Subterms
The South Australian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects has named the recipient of the 2023 Jack Hobbs McConnell Travelling Fellowship, awarded to a promising designer (usually South Australia-based) to undertake an independent research program or course to further study in architecture or a related field. Recent graduate of the University of South Australia […] More
The Australian Institute of Architects has issued feedback on the NSW government’s Building Legislation Amendment Regulation 2023, held on 27 February, describing the government amendments to the building classes regulation as a “missed opportunity.”
“While we have been encouraged by the quality and the nation-leading volume of work which has been undertaken by the NSW government on these reforms to date, we believe the new Amendment Regulation is a backward step in the protection of consumers in NSW,” a spokesperson for the Institute said.
The regulation applies to Class 3 buildings – which the building authority defines as buildings that are “a common place of long term or transient living for a number of unrelated people,” including “care-type” facilities such as accommodation buildings for children, the elderly and people with disability – and Class 9c buildings, which are residential care buildings that contain 10 percent or more residents in need of physical assistance in conducting their daily activities.
The Institute said that endorsing an unrestricted class of building designer to document these classes of building will have negative outcomes for the community’s most vulnerable residents accommodated by these buildings.
“The Institute believes an unrestricted class of building designer may result in unintended consequences; will reduce consumer protection; and will impair international recognition of our skills base by indicating that an Architect and Building Designer (Level 1) are equivalent in terms of their education, skills, experience, ongoing professional development, regulation, and expertise,” a spokesperson for the Institute said.
The Institute said that the skills of an architect and a building designer (level 1) are “clearly not the same” and that conflating these two professions is signalling to the market, misleadingly, that the product delivered by the two will be of the same quality.
“Registration as an architect requires five years of full-time study to masters level, meeting a National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA), 3300 hours of logged, verified and supervised practice which can take up to five years to achieve, and then completing an architectural practice exam administered nationally by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia,” the Institute continued.
“Alternatively, building designers do not need to meet all these stringent requirements. It is critical to note that under the current DBP [Design and Building Practitioners] Act and Regulation, some fully registered and experienced architects are restricted from operating as Design Practitioners – Architectural due to the stringent new experience parameters.”
NSW Chapter president Adam Haddow said consumers should feel confident that the designing of complex buildings for the most vulnerable will always be put in the hands of those with the highest level of qualification and expertise. More
The New South Wales government’s Land and Housing Corporation (LAHC) has submitted a development application for the demolition of existing buildings at 82 Wentworth Park Road, Glebe, for the construction of an SJB-designed, four-storey affordable residential building.
The site covers an area of around 1,600 square metres, bound by Wentworth Park Road to the east, Bellevue Street to the west, Cardigan Street on the south side, and the Glebe and Wentworth Park railway viaducts to the north. It currently contains a block of 17 semi-detached apartments and townhouses, comprising two- and three-storey masonry dwellings from the 1970s and ’80s designed by NSW Housing Commission.
Estimated to cost around $22 million, the multiresidential building is designed for older social housing residents, and would include lifts and other amenities to enable accessibility. The proposed architectural designs have been prepared by SJB for a four-storey building that would contain 43 affordable dwellings, made up of one- and two-bedroom apartments.
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The proposed design uses a palette of terracotta and white brick to complement the materiality of the existing heritage buildings in the neighbourhood. Image:
SJB Architects
According to LAHC, the residential building will be “modern and energy-efficient” to reduce residents’ bills and energy consumption. The design incorporates a green roof, intended to improve the outlook and extend the local ecological function. The planting selection aims to support a diversity of wildlife by incorporating a “living roof” into the urban environment. SJB said a diversity of wildflowers across all seasons would ensure that the native landscape would not go dormant for local pollinators.
Two communal gardens have been proposed, with edible and native perennials for base planting, to connect the future residents through landscape. The design uses a palette of terracotta and white brick to complement the materiality of the neighbourhood’s existing heritage buildings.
“The much-loved suburb of Glebe has a rich history and strong street character,” a LAHC spokesperson said. “Because of this, all plans for the future of our sites are designed to achieve the greatest benefit for social housing residents as well as the wider community.”
82 Wentworth Park Road is one of three Glebe sites proposed for revitalization, to deliver new social housing that meets the needs of contemporary tenants. These include a site at Franklyn Street and the renewal of Cowper Street.
The development application was lodged with the City of Sydney on 14 February and will be on exhibition until 15 March 2023. More
Round one of the Alastair Swayn Foundation grants program has launched, offering funding opportunities to individuals and organizations in the architecture and design community. The Alastair Swayn Foundation is a not-for-profit intended to advance Australian architecture and design culture. The late Alastair Swayn, one of Canberra’s leading architects, bequeathed his estate to establish the foundation. […] More
The Sutherland Shire’s principal performing arts venue has officially reopened following a major redevelopment of the existing arts and cultural centre.
The Pavilion Performing Arts Centre Sutherland reimagines the previous Sutherland Entertainment Centre, preserving aspects of the former building while creating a contemporary new public venue with ameliorated functions to cater for a diversity of cultural and technical needs.
The Pavilion Performing Arts Centre held a soft launch for the completed project on 28 January with a performance by Bangarra Dance Theatre as part of the 2023 Sydney Festival, while the building was officially opened with a gala concert on 4 March.
Designed by Chrofi and NBRS Architecture, the structure is composed of a grid of mass laminated timber, mirroring the geometry of the existing masonry building. The original building was designed and built in the 1970s as a music venue for the local community, and the architects retained the bones of the existing centre in the redevelopment.
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All acoustics, accessibility and back-of-house functions have been revitalized to provide a venue with broad appeal for audiences and performers alike. Image: Supplied
Features of the $41-million renovation include a 686-seat theatre, additional rehearsal spaces, a new entry court and foyer, and upgrades to the surrounding Peace Park. The reimagined internal space includes a glass foyer, conceived as a “park pavilion” with abundant natural light and park views, serving as a gathering place before performance times and doubling as a performance space in its own right.
A new verandah along the northern edge of the building is designed as an interface and a “connective threshold” to help mediate the level of change between park and building. The architects have provided a new through-connection between Merton and Eton streets, which was previously only available through the centre itself. The centre features a more open outlook than the former, inward-oriented auditorium and narrow public address to Eton Street.
Chrofi said that the new centre “reaffirms Peace Park as the civic heart of Sutherland,” fostering stronger connections to the established civic institutions, with additional connections to future developments within the Sutherland town centre.
The northern side of the existing building has been adapted to form a cafe and administrative spaces. The auditorium has also retained much of the existing envelope, but the original flat floor has been transformed into tiered seating, with refurbishments carried out for acoustics, accessibility and back-of-house functions. More
Designs by Plus Architecture for Ballarat Station Southside Precinct have been unveiled. The project is set to deliver a new community destination for hospitality, retail, childcare, work and leisure.
The 22,000-square-metre precinct will form a link between Ballarat Station and the Ballarat CBD via Lydiard Street and Coffee Palace Lane. The developer said the precinct will “stitch together” a previously disconnected section of the city with new pedestrian pathways, arcades, and a proposed bridge from the South Station Plaza.
“Conceptually we aspired to physically bridge this arm of the city to the CBD, and to visually link the nuances of Ballarat’s historic chapters in a considerate way, that would provoke thought to its potential future,” a spokesperson for Plus Architecture said.
Plus Architecture director Ian Briggs said the development would be underpinned by principles of community, sustainability, and First Nations histories, acting as a community conduit for the translation and a destination in its own right.
“With such a pivotal site location, we saw this as an opportunity to create a progressive design that is truly tailored for the needs of the growing and increasingly diverse population of Ballarat,” Briggs said.
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Curved archways are repeated throughout the precinct. Image:
Plus Architecture
“Referencing heritage while delivering a 21st-century transport gateway and ‘destination station,’ the project will act as a gateway to Ballarat – a place that celebrates coming together, encouraging people to visit, stay, and engage with what the city has to offer.”
Plus Architecture said the development will create a “visual tapestry” of Ballarat’s diverse history, with a sloping form inspired by the surrounding Victorian silhouettes. Reviving some of the existing renaissance-style buildings will acknowledge the site’s Victorian heritage, with added references to the area’s industrial history through its relationship to the historic train station.
Plans include the restoration of a renaissance revival bluestone building on Lydiard Street, as well as the adjacent triple-front commercial terrace row, with each reimagined as hospitality and wellness amenity.
The architects consulted local Wadawurrung Traditional Owners through the design phase, and plans include the integration of local history through interactive learning opportunities on the future site.
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The project will regenerate some existing renaissance-style bluestone buildings. Image:
Plus Architecture
A 104-room hotel will be built facing Coffee Palace Lane, south of which a 600-square-metre commercial building will cater for new workspaces.
The project coincides with the regional city’s preparations for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, anticipated to provide a $3 million boost to the Victorian economy.
The development is targeting a 5-star NABERS rating for the hotel, as well as a 4-star Green Star rating along with carbon neutral and fossil fuel free certifications. The project will be achieved using locally sourced materials and high-performing glazing, with integrated photovoltaic and solar panels to generate green power.
Plans have been submitted to the City of Ballarat for assessment. More
Construction has begun on a new 14-storey paediatric services building at the Children’s Hospital in Westmead, western Sydney.
Designed by architects Billard Leece Partnership (BLP), the new 14-storey building is part of the $619-million stage two redevelopment of the Westmead Children’s Hospital. The new facility will house the largest critical care unit for children in the country, housing cancer services, operating theatres, intensive care, inpatient units and more, all within one building.
The Children’s Hospital at Westmead is located on the corner of Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, around 3 kilometres northwest of the Parramatta CBD. The hospital is currently the main paediatric referral hospital for the west, providing care for around 80,000 sick children each year.
The new facility will be located adjacent to the Central Acute Services Building on the site of a decommissioned carpark. The paediatric services building will connect with the new emergency department, medical imaging, and short stay unit delivered through stage one of the redevelopment. Stage two entails the construction of the facility.
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The design of the Paediatric Services Building by Billard Leece Partnership uses biophilic design principles to create a stress-free, non-threatening environment for patients. Image:
Billard Leece Partnership
BLP’s designs were unveiled in 2022, showcasing a calming hospital environment, incorporating biophilic design and interactive play areas.
NSW premier Dominic Perrottet marked the construction milestone on 22 February, describing it as a “vital” and “world-class” health facility promised to care for the country’s sick children.
“This project will future-proof health care in Western Sydney and help staff treat, care and support children and their families from across the state and around the country,” Perrottet said.
Health minister Brad Hazzard added the expanded hospital will also increase the capacity of neonatal intensive care units, and enable parents and carers to stay with their children and babies “when they need them most,” he said.
The redevelopment also includes a multi-storey car park; more access to redeveloped green spaces; improved spaces for families, and new and accessible playgrounds. The project is slated for completion in 2025. More
A third iteration of plans have been revealed for a new cultural precinct in Adelaide Hills, now awaiting approval from Planning SA. The operators of Hans Heysen’s Cedars property at Hahndorf have submitted an application to open an art gallery following two previous versions of the project in 2018 and 2021. Designs for the two-storey […] More
