Evelyn Reynolds

Open House Melbourne 2023 has unveiled its program of more than 180 buildings, tours, events and design talks across the last weekend of July.
Themed “Collective City,” the program explores architecture and design across Melbourne against the backdrop of climate, economic and housing uncertainty.
“As Melbourne expands to reach a projected population of 8 million by 2050, our theme for Open House Melbourne 2023, Collective City, seeks to explore how will we reinvent, re-purpose and adapt our city to live better together now, and into the future,” said Open House Melbourne executive director Tania Davidge. “We want to inspire every Victorian through the Open House Melbourne Weekend to consider the principles of good design so together we can advocate for a more equitable and welcoming city that meets the needs of all Melburnians. Our program for 2023 reflects our desire for all to come to a shared understanding of the best way to shape the future of the city.”
Highlights in the 2023 program include Making Home, a perennial series of talks and tours that explores social and affordable housing. It will include a panel discussion on the role of developers in the provision of social housing , as well as a tour of a Markham Avenue project designed by Architectus and delivered as part of the Homes Victoria Big Housing Build program.
Flat Life offers Open House Melbourne visitors a walking tour guided by architect David Brand through St Kilda and its apartment housing stock, including subdivided mansions, 1960s six-packs, and high-rise towers designed by European émigré architects.
Private home tours will also be returning after a pandemic-induced hiatus, with 16 contemporary and historic houses participating across Melbourne. The 2023 program newcomers include Lippincott House (co-designed by Walter Burley Griffin) and Gantry House by Oof Architecture.
The Victorian government’s Future Homes design competition entries will also be a feature of Open House Melbourne. Audiences can experience full-size interactive walkthroughs of the designs, as well as a presentation.
The soon-to-be-opened Holocaust Museum by Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) will return in 2023 with tours guided by KTA associate principal Claire Humphreys. Open House Melbourne will also honour Kerstin Thompson, who was awarded the 2023 Gold Medal from the Australian Institute of Architects, with a film celebrating her career.
Comedian, author and historian Michael Veitch will be giving the 2023 Heritage Address, which will explore untold stories of Melbourne.
RMIT academics Christine Phillips, Beau de Belle and Jock Gilbert will discuss the role of Indigenous wisdom in contemporary architecture in Design with Country.
The 2023 Open House Melbourne will take place on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 July. The program will be live on 28 June. More

City of Melbourne has appointed Lendlease for the biggest mixed-use development in the council’s history.
A 3.2-hectare precinct south of the Queen Victoria Market is set to become a three-tower complex with a 1.8-hectare park on the site of the market’s existing car park.
The design team comprises NH Architecture, Kerstin Thompson Architects, 3XN Australia, Searle × Waldron Architecture, Openwork, McGregor Coxall, Lovell Chen and Urbis.
The $1.7 billion development is enabled by the council’s “landmark divestment of the Southern Precinct,” with the funds reinvested in the market’s renewal.

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The proposed Gurrowa Place designed by NH Architecture, Kerstin Thompson Architects, 3XN Australia, and Searle × Waldron Architecture. Image:

Courtesy City of Melbourne

A collection of historic buildings on Franklin Street will also be refurbished into a new retail village, which will be retained by the council.
The redeveloped precinct, to be named Gurrowa Place, will comprise a 28-storey office tower, a residential tower with 560 units (including 15 percent affordable housing and built-to-rent apartments), and a student housing tower accommodating 1,100 beds.
A long civic pavilion, to be known as the Queen’s Corner Building, will support the Market Square with public amenities and activations. The design of Market Square will be led by City of Melbourne.
“Gurrowa Place will enrich the traditional market offerings Melburnians and visitors know and love – attracting thousands of new residents, workers and visitors and boosting business for traders,” said lord mayor Sally Capp.“This globally iconic precinct will be a place to celebrate – with spaces for events, world-class retail and new laneways and arcades to complement the beloved market experience.”

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The proposed Gurrowa Place designed by NH Architecture, Kerstin Thompson Architects, 3XN Australia, and Searle × Waldron Architecture. Image:

Courtesy City of Melbourne

The project team will consult with Wurundjeri elders on a precinct design that honours the site’s precolonial history.
“The creation of Gurrowa Place begins the next chapter in the evolution of Queen Victoria Market,” said Lendlease managing director of development Tom Mackellar. “It will celebrate the rich history of the place, while introducing new spaces for the community and a vibrant precinct that welcomes locals and visitors.”
The team will also prioritize carbon reduction in materials and construction; the development is inteded to be carbon neutral in operation, using renewable electricity across all commercial and residential buildings.
Targets for the precinct include a 6-star Green Star rating for commercial spaces and a 5-star Green Star for residential buildings.
If approved, the project will begin in 2024 and be completed in 2028. More

The Fishwick House by Walter Burley Griffin in Sydney’s Castlecrag is on the market for the first time in nearly half a century since it was purchased by its current owners in 1976.
The house was designed in 1929 and on the newly developed peninsula suburb of Castlecrag at the end of a cul-de-sac. The site is identified by its irregular shape that falls steeply from west to east. On the wedge-shaped block with panoramic views over the peninsula, the Fishwick House has become a canonical instance of early-20th-century residential architecture and has even been attributed with the birth of modern architecture in Australia.
The house was built predominantly out of sandstone, quarried from the natural rock escarpment onsite and on a site nearby. Rock-faced stone has been used for external walling to give the house the appearance of rising out of the rock on which it is built. This stone has also been used to form the internal walls, the grand fireplaces and the chimneys.

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The large entrance hall features floor-to-ceiling pillars, painted the deep greens and browns of Australian eucalypts, with metallic gold highlights. Image:

Tamara Graham

As well as its sandstone rockface, the home is renowned for its split floor levels and its boundary-pushing interior design innovations. Its notable features include open planning, a spacious colonnaded reception area and a sunken study.
The study can be opened fully to the entrance hall through a pair of double glass doors – a concept that did not become popular until mid-century. In the large entrance hall, floor-to-ceiling pillars were painted the deep greens and browns of Australian eucalypts, with metallic gold highlights.
On the first floor are four bedrooms and two bathrooms, including the master bedroom, which incorporates a unique semicircular design with a row of north-facing windows that provide ample natural light and bush views.
Added to the NSW State Heritage Register in 2006, Fishwick is a rarity as one of only 13 remaining Griffin-designed houses. Its current condition is the result of more than 30 years of careful restoration by its current owners.
The home will be listed on the Modern House website, with viewings available by appointment.
For more coverage, see Peter Salhani’s story about the Fishwick House from Houses Issue 152. More

A family of five needed to adapt their inner-city Melbourne home, to suit their growing needs. Located in the vibrant suburb of Carlton North, the home, a double-fronted Victorian terrace, required a clever rework of its existing footprint to accommodate the next stage of life for the homeowners.
Project 12 Architecture were commissioned to transition the family home into a generous inner-city dwelling. The result comprises a master suite, three kids’ rooms, a guest room, kitchen, butler’s pantry, laundry, living, dining, rumpus, powder room, study and storage. “Intricate planning was required in order to achieve the result,” says Aimee Goodwin, director at Project 12 Architecture. “A fully functioning modern home for the family of five, which is reflective of its heritage.”

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Derek Swalwell

Contemporary updates are sensitive to the dwelling’s Victorian heritage and there is a strong emphasis on detailing and craftmanship throughout the home with the use of natural and sturdy materials such as Spotted Gum timber, marble and concrete. Big River Group’s premium plywood products in Spotted Gum were specified all through the interior, with the natural beauty of the species adding richness to the overall design.
“Use of Big River’s timber profiles throughout creates a sense of flow and cohesion,” Goodwin said. “Spotted Gum timber has been used for the flooring, wall panelling, joinery cabinetry and stairs to establish a subtle but undeniable connection between the various rooms and levels.”
Setting the tone for a warm and inviting atmosphere, Big River’s decorative plywood products, Armourpanel and Armourfloor are a popular choice for architects and builders because of their durability, versatility and aesthetic appeal. The profiles have been used extensively in the living areas and stairways where natural light filters through the home. Armourfloor’s special cross-ply manufacturing process means it can be stuck directly on to the floor without limitations for heating, resulting in a more effective response to hydronic under floor heating, which was requested by the homeowners.

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Image:

Derek Swalwell

Big River’s premium engineered wood product ArmourCab, enabled a seamless overall finish for the kitchen. Designed specifically for cabinetry and joinery applications, Project 12 Architecture were able to tonally blend the cabinetry with the walls and flooring. “The continuity contributes to a harmonious and visually cohesive space that feels connected and intentional, this was very important to our clients,” Goodwin said. “Working with Big River Group we had full confidence that the products were able to meet the demands both functionally and
With careful consideration of flow and use of space, the successful transformation has future proofed the beloved family home for its next phase. While distinct from the original building, a connection to its history is supported through the application of timeless and quality materials, robust enough to reflect and absorb the warmth and lively energy that will be generated over the years to come.
“Whilst not being opulent, the home had to be beautiful and functional, materials had to be selected for their quality and longevity. The home needed to stand the test of time,” Goodwin said.
For more information visit the Big River Group website. More

The Australian Institute of Architects has announced a second keynote speaker for its 2023 Australian Architecture Conference, to be held in Canberra. London-based Australian architect Kevin Carmody will be returning to his hometown of Canberra to share his memories of its modernist buildings and unique landscape – and discuss how they’ve influenced his architectural career. […] More

Five Australian landscape architecture practices have been shortlisted in a competition to design a two-hectare park in a new city development near the proposed Western Sydney Airport.
Arcadia Landscape Architecture, Aspect Studios, Hassell Studio, TCL, and Turf Design Studio are vying for the opportunity to create the “jewel in the crown” for Bradfield City Centre – a key arrival point for the development, and an important arts and culture hub.
Western Sydney Parklands Authority chair Jennifer Westacott said, “Investment in public spaces is important because a well-designed public space brings people and importantly businesses in, boosting the economic value of everything around it.
“Central Park is important to Bradfield City Centre because for many, it will be the first impression they have of Australia when they arrive from Western Sydney International Airport. It also needs to be a beautiful and functional space for visitors, workers and residents to gather, to play or rest and act as the perfect backdrop for performances and pop-up events.”

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Competition scheme for Bradfield Central Park by Aspect Studios. Image:

Courtesy Western Sydney Parkland Authority

The competing design teams will be consulting with Traditional Custodians throughout the competition process.
“As the principal gathering place with a strong identity celebrating First Nations people, recognizing culture and connection to Country, it was vital the Central Park design tells the stories of Country,” Westacott continued.
The competition will be judged by a jury that comprises James Corner (New York City’s High Line landscape architect), Abbie Galvin (NSW government architect), Kate Lucraft (Fluminis Design Advisory Services), Libby Gallagher (Gallagher Studio) and Clarence Slockee (Jiwah, and presenter on Gardening Australia).
“This is not just landscape, planting, and greening. Central Park will have significant cultural, economic, and environmental value,” said juror James Corner.
Bradfield City Centre is set to become Australia’s newest city, with the construction of the first building underway. Central Park is expected to be complete in late 2026. More

Held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre in Melbourne from 15 to 17 June, Design Show Australia is the nation’s largest exhibition for interiors, architecture and fit-out solutions, with a full program of speaker sessions across three stages. Here, we pick some of our stand highlights from the 2023 Melbourne show.
Nau / Cult

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Pa range from Nau by Cult Design, designed by Timothy Robertson. Image:

Amy Hemmings

High-end furniture retailer Cult showed an exclusive preview of its Pa range for its in-house brand Nau. Pa is designed by Sydney-based designer Timothy Robertson in a tribute to his father who is a furniture maker, and it is inspired by the peace and calm of Japanese gardens. The range of lounge and dining chairs and bar stools is made with native Australian timbers and American hardwoods, including silky oak, Victorian ash, blackwood and other standard Nau finishes. Pa is available on pre-order, with stock arriving in October 2023.
Klaylife

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Klaylife at Design Show Australia. Image:

Courtesy National Media

Klaylife is founded by Melbourne-based South African expats, who work with a community of women impacted by HIV in Kwazulu-Natal to create hand-beaded clay chandeliers. The pieces are made from raw clay that is then sun-dried and kiln-fired. Klaylife also stocks a range of clay lighting pieces from Spanish designer Pott.
Unox Casa

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Unox at Design Show Australia. Image:

Courtesy National Media

Commercial kitchen equipment manufacture Unox has launched a range of domestic ovens that allows the home cook to elevate their game to the Michelin-star league. Unox Casa’s SuperOven has features for grilling, frying, smoking, dehydrating, steaming and vacuum cleaning, and a built-in hood with carbon filters. All features are fully automated and can be activated with a touch-screen panel. Its Cook Like a Chef digital platform provides a range of demonstration videos, live masterclasses and real-time personal cooking training.
Zome Building Kit / Giant Grass
This do-it-yourself kit is made from precision-cut pieces of bamboo that clip together with nuts and bolts to create a geodesic dome that could be used as a backyard gazebo, a garden structure or a quiet hangout space in the office. The structure is lightweight and easy to assemble without the use of special tools. It is made by Giant Grass, which was founded by Australian-educated architecture graduates from India.
Space lounge

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Space lounge at Design Show Australia. Image:

Courtesy National Media

After a long day traversing the exhibition hall, you’re going to need a comfortable place to rest your feet, and the Space Furniture lounge was perfect for that. Featuring a collection of sofas and armchairs from B&B Italia, the Space lounge was a great place to sit, lie back and read a copy of Artichoke magazine. More

The Australian Institute of Architects has announced it will be purchasing a Karl Langer-designed former furniture showroom, which will be used for its new Queensland headquarters. The building at 620 Wickham Street in Fortitude Valley was originally designed by Karl Langer for West’s Furniture in 1953. A 2010 restoration by Riddel Architecture earned it a […] More