network. Every February, eligible applicants are invited to submit their applications. Following submissions, interviews and final selections, the study period begins sometime between May and June each year.
The PPF is currently planning a presentation event to be held in Sydney in October 2023, where past and present scholars will share their work with the profession and wider community. The event will also highlight PPF’s sanitation improvement programs in Nepal and will introduce the next plumbing/design team heading to Nepal in late 2023.For more information regarding the scholarship, PPF’s programs and upcoming events, visit the Paul Pholeros Foundation website More

The Australian Institute of Architects has praised the Australian, state and territory governments for increasing the National Housing Accord goal to 1.2 million dwellings, to be achieved through zoning reforms and a $3 billion incentive scheme.
The National Housing Accord goal was previously set at one million homes, a target that has now been increased by 200,000.
The Institute’s national president Stuart Tanner said the 1.2 million homes target over the next five years would be an effective boost for the overall supply of residential property.
National Cabinet agreed to a National Planning Reform Blueprint, which includes measures to promote medium- and high-density housing in well-located areas.
The federal government also committed $3 billion for the New Home Bonus, a fund that would incentivize states and territories to undertake reforms to boost housing supply and affordability for would-be buyers.
“We commend leaders for making housing a priority. If these homes are delivered within the five-year timeline, it will help our housing supply issues considerably,” Tanner said.

“We are, however, concerned about the ongoing inadequacy of social housing supply and Australia’s capacity to realistically deliver this volume of housing in the time available, given construction material and labour shortages. In addition, this housing stock should be delivered with quality and sustainability as mandatory.”
Echoing those sentiments, the Planning Institute of Australia CEO Matt Collins said that while they are pleased to see more housing being delivered they would like more clarity around specifics as planning can only regulate the location and type of housing, not the speed of delivery.
“We still need to see more detail about how each state and territory will take the blueprint’s commitments and we look forward to working with governments to ensure good planning for great places,” Collins said.
“Whilst planning can enable the right housing in the right place, planning alone can’t deliver more houses because the decision to act on planning approvals largely rests with property owners and developers. Developers and property owners make the decision to build based on a range of factors including the availability and cost of finance, taxation settings, sales rates, profitability and other market factors. It is essential that policy-makers are looking at the full range of policy reform to ensure Australia’s housing challenges are holistically addressed – that means working to address broader issues such as supply chain constraints, labour shortages and more.”
According to the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation’s State of the Nation Housing Report 2022-2023, the predicted gap between new household formation and anticipated new supply in Australia from 2023 to 2033 is expected to be 79,300 dwellings, a significant deterioration since the 2021–22 report.
The Australian rental vacancy rate is sitting slightly above 1 per cent, leading to asharp decline in the number of affordable properties. “Affordable housing shouldn’t be a luxury, it should be a necessity. The rates of housing stress and unaffordability in Australia are alarming and demand immediate attention,” Tanner said.

A member survey conducted by the Institute in 2022 found that 62 per cent of respondents considered housing affordability “absolutely critical.” As a result, the Institute has urged for a bipartisan 30-year National Housing Strategy to address social housing as a long-term commitment, instead of short-term or one-off initiatives. They say the first priority should be to provide more appropriate homes for First Nations peoples.

“This is a great opportunity to get the settings right for density and sustainability in our towns and cities, as well as addressing supply. Architects have the right skills and experience to help with these reforms. We look forward to assisting on these issues,” he said. More

The Chicago Athenaeum and European Centre for Architecture have announced the winners of its 2023 International Architecture Awards. Four Australian projects are among the almost 100 projects from around the world recognized across 25 categories. FJC Studio (formerly FJMT Studio) received two awards: Nunawading Community Hub was one of four projects recognized in the Community […] More

Roche Bobois have opened their first and only Australian store in Roseville, Sydney, just in time to showcase their latest collection. The Paris-based furniture brand’s new designs take advantage of the shift in seasons, reinventing lines and curves while introducing new materials and bold colours. A statement piece in the collection is the Bubble sofa, […] More