Architecture

The Victorian government is delivering a dedicated children’s emergency department within the University Hospital Geelong, with new designs revealing the planned facade and treatment spaces. The $20-million facility will be designed by health architecture specialists Silver Thomas Hanley as a “child-friendly environment” with “calming, soft colours and decor,” the Victorian Health Building Authority said. The […] More

A new lookout has been completed in Barcaldine, outback Queensland, connecting existing tourist buildings the Tree of Knowledge memorial (2009) and The Globe Hotel (2016).
Designed by M3 Architecture and Brian Hooper Architect for Barcaldine Regional Council, the Globe Lookout is the third and final project of the 15-year Barcaldine masterplan, completing the region’s “tourism trifecta”.
The Tree of Knowledge site is said to be the birthplace of the labour movement in Australia. It was formerly home to a heritage-listed tree, a 200-year-old ghost gum, that was allegedly poisoned and killed in 2006. Located in front of the Barcaldine train station, the tree provided a meeting place for the workers of the 1891 Shearer’s Strike, becoming an icon of the Labor Party and Trade Unions.
The Tree of Knowledge Memorial, by M3 Architecture and Brian Hooper, was officially opened in May 2009, and pays tribute to the history of Barcaldine. The trunk and root ball of the deceased ghost gum remains enclosed within the memorial structure.
The second stage of the masterplan, the Globe Hotel, completed in 2016, transformed a 1910 pub into a contemporary outback tourism hub, with an information centre, history room, and a commercial tenancy. The project received a National Award for Public Architecture at the 2017 National Architecture Awards.

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The Globe Lookout, in the outback Queensland town of Barcaldine, is the third in a series of tourist attractions built for local council. Image:

Christopher Frederick Jones

Finally, the recently-completed Globe Lookout offers visitors an observation post over the Central Queensland landscape. “These three projects share a layered design approach that uses space, framing, and materials to reference and reinterpret the region’s vernacular architectural heritage,” a spokesperson for M3 Architects said.
According to M3 Architecture director Michael Lavery, Barcaldine is known as “the garden town of the west”, due to its location over two artesian wells, providing an oasis in the arid landscape. The architecture of the lookout borrows its form from elevated, rural water tanks, incorporating oversized lattice detailing and a raised walkway connecting to the hotel’s first-floor veranda.
Lavery said the materials for the lookout hold low embodied carbon, comprising mostly steel and timber with very little concrete. Materials were selected so the structure could be built by local tradespeople, reducing contractor mileage and supporting the local economy and community.
The renewal of Main Street Barcaldine – which included the long-term redevelopment of the Tree of Knowledge and Globe Hotel – received the Queensland Minister’s Award for Urban Design in 2019. More

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have produced a free online guide to help architects, engineers and planners create a net-zero carbon built environment by 2040.
Race to net zero carbon: A climate emergency guide for new and existing buildings in Australia is a national reference guide that details critical information about best practice materials and construction for whole-of-life net zero carbon buildings.
“Historically, most professionals have only focused on reducing the operational carbon footprints of buildings,” said professor Deo Prasad, lead researcher of the guide. “Operational carbon refers to what is required for the building to run once it is built, like energy use in heating or cooling.
“There are significant amounts of emissions embedded in the materials and construction of the building itself and these need to be addressed and offset in order for our built environment to be truly net zero.”
The guide is the first of its kind to detail a holistic approach to achieving zero carbon buildings.
“Our guide goes deeper than just operational offsetting. It illustrates a ‘whole of life’ approach to buildings – considering where building material comes from, how they are transported to the construction site, and so on,” Prasad said.
The guide advocates for retrofitting existing buildings and reducing the use of new material as the best way to minimise embodied carbon. However, when that is not possible, the guide provides a roadmap for low-carbon materials such as green steel and concrete.
It also details how materials could be reused after a building has been demolished in a circular economy. “Timber, aluminium and glass can be reused or recycled somehow into new products,” Prasad said.
“It’s [also] possible to avoid demolishing old or undesirable buildings as their concrete structures can stay put and the building can be refurbished.”
Prasad said he hopes the guide will help the building industry move towards net zero construction as a norm, rather than the exception.
Globally, the built environment accounts for 37 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and in Australian the built environment is responsible for 21 percent of the country’s emissions.
“While the global community is aiming for net zero by 2050, the building sector has much greater potential and opportunity to reach net-zero operational emissions by 2030 and a 60 percent reduction in embodied carbon by 2030,” Prasad said. “These are the goals our guide aims to achieve.”
He added that, “Governments should mandate net-zero construction codes, which will push for best performance to achieve net zero. They should lead by example and ensure all public buildings are net zero carbon and provide subsidies and rebates to incentivise change.
“It’s not only about eliminating worst practices. It’s about adopting best practices, which, policy-wise, is also economically the right thing to do.
“Our guide has all the knowledge the industry needs to achieve net zero – a roadmap that shows it can be done and, most importantly, the type of conversation clients can have with designers or government.
“It’s essential that the industry – be it clients, government or designers – start speeding up the race to net zero carbon before it becomes too late in the climate emergency.”
The guide is available for free on the UNSW Sydney website. More

The Women in Architecture awards (also known as the W Awards) celebrate the “exemplary work” by women and non-binary people, from designing significant new buildings to contributing to the wider architectural culture.
Delivered in partnership with The Architectural Review and the Architects’ Journal, the W Awards promote equity and diversity in the architectural profession, inspiring change through recognition and representation.
Japanese practice SANAA (behind the recently completed Sydney Modern) co-founder Kazuyo Sejima has received the Jane Drew Prize for her commitment to design excellence that has helped raise the profile of women in architecture.
The prize is named after English modernist architect Dame Jane Drew (1911–1996), who was an advocate for and an inspiration to women in a male-dominated profession.
Sejima cofounded SANAA with Ryue Nishizawa in Tokyo in 1995, and her practice received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2010, making Sejima the second woman in history to receive the prestigious award after Zaha Hadid.
The Jane Drew Prize is awarded annually as part of the W Awards, with previous recipients including British-Iranian architect Farshid Moussavi, Scottish architect Kate Macintosh, and Pakistan’s first female architect Yasmeen Lari.

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Phyllis Lambert, 1998. Image:

Courtesy of the Canadian Centre for Architecture

Canadian architect, conservationist and critic Phyllis Lambert has received the Ada Louise Huxtable Prize for Contribution to Architecture, awarded to individuals working in the wider architectural industry who have made a significant contribution to architecture and the built environment.
Now 96, Lambert commissioned Mies van der Rohe to design the Seagram Building in the 1950s and founded the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in 1979. She has written a number of books, including most recent Observation Is a Constant That Underlies All Approaches (2023), and is working on another, How Does Your City Grow, which will be published later this year.
This award takes its name from architecture critic Ada Louise Huxtable (1921–2013), who was the first full-time architecture critic at an American newspaper. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1970.
Sejima will give a talk at the W Lunch, taking place on 3 March at Battersea Arts Centre, during which the winners of the Moira Gemmill Prize and MJ Long Prize will be announced. For more information visit the W Programme website. More

Adriano Pupilli Architects and landscape architects Tyrrell Studio have completed the design of a new surf life saving club in Long Reef on behalf of the Northern Beaches Council.
The brief was to design a space with increased amenity for local residents, beach goers and the club members, while maintaining a similar footprint to the existing facility. The new club needed to accommodate the extensive functional requirements of the public, while maintaining a low profile that appeared inconspicuous in the natural landscape. Community consultation called for a building that was “robust and honest”, hardworking, flexible and deferential in palette to its surrounds.
Adriano Pupilli used a quiet architectural response, incorporating a gently raked, kite-shaped roof with a sloping form that nestles the building into the landscape.
The new club replaces the former facility after it was deemed unsuitable to cater for the needs of the club and the community. The club was originally founded in 1950 with just 29 members, where today, membership has reached more than 1,000.

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Landscaping by Tyrrell Studio is designed to be drought tolerant, using native species. Image:

Martin Mischkulnig

The $9.5-million fit-for-purpose building, which was approved for construction in 2020, is designed to be more sustainable than its predecessor, with a more modern and flexible offering that is sympathetic to the local environment.
The redevelopment included the construction of three buildings conceived as pavilion structures, including a two-storey surf club, a club storage facility, and a cafe and locker space.
The series of pavilions is clad in timber rain screens, designed to weather over time with the impact of the elements. Bookended by dunes, these pavilions are arranged around a central courtyard filled with outdoor amenity, including barbecues, furniture, and native landscaping.
Hit-and-miss breeze blocks on the west of the building and timber rain screens allow for passive ventilation and airflow. Skylights in the changing and locker rooms provide natural lighting and ventilation, made from a glass sheet suspended above a concrete collar, allowing breeze and sunlight to filter in to the space.
The main pavilion hosts a function room on the second storey, providing views out over the immediate banksia grove and over North Head beyond.
Officially opened on 11 February, Northern Beaches mayor Michael Regan said the facility will provide a “welcoming centre for activity” for the community, and a “long-term base for future generations of volunteers surf life savers”.
Made from locally-sourced timber, the buildings are sustainable by design, featuring water-saving fittings, solar panels for power generation, drought-resistant native plantings, green roofs and permeable paving for natural ventilation. More

How public places are funded, designed and delivered continues to be a complex and often polarizing conversation. It’s a topic close to the hearts of urban practitioners, who wish to contribute to cities that are equitable, inspiring and inclusive. The narrative of “public versus private” has been perpetuated over time by a globalized property market, contributing to a perception that the public good is almost always exclusive to private interests. However, we are increasingly recognizing that the interconnectedness between policy, finance, markets, capability, ecologies, community and design requires a nuanced and integrated approach to funding and designing future places, whether public or private.
As organizations and investors lean further into their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals, there is growing impetus to take new learnings and holistic strategies into the real world. This embedding of more refined design, regenerative urbanism and a willingness to demonstrate responsible approaches beyond the built form is not only good for people and planet, but it will position companies to deliver long-term value to stakeholders who are calling for more action on climate and social benefit. Plus, it will help to satisfy the growing number of citizens who are seeking to move away from mass consumption toward ecologically conscious behaviours, creating a wave of sentiment that is shifting investment decision-making at the largest scale. Designers have the capacity to shape this trajectory, and deliver interconnected public benefit through urban projects, working at every scale.

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On Brooklyn’s waterfront in New York City, Domino Park, by James Corner Field Operations, is an example of a privately underwritten public space. Image:

Barrett Doherty

Investment in public urban places – the city’s social and ecological connective tissue – has never been more critical. Post-pandemic, and alongside the rapid growth of our major cities, issues of social isolation and physical and mental health have come into sharp focus. Research by the World Economic Forum suggests that overcrowded environments can increase loneliness by up to 38 percent; in contrast, the feeling of being with people who share our values and who make us feel welcome was associated with a 21 percent decrease in loneliness. Further, people were 28 percent less likely to feel lonely when their urban settings included natural features such as trees and softscapes.1
In addition, our regions face ongoing environmental and economic disruption. These complex challenges can only be effectively tackled collectively. A collaborative approach across industry, investment and knowledge bases will be critical to supporting the future resilience of places and economies. This is a technical, financial, cultural and experiential design brief. It is also an opportunity to further engage in the Indigenizing of design in our cities, creating policy and places in collaboration with First Peoples.
There are well established formats for the funding and delivery of major public infrastructure. These can be simplified into three categories: 100-percent government-funded and owned projects, public-private partnerships (PPPs) and privately owned public space (POPS). Government-funded projects, inclusive of all citizens and managed in perpetuity, have consistently presented a compelling opportunity to create civic outcomes at scale. However, Australian private urban development projects far outweigh their public counter-parts. Land development and subdivision in Australia was worth $32 billion in 2022 alone – more than three times its value 10 years ago.2 Instead of privatizing public spaces, then, is there potential in making private projects more public?
There is merit in exploring more granular incentives and co-funding models to create new “public living rooms” at this financial and urban interface, particularly in times where public funding is prioritized to maximize long-term benefit, and in a context of increasing government debt3 and a less predictable economic climate. These models, which demonstrate a form of “tactical financing” whereby government and developer collaborate on a project-specific basis to invest in public benefit, might reinforce rather than detract from the public experience provided by government-owned and -managed projects. They are predominantly situated at the ground plane – the horizontal continuum of open space, streetscapes, mixed-use tenancies, commercial and fine-grain interfaces. They constitute potential “third places,”4 with a broad spectrum of uses relative to their local context and culture, where people are free to socialize, engage in free programs, enjoy hospitality, retail, entertainment and learning experiences, or simply be themselves in the public realm.

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Riverwalk, by Ross Barney Architects and Sasaki, was funded by a federal transportation loan that is being repaid by revenues from the project. Image:

Courtesy of Ross Barney Architects

There are many global precedents where industry and authorities have convened to deliver public amenity in various policy contexts, to the benefit of both the local neighbourhood and the city. New York City Planning Commission’s 1961 Zoning Resolution laid the foundations for controls “aimed at substance and not form … [which] offer greater freedom to the architect and give the builder added incentives through bonuses to provide structures with clean lines, open plazas and attractive arcades.”5 This substance is reflected at Domino Park on Brooklyn’s waterfront, which is certified under the Waterfront Edge Design Guidelines, a ratings system designed to make waterfronts “more resilient, environmentally healthy, accessible, and equitable.”6 Through this mechanism, authorities permit a proportionately larger developed floor area ratio or building height in return for significant investment in public benefit. The five-acre Domino Park was designed by James Corner Field Operations (JCFO)and built by developer Two Trees for US$50 million. To be maintained by the developer, as part of Shop Architects’ masterplan for the Domino Sugar Refinery mega-redevelopment, its landscape includes oyster restoration research stations, and native planting to reduce stormwater runoff and act as a “sponge” against major flood events. It has had more than four million visitors since its opening in mid-2018.7 “While public-private partnerships have become more common in New York City, Domino Park remains a marvel,” said JCFO senior principal Lisa Tziona Switkin in a press release. “The developer surpassed mandated minimum requirements for public waterfront access and open space; built the park first; paid for all of the capital costs and pays for all the ongoing park maintenance, operations and programming; and cares deeply about quality and character of the open space and that it be welcoming for all.”
A US project with a different funding model is Riverwalk on Chicago’s CBD waterfront, a design led by Carol Ross Barney of Ross Barney Architects and Sasaki. Here, local government used a US$100-million federal loan to build a 400-metre-long civic space, opting to repay the loan by developing commercial retail tenancies that it owns, curates and manages. This direct revenue stream, which has enabled an iconic city-making project with clear definition between retail and public zones, is paying back the build and maintenance costs faster than originally expected.8 The Riverwalk incorporates urban innovations sensitive to riparian ecologies and climate risks alongside large-scale art, entertainment and water recreation.
Closer to home, Australian cities have been prototyping models of their own in the delivery of “public living rooms” through private funding, often in what could almost be described as infill projects between major public works. These projects have a “stitching” effect and add to local amenity, safety, economies, identity and design quality. In every case, investment is underpinned by private developers who understand that uplifting the public realm is critical to the success of their precincts. At the centre of this is an investment in design, materials and attention to detail across all scales and disciplines, from masterplan through to the human scale. Key to each project’s success is a strategy for uses at the ground plane, and a commitment to the design intent that ensures it is not squeezed into oblivion through value management.
On the land of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples, Brisbane’s Howard Smith Wharves, with architecture by Woods Bagot completed in 2018, is a $110-million, three-hectare development occupying a historic site beneath Story Bridge and against a cliff. With buildings covering less than 10 percent of the site, the project is an urban knuckle connecting Brisbane’s City Reach Boardwalk to the New Farm Riverwalk pedestrian bridge. This “hybrid park,” as the architects call it, is also an entertainment precinct that plays a role in vitalizing a part of the river edge that was otherwise dormant, unsafe and cut off from its context. Similarly, Fish Lane, a formerly inconsequential through-link just off Brisbane’s South Bank and arts precinct, has been transformed by Richards and Spence with RPS Group from a dark undercroft into a verdant public square, flanked by open-edged hospitality and other small-business activity.9
In Sydney, a number of large urban regeneration projects, including public spaces, mixed-use developments and cultural destinations, are being built along the harbour on Gadigal land. Considering how we not only physically stitch these private-to-public interfaces together, but connect them through learning about and caring for Country, is an important way to transcend their funding models. The City of Sydney has launched Yananurala (Walking on Country), a walk aided by wayfinding, installations and a digital app that connects Pirrama (Pyrmont) to Woolloomooloo. This approach to respecting and learning about Aboriginal culture, language and resilience is, according to curator Emily McDaniel, “an Acknowledgement of Country in its truest, most ancient form.”10 It reinforces a deeper understanding that public places are owned by Traditional Custodians who have and always will have a continuing connection to Country.
Also on Gadigal land, George Street Plaza – the first plaza to be built on George Street in more than 50 years – is a public space recently delivered by the private sector in conjunction with the City of Sydney, at the Circular Quay end of Sydney’s CBD. The plaza is part of Sydney Place, a commercial mixed-use precinct being developed by Lendlease.11 Approximately half of this precinct will be dedicated to the public realm and, sitting above the city’s first public cycling facility, the plaza will be transferred into the ownership of the City of Sydney once completed. The project is an example of a successful collaboration between industry and local government in the delivery of public and community infrastructure. Concurrently, this model has enabled a co-design process in the form of a community building within the plaza, designed by David Adjaye of Adjaye Associates in partnership with leading Australian artist and Kudjila/Gangalu man Daniel Boyd. The way in which public experience has been prioritized in this project exemplifies the balancing of public and private within a context of high land value and recognition of significant cultural significance.
A common thread runs through the projects discussed above, from their inception: a sense of leadership and shared intent between government and private organizations to deliver a project firmly on the spectrum of “publicness” that contributes in an ongoing way to the city and its cultural identity. Design in all its forms is at the centre of this process, from policy and urban design, to funding, ownership, curation and governance models, to the design of architecture, public realm, art and programming. There is no single recipe here – only a consistent and holistic approach underpinned by responsiveness to the cultural, ecological and sociopolitical dynamics that define our cities at this time. This approach characterizes the emergent role of design today. More

Dulux has announced the judging panel for its 2023 Dulux Colour Awards, comprising five eminent architects and designers from Australia and New Zealand. The judges include Andrew Piva, director of B. E. Architecture; Brahman Perera, designer and director of his eponymous practice; Lisa Lee, designer at Snøhetta; Sarah Carney, director of CTRL Space; and Byron […] More

To celebrate our 150th issue, we sifted through the archives to reminisce about how Houses has evolved in its 34-year history – because it’s not a proper milestone birthday without a “when they were young” flick through the photo album.

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The first issue of Houses – or Architect Designed Houses, as it was then known – was published in 1989 and cost readers $5.90. Image:

Image courtesy Architecture Media

The first issue of Houses – or Architect Designed Houses , as it was then known – was published in 1989 and cost readers $5.90. The publication offered a rare insight into contemporary residential design, complete with plans and product information. The introduction to issue 2 declared: “Architecture is about more than just building – it’s about the quality of living.” Initially an annual publication, its frequency increased gradually and, by 1998, Houses was published quarterly.

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Cover of issue 34 (2003): John Wardle Architects, Anglesea Residence. Photograph: Shannon McGrath. Image:

Image courtesy Architecture Media

As the magazine evolved, its title became simply Houses and, in 2001, its tagline was “the residential architecture magazine.” The content was also evolving: articles increased in length; “In Focus” features offered detailed coverage of specialist areas, from flooring and glazing to kitchen and bathroom design; and the “In Profile” series gave readers insight into practice life, featuring candid conversations with leading residential architects.

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Cover of issue 74 (2010): BKK Architects, Beached House. Photograph: Peter Bennetts. Image:

Image courtesy Architecture Media

A 2010 update revealed a new tagline: “Australian residential architecture and design.” This refresh coincided with new art direction by Ken Leung, who had previously worked on Monocle and Vanity Fair , and a reinvigorated content focus. The editorial team initiated new sections including the First House and Revisited series, both of which continue today.

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Fern Tree House, Hobart by McGlashan and Everist (1969). Published in issue 92 (2013). Image:

Jonathan Wherrett.

Acknowledging the enduring appeal of architect-designed houses from past eras, Revisited recounts personal stories of the architects and clients behind these celebrated homes. The series has included houses from the 1950s to the 1980s, including work by Bill and Ruth Lucas, Roy Grounds, Robin Boyd, Harry Seidler, and Edmond and Corrigan, among many others. Revisited is a tribute to the rich legacy of residential architecture in Australia, and to the dedicated custodians who are committed to its preservation.

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Image: Katelin Butler introduces Poppy Taylor, Mat Hinds and their clients James and Cassandra Stoddart at Our Houses Hobart (2017), hosted at Brickworks Design Studio. Image:

Nina Hamilton

The conversations came off the pages of the magazine and into a live event when Houses launched a talk series in 2010, giving audiences a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the architect–client relationship. The Our Houses series continues around the country today, with architects and clients sharing stories of their collaboration with honesty, humility and humour.

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Houses Awards 2015 at NGV International. Image:

Image courtesy Architecture Media

Houses honours the pinnacle of Australian residential design through the Houses Awards, an annual program that recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary work produced by the country’s leading architects. Held since 2011, the awards are an integral part of Houses’ commitment to bringing great residential architecture to the attention of a wide audience.

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Cover of issue 1 (1989): Overman and Zuideveld, Mosman Park House. Photograph: Richard Woldendorp. Image:

Image courtesy Architecture Media

The first commissions for young practices are often residential projects – and a story in Houses can be the first time their work is published. Many architects who have experienced this have gone on to direct widely respected and awarded practices, and to feature regularly in the pages of Houses.

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Cover of issue 124 (2018): Clare Cousins Architects, Garden Room House. Photograph: Tess Kelly. Image:

Image courtesy Architecture Media

A fresh-faced Houses was unveiled in issue 124, with a subtle and elegant design by Janine Wurfel of Studio Metrik, who has been carefully guiding the magazine’s art direction since 2018. The refresh ensured the layers of detail in every story were legible, and its refined aesthetic emphasized the print magazine’s longevity in a fast-moving world of digital and social media.

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Image: May’s Point by Tanner Architects. Photograph: Adam Gibson. Image:

Image courtesy Architecture Media

A dedicated Houses newsletter delivers a weekly dose of curated, inspiring residential design to readers’ inboxes. The newsletter includes additional, digital-only content that has not been published in print, enriching the breadth of residential design covered across the Houses brand. More