Architecture

The City of Fremantle in Western Australia is seeking input on a $110 million planning application submitted to the council that proposes the redevelopment of the former Elders Wool Stores site in Fremantle.
The Elders Wool Stores complex, located on Cantonment Street, is one of the four original wool stores built on the southern side of Fremantle Port. First constructed in 1927 for the wool production company Goldsbrough Mort and Co, the complex has undergone several expansions over the years, including an extension in the 1950s and another in 1967. Despite these additions, the complex fell into disuse in the early 1980s and has since deteriorated significantly.
Recent plans lodged by developer and landowner Human Urban propose the site be revitalised and converted into a mixed-use precinct that accommodates residences – including 174 co-living units, 33 build-to-sell apartments and six build-to-sell townhouses – food and beverage offerings, commercial office spaces, and communal areas for both residents and visitors.

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The proposed precinct is designed by a consortium comprising Spaceagency Architects, urban planning firm Urbis, landscape architecture practice See Design Studio and heritage architecture firm Griffiths Architects.

The application requests approval for the restoration and adaptation of the first and second floors of the 1927 state-heritage-listed Goldsbrough Mort Building into commercial office space. It also requests the removal of a 1967 top-floor extension, which would be replaced with a new third floor, also designated to commercial office space. Above this, three additional levels have been proposed to accommodate residences, resulting in a seven-storey building, including the ground floor. From an external perspective, the new levels are setback from the original facade, establishing a distinct contrast between the heritage fabric and the additions above.
A 1950s northern addition, which is listed on the local heritage register, would also be retained and adapted to accommodate residences and a landscaped internal street called the Mews.
According to the application, the proposal has been shaped by several design reviews, including an invited design competition that resulted in the developer selecting Spaceagency as the lead architect for bringing their vision to life. Furthermore, the proposal has undergone the City of Fremantle’s design review process.

The consultation portal for providing feedback on the proposal closes on 18 February. More

A new global design competition seeking creative solutions for sustainable and regenerative energy and water systems in Marou village, Fiji, has launched.
LAGI 2025 Fiji is a global design competition that has been co-created by the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) and the residents of Marou – a village comprising 67 households that is located on the southeast coast of Naviti Island in the Yasawa Group archipelago in the western Ba Province of Fiji.
The competition brief invites participants to design “a work of art in the landscape that will supply clean and reliable electricity and water, support sustainable tourism and help to build a resilient future for generations to come.” Coastal island communities are especially vulnerable to climate change. Stronger cyclones, rising sea levels, warming waters, biodiversity loss, prolonged droughts and major flood events threaten their existence. Marou village is one such community.
From the entries, two teams will be shortlisted to advance their design proposal, receiving a stipend of USD $100,000 to develop a functioning prototype of their concept in Fiji. Based on the success of these prototypes, one team’s design will then be chosen for implementation at full-scale as a pilot project. The objective of the competition is to develop a replicable model for implementing and operating renewable energy and water systems for island communities.
LAGI co-founders Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry said once constructed, the pilot program will give back to the community in many ways. “LAGI 2025 Fiji will help shift the paradigm of the energy-water nexus for island communities by creating innovative and aesthetic design solutions — with people and place at the center of the process,” they said.
The competition is free to enter and open to all disciplines. Entries can be submitted until 5 May 2025. Visit the LAGI 2025 Fiji website to find out more. More

The South Australian planning minister has approved a planning code amendment that will enable new towers in Adelaide’s Festival Plaza to reach up to 40 storeys, despite a majority of consultation respondents opposing the amendment.
The tallest tower currently in the plaza, One Festival Tower, reaches 29 stories. Following a consultation period launched by the state government in September 2024, the Minister for Planning Nick Champion has now approved the amended planning code, permitting new buildings in Festival Plaza to rise up to 40 storeys.
A total of 87 submissions were received during the consultation period, with the majority – 62 respondents – unsupportive of the code amendment. Elsewhere in the submissions, 16 were supportive, 5 were supportive with concerns, 3 were impartial and one didn’t specify whether it was for or against changes to the code.
One of the key issues highlighted during the consultation period was the potential impact of a 38-storey tower at the plaza site, which was proposed in early 2024. This tower proposal was submitted by Walker Corporation in lieu of an earlier approved proposal for a significantly smaller three-storey retail building on the site. Designed by Walker Corporation with architecture firm Johnson Pilton Walker, it was proposed that the high-rise would accommodate 36 floors of commercial office space, two levels for food and beverage establishments and a glass foyer.
Additional concerns raised during the consultation period focused on the height increase potentially impacting the heritage values of the nearby heritage-listed Parliament House, Festival Theatre and Torrens Parade Ground, as well as obstructing views of linear park, the northern facade of Parliament House, Festival Theatre and the River Torrens.
The key areas of support raised during the consultation period included: “Adelaide needs more taller buildings to use space more efficiently” and a building of approximately 40 levels “could provide opportunities to benefit the community such as a public viewing deck or museum.”
In a published letter to the Department for Housing and Urban Development, Champion wrote that he had considered the issues raised during the consultation period and had decided to adopt the Festival Plaza Code Amendment. “In approving the Code Amendment, I am of the view that the approved Amendment provides clear guidance about the appropriate location of buildings within the Festival Plaza to ensure Festival Plaza remains a world-class hub for the arts, culture, tourism and entertainment.”
The adopted code amendment specifies that any new building must have a minimum setback of nine metres from Parliament House’s northern facade to preserve its visual integrity and heritage value. Efforts to preserve view lines to the Parliament House balcony and Aedicular Corner of classical columns and pilasters must also be made.
The proposal for a 38-storey tower is being assessed by the independent State Planning Commission. More

Bangladeshi architect and educator Marina Tabassum and her firm, Marina Tabassum Architects, have been revealed as the designers of the 2025 Serpentine Pavilion.
The 2025 pavilion, titled A Capsule in Time, will be unveiled at the Serpentine South Gallery in London on 6 June 2025. True to its name, the form of the pavilion resembles a capsule with its mass broken up into four portions that each take on a tunnel or semi-dome shape. A facade made of timber and a translucent material offers a dynamic experience for visitors, enabling shadow play from both exterior and interior angles. An open-air courtyard is positioned at the centre of these four elements, offering a reprieve from shelter.

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A standout aspect of the design is a kinetic feature: one of the portions can slide to connect and disconnect, effectively transforming the pavilion into a new space. This dynamic feature and the fabric facade are both inspired by the architectural language of Shamiyana tents and awnings commonly seen in South Asia, which are similarly kinetic in function and feature an external fabric that is supported by bamboo poles. These traditional South Asian structures are typically erected for outdoor gatherings and celebrations.
Reflecting on the design of the pavilion, Tabassum said, “The archaic volume of a half capsule, generated by geometry and wrapped in light semi-transparent material will create a play of filtered light that will pierce through the structure as if under a Shamiyana at a Bengali wedding. The Serpentine Pavilion offers a unique platform under the summer sun to unite as people rich in diversity. The stage is set, the seats are placed. We envision various events and encounters taking place in this versatile space that unifies people through conversations and connections.”

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This year’s pavilion was selected by a jury comprising Serpentine’s CEO Bettina Korek, artist director Hans Ulrich Obrist, director of construction and special projects Julie Burnell, exhibitions curator Chris Bayley, curator at large of architecture and site-specific projects, Natalia Grabowska and assistant exhibitions curator Alexa Chow, together with advisors Sou Fujimoto and David Glover.
Tabassum is an acclaimed architect and educator who has received numerous international recognitions in the field of architecture. Her practice Marina Tabassum Architects (MTA) was founded in Bangladesh in 2005. The studio prioritises the integration of research and education by conducting extensive studies on the effects of climate change in Bangladesh – working closely with geographers, landscape architects, planners and other related professionals.
The pavilion will be open to the public from 6 June 2025 until 26 October 2025. More

An online survey investigating the efficacy of the First Nations-focused performance criteria outlined in the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia’s 2021 National Standard of Competency for Architects has been launched.
The online survey is part of a research project currently being conducted by Dr Michael Mossman and Professor Donald McNeill, titled Indigenising the Built Environment in Australia. The research project was awarded $1.4 million in Australian Research Council Discovery Indigenous funding in October 2023.
The objective of the research is to examine the 2021 National Standard of Competency for Architects, which serves as the national guideline for performance criteria applicable to architecture schools and practitioners in Australia. The research will concentrate solely on the performance criteria related to Country and First Nations Communities and Cultures (FNPC).
The questionnaire is the first of two online surveys, accompanied by two rounds of yarning workshops scheduled for 2025 and 2026. The research project will then wrap up with a symposium that reveals the findings in June 2027.
For Mossman, this first survey exercise will be an opportunity to gauge broader understandings of architecture and built environment roles and relationships with Country and First Nations Communities and Cultures.
“This is an invitation for community, universities, industry and government agencies in architecture and allied disciplines to learn what architects are presenting in built environment learning and practices relative to Country,” said Mossman.
“It is critical to unpack the challenges industry is currently facing, along with the opportunities and aspirations that are driving curriculum and practice into the future.”
The first online survey will close in mid-March 2025. To complete the survey, visit here. More

A photography exhibition that captures Australian suburbia is among the intriguing events scheduled for this month.

This exhibition explores how artists have used the medium of photography to interpret the Australian suburbs. These images from the gallery’s collection provide occasion to pause and reflect on familiar settings, places and people, imbuing them with aesthetic, historical and emotional significance. While rationales for capturing suburbia vary, these artworks demonstrate the enduring role of photography in enriching the national understanding of scenes from everyday life — whether homely or uncanny.

Tasmania Makes is an annual exhibition designed to celebrate and invigorate Tasmania’s rich culture of innovation and craftsmanship in design. This year’s program will be split into two exhibitions, with the first exhibition taking place at Design Tasmania in Launceston between 24 January–25 May 2025. Designers to feature at the first exhibition include Andrea Barker, Nanna Bayer, Kate Bowman, Christopher Clinton, Shauna Mayben, Liam Starcevich, Scott van Tuil, Adam Wallace and Isaac Williams. Designers to showcase at the second exhibition will be announced in May.

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From the ‘burbs, to the bush, to the inner city, Australians are obsessed with the idea of home and the dream of home ownership. In The Australian Dream? Tim Ross casts his discerning eye across the archival treasures of our much-loved public libraries and uncovers the telling images that reveal a multi-decade story of Australian homes: how they’re sold to us, why we buy them and how we make them our own. Ross explores the reasons why home ownership is such an all-consuming distraction among Australians and uncovers some of the unique and special ways we have built in this place. This talk is complemented by a selection of new cinematic style films produced especially for the presentation. The Australian Dream? with Tim Ross will be held nationally at venues in Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.

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A one-day course on materiality in Melbourne and Sydney that challenges designers and specifiers to lead the way towards a circular economy. Topics discussed during the course include the materiality of materials and products, how to investigate the composition of materials you use in your products and fit-outs, why waste as a resource is important for a circular economy, how to design with the end in mind, how to include suppliers and other stakeholders on the journey. This is a trade only course, to be held in Sydney on 20 February and Melbourne on 14 March.

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Construction has commenced on the Swan Hill Tourism and Cultural Hub, located in the rural city of Swan Hill, Victoria.
The project consolidates various tourism and community functions within a single building, including a lobby and entrance space with a visitor information desk, seating and a shop, a multipurpose space for exhibitions and community activities, and staff offices. Once established, the new building will provide entry to the adjacent Pioneer Settlement precinct, which is a historical hub comprising preserved buildings from the time of European settlement.
The Swan Hill Tourism and Cultural Hub building is approximately 45 metres in length, 10 metres wide at the southern end and 20 metres wide at the northern end.

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The project is being led by architecture firm Common ADR in collaboration with Enlocus Landscape Architecture and heritage architecture practice Conservation Studio. Common ADR and Enlocus have been involved in the project for more than five years, with both practices engaged by Swan Hill Rural City Council to conduct preliminary feasibility studies and develop early concept designs.
A key feature of the project includes the establishment of a meeting area for the Traditional Owners of the Swan Hill region (the Wamba Wamba, Latji Latji, Tatti Tatti, Wadi Wadi and Barapa Barapa peoples). According to a communique from Common ADR, the introduction of this meeting area aligns with future plans for an Aboriginal tourism precinct development immediately across the Murray River on Pental Island.

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The architects’ statement noted that the building form is inspired by the region’s rural vernacular. It features a series of gable roofs that mimic the triangular roof forms found in the Pioneer Settlement precinct. This approach aims to establish a relationship between the new hub and the historical precinct as tourism destinations. Additionally, the gable form was selected to break down the mass of the building along its street elevation.
The landscape design intends to establish a continuous flow from the street approach to the gardens within the precinct.
Preliminary works on the project commenced in late 2024 and foundation works commenced in early 2025. Project completion is slated for mid-2026. More

The Australian Institute of Architects has announced the first round of speakers for its upcoming 2025 Australian Architecture Conference, to be held in Sydney from 2 to 4 May 2025.
The 2025 conference will be hosted at the Sydney Opera House and the University of Sydney’s Seymour Centre. The invited Australian and international speakers will draw attention to stories that “demonstrate the capacity of design to instigate positive change, regenerate the planet and chart a sustainable and equitable future for humanity,” said Institute CEO Cameron Bruhn.
The steering committee responsible for shaping the 2025 program comprises Aaron Peters, Adam Haddow, Adrian Fernandez, Felicity Stewart, Nicole Mesquita-Mendes, Sally Hsu, Sharaan Muruvan and Tania Papasotiriou. The committee is joined by Institute representatives Cameron Bruhn, Alexis Schnitger and Kate Concannon.
The conference will feature keynote addresses from:
Jing Liu of SO–IL (United States)
A New York-based architect and co-founder of the architecture and design firm SO–IL, Liu has led various projects that tackle sociopolitical challenges in urban design. Notable projects include Martin Luther King Jr. Library in Cleveland and the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation.
Kevin O’Brien of BVN (Australia)
O’Brien is an architect, a principal at BVN, an adjunct Professor at the University of Sydney and an advocate of informed, intersectional design practice. Renowned for his multi-disciplinary practice, O’Brien has played a pivotal role in projects such as Kith and Kin, Blak Box and Brisbane South State Secondary College.

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Andreia Teixeira of Shop Architects (United States)
An associate principal at the New York City-based architecture practice Shop, Teixeira has led numerous prestigious workplace projects, including the Atlassian Headquarters in Sydney, a project that centred around technology-driven design.
Neill McClements of Grimshaw (United Kingdom)
McClements is a partner at Grimshaw with more than 25 years experience. His portfolio spans rail, metro and high-profile infrastructure projects, including the RIBA prize-winning Elizabeth Line in London. His insights on complex network planning offer a unique perspective on innovative infrastructure design.

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Complementing the conference is a line-up of fringe events taking place in Sydney from 29 April to 4 May 2025. These events include:

Studio Soirées: a behind-the-scenes peek into Sydney’s architectural studios such as Terroir and Aileen Sage.
Sydney Unlocked: guided walking tours led by project architects that showcase sustainable and innovative designs throughout the city.
Archi-Party: an evening of celebration at the University of Sydney’s Chau Chak Wing Museum, where architects can network and explore all four levels of the museum.

More speakers and program updates will be released in the coming weeks, visit the conference website for more information. More