Architecture

Levantine Hill Estate has received council approval for a $20-million, Fender Katsalidis-designed hotel to be built on its estate.
Fender Katsalidis previously designed the $30-million avant-garde winery, restaurant and function space for Levantine Hill Estate completed in 2021, drawing its “bucolic” character from the scenes of the Yarra Valley.
Fender Katsalidis director Karl Fender was since engaged to design the 2900-square-metre, 33-room boutique accommodation, with earth works now expected to start early 2023.
Stage one of the hotel will complement the existing cellar door restaurant and wine production facility, while plans for a second, 47-room hotel will be submitted for approval mid-2023.
The accommodation ventures are intended to respond to untapped demand for additional premium accomodation in the Yarra Valley, to cater for weddings, conferences and trade events.

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The boutique 33-key hotel will be located a short walk from the existing buildings and connected by a village green Image:

Fender Katsalidis

Fender said the hotel design addresses the challenge of sensitive integration, employing a linear form that reduces its visual impact while capitalising on views.
“There was a conscious decision to create a soft, complementary architecture to the two distinctive buildings already completed,” said Fender. “The design is informed by the functions of the building and responds to its placement in the landscape.”
The two-storey structure will incorporate materials used in the existing cellar door building, including silver top ash and exposed concrete finishes. “The raw, natural elements and finishes will weather naturally and patina elegantly with age in harmony with the environment,” Fender added.
Each guest room will features its now circular spa baths and private balconies, while a bridal suite will include its own dressing room, cellar and bar, to address demand for wedding experiences.
Levantine Estate managing director Samantha Jreissati said the new offering will help the winery to fully realise its aspirations, blending architectural excellence with quality wine in the Yarra Valley.
“We are simply filling a gap in our existing offering and aim to provide better facilities and a seamless experience for our patrons,” she said. More

Sydney-based Drew Dickson Architects has won a design competition for a mixed-use development at 58 Anderson Street, Chatswood, New South Wales. A competitive design process was undertaken in June 2022, following which the jury unanimously agreed on the scheme submitted by Drew Dickson Architects as the preferred scheme. The jury commented the submission provided a […] More

Construction is now underway on the restoration and redevelopment of the Forestry building in Hobart after the project was approved by the City of Hobart in May 2022. Formerly the headquarters for Forestry Tasmania, the iconic domed building has ben vacant for several years following Forestry Tasmania vacating the premises in 2017. The University of […] More

The Australian Institute of Architects has appointed a new CEO after an extensive search.
University of Queensland dean of architecture Cameron Bruhn will take on the role from interim CEO Barry Whitmore. Former CEO Julia Cambage resigned from the role in November 2021.
“On behalf of the Board, I am thrilled to announce Cameron’s appointment as our new CEO,” said Peter Hobbs, board chair and national council director of the Institute.
“During what was a rigorous recruitment that produced a number of high-quality candidates, Cameron impressed us with his grasp of our organisation, of the key issues that our profession faces, and with his sense of energy and optimism that he will bring to the role.
“Cameron’s experience in the industry, in his role as editorial director of Architecture Australia and as Dean of Architecture at UQ – in addition to his absolute love of the profession – makes him the ideal leader to move the Institute forward.”
Bruhn was editorial director of Architecture Media from 2009 to 2018.
“Cameron is going to bring a special energy to the Institute,” Hobbs continued.
“As an educator, we expect he will engage with SONA and EmAGN and harness the energy of this important cohort, as an excellent communicator, he will become an effective advocate to various stakeholders including government, industry partners and the private sector.
“Cameron will be an excellent voice for the issues most important to the Institute – inclusivity, sustainability, and the public recognition of the significant role Architects play in shaping our community”.
Bruhn said his vision for the Institute “is for a lively and sustainable peak body, positioning it as a critical infrastructure that anticipates and nurtures the needs of the membership and addresses the complex demands of a career in the profession.
“In parallel, I will use my ability to advocate and connect with the diverse industry and government stakeholders who shape the built environment to give clarion voice to the value and impact of the profession and its contribution to the lives of people, places and communities.”
“The Institute has made an august contribution to the progress of Australian architecture, and I will work to positively lead the organisation toward its centenary and beyond.”
Bruhn holds a Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Queensland and a practice-based PhD from RMIT University. He is also author of MMXX – Two Decades of Architecture in Australia, co-author of The New Queensland House, and co-editor of The Forever House, The Terrace House and The Apartment House (all published by Thames and Hudson). He will assume the role on 11 April 2023. More

A development application for a 13-storey mixed-use building designed by Tzannes has been lodged with the City of Sydney. The site, owned by NGI Investments, is located at the intersection of Martin Place and Wynyard Park at 4-6 York Street in Sydney’s CBD. It is currently the only undeveloped site on York Street. Construction and […] More

Gilad Ritz and Jean-Paul Ghougassian of Melbourne-based practice Ritz and Ghougassian established their architecture and interior design studio in 2015, specializing in clean forms influenced by a reductionist philosophy. Striving to achieve more with less in their restrained design approach, Ritz and Ghougassian create spaces that have a considered materiality and a sense of volume and lightness, as well as an intimate relationship with their immediate contexts.
The duo said their five favourite objects were unified by two themes: they all “enveloped space and contained volume”, and they shared “patina and haptic qualities”.
Unjour shallow mug by Yumiko Iihoshi Porcelain
Gilad Ritz: Its fine porcelain edge tucks under my top lip while the broad surface of its exterior shell rests across the bottom of my mouth, and I gently receive a dose of warm liquid.
This Yumiko Iihoshi Porcelain-designed Unjour shallow coffee cup I use each morning requires mention. Nothing could be more intimate than putting something to one’s lips. This also forms my morning ritual.

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Unjour après midi shallow cup by Yumiko Iihoshi Porcelain, shown in colour “rainy gray”. Image:

Courtesy of Yumiko Iihoshi Porcelain

David Mellor spoon
GR: I hold the metal in my hand; its long, flat handle is weighted and cold to the touch, with rounded, tapered edges. Fine line markings relay light upwards along the length of it, flashing and disappearing into the void of the convex vessel.
The spoon, designed as part of David Mellor’s Minimal stainless steel cutlery set, is a favourite of mine. Its heavy, metal surface and reduced appearance align with my design sensibility. Many meals can simply be consumed with a spoon.

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Spoon from the David Mellor Minimal stainless steel cutlery collection. Image:

Courtesy of David Mellor

Richard Sapper Tizio light
Jean-Paul Ghougassian: Metallic, angled and counterbalanced, the Tizio (designed by Richard Sapper) is an architectural expression. The light itself has sentimental value to me: it was a hand-me-down from my father, and in turn, it lights up my work as it did his. Its halogen light is hot, unlike the LEDs in the remake, and it warms the surface beneath it.

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Richard Sapper Tizio light. Image:

Courtesy of Richard Sapper Design

Funnel planter by Anchor Ceramics
JPG: Our Anchor Funnel Planter earthenware pot is a studio favourite: speckled, glazed, and of-the-earth. Each pot is different and unique, reflective of the hand that throws the clay. I enjoy the versatility of the object: it can both contain soil and receive water to sustain plant life, but – equally beautiful – it can contain emptiness and nothingness.

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Anchor funnel planter. Image:

Courtesy of Anchor

Studio table, designed by Ritz and Ghougassian and made by Adrian Hall of H and F Custom Joinery
GR + JPG: Our studio table – solid blackbutt timber glued together to create a smooth, flat, planar surface. Its timber grain is clean and very linear for a eucalyptus hardwood. Its legs are planar too, intersecting one another at 90°. Each timber strip was picked to match its neighbour. Every meeting we’ve had in the office occurs here. The table has developed a patina, a layer of time across its surface. It has the handprints of carpenters, builders, designers and clients adhered to its surface.

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Blackbutt timber table in the Ritz and Ghougassian Toorak studio. Image:

Tom Ross More

Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Arata Isozaki has passed away at his home on the prefecture of Okinawa, aged 91.
Isozaki died on 28 December 2022 of “natural causes,” a statement from his office read. A private funeral service was held for close relatives only.
Isozaki was born in Oita, Japan, in 1931, and studied architecture and engineering at the University of Tokyo, graduating in 1954 before completing his doctoral program at the same university in 1961. He maintained that his path to architecture was deeply influenced by the destruction he witnessed in the Hiroshima bombings during World War II, when he was just 14 years old.
“My first experience of architecture was the void of architecture, and I began to consider how people might rebuild their homes and cities,” Isozaki said during his Pritzker Prize acceptance speech in 2019. The 46th recipient of the prestigious prize, Isozaki was also awarded the RIBA Royal Gold Medal in 1986 and the Leone d’Oro at the Venice Architectural Biennale in 1996.
Isozaki leaves behind a six-decade career in architecture, with more than 100 buildings to his name across Asia, Europe, North America, the Middle East and Australia, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (1986), Kitakyushu Central Library in Fukuoka (1974), and Ark Nova with artist Anish Kapoor (2013).
His style “defies categorization,” the Pritzker jury said, embracing the avant-garde and frequently challenging the status quo. His buildings, written works, exhibitions and lectures have had a notable impact on the industry across both the East and the West, and he is often cited as the first Japanese architect to forge a deep and lasting relationship between the two cultures.
The 2019 jury described Isozaki as “a versatile, influential, and truly international architect.” More