Subterms
The Queensland government has released flood resilience design guidelines to help safeguard homes against the impact of floods in the wake of severe recent flooding events. The guidelines were developed in collaboration the Queensland government architect Leah Lang and James Davidson Architects, a practice that specialises in designing in extreme climates. “This guidance aims to […] More
A development application has been submitted to the City of Sydney for a Bates Smart-designed building on Sydney’s Liverpool Street. The proposal is for the demolition of an existing commercial building at 175 Liverpool Street and for the construction of two 36-storey mixed-use towers separated by a through-site link and a new public open space. […] More
The Victorian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects and the Association of Consulting Architects have voiced their alarm regarding a proposed amendment to the Architects Registration Board of Victoria (ARBV).
Under the proposed change making its way through parliament, the ARBV would require only three board members to have an architectural qualification, and none will be required to be registered architects, out of the board’s total nine members.
The proposed changes will put Victoria out of step with architects registration boards in other states where the majority of board members are architects. For example, in New South Wales, six of 11 board members are architects, four of seven board members are architects in Queensland, and six of 10 members are architects in Western Australia.
Currently, the ARBV has 10 members, five of whom must be registered architects, alongside important consumer and construction industry representatives.
The Victorian chapter president David Wagner said the proposed changes to the board regulations will place consumers at risk.
“The current composition has ensured a robust base of direct professional insights into the high standards required for architectural professional conduct and practice competency alongside the important perspectives of the consumer and construction industry stakeholders,” he said.
Architectural registration ensures that practising individuals satisfy a range of competency requirements and can demonstrate a range of experience and industry expertise to safely and suitably carry out complex processes.
The Institute has argued that the shift to no registered members on the ARBV board is “markedly out of step” with other professional registration and regulation boards. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, for example, and the Medical Board of Australia each have eight members from their professions on their respective 11 and 12-member boards.
Victorian president of the Association of Consulting Architects Paul Viney added that proposed changes “do not equip the board to adequately undertake its role with the required experience, expertise and balance.”
Both industry bodies have called on the Planning Minister to amend the proposed change under the Building, Planning and Heritage Legislation Amendment Bill to retain five registered architects on the new nine-member board. More
A development application has been lodged with Gold Coast City Council for a proposed 400-bed private hospital and health precinct in Coomera in what would be the region’s first comprehensive private hospital. Conrad Gargett has been engaged for the project, as a leading architect in the design and delivery of health facilities. The northern Gold […] More
The annual Open House Melbourne returns in July 2022 with it first in-real-life program in since 2019. The popular event gives the public access to some of the city’s most loved built works. In 2022, the program features a jam-packed lineup of in-person tours, talks and buildings, temporarily turning the city into a living exhibition.
The 2022 theme of “Built/Unbuilt” showcase Melbourne’s most recently completed and yet-to-be completed spaces, as well as a host of returning favourites across 218 events in one weekend.
We’ve compiles a selection of seven residential highlights to look out for.
The Hütt 01 Passivhaus by Melbourne Design Studios
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The Hütt 01 Passivhaus by Melbourne Design Studios. Image:
Maitreya Chandorkar
Shortlisted for the sustainability award in the 2022 Houses Awards, this home produces more energy than it consumes, earning it the highest category certification of Passivhaus credentials. This four-bedroom home is just 78 square metres in footprint and occupies a site of 250 square metres. It consists of a contemporary scheme with modernist and Nordic touches and sets a new benchmark for small-scale urban densification. Tours will run every half hour from 10:30 am to 1 pm on Sunday 31 July.
Park Life by Architecture Architecture
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Park Life by Architecture Architecture. Image:
Tom Ross
In the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown, this home emerges out of a pocket of 1940s housing commission duplexes and responds to the opportunities and constraints of living on a prominent corner in a “park life” setting. Architecture Architecture’s extension and renovation is a contextual design that cleverly integrates home, garden and streetscape. Tours will run on the hour from 10 am until 4 pm on Saturday 30 July.
Thornbury Townhouses by Fowler Ward
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Thornbury Townhouses by Fowler Ward. Image:
Tom Ross
With a brief to deliver two high-quality homes on a limited budget, these townhouses provide a valuable case study for a small-scale multi-residential development. Dual occupancy townhouses are commonplace in Melbourne’s inner northern suburbs, but these homes are far from common, exhibiting clever passive design feature and striking architectural choices. Tours will run every half-hour from 11 am until 4 pm on Sunday 31 July.
Figr Pop-up House by Figr
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Figr Pop-up House by Figr. Image:
Courtesy of Open House
Featuring a permeable facade open to the street, Figr Pop-up House challenges expectations around inner-city living, inviting opportunities for interactions with the community. Located in a predominantly heritage setting, this home uses the silhouette of the neighbouring homes to create a unique extrusion elevated from the ground. The “hovering belly” of the house creates an open undercroft that guides residents into the house and through the landscaped gardens. 15-minute tours will run continuously from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturday 30 July.
Nightingale 2 Fairfield by Six Degrees
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Nightingale 2 Fairfield by Six Degrees. Image:
Tess Kelly
Completed in 2019, this collaboration between Six Degrees Architects and developer Hip V. Hype is based on the tenets of living simply in well-built, sustainable homes, the Nightingale model is evident in the honest, robust and transparent design of this 20-apartment block. Two tours will be held on Sunday 31 July – at 10 am and 12 pm.
Perennial favourites: Walsh Street House and Cairo Flats
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Cairo Flats by Architecture Architecture. Image:
Tom Ross
Robin Boyd’s 1957 home is an enduring exemplar of Australian modernist architecture and remains a well-preserved archive of the genius’s library, furniture and artwork, alongside old manuscripts, correspondence, drawings and news clippings. Tours of the Walsh Street house will run On Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 July, at 11 am, 12 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm.
Cairo Flats by Architecture Architecture embraces the philosophy of “less is more” with these simple and flexible Carlton apartments. A renovation of a 1936 block designed by Acheson Best Overend, this building is an icon of early Melbourne modernism. Tours will run on the hour from 10 am until 4 pm on Sunday 31 June.
Click here to view the full program. More
Approval has been granted to the $141 million Bates Smart-designed commercial tower slated for Sydney’s Green Square neighbourhood after a development application was submitted in 2021. To be known as “Fulcrum”, the building will be the first site on Green Square’s Botany Road stretch to be redeveloped, initiating the next phase of the neighbourhood renewal. […] More
A development application has been submitted to the City of Fremantle for a U-shaped hotel designed by Smart Design Studio on an historic site the heart of the city. Located adjacent to the Fremantle Markets, the site was home to the former Spicers Building, built in 1899, which was demolished in the 1970s to make […] More
The University of Queensland has launched its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Design Framework intended to reshape campuses to better recognize, include and celebrate connections to place.
The framework analysed each of the university’s campuses and consulted with Indigenous students and staff about their associations with various sites. It also sets out six key Indigenous design principles.
Led by UQ senior lecturer of architecture Carroll Go-Sam, the Campuses on Countries framework “paves the way for future incorporation of Indigenous knowledges and excellence into the physical environment across UQ’s many campuses and sites.”
At its launch event, Go-Sam delivered a powerful call-to-action speech addressing developers, architects and landscape architects about how they can better co-design with Indigenous practitioners and collaborators for more meaningful project outcomes.
Go-Sam emphasized that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ participation, knowledge and perspective is meaningful and important, for both the university and broader society.
“[The framework is] a set of design principles to ensure that Indigenous Australian knowledges and perspectives are incorporated into UQ’s physical and built environments,” said UQ vice-chancellor and president Deborah Terry. “We will use this framework to guide the development of our places and spaces, so that they are welcoming, educational and inspirational locations.”
Bronwyn Fredericks, pro-vice-chancellor Indigenous engagement, added that the framework was an important step in the university’s reconciliation journey.
“Can I be clear, the framework is not about Blak brushing UQ’s campuses with Indigenous-themed murals, decal designs, or adding bush tucker gardens and yarning circles,” said Go-Sam said at the launch.
“The Campuses on Countries Framework is not asking those ‘not in the know’ to design something Indigenous about Indigenous people to the exclusion of Indigenous people. The starting point is engagement.”
The framework also identified several precedent projects where First Nations leadership had successfully informed and shaped, if not entirely dictated, public architectural and artistic projects related to campuses.
They included: Ngoolark Student Services Building at Edith Cowan University (2015) by JCY Architects and Urban Designers; Birabahn Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Centre (2002) by Peter Stutchbury Architects; the Eyes of the Land and Sea Sculpture at Kamay Botany Bay by Alison Page and Dillon Kombumerri (2020); Murri Totems by Reko Rennie at the La Trobe Institute of Molecular Science forecourt(2013); and the Koorie Heritage Trust by Lyons (2015).
The Campuses on Countries Framework follows similar documents developed by other universities around Australia incluing Queensland University of Technology’s Campus to Country, and the University of Sydney’s Wingara Mura-Bunga Barrabugu design principles. More
