Architecture

A proposal to build Australia’s tallest building in Southport on the Gold Coast has received approval from the City of Gold Coast.
Named One Park Lane, the project comprises a 101-storey, 197-apartment residential tower that is set to reach nearly 400 metres in height and a neighbouring 60-storey commercial office tower with more than 11,600 square metres of office space.
The initial concept design for One Park Lane was prepared in 2022 by BKK Architects and further developed by Cottee Parker for a development application lodged in June 2025. Landscape architecture practice TCL undertook the landscape design for the project.
The towers rise from an elevated, splayed podium, supported by root-like columns inspired by the Moreton Bay fig tree. A landscaped forecourt beneath the podium canopy will provide public amenity and link the ground-floor entry atriums of both buildings.
The towers will also be linked via a fully glazed skybridge on the twenty-second floor. The bridge is proposed to contain within it a hospitality offering, landscaped areas, seating and 360-degree views of the city. Inside the skybridge and residential amenity levels, sculptural columns echo the organic form of the external root-like columns rising from the ground plane.
Described on the One Park Lane website as “harmonious in colour,” the towers are set to be clad in high-performance glazing in a dark shade of grey. Transparent glass wrapping the communal areas of the residential tower and the skybridge punctuates the facade, creating a delineation between public and private spaces.
Construction on the project is anticipated to commence in early 2026. More

In a recently released report, the Grattan Institute has recommended that three-storey townhouses and apartments should be permitted on all residential-zoned land in all capital cities, and that housing developments of six storeys or more should be allowed as-of-right near major transit hubs and commercial centres.
According to a communique from the Grattan Institute, the report, titled More homes, better cities: Letting more people live where they want, argues for these changes as part of “a concerted policy assault on Australia’s housing crisis.”
The report found that housing in Australia’s capital cities is among the least affordable in the world as a result of “restrictive” planning controls limiting supply. According to the media communique, about 80 percent of all residential land within 30 kilometres of Sydney’s centre, and 87 percent in Melbourne, is zoned for housing of three storeys or fewer, and three quarters or more of residential land in Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide is zoned for two storeys or fewer.
The Grattan Institute’s media release states, “We have a housing affordability crisis that is dividing families and communities and robbing young Australians of their best chance in life. The key problem is that state and territory land-use planning systems say ‘no’ to new housing by default, and ‘yes’ only by exception.”
“Allowing more housing in established suburbs would mean cheaper housing in all suburbs,” the release reads.
According to modelling from the Grattan Institute, the proposed reforms could enable the construction of 67,000 new homes across Australia every year, which, over the course of a decade, would cut rents by 12 percent and reduce the cost of a median-priced home by $100,000.
The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) has responded to the report with concern, noting in a communique that while the country needs more well-located homes and faster approvals, “the Grattan Institute’s proposal for blanket upzoning is the wrong tool for the job, [as] it risks more congestion, stretched services and less liveable cities.”
“Simply rezoning more land won’t deliver more homes if the construction industry can’t build them and if the infrastructure isn’t in place,” PIA CEO Matt Collins said. “Simpler processes and better planning systems are essential, but weakening planning just adds pressure to infrastructure, increases congestion, and makes communities worse off.”
The PIA supports greater housing density in well-located areas, but argues that sequenced planning is key to directing growth to areas with capacity to support it, making housing delivery sustainable, more efficient and cost-effective for both developers and government.
“If we upzone everywhere, we create infrastructure pressures everywhere,” the PIA’s release reads. “Governments can’t upgrade roads, schools and pipes in every suburb all at once. Communities will wait longer for the services that make neighbourhoods liveable.”
Collins cautioned that, in his opinion, “the real challenge to housing production is the construction sector’s ability to deliver.”
“Our construction sector is stretched and builders are struggling to deliver existing approvals, with labour shortages, material delays and cost pressures,” he said. “Adding another 67,000 homes a year on top of that isn’t realistic without serious investment in workforce, supply chains and infrastructure coordination.”
According to the PIA, close to 100,000 lots in Queensland held active planning approvals but had not been developed as of December 2024. In Victoria, the number of undeveloped approved dwellings, including houses, townhouses and units, was just shy of 120,000 in 2023.
“Good planning enables more housing and creates predictability, transparency and confidence for the community, developers and governments alike. The Grattan Institute’s approach risks doing the opposite,” Collins said.
The Grattan Institute’s report can be accessed online. More

Seventeen distinguished residential projects received either an award or a commendation, out of a total of 46 recognised architecture projects at the 2025 National Architecture Awards.
Among the top honours, Hedge and Arbour House by Studio Bright in Melbourne was awarded the prestigious Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New), while Niwa House by John Ellway in Brisbane received the acclaimed Eleanor Cullis-Hill Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions).
New Castle by Anthony St John Parsons was the only residential project to receive more than one award, winning both the National Award for Interior Architecture and the National Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New).
Jury chair and immediate past national president of the Institute Jane Cassidy commented that the celebrated projects demonstrate a transition “to sustainable low-operational and embodied carbon; to passive-first, all-electric principles; to local and ethical sourcing; to caring for Country; to regenerative practice and embedded biodiversity, social inclusion and connectedness; to waste minimisation and adaptive reuse and recycling; and away from the excesses of the past.”
“The projects we encountered this year are more than structures: they are systems of care, of connection, of transformation,” she said. “This year we have seen a body of work that is unafraid to ask difficult questions – about equity, climate and care.”
Alongside Cassidy, the 2025 jury comprised Ninotschka Titchkosky, architectural innovator; Yang Yang Lee, architect at Lee Yang Yang Architect; Martyn Hook, professor at RMIT University and founding director at Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects; and Kavita Gonsalves, associate principal and sustainability design lead Asia-Pacific at Populous. You can read the jury chair’s overview here.
The residential winners are:
Interior Architecture
The Emil Sodersten Award
Babylon House – Casey Brown Architecture
National Awards
New Castle – Anthony St John Parsons
Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
The Robin Boyd Award
Hedge and Arbour House – Studio Bright

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National Awards
Lagoon House – Peter Stutchbury Architecture
Mapleton House – Atelier Chen Hung
New Castle – Anthony St John Parsons
National Commendation
Henville Street House – Philip Stejskal Architecture
Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)
The Eleanor Cullis-Hill Award
Niwa House – John Ellway

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National Awards
Gunn Ridge House – Kennedy Nolan
The Stopover – Taylor Buchtmann Architecture
National Commendations
Carlton Cottage – Lovell Burton Architecture
Cloaked House – Trias
Shadow House – Grotto Studio
Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing
The Frederick Romberg Award
Blok Three Sisters – Blok Modular in collaboration with Vokes and Peters

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National Awards
Indi Sydney – Bates Smart
Shiel Street North Melbourne, Community Housing Project – Clare Cousins Architects
National Commendation
Sirius Redevelopment – BVN More

The winners of the Australian Institute of Architects 2025 National Architecture Awards have been revealed at a ceremony held at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.
Forty-six distinguished projects have earned an award or commendation from a pool of 77 shortlisted entries.
Jury chair and immediate past national president of the Institute Jane Cassidy commented that the celebrated projects demonstrate a transition “to sustainable low-operational and embodied carbon; to passive-first, all-electric principles; to local and ethical sourcing; to caring for Country; to regenerative practice and embedded biodiversity, social inclusion and connectedness; to waste minimisation and adaptive reuse and recycling; and away from the excesses of the past.”
“The projects we encountered this year are more than structures: they are systems of care, of connection, of transformation,” she said. “This year we have seen a body of work that is unafraid to ask difficult questions – about equity, climate and care.”
“In an era defined by climate urgency, digital disruption and social fragmentation, the national awards provide more than recognition – they offer a compass. They help us navigate toward a built environment that is generous, grounded and just. They remind us that architecture is not just about what we build, but how we build, and for whom,” Cassidy added.
Alongside Cassidy, the 2025 jury comprised Ninotschka Titchkosky FRAIA, architectural innovator; Yang Yang Lee RAIA, architect at Lee Yang Yang Architect; Martyn Hook RAIA, professor at RMIT University and founding director at Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects; and Kavita Gonsalves, associate principal and sustainability design lead Asia-Pacific at Populous. You can read the jury chair’s overview here.
The winners are:
Public Architecture
The Sir Zelman Cowen Award
Yarrila Place – BVN

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National Awards
Eva and Marc Besen Centre – Kerstin Thompson Architects
Truganina Community Centre – Jasmax (Canvas Projects)
National Commendations
Allan Border Oval Pavilion – Archer Office
Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre – Lyons
Educational Architecture
The Daryl Jackson Award
James Cook University Engineering and Innovation Place – Kirk with I4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects

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National Awards
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School Rosebery – Neeson Murcutt Neille
The Shed, University of Tasmania – Wardle
National Commendation
Pascoe Vale Primary School – Kosloff Architecture
Commercial Architecture
The Harry Seidler Award
Northern Memorial Park Depot – Searle x Waldron Architecture

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National Award
Everlane Cremorne – Fieldwork
National Commendations
39 Martin Place – Tzannes (lead architect) and Lendlease Integrated Solutions (executive architect)
Melbourne Place – Kennedy Nolan
The St Lukes Building – Terroir
Interior Architecture
The Emil Sodersten Award
Babylon House – Casey Brown Architecture

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National Awards
Melbourne Place – Kennedy Nolan
New Castle – Anthony St John Parsons
National Commendation
Boot Factory and Mill Hill Centre Precinct – Archer Office
Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
The Robin Boyd Award
Hedge and Arbour House – Studio Bright

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National Awards
Lagoon House – Peter Stutchbury Architecture
Mapleton House – Atelier Chen Hung
New Castle – Anthony St John Parsons
National Commendation
Henville Street House – Philip Stejskal Architecture
Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)
The Eleanor Cullis-Hill Award
Niwa House – John Ellway

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National Awards
Gunn Ridge House – Kennedy Nolan
The Stopover – Taylor Buchtmann Architecture
National Commendations
Carlton Cottage – Lovell Burton Architecture
Cloaked House – Trias
Shadow House – Grotto Studio
Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing
The Frederick Romberg Award
Blok Three Sisters – Blok Modular in collaboration with Vokes and Peters

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National Awards
Indi Sydney – Bates Smart
Shiel Street North Melbourne, Community Housing Project – Clare Cousins Architects
National Commendation
Sirius Redevelopment – BVN
Sustainable Architecture
The David Oppenheim Award
First Building – Bradfield City Centre – Hassell

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National Award
Metronet Morley-Ellenbrook Line Project – Woods Bagot with TRCB, TCL and UDLA
National Commendations
Canberra Hospital Expansion – BVN
Flinders Chase Visitors Centre – Troppo Architects
Heritage Architecture
The Lachlan Macquarie Award
Parliament of NSW Restoration – Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and Purcell Architecture

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National Award
The Australian War Memorial New Entrance and Parade Ground – Studio SC
Urban Design
The Walter Burley Griffin Award
Sydney Metro City Stations – Sydney Metro
International Architecture
Australian Award
Reuben College – FJC Studio

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Small Project Architecture
National Awards
Denman Village Park Amenities – Carter Williamson Architects
Geelong Laneways: Malop Arcade – NMBW Architecture Studio with Aspect Studios
National Commendation
Sofia Bistro – Sans-Arc Studio
Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture
Flinders Chase Visitors Centre – Troppo Architects
Enduring Architecture
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Cultural Centre – Gregory Burgess
National Emerging Architect Prize
Kali Marnane More

The winners and finalists of the 2025 Victorian School Design Awards have been announced, celebrating the state government’s “world-class learning spaces” across the state.
The awards program was open to architects and principal designers of Victorian government school projects or Victorian government-funded kindergartens or early learning facilities, completed between June 2023 and June 2025. According to a government media communique, this year’s awards received a record number of entries across schools, early childhood, and First Nations design categories.
The winners are:
Best new kindergarten or early learning facility
JFK Design for St Kilda and Balaclava Kindergarten
Best school project – below $5 million
WHDA for Swan Hill Specialist School
Best school project – between $5 million and $15 million
BSPN Architecture for Moonee Ponds West Primary School
Best school project – above $15 million
Kerstin Thompson Architects for Northcote High School
Best project – First Nations design
ARM Architecture for the Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence
Minister’s Award
Perkins Architects for Footscray City Primary School

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Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll offered his congratulations to all the winners and finalists, describing them as “an integral part of [the state’s] nation-leading education construction boom.”
Minister for Children Lizzie Blandthorn added, “These outstanding designs show how we’re creating inspiring spaces where every Victorian child can thrive from the very start.”
The full list of winners and finalists can be accessed online. More

Populous and Stewart Architecture have been appointed to deliver the reference design and design brief for the most significant update of the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra since it opened in 1981, more than four decades ago.
The two architecture firms will be joined by Ngurra Advisory, guiding Indigenous consultation, and Arcadia Landscape Architecture, responsible for the landscape design.
The AIS Podium Project, commissioned by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC), involves the construction of three new buildings for use by athletes training for Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games, as well as other world championship events. The project includes a multi-storey accommodation building for more than 200 athletes, an indoor sports dome for all-weather training, and a high performance training and testing centre to be established at the 163-acre campus in Canberra’s northern suburb of Bruce.
According to a communique from the architects, the brief from ASC calls for buildings that meet high environmental standards, use passive design strategies and allow for future adaptability.
Practice principal of Stewart Architecture Marcus Graham said the firms’ aim is to deliver inclusive, efficient facilities that work together as a cohesive campus. The communique notes that the campus will be designed to accommodate users of all ages and abilities, from young to mature athletes, along with coaches and support staff.

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Aside from an upgrade to the multipurpose AIS Arena in 2024, the campus has seen little change since it was first built. Director and senior principal at Populous Al Baxter noted that when the AIS first opened in the 1980s, it set a global benchmark for high-performance sport.
“The model was replicated by countries around the world … As we head to the Brisbane Games in 2032, these works will ensure a new legacy and long-term value for Australia and its athletes,” said Baxter.
The reference design and design brief are expected to be finalised in 2025, with the infrastructure anticipated to be delivered in time for key sporting events, including the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the 2030 Commonwealth Games and Brisbane 2032.
The final design will be shaped by consultation with athletes and will require approval from the National Capital Authority. More

The Victorian government has announced a ten-year plan that would see more than 5,800 hectares of greenfield sites across Melbourne and regional Victoria transformed into industrial land. According to the government’s media release, their vision is “to create jobs, attract investment, and give business the certainty it needs to grow.”
Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny commented, “We’re unlocking the land we need for the industries that power our economy – from freight and logistics to advanced manufacturing. This 10-year plan is about backing industry, backing jobs, and backing Victoria’s economy for the long-haul.”
The ten-year plan establishes a timeline for the release and rezoning of what the government describes as the state’s “most valuable tracts of industrial land,” in particular, the northern and western growth corridors of Melbourne and regional Victoria. Sites currently targeted include Merrifield North, Derrimut Fields, Altona North and Hastings, along with the regional precincts of Ballarat, Bendigo, Parwan and Avalon.
In addition, the government is accelerating rezoning by allowing parts of unzoned precincts to be fast-tracked if the required planning and infrastructure is already in place.
According to their vision, the state’s industrial land will need to cater for increased demand in warehouses and distribution centres, resulting from e-commerce and increased productivity from advanced manufacturing, automation and AI.
“AI is booming and data centres are the foundation of the digital economy. Availability of well-located and serviced industrial land in Melbourne is essential to support sector growth, offering ready access to skilled workers and proximity to clients advanced education and research services. The Victorian government is working to ensure that the energy and water needs of the sector can be sustainably met,” the plan reads.
In addition to ensuring industrial precincts are “powered sustainably by renewable energy”, the government’s emphasis is on “creat[ing] welcoming environments for workers and visitors. This includes high quality design and landscaping, public spaces and walking paths, wayfinding signage, lighting and security, and natural light integration into work spaces.”
The government expects the plan to unlock approximately $9.5 billion in new investment once fully developed.
Minister for Economic Growth Danny Pearson said, “This plan gives business confidence, cuts delays, and backs the people who build things, make things and move things – creating jobs and keeping Victoria’s economy strong.” More

Plans for a Wardle-designed commercial development on the edge of Hobart’s CBD are currently being exhibited via the City of Hobart’s major planning applications portal.
The proposal seeks to replace an existing locksmith’s building on a corner lot at 240–244 Murray Street with a new, five-storey building, which includes a flexible ground floor suited to a showroom or hospitality use, complete with end-of-trip facilities, three storeys of commercial office space above, and a fifth-floor roof terrace and meeting room.
According to the architect’s statement, “The building pays homage to Hobart’s history through its design, subtly referencing the Hobart union marches, ensuring the project contributes not only to the economic but also the cultural fabric of the city.”

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At the ground floor, the proposal adopts a rhythmic arrangement of concrete “marching columns” that nod to the city’s history of unionisation, which, according to the architect’s statement, originated with craft-based workers in the 1830s and ultimately led to the eight-hour workday that was secured by the city’s stonemasons in 1856. These columns are designed to anchor the corner of the site while giving pedestrians clear sightlines through the glazed ground floor envelope.
Above, a raked form tapers down toward the cluster of heritage red-brick dwellings on the site’s southern side. The proposal’s rippled precast concrete envelope, punctured with shrouded portal windows, draws inspiration from the character of the adjacent streets, along with the forms of protest banners historically displayed during union marches.

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At the roof terrace, the design of the building again nods to the city’s waterfront as a gathering point for early union marches, with key openings providing glimpses of the bay along with curated views of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington. On this level, the proposed landscaping aims to integrate Palawa knowledge of Indigenous flora, with native grasses and ground covers, as well as small banksia trees.
The advertised plans can be viewed online until 6 November. More