Architecture

The shortlist for the 20th annual Australian Interior Design Awards includes 38 projects in the Workplace Design category.
“Projects in the Workplace Design category cover a range of small, large and extra-large workplaces, with parallel levels of complexity. Themes relate to expression in plan, section and materials as they relate to workplace values and, ultimately, identity,” said juror Brian Donovan.
“Ideas as they relate to openness, sharing, sustainability and prudence, amongst others, are all evident. When one can theoretically work from anywhere, a critical characteristic of today’s workplace is the ‘offer’ of communal space and engagement.”
On the shortlist are:
181 William Lobby – BVN
255 George Street – Richards Stanisich
6PSQ NSW Government Fitout – Woods Bagot
70 George Street, Cox Sydney Studio – Cox Architecture
A Philanthropic Organisation – Paper
Bridge 17 – Smart Design Studio
Campbell House – Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
Canaccord Genuity – Hot Black
CBA Adelaide – Davenport Campbell
Cornwalls Law and More – Studio 103
Corrs Chambers Westgarth – Bates Smart
Craftworks – Sora Interior Architecture and Design
Darlinghurst Workplace – BVN
IAG Workplace Brisbane – Cox Architecture
JCB Studio – Jackson Clements Burrows
L1 Capital – Made For
MA Financial Group – The Stella Collective
Mecca Support Centre – Studio Tate
Miele HQ – WMK Architecture
MinRes HQ – Milieu Creative
Minter Ellison – Carr
NAB Place – Hassell
Newmont – Rezen Studio
Nux Studio – Sibling Architecture
Onyx – Hiro Design
Private Finance – Bates Smart
Riverlee Workplace – Studio Tate
Sheeth Headquarters – Studio Prineas
Slattery Melbourne – Elenberg Fraser
South Wharf Tower Business Lounge – Craig Tan Architects
Suncorp HQ – Hassell
Sunshine Coast City Hall – Cottee Parker Architects and Comuniti
The Commons George Street – Design Office
The Commons Surry Hills – Design Office
The Grosvenor Business Lounge – Design Office
The Workplace Kane Built – ARM Architecture
Wingate – Axiom Workplaces
Yirranma Place – SJB
The Australian Interior Design Awards is co-presented by the Design Institute of Australia and Artichoke magazine. The Workplace Design category is supported by Laminex. See the full gallery of shortlisted project on the Australian Interior Design Awards website. More

Plans have been submitted for a build-to-rent apartment tower on a site in Woollongabba, covering three lots at 62–68 Carl Street. The site location is south of the Gabba stadium precinct, across the road from Buranda Village shopping centre and in close proximity to the Princess Alexandra Hospital. Designed by Cottee Parker, the 12-storey build-to-rent […] More

Randwick City Council has unveiled a draft masterplan to turn Maroubra Junction into a pedestrian-centred green boulevard. Designed by Group GSA, the draft masterplan attempts to reimagine the town centre, currently dominated by traffic, as a centre that prioritises community space and carless commuters. The 15-year plan proposes to enhance pedestrian access along Anzac Parade […] More

The Development WA board has decided not to proceed with a $218 million proposal to redevelop the East Perth Power Station. The proposal from the Koomba Kalark Joint Venture included a concept design from Kerry Hill Architects, and a later design by Woods Bagot, to transform the heritage-listed former power station into a residential, commercial, […] More

Construction has begun on Brisbane’s new Olympic-standard cycling venue – the Murarrie Recreation Reserve International Cycle Park project. Designs for the $35-million recreational upgrade project were released in 2022 and include an international-standard cycling track designed by Bligh Tanner, as well as a 500-metre speed skating track and a multi-purpose clubhouse by Cox Architecture. The […] More

Minister for Creative Industries Steve Dimopulous revealed the 2022 winners of the Victorian Premier’s Design Awards on 16 March, recognizing innovation across the state’s design community.
The annual awards celebrate local design excellence and promote the role of design in making products, spaces and experiences feel more functional, communal, safe, efficient, and sustainable. Dimopoulos said these awards showcase the “remarkable work of Victorian designers” who create spaces and objects that better the way we live. “Our design industry continues to be among the best in the world and that’s why we are celebrating our talent that is based right here in Victoria,” Dimopulous said.
This year’s top prize – the Victorian Premier’s Design Award of the Year – went to the Victorian Pride Centre in St Kilda, designed by Brearley Architects and Urbanists, Grant Amon Architects, WSP and Peter Felicetti, which also Best in Category for Architectural Design. The Victorian Pride Centre is the first purpose-built centre of its type in Australia. The judges praised the facility for its “deep sense of place and historical connection to St Kilda’s LGBTIQ+ communities.”

View gallery

Grampians Peak Trail (Gariwerd) Stage Two by McGregor Coxall with Noxon Giffen, Parks Victoria, OPS Engineers, Barengi Gadjin Land Council, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation and Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. Image:

Shannon McGrath

Highly commended in the Architectural Design category was Grampians Peak Trail (Gariwerd) Stage Two by McGregor Coxall with Noxon Giffen, Parks Victoria, OPS Engineers, Barengi Gadjin Land Council, Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation and Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.
The annual awards program acknowledged outstanding design across eight categories: architectural, communication, digital, product, fashion, service, student and design strategy. This year’s winners were selected from a shortlist of 93 finalists and more than 240 entries.
The Victorian Premier’s Design Awards are managed by Good Design Australia on behalf of the Victorian Government. View the full list of winners on the Premier’s Design Awards website. More

Organizers of the inaugural Perth Design Week have revealed the flagship program for the city-wide event, which will take place from 23 to 30 March, showcasing the design highlights of Boorloo (Perth) and surrounding suburbs.
Taking place over seven days, the program offers a diverse selection of events, including design talks, exhibitions, walking tours, workshops, and discussions. The inaugural Perth Design Week has been delivered by co-curators architect Sandy Anghie and designer David Smith, following the format of design weeks in other cities such as Melbourne and London.
The event creates an opportunity for Perth to recognize its design community across the disciplines of architecture, interior design, landscaping, planning, fashion, graphic design and product design.
Anghie describes the event as a “coalition of the willing,” acknowledging the tireless efforts of organizers to bring together the flagship program. “We believe Perth will whole heartedly welcome and embrace the festival,” she said. “Whether you’re a design professional, design student, or just design-curious, there’s an abundance to explore.”
The program covers a variety of topics, including sustainability, authentic Aboriginal engagement in design and planning, women in architecture, and the value of good design.
Program highlights include the Perth Unbuilt exhibition at WA Museum Boola Bardip, looking at a series of unrealised designs by Perth architecture studios; the Women in Architecture and Film conversation presented in collaboration with the Office of the Government Architect; and the Regenerative Design Round Table.
For more information, visit the Perth Design Week website. More

Scott Carver has unveiled a design for the redevelopment of the former Balmain Leagues Club in Rozelle, inner-west Sydney.
Plans for the disused site include a mixed-use precinct organized around a central village square, comprising a series of laneways and a major retail hub with apartments above.
The architect said the project is a “true mixed-use precinct,” comprising high-end residential apartments, alongside a supermarket, commercial and community spaces, a central plaza, and a new West Ashfield Leagues Club.
Situated on a corner site bordered by Victoria Road, Darling Street and Waterloo Street, the former club site has been closed for more than 12 years and was devastated by a fire in 2022.

View gallery

Render of community hub in Rozelle, featuring a retail precinct and high-end apartments. Image:

Scott Carver

The developer recently lodged an amendment to the approved development application, seeking to reduce the number of proposed apartments from 167 to 147, while also increasing the proportion of two- and three-bedroom apartments. The project seeks to transform a “historically significant site [into a] cultural and community-focused place” for locals to live, work and play, Scott Carver said.
The project’s materiality will feature a “contemporary, contextual character,” the architect said, realised through a series of cascading terraced brickwork buildings.
The buildings are organized around a public plaza and village square, and collectively respond to the scale and texture of the urban condition that the site fronts. The podium forms – each between two and three storeys – create a network of pedestrian links through the site, and colonnades will draw visitors through the ground plane into the central plaza.
The articulated tower forms will float above the red brick podiums, containing the residential apartment levels. The buildings will feature expressive facades incorporating vertical and horizontal elements alike, while winter gardens will be incorporated on the Victoria Road front to transition to open balconies that face over the plaza and Waterloo Street.
The development will feature a variety of private and communal garden spaces to enhance user wellbeing and provide visual appeal throughout the precinct.
Construction is expected to commence in mid-2023 with completion slated for 2025. More