Architecture

Using the photographic genre, Louise Whelan documented the construction and evolution of Peter Stutchbury’s Indian Head House in Sydney’s Avalon Beach.
Indian Head House is a robust home made from in-situ concrete with delicate blue gum joinery and panoramic views over the headlands of the Northern Beaches. Stutchbury architecture has won numerous awards for its unity, clarity and rigour, and his own private residence is no exception.
An upcoming exhibition at the Manly Art Gallery and Museum offers visitors rare, behind-the-scenes take on the private processes of a renowned architect and the construction of his own family home. A fellow Avalon Beach resident, Whelan observed the action over four years while Stutchbury was living onsite in a tent among the activity of his team of industrial designers, fabricators, woodworkers, fellow architects and family.

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First ‘smoking’ inside Indian Head House, within the internal courtyard. Left to right: Jarrah Wells, Andy Minter and Architect Peter Stutchbury. Image:

Louise Whelan

A portrait and documentary photographer, Whelan created an intimate, “real-time” and narrative-based account of the making of a home, in a marked departure from a conventional traditions of architectural photography.
Her artistic practice draws inspiration from an interest in the aesthetics of memory, with photographic works that are often complemented with the oral history discipline. Whelan has a strong interest in cultural memory and the value of the archive, with much of her own works housed within the state and national libraries. Whelan felt that Stutchbury’s private residence could be a “cultural asset” worth preserving in our collective imagination.
“I describe the house as generous. It has aspects of discovery in it; it makes you aware of your senses and it’s generous in its storytelling,” she said. Whelan draws attention to the strategically positioned square openings in the cement walls that provide a privileged snatch of the headland and let in sacred moments of sunlight.

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A well-considered square opening window in the front room of the house. This photo was taken during the construction, and there was no roof structure at this stage. 2016. Image:

Louise Whelan

“It has these square, 20-centimetre apertures that are a gift in the house – particularly for a photographer – that serve as a frame for the headland,” she said.
The house plays with these contrasts of hard and soft. Situated on a north-facing site, the light interacts with the surface in curious ways throughout the day.
“In the morning, it gets the direct, strong sunlight as it breaks the horizon and pours into the front room,” Whelan said. “By contrast, in the afternoon, it offers warm light radiating around the house from the internal courtyard – the heart of the building. That light is so soft, it wraps around the skin and hard surfaces, like a soft cloak.”
Whelan said that Stutchbury’s architecture along with maker Jeffery Broadfield’s woodwork “never shies away from ancestral responsibilities”.
“In one part of the house, there are these wooden stairs with brass plates on the side. As they were being installed, they were missing something, and Jeffrey had this piece of 10,000-year-old petrified wood that he inlayed into these stairs; everything has a story to it,” she said.

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Kitchen table looking into an internal Courtyard with walls adorned with the artwork by Lin Utzon, daughter of Danish architect Jorn Utzon. 2022. Image:

Louise Whelan

Elsewhere, the craftsmanship is evident from the tongue-and-groove blue gum joinery to the carefully considered viewpoints. In what Whelan describes as the heart of the home, the interior open-air courtyard walls are adorned with artwork by Lin Utzon, daughter of Danish architect Jørn Utzon, in a textured tile, cement and slate mural.
Whelan said that at golden hour, the ban-saw dust from construction activities acted as a light diffuser on the building site, casting a cinematic haze when salt air meshed with floating fine-wood particles. “I got to know the site intimately; I got to know the light, and where to place myself in certain times of the day,” she said.

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During the inlay of the stairs, ban-saw dust acted as a light diffuser during golden hour.
The stairs were completed with a 10,000-year-old piece of petrified wood, sourced by maker Jeffrey Broadfield, that was once a living Murray Redwood tree. 2017. Image:

Louise Whelan

As her four-year project drew to a close, Whelan experienced the complicated sentiment of satisfaction tinged with sadness when the home had taken its form.
“I was missing the open site as it started to close down and there more obvious signs of occupation by Pete and his family,” said Whelan. “That’s when Fernanda [Stutchbury, Peter’s wife and fellow architect] said to me, ‘That’s what happens to an architect’,” she said, describing the experience of relinquishing co-authorship of a project to the client. “I experienced that,” Whelan said.
Louise Whelan’s photographs and film will be on exhibition from 2 September to 16 October at Manly Art Gallery and Museum. More

The Victorian government has shortlisted three architecture and construction consortia vying to deliver the $294 million Geelong Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCEC), in what it is describing as one of the “biggest and most anticipated developments” to take place in regional Victoria this year. The GCEC will be delivered as a public-private partnership set to […] More

The Australian Capital Territory government has released the designs of the proposed Canberra Institute of Technology at Woden Town Centre designed by Gray Puksand. The practice was appointed to design a 22,500-square-metre Woden campus as part of the Lendlease Building consortium in May 2022. The campus will include a suite of new facilities, including smart […] More

Construction works have begun on a new $16 million visitors centre designed by Troppo Architects at Flinders Chase National Park on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island.
The former visitors centre collapsed during the 2019-2020 bushfires, the largest in the island’s history, which also destroyed 96 percent of the Flinders Case National Park and the adjoining Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area.
The new centre is located nine kilometres from the original, which was deemed unsuitable in the wake of the devastation. The new building has been conceived as a series of lightweight pavilion structures, recessive in character, to prioritize a connection to the outdoors.
The visitors centre will be made from bushfire-resistant timber and rammed earth sourced from existing nearby sites. Local laterite gravels and surface limestone, along with charred eucalypt from bushfire clearance along park fire tracks, will add a uniquely “local texture”, the architects said.
The new centre will sit perched on a curated landscape, surrounded by wastewater treatment zones, rainwater storage tanks, and a colonnade roofed by solar panels, as well as a richly forested creekline and public picnic areas.

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The new centre will sit perched on a curated landscape, surrounded by wastewater treatment zones, rainwater storage tanks, and a colonnade roofed by solar panels. Image:

Troppo Architects

“The site demands autonomous servicing,” Troppo Architects said, “and water will be harvested and stored [onsite] with solar panel arrays extending catchment capability, as well as powering a containerized battery.” Walkways and shelters around the national park will also help to collect rainwater, while onsite wetlands will help to filter waste and stormwater.
Adopting best environmentally sustainable design (ESD) practise, gas has been entirely omitted from the site. Electric vehicle charging ports have been included in the visitors’ carpark, while the building design has adopted low-power strategies for heating, cooling, and lighting.
“Low embodied energy is a primary tenet in the development of the centre’s architectural and siteworks strategy, and is generally concrete-free and lightweight, using sustainably sourced timbers and materials and fitments of Australian manufacture,” said Troppo.

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Render of visitors centre staffroom deck. Image:

Troppo Architects

The centre will maximize the benefits of the site; facing due north, it will use passive design principles for lighting, sun-shading and cross-ventilation.
“The space will draw in winter sun and with appropriate summer shading and deliver high levels of ventilation, even when heating and cooling modes are activated,” said Troppo. Once operational, the building is designed to generate and store its own power and will be entirely self-sufficient in terms of water usage.
Harbouring a strong connection to the area, Troppo Architects previously worked on Platypus Waterholes on Kangaroo Island in the wake of the 2010 bushfires in Flinders Chase National Park. A series of small structures comprising platforms, shelters and lookouts, the walkway was made from low-maintenance, durable and sustainable materials and allows visitors to safely engage with the unique ecological landscape.
Kangaroo Island’s tourism industry contributes $140 million to the state’s economy annually, the SA government said, and rebuilding the visitors centre marks an important step in the island’s bushfire recovery. The University of Adelaide is contributing $2 million to the rebuild of research facilities at the centre, as conservation groups, research partners and commercial tour operators are expected to use the centre’s event space.
Construction is expected to be complete in 2024. More

The NSW government has revealed plans for a new 24-hectare public precinct above Sydney’s biggest and busiest railway station.
According to a masterplan developed with Architectus and Tyrell Studio, the reimagined square over the rail corridor will feature three new parklands, 15 high-rise towers, 850 new dwellings (15 percent of which will be allocated to affordable housing), new dining and retail destinations, and a social services hub to support rough sleepers.
The 10- to 15-year urban renewal program embraces “design, sustainability and connectivity”, intended to transform underutilised government-owned land into a thriving metropolitan hub.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reimagine this iconic part of our CBD and transform it into a world-class precinct of shops, restaurants, office spaces, parkland and additional housing,” NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said.

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Plans for Central Green reveal major new green outdoor spaces by Architectus and Tyrrell Studio. Image:

Courtesy of Transport NSW

Benefits of the project are expected to include improved connectivity, a revived transport interchange, and high-quality office spaces as part of Sydney’s Tech Central development. While no figure has been expressly attached to the project as of yet, estimates have forecast in the billions.
New buildings within the precinct will range from four to 34 storeys, and 60,000 square metres of public domain will be created between the three new parks – Central Green, Central Square and Mortuary Station Garden – and various proposed squares and plazas.
The masterplan is said to “celebrate” the heritage of the precinct, according to infrastructure minister Rob Stokes, while providing new community and social services hubs addressing the needs of all sections of the community.
Sydney Central Precinct is also expected to “anchor” the Tech Central precinct, slated to open in 2027.
The Department of Planning and Environment is now inviting community and stakeholder feedback. The rezoning proposal is on exhibition for public comment until Monday 19 September 2022. More

The Australian Institute of Architects has called on the government to introduce a national supply chain strategy to address materials shortages and skyrocketing costs. National president Shannon Battisson says the soaring costs and material shortfalls can be attributed to to supply chain issues, which are having knock-on effects beyond the collapse of construction businesses through […] More

Artedomus has launched a new collection – the second iteration in Artedomus’s New Volumes Collection series – bringing together talent from a diverse group of Australian designers and creators. Collection 02 is an eight-piece collection that challenges our preconceptions of a product we’re readily familiar with: terracotta. The inaugural volume in the series, launched in […] More

The Australian Institute of Architects has revealed the shortlisted proposals for Australia’s exhibition at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale.
Themed “Laboratory of the Future,” the Biennale, curated by Lesley Lokko, challenges participating countries to focus on the dual imperatives of decolonization and decarbonization.
From 17 expressions of interest, the Institute’s Venice Biennale committee has chosen three that will progress to the next stage of the selection process:
Extreme Ex – Kathi Holt, Tim Hill, James Murray, Lindy Johnson, Jay Younger, Peter Jacobsen and Leah Lang
This scheme proposes to highlight the innovative work of architects, scientists and design practitioners in response to Australia’s “extreme” conditions.
“Extreme Ex will showcase Australian design responses to extreme events, land practices, socio-environmental challenges from both contemporary practice and an Indigenous perspective simultaneously,” the creative team said.
Palimpsest – Jessica Spresser, Peter Besley, Georgia Birks and Rory Gardiner
Palimpsest explores the idea that the “laboratory of the future is to build on/with/in what is already there.”
“Australian cities urgently need a compelling language of reuse,” the creative team said. “The idea of palimpsest inherently refutes the blank page, Tabula Rasa, Terra Nullis. It recognizes the pre-existence and equal status of others. It reminds current authors: ‘you too will one day be over-written’. As a mode of practice it represents a shift: build now understanding others will build over, in, with and around you.”
Unsettling Queenstown – Anthony Coupe, Julian Worrall, Ali Gumillya Baker, Emily Paech and Sarah Rhodes
This exhibition proposal explores ideas of decolonization and decarbonization, coupled with regeneration and revitalization.
Taking the example of Queenstown in Tasmania, emblematic of a settler town “built on resource extraction and labour exploitation” with similar examples found all over the world, the exhibition ponders the post-colonial future of these towns.
The creative team explained, “How these possible futures may be shaped in decolonizing ways mobilising collective memory, environmental sustainability and historical justice is the crux of the exhibition.”
The three shortlisted teams will now progress to the interview stage. The winner will be announced in October. More