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The Victorian government has appointed Eplus Architecture to design the $23 million revitalization of the Wilsons Promontory visitors precinct and accommodation hub. Wilsons Prom – the southernmost point of mainland Australia – is a national park in an Aboriginal cultural landscape, and a popular visitors’ destination for its rugged coastal scenery, its native wildlife, and […] More
Cox Architecture has designed a tower in Adelaide’s city centre set to become the world’s tallest timber hotel. To be located at 187 Victoria Square, the proposed tower will sit behind and on top of the existing building also known as Beacon House, which has been described as Adelaide’s first post-war skyscraper. Covering 31 storeys […] More
The 2022 Vivid Design Awards were held at Decoration and Design on 14 July, celebrating the achievements of emerging and early-career designers of furniture, lighting and objects. As Australia’s longest-running competition for emerging designers, the Vivid Awards have helped to bolster the careers of many designers, including Nicole Monks, Edward Linacre, Adam Markowitz and Dale […] More
Available to any member practice with no more than ten full-time staff, the 2022 Architeam Awards are now open for entries as of 25 July, celebrating the best of Australia’s small, medium and emerging practices that might otherwise be overlooked in larger awards programs. The awards recognize Architeam members’ contribution to the Australian design community […] More
The disused rail yards in Sydney’s Redfern is set to be transformed into a new mixed-use precinct under plans developed by Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW).
On 26 July, TfNSW released a rezoning proposal to provide 110,000 square metres of residential and commercial space and in it the acreage for technology and innovation industries as well as new public space and social housing.
The land, owned by the Transport Asset Holding Entity, has inaccessible public for around a century and presents an opportunity to create a new multi-use precinct.
An urban design framework for the Redfern-North Eveleigh Precinct, developed with Bates Smart and Turf Design Studio, reveal a vision to create a residential, entertainment and technology hub on the edge of the CBD.
The draft masterplan targets the “Paint Shop” area, one of three sub-precincts within the Redfern-North Eveleigh Precinct, named after the 135-year-old red brick workshop where trains were overhauled until 1988.
TfNSW envisions the Paint Shop precinct will act as a gateway to Sydney’s emerging tech precinct within Haymarket and Central Station.
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Concept designs for the Paint Shop precinct in the Redfern-North Eveleigh Precinct. Image:
Bates Smart
The plan involves the adaptive reuse heritage workshop buildings, like the eponymous 6,000-square-metre “Paint Shop” building, to create 450 new affordable and diverse homes in buildings up to 28 storeys.
The state government has set a target of 30 per cent diverse housing, half of which must be social and affordable housing, which Minister for Cities Rob Stokes said is “triple the Greater Cities Commission’s baseline target”.
“The Redfern-North Eveleigh precinct is a ten-hectare parcel of inner city public land that has been off limits to the public for more than a century and provides the perfect place for a new city-shaping precinct,” Minister Stokes said.
“We’re transforming the old rail yards by restoring and protecting their heritage value, building new homes and offices while creating more than 14,000 square metres of public space, including a new town square and public parkland.”
The revitalisation will follow the upgrades to Redfern station, which will help to create a connected centre and mixed-use development for living and working.
The rezoning proposal is on exhibition for public comment until Thursday 25 August 2022. Detailed planning on the Paint Shop precinct cannot be completed until the rezoning process has been carried out. More
Construction has begun on the refurbishment of Arts Centre Melbourne’s Theatres Building, part of the Victorian government’s $1.7 billion transformation of Melbourne Arts Precinct.
The Theatres Building, originally designed Roy Grounds, is home to the State Theatre, Playhouse and Fairfax Studio, renowned for its illuminated spire.
NH Architecture and Snøhetta has designed the refurbishment of the arts spaces, adding new scenery lifts, a loading dock, green room, stage door, studio and function space, and a new western entrance to 18,000 square metres of added public parkland.
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Reimagining of the Theatres Building. Image:
NH Architecture
Arts Centre Melbourne Reimagining project director Chris King said the Theatres Building has “great bones” but deteriorating assets that no longer reflect the requirements of its users.
Respecting the original heritage architecture of Roy Grounds and interiors by John Truscott, the design will retain the heritage-listed design features while improving lighting, acoustics, accessibility, circulation and digital streaming technology.
The State Theatre will have dedicated wheelchair positions for the first time in the theatre’s history, serviced by two DDA-compliant lifts for greater accessibility. There will also be 68 new enhanced amenity seats with wider row and seat options.
Chair of the Arts Centre Melbourne Andrew Myer said that reimagining the Arts Centre is a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity. The transformation will be carried out in phases, with works on the Theatres Building expected to be completed by early 2023, preparing for major works to deliver the broader Melbourne Arts Precinct transformation.
The Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation is the largest cultural infrastructure project undertaken in the country, and will also include a new contemporary art gallery for the National Gallery of Victoria.
The State Theatre will close for auditorium and stage house refurbishment in 2024 and reopen in December 2026. More
The draft plans for Hornsby Town Centre, in the Upper North Shore Sydney region, are now on public exhibition, designed to address future housing shortages and reduce urban sprawl. Prepared by Cox Architecture, the masterplan reveals a proposed revitalization of the town centre to make it greener, more liveable, and more accessible for the community. […] More
Glenn Murcutt’s self-proclaimed “most significant” project has been added to the NSW State Heritage Register. Simpson-Lee House II has been recognized as historically significant in the development of Australian modernist architecture in the latter half of the 20th century. Heritage NSW executive director Sam Kidman described the project as a home that signalled an important […] More
