Architecture

Approval has been granted for the first regional library for the Central Coast on the site of the current Parkside building on Donnison Street, Gosford.
Designed by Lahznimmo Architects, the $27-million project has been three decades in the pipeline, with residents of the former Gosford council paying a special levy towards its development.
A development application for the four-storey regional library was submitted to the NSW planning department in 2021.
The building will be located in the centre of Gosford, creating a central public meeting place for residents. The local council said the library would activate the town centre, providing improved public space and infrastructure that would positively impact the economic development of Gosford.

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Ground floor main stair in the proposed Gosford Regional Library. Image:

Lahznimmo Architects

Lahznimmo worked closely with council stakeholders to develop a brief through a series of workshops to create a place that was an “extension of the public domain at a civic scale,” project architect Hugo Cottier said. “Gosford library will become something of a community centre, where all types of public and educational activities can occur within.”
The building will be entered through a forecourt to be known as the Neighbourhood Room, with landscape architecture by Spackman Mossop Michaels. This covered space will connect three levels of the building, providing a weather-protected and gently tempered environment.
The Public Living Room contains the main library collection and reading spaces. The facility will also include a children’s collection; a collection of historical resources on the Central Coast; flexible function spaces; and breakout spaces on every level for private and collaborative learning. The library will be accessible to all, with the inclusion of hearing loop systems, lifts on every floor, and adjustable-height desks.
Council said the next step is to award a construction tender, anticipated for January 2023. The library’s completion date has been slated for May 2024.
The project is funded by a $7 million grant from the federal government, $8 million from a council special levy, and the remainder from developer contributions and sales proceeds. More

The ACT government has announced it has received 21 submissions of interested from Australian and international consortia in a search for a design and technical partner for the redevelopment of Canberra Theatre Centre. The redevelopment and expansion will include the adaptive re-use of the existing Canberra Theatre to become a multi-purpose space capable of hosting […] More

Ahead of the Victorian state election, the Australian Institute of Architects has issued a statement calling for First Nations approaches to Designing with Country to inform the procurement, planning, design and delivery of built environment projects across the state. Victorian chapter president David Wagner said respecting Country forms part of the 2021 Nations Standard of […] More

The City of Melbourne celebrated the Melbourne Awards on Sunday 13 November. Now in its 20th year, the Melbourne Awards are the council’s highest accolade, recognising local individuals and organisations that help to make the city a better place. In 2022, winners were recognised across eight categories: Aboriginal Melbourne (the ganbu guljin Award); Arts and […] More

SJB has created a concept design for a new mixed-use development at 45-52 Macleay Street within the historical high-density suburb of Potts Point. A stage-one development application submitted to the City of Sydney proposes to demolish the existing building on the site and replace it with a nine-storey building with a ground-floor retail premises and […] More

Brisbane’s waterfront village Portside Wharf will undergo a $20 million makeover to “refresh and reactivate” the area. Established 16 years, Portside Wharf is a mixed-use precinct with a variety of live entertainment, local craft vendors, and hospitality venues. Designed by Cavill Architects with developer Urbis, the redevelopment will build on the precinct’s existing character, enhancing […] More

Quay Quarter Tower designed by 3XN and BVN has received the International High-Rise Award from the City of Frankfurt, The German Architecture Museum (DAM), and DekaBank.
Developed AMP Capital, the tower was recognized for its “radical sustainability” as the upcycling of a tired 1970s commercial tower. Almost a decade in the making, the repurposed AMP Centre building it is now the world’s biggest upcycled building.
By retaining two-thirds of the beams, columns and floor slabs and 95 percent of the original core of the 1976 building, the project reportedly saved 7,500 tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions compared to what would be released into the atmosphere if it were demolished and built anew.
The design of the new tower comprises five cantilevered glass volumes stacked slightly askew, similar to Jenga blocks, which create light-filled spaces within the building. These reduce the amount of direct sunlight entering the tower by up to 30 percent, eliminating the need for internal blinds while offering uninterrupted views of the harbor.
Quay Quarter Tower was selected from 34 entries submitted from 13 countries. 3XN partner Fred Holt accepted the prize in Frankfurt on 9 November.

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Quay Quarter retains two-thirds of the beams, columns and floor slabs and 95 percent of the original core of the 1976 building. Image:

Adam Mork

BVN’s Quay Quarter project director Dan Cruddace said it was a “great privilege” to have worked on the “city defining” project.
“It’s been an incredible journey and the ultimate collaboration on what has been described as a ‘once in a generation’ project,” said Cruddace.
The International High-Rise Award was initiated in 2003 and is awarded every two years in recognition of excellence in aesthetics, design, sustainability, cost-effectiveness, and technological innovation. The developer of the winning receives a €50,000 prize (A$77,500) to be donated to the charity of their choice. Quay Quarter Tower is the tenth recipient in the award’s history. More

The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) has revealed the names of the first three Melbourne artists that will adorn the 2022 Architecture Commission with original painted murals. The commission, Temple of Boom, designed by Melbourne architects Adam Newman and Kelvin Tsang, is a contemporary reimagining of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens. The scale […] More