Architecture

Who cares for you? That is the essential question that Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao wants you to think about in her large-scale installation for the inaugural Mecca x NGV Women in Design Commission.
Titled La ropa sucia se lava en casa (Dirty clothes are washed at home), the installation at the National Gallery of Victoria uses the act of laundering clothes as a vehicle for exposing the inequalities of unpaid domestic labour, to spark a “care revolution” that would turn the preconceived values of society on its head.
The installation comprises a central washbasin, representative of an 18th-central communal laundry in the town of Huichapan in central-eastern Mexico. A series of collages and large wall drawings illustrate historical communal laundries from around the world and the social interactions that occurred in those spaces.

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La ropa sucia se lava en casa (Dirty clothes are washed at home) by Tatiana Bilbao. Image:

Kate Shanasy / National Gallery of Victoria

Surrounding the washbasin are a series of patchworked sheets, made from pieces of donated clothing and fabric. Bilbao ran a series of workshops in Mexico City, Berlin and Melbourne in which participants were asked to bring a piece of clothing or fabric “that represents someone in their lives who has performed acts of care for them.”
In each of the workshops that Bilbao had conducted, “everybody spoke about their mums. The same conversations were happening everywhere and it’s because care is primarily done by women. I’m glad the workshops have exposed that. But the majority of people are not aware this is labour,” Bilbao said.
“It’s women’s equality, but at the end of the day it’s everyone’s equality. Let’s say domestic labour is shared equally by men and women. Whoever does it is still unpaid. It’s better that it’s equal because we’re sharing the unfairness; but still, it’s discriminative because it’s not acknowledged or recognised as labour and it’s not paid,” she continued.
“What we’re trying to do here is understand the necessity of really caring for ourselves, and caring for clothes is one way, along with caring for children, caring for the elderly, caring for our own bodies, nurturing, making food – all these things.”

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La ropa sucia se lava en casa (Dirty clothes are washed at home) by Tatiana Bilbao. Image:

Kate Shanasy / National Gallery of Victoria

For Bilbao, care is the oft-forgotten thread in the fabric of a productive and egalitarian society, because the latter cannot existing without the former. “If what we’re all aiming for is the perfect full-time job and equal opportunities to all of us, then who does the rest?” she asked.
“Our cities right now are built on the necessity of productivity. Everything in the city is done to allow you to be more efficient, and whatever is not productive, we make it so that you are be able to produce easier. Everything, even the home, is designed in that matter. But if we surrender to production, then what prevails is capital,” Bilbao said.
“For me, what covid exposed was that we privileged people were sitting at home behind our computers working away. But the internet works because there are other people there working; our food arrives at our houses because there are people out there exposing their lives. When did we forget that we essentially need to be healthy and then produce?”
“So I think it’s very necessary to think how we transform our society into a society of care.”
NGV director Tony Ellwood said Tatiana Bilbao’s is a “compelling voice from outside of the traditional canon of architecture, offering a unique perspective on both its history and its future. A woman from North America, an advocate, and a spokesperson for change, Bilbao creates work that is as intellectually rigorous as it is visually dynamic,” said Ellwood.
La ropa sucia se lava en casa (Dirty clothes are washed at home) is on display until 29 January 2023. More

For one day only, the public will have the opportunity to see inside of four iconic midcentury homes in Melbourne’s bayside as part of the Beaumaris Modern Open 2022. Beaumaris Open is a not-for-profit organisation run by a committee of local volunteers committed to campaigning for the preservation of local heritage icons. Established in 2017, […] More

March Studio’s proposal for the Outback Museum of Australia has been unanimously chosen the winner of a design competition to create a tourism destination in a remote southwestern Queensland town.
The winning scheme aims to “capture the heart and soul of the outback.” Five circular pavilions, made from rammed red earth will house a variety of gallery spaces, ranging from 95 to 145 square metres. An additional three pavilions will house ticketing and information services, restrooms and a gift shop and snack bar.
The pavilions will be arranged around a central native garden which in turn will have a central circular meeting area for smoking ceremonies. A large-spanning Aramax roof will hover over the pavilions, unifying and shading the entire facility. The roof will also act as water collecting device during rain events, funnelling rainwater to catchments around the native garden. The waterfall effect that it would create references the springs and gorges found throughout the outback.

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The winning design for Outback Museum of Australia by March Studio. Image:

Courtesy Griffith University

The jury said “the character, functionality and chosen materials [of this scheme] are considered to meet the program’s call for an exemplary building, with an innovative but simple and agile design that will stand the test of time.
“The seamless and organic forms, the honesty of the material selection and detailing in addition to the obvious physical connections to the surrounding landscape, ensure human scale and approachability of the built form. The exhibition spaces proposed are considered with development, to present a unique curatorial opportunity.”

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The circular galleries range in size from 95 to 145 square metres. Image:

Courtesy Griffith University

The jury awarded second place to a scheme by Hassell which it described as “an appropriate and achievable proposition [that would create]memorable visitor experience.” However, “concerns were also raised about the extensive use of unshaded concrete.” Third place was awarded to Adhaeream for its sinuous, ground plane of converging paths that contrast with an expressive central vertical landmark element accommodating exhibits and elevated viewing opportunities.” But the jury were concerned it would impact “the functional agility of the museum.”
The Outback Museum of Australia was first proposed in 2021, with a masterplan produced the Griffith University academic Karine Dupre, together with architecture students Majed Abuseif, Ting Ren, Miyuki Suzuki and Sebastian Smith.
The project is a collaboration between Griffith University and Murweh Shire Council. The museum will be built in Charlesville’s existing Top Secret Tourism Precincton the site of a clandestine air base where almost 4,000 US troops were stationed during World War II. More

The National Gallery of Victoria is now taking expressions of interests for participation in the next festival. In its seventh year, Melbourne Design Week will run from Thursday 18 to Sunday 28 May 2023 and invites participants to respond to the theme “Design the world you want”, encouraging the industry to use creative thinking to […] More

The New Zealand Institute of Architects (Te Kāhui Whaihanga) has invited John Wardle to present the Resene Sir Ian Athfield Memorial Lecture – an annual speech given by an industry figurehead who is “challenging orthodoxy and a business-as-usual approach to practice, and life”. Wardle’s career spans 40 years with projects across residential, educational, civic and […] More

SJB and Land and Form Studios have won a design competition for 25-27 Leeds Street, in Rhodes East, part of an area on the Parramatta River waterfront set for rejuvenation.
The project will focus on a connection to the river, with low- to mid-rise buildings to engage with the foreshore park, along with waterfront promenades and green pedestrian links.
SJB and Land and Form’s design was chosen from a line-up of three designs in a competition held by representatives from the City of Canada Bay Council, the NSW government architect and Nation Architects. The winning design features a “biophilic and permeable precinct” that expands on the long-term regeneration of the greater Rhodes area.
“We’re breathing new life into the Parramatta River foreshore to make it greener, more accessible and more attractive,” said John Kinsella, managing director of developer Billbergia. “The project will deliver 6,000 square metres of public open space, including a retail and dining precinct and will open up the waterfront promenade with an interactive river edge for the community to enjoy.”

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The SJB and Land and Form-designed precinct will mark the first stage in the Rhodes East masterplan. Image:

Courtesy of Billbergia

SJB said it has a “long-running connection” with the Rhodes area, completing the first masterplan for its regeneration in 2005. The practice has delivered many mixed-use buildings for Rhodes, most recently, Rhodes Central, which forms the retail centre of the suburb and was the first of three stages in the NSW government’s transformation of Rhodes from an industrial peninsula to a fully regenerated suburb.
The proposal for Leeds Street will embraces the geography of the Paramatta River in the public domain. “The foreshore design represents this transition from natural to urban, creating an iconic destination that looks to restore and enhance important ecological assets and allow people to actively engage with the Parramatta River, setting a high-quality precedent for the Rhodes East Precinct,” said Land and Form director Ro Iyer.
Buildings will be oriented for solar optimisation, with internal-facing courtyard apartments receiving glimpses of the riverfront.
Leeds Street is the first stage in the developer’s Rhodes East masterplan for a low-rise, high-density development that builds on the existing fabric of the region. More

Plans to rejuvenate Adelaide’s David Roche Foundation House Museum could see the private museum transform into a tourism destination and cultural hub. The foundation plans to double the museum’s footprint on Melbourne Street in North Adelaide, with a $16 million project to add on-site accommodation, a restaurant, and a 350-seat auditorium, designed by Williams Burton […] More

A $60 million redevelopment is set to transform a north Hobart suburb into a “vibrant new precinct,” designed by Rothelowman.
The development, to be known as Point B, will be located on a 5.5-hectare site at 115 Cove Hill in Bridgewater, east of the Jordan River. The developer, The Young Group, acquired the site through a competitive state government tender process and has lodged a development application with Brighton council for the construction of a mixed-use industrial precinct in one of Hobart’s most economical disadvantaged areas.
The project draws inspiration from developments like Brisbane’s business park Rivermakers and Sydney’s creative hub Precinct 75. Brighton mayor Leigh Gray said the development had the potential to provide a dynamic economic and social environment for Bridgewater.
The precinct plans include designed warehouses, retail spaces, parks and recreation areas, and hospitality venues, designed to operate seven days a week.

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Warehouses designed by Rothelowman for Point B. precinct in Bridgewater. Image:

Courtesy of The Young Group

The developer said Point B will bring significant benefits for the local community, with plans to first establish industrial operations on the site that would generate employment opportunities. The area will focus on sectors such as manufacturing, food and agribusiness, resources and energy, science and technology, and tourism.
Initial activities will also include laying the foundation for future amenities, anticipated to include a rock climbing centre, a brewery, a distillery, parks and exercise spaces, and restaurant and retail shops.
“This project will be a first in Tasmania and we believe it will be transformational,” a spokesperson for The Young Group said. More