Architecture

The Tasmanian government is working with Housing Choices Tasmania to deliver a 65-unit expansion of the Queens Walk social housing complex site in Cornelian Bay, Hobart. Designed by Cumulus Studio, the $24 million expansion would provide 65 additional homes for Tasmanians in need of “safe, secure and stable housing” that is close to the city, […] More

The 2022 Old School / New School conference interrogates architecture’s role in the future of education and the creation of pedagogical spaces.
“As a driver for opportunity and independence, education has the potential to advance society as a whole and is an important investment for our future,” the organizer said. The conference will consider the question: How can architecture create learning environments with equity, community and longevity at their core?
The program comprises three virtual sessions over three Wednesdays in October, each followed by a panel discussion. Attendees will hear from leading practitioners, researchers and educators from Australia and abroad.
Session one, on 5 October, follows the theme “Thinking Ahead: Designing the Evolving Campus” and explores the relationship between design thinking and the evolution of the campus. The session features speakers Carroll Go-Sam from the University of Queensland, and BVN principal Ali Bounds, and Simon Lyager Poulsen, part of Danish practice Adept. The presentations will be followed by a discussion with the speakers, moderated by Hassell principal Adam Davies.
On 12 October, session two will cover “Beyond the Classroom: Designing a Neighbourhood Asset” and covers the pivotal role architecture plays in shaping a neighbourhood’s sense of place and identity. Speakers include Ben Cleveland from the University of Melbourne, MLKK Studio’s Kian Yam and Kwan Ho Li, and Thierry Lacoste of Lacoste and Stevenson and moderator Chad Brown from Hayball.
Session three on 19 October will explore “Getting Smart: Designing Spaces for all Learning Capabilities”, and considers how architects can better design spaces that cater to the diversity of learning types and capabilities. Speakers will present case studies and insights to discuss the importance of inclusivity when designing a learning environment. Speakers include Sibling Architecture director Amelia Borg, Matthew Springett and Fiona Macdonald of Matt and Fiona, and Peter Walker of the Australian Association of Special Education. The session will be moderated by Kellee Frith, education environments strategist at Architectus.
Delegates can purchase tickets for individual sessions or for all three. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased up until 4 November. The sessions can be viewed live or demand until 11 November 2022.
Old School / New School is a Design Speaks program organized by Architecture Media, publisher of ArchitectureAU.com, and supported by partner Moddex. More

Five leading Australian design teams have been shortlisted to participate in the Powerhouse Ultimo Design Competition. The competition, led by Create NSW, aims to generate an engaging proposal for the renewal of Powerhouse Ultimo (also known as the Powerhouse Museum) in Sydney – an expansive heritage site that includes a converted electric tram power station built in 1902.
This transformative project, which is underpinned by a $500 million investment by the NSW Government, will bring together heritage reuse and contemporary museum practice.
The Powerhouse Ultimo Design Competition will play a critical role in reimagining the landmark site for the benefit of future generations, providing an opportunity to engage with contemporary ideas and cater for diverse art, design and science programming.
Minister for the Arts Ben Franklin said the announcement of the shortlist was an important milestone, with the jury of design and cultural leaders now tasked with selecting the winning design.
“The renewal of Powerhouse Ultimo is a truly momentous project for NSW that will deliver new and expanded spaces to present exhibitions showcasing the extraordinary Powerhouse collection, international exhibitions programs that support the creative industries, and dedicated fashion and design galleries,” Franklin said.
The competition’s jury, chaired by Wendy Lewin, has revealed its shortlist of five design teams that will now move forward in to the next phase of the competition, developing a vision for the renewal and expansion of Powerhouse Ultimo.
The shortlisted design teams are:
Architectus, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects, Tyrrell Studio, Youssofzay + Hart, Akira Isogawa and Yerrabingin submitting under the working title SPARK.
BVN and Oculus with OCP Architects, TTW, Eckersley O’Callaghan, Transsolar Klima Engineering.
Cox Architecture, Neeson Murcutt Neille, Other Architects, Hector Abrahams Architects, Sue Barnsley Design and Arup.
John Wardle Architects, Billy Maynard, ASPECT Studios, Bangawarra, Eckersley O’Callaghan, Atelier Ten and Urbis.
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, JMD Design, TCL, Sibling Architecture, Freeman Ryan Design, Atelier Ten.
For more information visit the Powerhouse website. More

The Student Architecture Festival is a student-run event held annually by the Australasian Student Architecture Congress. Returning to Brisbane for the first time since 1991, the 2022 instalment, “Occupy,” aims to explore what it means to be an architect today and to compile a list of solutions for how to improve the architecture of the […] More

Tickets are now on sale for the next Design Speaks event, “A Broader Landscape,” which will interrogate how architects practising in Australia use (or misuse) the term “landscape” to many different ends. The discussion will expand and evolve our understanding of the specific histories and practices that have enabled our occupation of this land for […] More

An ambitious bid to supersede Adelaide’s tallest building record has reached a new milestone as planning approval has been recommended by the state’s planning panel for a tower that, if realized, would stand 180 metres tall.
Designed by Cox Architecture and JPE Design Studio, the SA1 Tower would be the tallest in Adelaide, significantly exceeding the city’s current tallest building, the Crowne Plaza on Frome Street, by 42 metres or 18 storeys.
The 55-storey building would include 330 residential apartments, 160 tourist accommodation rooms, and three restaurants on a site intersecting Pulteney and Flinders streets.
Located across from the heritage-listed St Paul’s Church, the site at 207–209 Pulteney Street currently contains a three-storey office building and an open-air carpark, which would need to be demolished for the new development.
Government planning officer Ben Scholes has recommended that the State Commission Assessment Panel grant the project planning consent on the grounds that the proposed tower is not seriously at odds with the provisions of the Planning and Design Code, despite suggestions that it would “significantly alter” the city skyline.
“While the development would be likely to significantly alter the built form profile of the Adelaide city skyline, the CBD has evolved in recent years through the proliferation of tower developments which are not concentrated in the city’s traditional core or its primary pedestrian area,” wrote Scholes.
The SA1 Tower currently has no provisions for affordable housing, but the developer plans to include carparking on levels one to nine, hotel rooms on levels 13 to 20, apartments on levels 22 to 50, and penthouses on levels 51 to 53. The top two levels would consist of a rooftop garden and services enclosure, and a sky lounge is planned for the eleventh level.
The SA1 Tower has garnered the approval of Adelaide Airport, which concluded that the proposed building would not intrude on commercial flight paths, despite apparent encroachment into “protected Commonwealth airspace.”
The government architect Kirsteen Mackay has also demonstrated her preliminary support for the project, stating it has the potential to “change the epicentre of the tallest buildings in Adelaide.” However, she indicated that her support was contingent on the project’s continued commitment to high-quality outcomes through subsequent stages of delivery.
The project is due to be assessed by the State Commission Assessment Panel on Wednesday 14 September. More

The City of Greater Bendigo and Bendigo Art Gallery have appointed Jackson Clements Burrows Architects (JCB) and Clare Design to lead the gallery’s expansion project.
Released on 7 September, initial designs for the new building feature a contemporary white facade referencing the white clay of the Bendigo region.
The building’s exterior will be etched with a pattern to be designed by a Dja Dja Wurrung artist, to be appointed following an expression of interest process. For now, a placeholder design has been incorporated into the renders, showing a pattern inspired by the chevron detailing on a Dja Dja Wurrung shield.
Bendigo Art Gallery director Jessica Bridgfoot said that the proposed design was “on par with iconic international galleries,” while offering something “thoughtful and truly unique to Bendigo” through the incorporation of local Traditional Owner-inspired designs.
The proposed extension would adjoin the existing nineteenth-century galleries, pending assessment by Heritage Victoria, and the interior architecture will feature a light-filled foyer area and a “floating staircase” leading to the first floor.

View gallery

The interior design for the Bendigo Art Gallery shows a light-filled foyer area with elements of the white exterior carried through and a floating staircase to a new second level. Image:

Jackson Clements Burrows

According to the City of Greater Bendigo, there are plans to include a learning centre for students and an interactive children’s gallery, a second-level exhibition space, an expanded Traditional Owner Place of Keeping for Dja Dja Wurrung artefacts, and expanded access for free and collection-based exhibitions.
Bridgfoot said that the proposed expansion follows the success of high-profile exhibitions like this year’s Elvis: Direct from Graceland, which have raised the gallery’s profile and reinforced its importance to the state’s visitor economy.
A planning application has been lodged with Bendigo’s planning department for the estimated $48 million project, and its progress will be based on funding. The gallery aims to have the expansion completed by 2026, prior to the Victorian Commonwealth Games (for which Bendigo has been announced a co-host), but funding will need to be secured by June 2023.
Financial support will be sought from the state and federal governments, together with funding commitments from the City of Greater Bendigo, the art gallery’s board and philanthropic donations. If funding is not secured by the outlined date, the project will be paused until after the games.
For more information visit the Bendigo Art Gallery website. More

Four Australian interiors projects have been shortlisted across the interiors categories of the 2022 Dezeen Awards. It puts Australia in equal third place with the USA behind China (7) and UK (12). The shortlisted projects will progress to the next stage of judging by esteemed international designers including Australians Kelvin Ho of Akin Atelier and […] More