Architecture

A $1 billion development at 435 Bourke Street has been approved by the Victoria’s planning department.
Designed by Bates Smart, the 48-level building will feature a “solar skin” facade, from which it will generate energy for 20 percent of its base electrical requirements.
To be made from vertical glass photovoltaic panels, the solar skin is designed to capture sunlight and convert the energy into electricity. The innovative skin can also let natural light in, providing the same thermal and insulation capacities as architectural glass.
“People working in the building will be able to look out the window and see where their energy comes from,” said Bates Smart director Cian Davis. “This collected energy coupled with all-electric operations will help the tower save 430 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.”
The remainder of the building’s energy needs will be sourced from offsite renewable sources. Davis also said the building will reduce its embodied carbon by almost a third through the use of “finely tuned” materials.

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A $1 billion development at 435 Bourke Street has been given the green light by the Victorian Department of Planning. Image:

Bates Smart

A modified development application for the tower was submitted to the Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning late 2021, after updates were made to the design that was previously approved in January 2020.
The modified application was for 60,000 square metres of commercial office space across 48 levels, with 1,300 square metres of retail space, 116 car parks, a sky garden and several landscaped terraces. The design was purportedly altered to respond to the shifting workplace demands of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The structure has also been modified to support a “diverse ecology of workplaces” featuring greater outdoor connection, an enhanced focus on wellness and productivity, and more engagement with the community. According to the developer, the sky garden, ground plane and mixed-mode terraces were the “key focuses” of the new submission, providing diverse and naturally ventilated extensions to traditional workspaces. More

PTW Architects has designed a 61-storey tower for Parramatta in Western Sydney, inspired by the area’s Indigenous history.
Located at 12 Hassall Street, the 61-storey mixed-use building comprises five levels of basement car parking; a four-storey podium providing commercial floor space and residential amenities; and a residential tower from levels five to 59, accommodating 391 build-to-rent apartments.
“In contrast to most neighbouring buildings, this tower is intended to be both tall and narrow, contributing an elegant vertical tower to the city precinct,” the architect said in the design report.
“Its materiality reflects the natural tones of Parramatta’s rich Indigenous history and flora. It is intended to contrast with predominantly glazed/white buildings in the Parramatta CBD.”
The practice won a design excellence competition for the project with design concept for the tower evolved from references to kangaroo grass, eel traps and scar trees. “The scheme had a strong indigenous concept that was well executed,” said the jury.

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Plans for a 61-storey mixed-use building have been lodged with the NSW Planning Portal. Image:

PTW Architects

PTW Architects said the lower podium levels have been designed to maximise street activation and encourage pedestrian activity.
“The tower form is articulated into four quadrants with deep central indentations on all facades,” the report read. “The south facade consists of a strong weave like cladding with a vertical emphasis and an ochre colour scheme. The north facade is characterized by dominant horizontal elements, a uniform colour palette and a subtle transition from base to apex.”
Resident amenities would include flexible private dining rooms in the podium levels, and the rooftop will cater for entertainment spaces and a pool.
The developer acquired the 2,050-square-metre site for an estimated $70 million last year. According to the urban design report, the developer expects an additional 900,000 residents for Western Sydney within the next 20 years, making additional residential properties necessary investment.
The building, if realised, is estimated to have an end value of $450 million. More

Popular international design blog Dezeen has announced the long list for the architecture category of its 2022 awards.
More than 300 buildings from 48 countries have made the cut across the awards’ 12 architecture categories, including 35 Australian projects.
The long-listed projects will progress to the next stage of judging by a legion of esteemed international architects Yasmine Lari, Sou Fujimoto and Australian Liam Young. Winners will be announced in November.
The Australian long-listed projects are:
Urban House

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Jimmy’s House by MJA Studio with Studio Roam and Iota Image:

Jack Lovel

8 Yard House – Studio BrightBellbird House – Bower ArchitectureCasa Mia – Iredale Pedersen Hook and Caroline Di Costa ArchitectJimmy’s House – MJA Studio with Studio Roam and IotaKeep House – BKK ArchitectsNew Farm House – Tim Bennetton Architects
Rural House

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House at Flat Rock by Billy Maynard Image:

Rory Gardiner

Always – Kennedy NolanHouse at Flat Rock – Billy MaynardMay’s Point House – Tanner ArchitectsMount Martha House – Tim Bennetton Architects
Residential Rebirth Project

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Courtyard House by Ha Architecture. Image:

Tom Blachford

Cascade House – John Ellway ArchitectCourtyard House – Ha ArchitectureFusilier Cottage – Bence MulcahyHaines Street – FoomannNido House – Angelucci ArchitectsMalvern House – Lande ArchitectsOur Resilient House – ContexturePhoenix House – Harley Graham ArchitectsYarra Bend House – Austin Maynard Architects
Housing Project

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Fawkner House by Rob Mills Architecture and Interiors. Image:

Timothy Kaye

18 Loftus Street – Silvester FullerFawkner House – Rob Mills Architecture and InteriorsNapier – Edition Office for MilieuTerrace House – Austin Maynard Architects
Civil Building

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Victorian Pride Centre by Brearley Architects and Urbanists and Grant Amon Architects. Image:

John Gollings

Victorian Pride Centre – Brearley Architects and Urbanists and Grant Amon ArchitectsVictorian Tunnelling Centre – Grimshaw
Cultural Building
Shepparton Art Museum – Denton Corker MarshallWalsh Bay Arts Precinct – Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
Business Building
52 Reservoir Street – SJB
Small Building

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Floating Sauna Derby by Licht Architecture. Image:

Anjie Blair

Floating Sauna Derby – Licht ArchitectureGrampians Peaks Trail Stage 2 – Noxon Giffen Architecture and McGregor CoxallThe Lightcatcher – Map Studio
Landscape Project

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Ponder by Taylor Knights and James Carey. Image:

Derek Swalwell

Curtin Yarning Circle – UDLAPonder – Taylor Knights and James CareyGosford Leagues Club Park – Turf Design StudioYuandang Bridge – Brearley Architects and Urbanists More

Kaolin is a Sydney-based supplier of porcelain tiles depicting natural stone, providing quality materials for some of Australia’s most iconic projects. Taking its name from the purest clay called “Kaolin” considered to have the best in hardness, elasticity and translucence. Kaolin values tiles as more than a simple construction material: they’re a fashion. These luxurious […] More

More than 50 proposals, including urban forests, plazas, parks, road art projects and river pools, are on exhibition as part of a campaign to unearth bold ideas for the city’s future.
Brisbane City Council put forward a callout to design studios and industry bodies to submit their ideas that could transform the city for the world stage as part of its “inner spark” campaign.
The brief was informed by seven key themes aimed at promoting inclusion and accessibility; enhance connectedness; fostering creativity; enhancing beauty; facilitating future growth; incorporate clean, green and sustainable design; and responding and adapting to challenging conditions.
More than 600 ideas have been generated during the initial stage of Brisbane City Council’s Inner Spark engagement process, submitted by planners, designers, architects and students. From the projects submitted, 57 are now available for public review.
Proposals range from a linear urban street kitchen to tranforming Victoria Bridge into a “subtropical public realm [with] multi-levelled garden outcrops.”

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Wickham Park Precinct proposed by Daniel Kallis, Hassell. Image:

Courtesy of Brisbane City Council

Lord mayor of Brisbane Adrian Schrinner thanked the innovative and audacious submissions made to Council that “start a conversation” around how the city should look in the future.
“We asked some of Brisbane’s best and brightest to come forward with big and bold ideas that can transform those areas of our city that are popular with residents and visitors alike,” said Schrinner.
“Like Expo 88 transformed the industrial site we now know as South Bank, we wanted to start a conversation on how Brisbane 2032 can revolutionise other parts of our city, particularly those areas in and around Games venues.”
While some projects relate directly to Olympic activities, like the Breakfast Creek Sports Precinct proposed by Brisbane City Council with Neeson Murcutt and Neille, others range from widening the river edge to create waterside parklands, to creating a subtropical garden on Victoria Bridge.
Projects are open for public comment until 25 September on the Brisbane City Council website, and feedback will help to inform Council’s decision for the city’s future legacy. More

Applications are now open for the 2023 Australian Institute of Architects’ Dulux Study Tour. The coveted prize will see five winning applicants embark on a 10-day tour of the best architectural sites and practices across three cities. In 2023, the tour will return overseas for the first time since 2019. The prize is open to […] More

Heritage Victoria has twice refused an application to transform the former Land Titles Office into a high-rise office tower, once also earmarked as the site for a new Greek museum.
Designed by JJ Clark, architect of the Treasury building, the former Land Titles Office was completed in 1889 and is one of only two remaining 19th century buildings on the block of Melbourne’s legal precinct, the second being the Supreme Court.
Developer ISPT purchased the building in 2018. In 2020, designs by Bates Smart were submitted to state government to transform the building into a satellite of Greece’s Benaki Museum. The $244 million of proposed works included plans to partially demolish the heritage building and construct a 30-level tower, using the existing heritage building as a podium.
In 2021, Heritage Victoria refused the application on the grounds that the tower straddling the Strong Room would have “significant physical and visual impacts on the heritage place”.

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A development application to transform the building into a Hellenic museum, designed by Bates Smart, was rejected in 2021. Image:

Bates Smart

The height, width and overall mass of the proposed development would “overwhelm” the view of the office building, reducing the heritage building to a podium for the proposed tower. Heritage Victoria also said the proposed demolition of areas of the building to make way for the tower would cause “substantial harm” and “irreversibly diminish” the cultural and heritage significance of the Titles Office.
In January 2022, the executive director for Heritage Victoria accepted a proposal to amend the application to include a reduction in the height of the tower from 30 levels to 22, and a change the proposed use of the Strong Room and office building from the Hellenic museum to offices, affordable community spaces and hospitality venues.
The revised application was submitted to Heritage Victoria and rejected in July 2022, again on grounds that the partial demolition of the Land Titles Office building as well as the construction of the tower would devalue, diminish, and overwhelm the heritage structure.
The future of the heritage building is now uncertain, with Heritage Victoria acknowledging there is risk a project may fail or not be fully realized due to economic constraints, with the internal rate of return estimated as being “on the cusp of viability”.
The executive director has expressed concerns that any earmarked project could therefore see the Land Titles Office “being left in a more perilous state than it currently is”. More

The City of Sydney has approved a proposal to create a sculptural new building in the historic Rocks area, designed by Smart Design Studio. The former Westpac Museum building, located between the heritage-listed Union Bond Store at 47 George Street and Merchant House at 43-45 George Street, will be demolished to make way for the […] More