Architecture

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has launched civil proceedings against ARM Architecture and its former managing director Anthony (Tony) John Allen for alleged “cartel conduct”.
The competition watchdog alleges the practice attempted to “rig bids for the tender for a building project at Darwin’s Charles Darwin University.”
The $250 million project to create an education and community precinct in Darwin CBD was a central component of the Darwin City Deal, funded by the Australian and Northern Territory governments and the City of Darwin.
ARM Architecture was awarded the contract for principal design services for phase one of the project in May 2019. A tender for second phase principal design services, valued at $2.6 million, was issued in September 2020.
ACCC alleges that former managing director Tony Allen sent emails to would-be competitors requesting them not to submit tenders for the second phase.
Initial court documents submitted by the ACCC reveal that Allen sent emails to Architectus, John Wardle Architects, Denton Corker Marshall, Cox Architecture, Bates Smart, Hassell, Lyons and Woods Bagot.
The email allegedly stated:

“The only reason the remaining phases are being tendered separately is because there is a very complex tri-partite funding arrangement involving the federal, territory and local governments, and the University is bound by terms in this funding agreement that require 2 tender processes for the project. Something to do with so called ‘best value for money’. Most of the CDU people with whom we have been dealing were surprised to learn that this was occurring.
“Our request to you is simple. Please do not submit a tender as we are relying very heavily on continuing with this project to keep our practice alive throughout the remainder of this strange and difficult COVID time. Perhaps this is an issue that we could discuss at a future [Australian Institute of Architects’ Large Practice Forum] meeting.”

The document states that Architectus and John Wardle Architects responded agreeing not to submit tenders.
Capital Insight, project management consultancy on the CBD campus project, then emailed ARM Architecture requesting it to retract its initial email, which the practice did.
ARM Architecture submitted its tender on 5 November 2020. On 9 December, Charles Darwin University issued a letter to ARM Architecture stating that the practice will be excluded from consideration because of the initial email sent by Allen, which was considered to be “anti-competitive conduct, unethical conduct and prima facie evidence of conduct which may constitute collusive tendering.”
The ACCC alleges the conduct contravened section 45AJ of the Competition and Consumer Act of 2010.
“ARM Architecture, through the conduct of Mr Allen, attempted to rig or induce other competitors to agree to rig the tender for principal design consultant services. The ACCC also alleges that Mr Allen attempted to induce other competitors to agree to rig this tender,” ACCC said.
“Cartel conduct is one of the most serious violations of competition law, and attempts to engage in cartel conduct in public procurement have the potential to cause significant detriment to governments, taxpayers, consumers and businesses,” it continued.
A spokesperson from ARM Architecture told ArchitectureAU, “For over twelve months, we have provided our full cooperation to an ACCC investigation into correspondence sent by our former managing director.
“The ACCC has concluded its investigation and decided to commence a civil enforcement proceeding. The ACCC’s claims relate to an isolated incident and in response, we have implemented management and governance changes and enhanced compliance measures.
“As this matter is now before the court, it’s not appropriate for us to comment further about the ACCC’s allegations.”
In November 2021, the ACCC warned public sector agencies to be on the look out for potential bid rigging behaviour in tender processes.
Gina Cass-Gottlieb, ACCC chair, said, “Bid rigging for tenders, whether the tenders take place in the public or private sector, is against the law. This type of cartel conduct increases the costs of tenders for businesses or taxpayers, and has a chilling effect on competition.
“The ACCC will take appropriate enforcement action against this type of conduct, including potential civil or criminal cartel proceedings.
“Professional services firms, including architects, should note that Australia’s cartel laws apply to their businesses as they do in other sectors. Firms competing in these markets must compete fairly and ensure they do not engage in anti-competitive behaviour, including cartel conduct.
“Public sector procurement is a multi-billion-dollar sector. It makes a vital contribution to the Australian economy and the welfare of Australians, who have the right to expect competitive bidding for these projects, resulting in value for money.”
The case will be heard before the Federal Court, Victoria registry, with a hearing date still to be set. More

Three designs have been shortlisted for the Outback Museum of Australia (OMOA) in Charleville, south-west Queensland.
In August, the Griffith University and Murweh Shire launched an international competition for the design of a new museum, specifying a sustainable and resilient building that demonstrated an “understanding of the outback” in the land of the Bidjara people.
The museum is intended to celebrate the diversity of Australia’s outback, unveiling its “mysteries, natural environment and people”, the brief read, along with its “contemporary spirit”.
The competition received 16 submissions, from which the jury has selected three contending designs for the future museum. Selected visions have been designed by Adhaeream, Hassell and March Studio.

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March Studio’s design features a large fanned circular roof above eight rammed earth exhibition and activity spaces. Image:

March Studio

March Studio’s design features a large circular roof that hovers above the site, providing shade from the harsh outback sun, “like a large contemporary verandah,” the architects said. The fanned roof shelters eight rammed earth pavilions, each housing a different exhibit or activity, and each clustered around a central native garden that serves as the heart of the museum.
The centre of the native garden provides space for a circular meeting area for smoking ceremonies and yarning circles. The roof is constructed from fanned sheets of Aramax that double as rainfall catchments around the central native garden.

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The Mulga Ring by Hassell is a passive and open structure organized in a circular geometry. Image:

Hassell Architects

The Mulga Ring design by Hassell builds on an existing clearing, featuring an open museum organised in a ring geometry. The design uses honed concrete floors and skirtings, establishing a “series of thresholds, edges, enclosures and apertures that define territory and frame views and vistas to the landscape and sky”.
A timber frame with structurally glazed low iron glass will create a passive and open structure that incorporates natural ventilation and cooling.

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The Adhaeream design features a central museum exhibition “seed pod”, with its shape and surrounding timber glulam column structure inspired by the seeds of the Mulga tree. Image: Adhaeream

The Adhaeream design features a central museum exhibition “seed pod”, with its shape and surrounding timber glulam column structure inspired by the seeds of the Mulga tree. The central pod is surrounded by support spaces embedded within a structure inspired by the culturally significant Carnarvon Gorge in the Queensland central highlands.
The pod features a skywalk and observation ramp to look out over the natural landscape, in “an instantly recognisable, innovative, timeless and agile showcase for Outback Australia,” the architect said.
Along with the three shortlisted designs, the submissions by Lippmann and Seven Mile also received commendations. The winning design will now be announced on 6 October.
First place will receive a prize of $40,000 and will be engaged to design the OMOA. Second place will receive $20,000 and third $10,000.
The construction budget for the museum is estimated at $6.5 million with a building footprint of 700 square metres. More

BVN has been selected as the lead architect for a 1.2-hectare mixed-use precinct in Sydney’s Pyrmont. The architecture practice has won a design excellence competition, which also included Tzannes, SJB, Carter Williamson, and Bates Smart. Formerly the Saunders Quarry, the City of Sydney depot site on the corner of Fig and Wattle Streets will be […] More

The South Australian government has announced the proposed new Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) will now be built in Thebarton on the site of the current police barracks, 600 metres from its original proposed location adjacent to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Following the state election, the new government commissioned a review of the previously intended site and found significant constraints.
Proponents of the former site said the co-location would “maximise the potential of both hospitals” and facilitate the transition of adolescents to adult facilities.

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Key benefits to the new proposal include an onsite helipad, an intensive care unit, capacity for a cardiac surgery ward, direct access to the parklands, and an additional 85 carparks. Image:

Courtesy of South Australian government

However, SA premier Peter Malinaukas said that if the new WCH were to be built next to the RAH, it would inhibit future development of both facilities.
“At some point in decades to come the RAH will need to be expanded […] With a growing and aging population, that is a possibility that must be accounted for,” said Malinaukas. “If we build the new WCH immediately next to the RAH, we will never, ever be able to expand the RAH or the WCH.”
The same design team, comprising Woods Bagot with Bates Smart, Jacobs and UK practice BDP, have prepared concept designs for the new site, which is 20,000 square metres larger than the former. The new proposal includes an onsite helipad for more efficient relocations, an intensive care unit, capacity for a cardiac surgery ward, direct access to the parklands, and an additional 85 carparks.

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Key benefits to the new proposal include an onsite helipad, an intensive care unit, capacity for a cardiac surgery ward, direct access to the parklands, and an additional 85 carparks. Image:

Courtesy of South Australian government

Ten heritage-listed buildings on the site will be demolished to make way for the new facility, some of which date as far back as 1917, sparking concerns from the South Australian Heritage Council.
In his op ed for In Daily, Heritage Council chair Keith Conlon argued that razing the precinct would pose unprecedented loss for the state’s history and heritage protection legislation.
“They will be destroying a set of buildings that were listed as State Heritage Places because they gave us a tangible connection with a crucial part of our past and how we’ve got here,” said Conlon.
The new proposal will displace South Australia Police (SAPOL) which has occupied the site for 105 years. The state government has committed $2 million to assist with relocating its existing functions, stating there would be no loss of operational capability as a result of the move.
Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens said the news creates “a unique opportunity for SAPOL to consider its operational needs and work with affected staff, stakeholders and the government to acquire modern, fit for purpose facilities that will meet organisational needs well into the future.”
The project is estimated to cost $3.2 billion and is due to be complete by 2030-31. Early works are set to start in 2023 ahead of construction beginning in early 2024. More

Phoenix has released its “Curated Finishes Collection”, showcasing eight product finishes across its tapware, showers and accessories collection. The release features Phoenix’s recently launched finishes: Matte White and Brushed Carbon, along with Brushed Gold, Brushed Nickel, Chrome, Gun Metal, Matte Black and Stainless Steel. Pleasing cohesion can be achieved when the same finish is shared […] More

A $30 million build-to-rent project designed to support at-risk women and children has been completed in Dandenong, marking the first project of its kind in Australia.
Designed by ARM Architecture for specialist homeless organisation Launch Housing, the project known as “Viv’s Place” provides permanent housing with wrap-around support services for up to 60 women and 130 children escaping family violence and homelessness.
The accommodation model features tailored support for women and children, with access to onsite skills classes, healthcare and legal aid, and permanent, purpose-built suites for ongoing consultative care. Inspired by successful models like the Sugar Hill project in Manhattan, the design is supported by seven years of research and consultation.
“It is an accommodation model equipped with support facilities to enable care and community assistance within the building itself,” said ARM director Andrew Lilleyman.
Viv’s Place is designed with a range of apartment types – from studio or single-bed to three-bedroom apartments – to suit a variety of family arrangements, from single-parent households to intergenerational families.
The project deliberately goes against the grain of preconceived understandings of social housing, demonstrating how these living models can be both “generous and abundant” on a tight budget ­– spatially, functionally, aesthetically and communally.

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Considered details include terracotta tiles, coloured wallpaper, wrought iron lacework and gardens that foster a sense of belonging and calm. Image:

Tatjana Plitt

The building shirks conventional, sterile apartment design, wrapping the interiors and exteriors with materials, patterns and colours more consistent with a traditional home. These include terracotta tiles, coloured wallpaper, wrought iron lacework and gardens that foster a sense of belonging and calm.
Lilleyman said this dignity-enabling model is designed to help occupants feel a sense of ownership, using trauma-informed design principles to promote connectivity and comfort.
“Given the clientele for this building, we have designed a vibrant, colourful, patterned building, which deliberately moves away from social housing models that are austere and institutional in both appearance and function,” said Lilleyman.
Andrea Wilson is an interior design leader at ARM. She said the material selections for the communal spaces are about “gathering a series and assemblage of finishes that are linked to a diversity of different cultures,” with design details that recall killim rugs, a library “tent” with an interior imagined as a “wallpapered library artifice,” and wallpaper adorned with blue urns evocative of the Mediterranean.
Lilleyman said the project “pushes the envelope” in terms of what design can do for apartment buildings. “The sense of identity and belonging is important for a building like this and its occupants, and the patterns and concepts that go into the design create that environment,” he said.

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Trauma-informed interior space is designed to cater for people with specific needs, both for a sense of community and connection and conversely for quiet and privacy. Image:

Tatjana Plitt

The communal interior space is designed to cater for people with specific needs, providing opportunities for social connection as well as quiet and privacy. “It’s a journey of discovery,” said Wilson. “There’s a central couch area but there are also a series of discreet niches that create very strategic breaks between play and rest spaces.”
Wilson said Viv’s Place helps to challenge the notion of what is possible for interior design on community and low-budget projects. “There is a huge amount of material that can be selected that is provocative and that stimulates the imagination,” said Wilson. “It’s an interesting thing to move away from pure colour-blocking or texture, which are the standard approaches, into something that is a lot more inspiring. We’re moving away from something institutional and adding pattern and colour in a way that fills a space that could feel empty.”
Launch Housing chief executive Bevan Warner said he hopes the building will provide a prototype for future social housing establishments that “steer away from institutional design”.
“Solutions like Viv’s Place are critical to breaking the cycle of intergenerational homelessness and giving children a strong start in life,” said Warner.
The project was partially funded (40 percent) by the Victorian government, with the remainder of funding provided through philanthropic donations from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, the Shine On Foundation, the Ian Potter Foundation and the Gandel Foundation, as well as from the Friday family of Melbourne. More

In its first in-person event in two years, annual festival Design Canberra returns in 2022 for its ninth edition following its postponement due to COVID-19 last year.
Design Canberra is the primary outreach program for the ACT’s Craft and Design Centre, which promotes and celebrates artists, designers and craft practitioners.
This year’s festival explores the theme “Transformation”, inviting audiences to consider how design can transform the city, the community and the world through creative practice.
The 2022 program features more than 200 events, including talks, tours, exhibitions, public art installations, workshops and symposiums, with open-studio access to more than 77 Canberra-based artists and designers.
Design Canberra chief executive and artistic director Jodie Cunningham said Canberra’s design community is looking forward to coming back together to engage the community in important dialogues and programs that speak to a collective design future.
“With a highly anticipated return to a full physical festival, this year’s program is delivered through collaboration between artists, designers, craftspeople, industry, sponsors, educational institutions, organisations and supporters – all of whom contribute to Canberra’s world class design community,” said Cunningham.

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Contemporary Architecture Tour: Crace Eclectic House by Megaflora. Image:

Courtesy of Design Canberra

The festival includes four symposiums with high-profile keynote speakers including authors Elizabeth Farrelly and Tony Fry, and artists Blanche Tilden and Tom Moore, covering conversations around design futures, urban planning, craft and design practice, and public art.
In architecture talks, the “Design Revisited” series, supported by the Alistair Swayne Foundation, will be a unique opportunity to celebrate architectural history and design excellence in a city of design.
Architectural tours will provide an opportunity to explore some of the city’s modernist architectural homes, including Karma House by Derek Wrigley and Little Loft House, currently under renovation by Light House Architecture and Science.
Other highlights include the hidden secrets of the Australian National University, exploring the hidden tunnels beneath the campus built post World War II; a close look at the heritage-listed Verity Lane Market at the heart of Canberra; and a tour of Calthorpes’ House, built 1927, which epitomizes Canberra design in the 1920s.
The festival will run for two weeks, from 2 until 20 November. To view the full program or to book tickets, visit the Design Canberra Festival website. More