Architecture

Conrad Gargett and Architectus have announced the two practices will merge later in 2023.
The alliance will extend the national reach for both practices, which have hailed the merger as “an important milestone.”
Conrad Gargett was established in Brisbane in 1890 and is one of Australia’s oldest firms. It merged with Riddel Architecture in 2012 and Ancher Mortlock Woolley in 2013.
The practice has expertise in health, defence, heritage transport, education and research, infrastructure, residential, retail and hospitality.
Today, it has offices in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Townsville, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as a studio in Ethiopia.

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The National Herbarium of NSW was designed by Architectus, Richard Leplastrier and Craig Burton. Image:

Brett Boardman

Architectus was founded in 2001 through the union of four independent practices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland. It opened offices in Adelaide in 2015 and Perth in 2018.
The practice specializes in builds for aviation, commerce, defence, education, health, living, infrastructure, interiors, rail, urban futures, and the public.
The merger transition is set to take place over the next year. Conrad Gargett managing director Lawrence Toaldo will join Architectus’s board and become the company’s group director of health and defence.
“For 133 years, Conrad Gargett has been evolving and diversifying its offering. Merging with Architectus marks an exciting next chapter for our practice, allowing us to offer both scale and expertise nationally and internationally,” Toaldo said.
“We share with Architectus deep cultural synergies and a closely aligned design philosophy of creating resilient and meaningful places for people that are both poetic and pragmatic.”
Architectus CEO Ray Brown said, “Our merger with Conrad Gargett will accelerate the strong growth we’ve experienced in recent years and broaden our expertise in health, defence, and heritage.
“Our ambition is to become Australia’s leading national architecture and design practice, and our merger with Conrad Gargett will ensure we’re well on track to achieve this.” More

The National Gallery of Victoria’s popular Melbourne Now exhibition will return in 2023 with another survey of contemporary art, design and architecture from the past decade.
“Melbourne Now is a showstopping and dynamic survey of work by more than 200 leading Victorian-based practitioners, offering an exciting and thought-provoking snapshot of the limitless creativity empowering this city and its surrounds,” said NGV director Tony Ellwood. “Ranging from large-scale, never-before-seen commissions through to moments of quiet reflection and contemplation, this exhibition highlights the diverse talents of Victorian artists and designers who are at the forefront of contemporary practice world-wide.”
Victoria’s public and residential architecture will form two key components of the exhibition.
Civic Architecture will exhibit five projects that catalyzed the urban transformation of their surrounding neighbourhoods. The projects include: Geelong Library and Heritage Centre by ARM Architecture, Caulfield to Dandenong Level Crossing Removal by Cox Architecture and Aspect Studios, Town Hall Broadmeadows by Kerstin Thompson Architects, Dandenong Municipal Building and Civic Square by Lyons and Rush Wright Associates, and RMIT New Academic Street by Lyons ith NMBW Architecture Studio, Harrison and White, MvS Architects, Maddison Architects and TCL.
To accompany the projects, Simulaa will make a series of 3D-printed models that depict the street furniture, utilities and objects found where each project is located.

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WPI Older Women’s Housing Project by Studio Bright. Image:

Rory Gardiner

Victoria’s residential architecture will also be exhibited alongside contemporary future design in No House Style. Six houses by Austin Maynard, Baracco and Wright, Clare Cousins Architects, Edition Office, Kennedy Nolan, and Studio Bright will be complemented by the works of 12 furniture, lighting and object designers “to establish a picture of contemporary Melbourne architecture and design that is independent, original, plural and expressive of contemporary issues and values,” the NGV said.
N’arweet Carolyn Briggs and Sarah Lynn Rees’s installation Gathering Space: Ngargee Djeembana will also be displayed at Melbourne Now. Originally exhibited at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art as part of Who’s Afraid of Public Space?, the installation comprises 55 pieces of construction materials commonly used in public space, Indigenous to Victoria and representative of Country and place. The installation brings together two subjects: First Nations knowledge and design thinking, and the built environment.
Design Wall, part of the 2013 edition of Melbourne Now, will also return with installation of consumer products designed in Melbourne over the past decade, including guitars, ladders, pillows, luggage and motorbikes.
Melbourne Now will be on display from 24 March to 20 August at the Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. Entry is free. More

National Museum of Australia and Alastair Swayn Foundation have announced the appointment a new Swayn Senior Fellow in Australian Design. Dr Lyndon Anderson has taken on the role for 2022 to 2025. The Swayn Senior Fellow program aims to raise public awareness of Australian design through collections, collaborations, exhibitions, events and research. Anderson hopes to […] More

A design competition has been launched for the redevelopment of Dallas Museum of Art in Texas.
The museum is the anchor of Dallas Arts District, the largest arts district in the USA, and is home to six arts and cultural institutions designed by Pritzker Prize laureates.
The competition seeks an architectural reinvention to 1984 campus designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes that would enable to museum to better serve the diverse demographic of the city and create additional gallery space to accommodate expanding collection.
The museum currently holds 26,500 works, including ancient American, African, South Asian art, as well as European and American painting, sculpture and decorative arts.
The museum has placed a a large emphasis on contemporary art, and a strong showing from Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC), female, LGTBQ+, and Texan artists.
The museum requires the transformation of the original “austere modernist” campus to better reflect a more inclusive society and changing visitor expectations.
The project will also require the reorganisation of internal spaces, circulation and entrances as well as sustainable modernisation.

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Flora Street entrance to Dallas Museum of Art, originally designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes in 1984. Image:

Courtesy Dallas Museum of Art

“We enthusiastically welcome the addition of flexible and usable gallery space and services that can empower us to display new narratives with the global icons in our possession,” said Agustín Arteaga, DMA’s Eugene McDermott director. “The DMA looks forward to better integrating the Museum into the urban fabric of Dallas, while serving as a leader in confronting environmental challenges. In an era where the museum of the 21st century is still being defined, we look to set the standard. We look forward to working with a team that will join us in our mission to be a dynamic connector where people of all cultures feel welcomed and embraced in our thriving city.”
Architect-led multi-disciplinary teams are invited to submit details of their approach, team composition and experience to competition organiser Malcom Reading Consultants.
Five finalists will be paid a US$50,000 (A$73,000) honorarium for concept designs, as well as up to US$10,000 for expenses. An exhibition of shortlisted concepts will be on display in the northern hemisphere summer of 2023. The total budget for the project is around US$150-175 million (A$218-254 million).
First stage submissions close 15 March 2023. To submit, head to the Malcolm Reading Consultants’ website. More

The Queensland government unveiled plans to demolish and rebuild Brisbane’s Gabba Stadium ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games.
The $2.7 billion project will be a catalyst for the major revitalisation of the precinct, which will social and affordable housing, connections to Cross river Rail, and Brisbane Metro, and walkable connections to South Bank and Brisbane CBD via green bridges across the river.
The Gabba grounds first established in 1895 and was last redeveloped in 2005. Its current capacity is 42,000 seats.
The Queensland government says the current stadium is nearing the end of its life and redevelopment would support long-term professional sport, community and entertainment needs.
The government investigate four options for redevelopment, including the retention and refurbishment of the existing stadium but concluded that demolishing and rebuilding the stadium was the cheapest and best value for money.

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Brisbane’s Gabba stadium will be demolished and replaced with a new stadium. A competitive tender process is due to take place in the second half of 2023. Image:

Queensland government

“Tt’s no secret that Queensland is losing out on major sporting events already – and the tourism, jobs and investment that come with them because The Gabba is not up to scratch,” said Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“It must be upgraded to maintain our competitiveness for international sport and events.”
The new stadium will have a capacity of 50,000 seats, with better spectator viewing, better accessibility, improved digital connectivity, sport and spectator facilities for all genres, purpose-designed access to transport, and more roof coverage. The project will target a 6-star Green Star rating.
“The current Gabba is an international icon, but a tired one. In some circumstances people in wheelchairs can only access their allocated seats using the goods lift,” said deputy premier Steven Miles.
“There are no women’s change rooms. Elite women athletes have less space to prepare for games and are stuck using change rooms that include urinals because they were built only for male athletes.
“It’s unacceptable. Queensland athletes and fans deserve a modern, accessible, safe, fit-for-purpose major stadium that will attract and host world-class national and international sporting and entertainment events.
“The redevelopment will anchor major urban renewal and deliver more affordable housing, dining and retail.”
A competitive tender process for the project take place in second half of 2023 with construction due to start in 2026.
The government will also expand the Woolloongabba Priority Development Area to encompass more of Wooloongabba and the Stanley Street precinct to Southbank.
A neighbouring school, East Brisbane State school will be forced to relocated after 2024 and its heritage buildings will be integrated into the operations of the Gabba Stadium. More

Australia’s first dedicated heart hospital has opened at Monash University’s Clayton campus.
Designed by Conrad Gargett and Wardle (formerly John Wardle Architects), the $564 million facility operated by Monash Health accommodates 196 beds, seven catheterisation laboratories and a whole floor dedicated to heart research.
The hospital’s incorporates principles of biophilia as well as salutogenic design principles, which aim to create environments that stimulate the mind.
The design team also toured cardiac hospitals in Singapore, Canada, United States and United Kingdom to gain insights on their success and shortcomings.

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The circular courtyard is the centrepiece of Victorian Heart Hospital by Conrad Gargett and Wardle. Image:

Peter Bennetts

“Experiencing other heart hospitals really allowed us to challenge the norm of traditional hospital design and how to do things according to Australasian Health Facility Guidelines in the pursuit of innovation,” said Paul Emmett, principal at Conrad Gargett and clinical planning lead for the project.
The project team began with a workshop facilitated by former Harvard professor Sarah Williams Goldhagen who authored of Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives.
“Scientific research well documents that providing a connection with nature within healthcare facilities significantly improves patient outcomes, including their experience and recovery rate,” Emmett said.
Meaghan Dwyer, partner at Wardle and the project’s architecture director added, “Armed with this knowledge, we designed the Victorian Heart Hospital with a large central courtyard – the ‘gravitational heart’ – and have maximised opportunities for engagement with the outdoors and surrounding landscape.”

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A circular courtyard of Victorian Heart Hospital by Conrad Gargett and Wardle acts as a focal point for wayfinding. Image:

Peter Bennetts

The circular courtyard is the centrepiece of the hospital acts as a focal point for wayfinding and a place for recuperating outdoors that is physically and visually connected with the building.
“The hospital’s design needed to allow the working day’s activities to be seamless, and its organisation to be clear and legible. Equally important are the spatial, material, and ambient qualities which define the hospital’s character,”Emmett said. “It’s these aspects that will strongly influence the mindset of its occupants and ultimately the type of healing environment that has been created.”
Public spaces within the hospital radiate out from the central courtyard with the corridors framing views to the courtyard, neighbouring sports fields on the Monash University campus, and the Dandenong ranges beyond, which enhance the building’s connections to nature and daylight.
The hospital has been designed to alleviate stress levels of patients and their families.
“Upon arrival at the Victorian Heart Hospital, there is a sense of openness, with large voids and a central café, creating a feeling of a civic place rather than a hospital,” said Stefan Mee, principal of Wardle, who also led the architectural design. “The progressive journey through the building gradually increases a sense of tranquillity in the clinical spaces, creating an atmosphere of safety and comfort for patients.”
Internally, the building uses natural timbers and earthy tones, inspired by the colours and textures of surrounding landscape, including a more than 400 year old River Red Gum located at the entrance to the hospital.
A facade made from perforated weathered steel diffuses natural light entering the building, which reduces the heat load and minimises glare, Mee said. More

Houses magazine has announced the jury for its 2023 Houses Awards. Comprising industry professionals in the field of architecture and design, this group of jurors has an expert understanding of the measures of quality in the built environment.
Architect Mel Bright is the owner and founding director of Studio Bright, a Melbourne-based practice that has gathered a collection of diverse and highly acclaimed built work. Studio Bright value innovative design thinking, thoughtful material explorations, respect for heritage, deference to civic context and rigorous acknowledgement of environmental influences.
Sioux Clark is an interior designer and co-director of design-based architecturepractice Multiplicity. Working in conjunction with partner architect Tim O’Sullivan and a (shifting over time) family of exceptional architects, Multiplicity have garnered awards across genres in recognition of the detailed and personal approach they bring to the practice of architecture.
Kieron Gait is the founder and co-director of Kieron Gait Architects. Established in 2010, the studio specializes in residential architecture and strives to make poetic and meaningful connections to place, craft and memory. Born and raised in the UK and with over 20 years of professional experience working across large and small practice, Kieron has been continually exploring and learning what it means to live and build in Australia.
Also joining this year’s jury, architect Anthony Gill established Surry Hills-based practice Anthony Gill Architects in 2007. Working mainly on single-residential and commercial projects, Anthony’s work is typically led by existing conditions on site, where limitations are clearly set and require re-working to suit a new type of inhabitation.
Chairing of the jury is Alexa Kempton, who is the editor of Houses magazine with more than 15 years’ experience writing and editing in the architecture and design sphere. Previously, Kempton was the editor of ArchitectureAU and managing editor of Architecture Australia at Architecture Media. She is also the former editor of Inside magazine and the Australian Design Review.
Simone Bliss, creative director of SBLA Studio will be this year’s garden and landscape advisor. Clare Parry from Development Victoria will be sustainability advisor to the jury, and Helen Lardner, director of HLCD, will be heritage advisor.
The shortlist for the 2023 Houses Awards will be revealed on 5 May 2023.
Houses Awards is organized by Architecture Media and supported by Cult, Artedomus, the Australian Institute of Horticulture, Blum, Brickworks, the Heritage Council of Victoria, James Hardie, Sussex, Taubmans, and Latitude. More

The University of Queensland (UQ), alongside architecture practice Buchan, has established a new architecture scholarship to support Indigenous students through their university degrees. The Buchan Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Architecture Scholarship is the first of its kind offered by UQ, with inaugural placement set to commence in 2023. Similar scholarships are already offered at […] More