Subterms
Moreland City Council has opened a new $30.1 million community centre in Melbourne’s north. The Glenroy Community Centre designed by Designinc is intended to be a “one-stop-shop” for residents of the area to access a range of council and community services. “You can borrow a library book, drop your child at childcare, access healthcare and […] More
The 28th annual National Trust (New South Wales) Heritage Awards ceremony was held on 13 May at Sydney’s historic Doltone House, recognizing outstanding practise in the field of heritage in the built environment.
The awards ceremony is the signature event of the Australian Heritage Festival in the state, supported by Heritage NSW. It recognizes organizations, individuals and community groups that demonstrate excellence in conservation, advocacy, education, interpretation and communication.
In 2022, 16 winners were named across eight different categories, as well as two individual prizes: a special President’s Prize and the highly esteemed Judges’ Choice Award. Among the winners were exceptional examples of architectural projects exhibiting understanding and appreciation for heritage and promoting an awareness of conservation.
View gallery
Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects. Image:
Brett Boardman
From a shortlist of seven buildings and precincts, three architectural projects received an award for adaptive reuse. They included Ngununggula or Southern Highlands Regional Art Gallery by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects; Stephenson’s Mill by Hector Abraham Architects (entered by Susan Hutton); and the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, also by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects.
Ngununggula is the first regional art gallery in the Southern Highlands, borne out of what was the old, leaky dairy at Retford Park. Opening to the public in October 2021, the architect undertook a heritage-sensitive redesign that turned the historical building into 700 square metres of gallery space.
Stephenson’s Mill by Hector Abrahams Architects is recognized for the sympathetic solutions and the careful retention of the original details of a former flour mill in Crookwell, constructed in 1870 by Anthony Stephenson. The architect converted the old flower mill into a home in which owner Susan Hutton could live out her retirement.
View gallery
Stephenson’s Mill by Hector Abrahams Architects. Image:
Neil Waldron
The $371 million Walsh Bay Arts Precinct was recognised for its adaptive reuse of 100-year-old heritage-listed wharves, which the architect transformed into a new 1,800 square metre arts ecosystem.
The Judges’ Choice Award went to the Great Cobar Museum and Visitor Information Centre by Dunn and Hillam Architects. The renovation was intended to preserve the history of the building and return it to its former glory. The redesign improved the functionality for staff, better utilized the accessible ground floor for public exhibits, and integrated the landscape and external exhibition spaces into the museum precint.
The President’s Prize went to Dawn Fraser Baths by TKD Architects – the nation’s oldest remaining example of a fully enclosed tidal pool in Sydney Harbour. Commissioned by Inner West Council, the redevelopment raised the bath’s central pavilion and boardwalk by 1.25 metres to accommodate rising sea levels in conjunction with the construction of new amenities.
NSW Minister for Environment and Heritage James Griffin said the awards present a unique opportunity to celebrate the diversity of heritage across the state.
“The winning projects remind us not only of the importance of protecting our shared past, but also the ways in which we can bring heritage to life for all the people of New South Wales to enjoy and explore,” Minister Griffin said.
The judging panel for the National Trust Heritage Awards 2022 included Barrina South, David Burdon, Dr Siobhán Lavelle, Kathryn Pitkin, Lynn Collins and Peter Salhani. More
The WA government has unveiled the masterplan for the rejuvenation of a key precinct in the centre of Perth.
The masterplan for the $35 million redevelopment of the Perth Cultural Centre will create a “transformational space and a new identity” for the precinct, said architect Fred Chaney, whose practice TRCB worked on the masterplan with landscape architects TCL.
“We’ve identified some really fabulous opportunities and some issues and challenges of the place,” he said.
Perth Cultural Centre occupies a city block in Northbridge bound by Francis Street to the north, Beauford Street to the east, Roe Street to the south and William Street to the west. It is home to the state’s major cultural institutions including the State Library of Western Australia, State Theatre Centre by Kerry Hill Architects, WA Museum Boola Bardip by Hassell and OMA.
View gallery
The central heart will be surrounded by large shade structures. Image:
TRCB and TCL
“The precinct is blessed by all these incredible institutions co-located in effectively one city block […] but there’s nothing really that ties them all together and there’s certainly not space that works as a breakout space for all the institutions,” Chaney said.
“One of the things that really excites us is the idea of a new major public space right in the heart of the precinct.”
The “central heart” space is one of six key moves that will rejuvenate the precinct. The central heart will be a flexible green space at the middle of the precinct that would become a meeting place and draw people in. It will be surrounded with large shade structures that will be visible from a distance.
Other key moves including creating a distinct formal east-west promenade along James Street, composed of an avenue of trees; constructing a north-south axis of gardens that would celebrate the botanical and cultural environments of the Perth region with place for sitting, lounging, eating; opening up the building edges to the public domain and creating clear and recognizable connections beyond the precinct; and developing under-utilized sites, such as a hotel or student accommodation.
View gallery
A north-south axis of gardens that would celebrate Perth’s botanical and cultural environments. Image:
TRCB and TCL
“At the moment when you go to the cultural centre, you go to the museum, but you don’t go there for its own sake and that’s a really critical outcome and objective for this project,” Chaney said.
“We can create a space where people just want to go there because it’s a fabulous place to be.
“The great advantage of that is that once people are in the Cultural Centre and they can then start to take advantage of the all these fabulous cultural institutions that they may not have been aware of in the first place.”
The project will also see the demolition of an existing amphitheatre to create more a more accessible and graded landscape.
The WA government has allocated a further 15 million towards the project in its 2022-23 state budget, in addition to the $20 million the project has already received from state and federal governments. More
The Corian Design Awards celebrate the ingenuity and creativity of the Australian design industry, recognizing local designers who have made innovative use of Corian – the original solid surface created by DuPont in 1967. Over the years, Corian has become a staple of Australian commercial and residential design that is regularly used in kitchens, bathrooms, […] More
FJMT has submitted detailed designs for a tower extension on a crucial corner in Sydney’s CBD for assessment by the City of Sydney. The 11-storey, 45-metre-tall extension to the north of an existing modernist tower at 201 Elizabeth Street would reinstate a historic street wall in the city and improve the existing tower’s relationship with […] More
The Australian Institute of Architects is calling on the incoming federal government to address the lack of gender diversity and equity within the construction industry. Construction is the most male-dominated industry, 87 percent of the workforce are male. The industry also has a gender pay gap of 24 percent for full time workers and 30.6 […] More
The NSW government has unveiled designs a new children’s hospital building at Westmead in Sydney’s west.
The $619 million Paediatric Services Building designed by Billard Leece Partnership forms part of the stage two redevelopment of Westmead Health Precinct.
It will consolidate state’s most critical health services for children and teenagers, including a neonatal intensive care unit paediatric intensive care unit, cancer services, operating theatres, cardiac catheterisation and interventional laboratories, a pharmacy and inpatient units.
The project will also include a revitalized forecourt and playground, an Aboriginal Meeting place, village green, and retail spaces.
“BLP has created a purpose-built, playful, and supportive place for children, their families, and society as a whole,” said Tara Veldman, managing director of BLP.
View gallery
The design of the Paediatric Services Building by Billard Leece Partnership uses biophilic design principles to create a stress-free, non-threatening environment for patients.
BLP’s design translates evidence based research into the physical environment with “positive distraction” and “atmospheric inclusiveness” to aid children’s wellbeing. Some paediatric patients may be in care for long periods and the architects intend to create uplifting and interactive space.
The ground plane of the building will be integrated with the “Kids Park” to create a non-threatening, stress-free environment when paediatric patients arrive.
The design also incorporates principles of biophilic design, with natural light, physical and visual connection to green spaces. A nearby river is also reinterpreted in the architecture of the building.
View gallery
A separate car park building will accommodate 1,000 car spaces as well as generate solar energy for the hospital.
A separate multi-storey car park building will provide 1,000 parking spaces, as well as solar panels on the facades and roof that will generate 600kW of energy for the hospital.
The project follows stage one redevelopment of Westmead Health Precinct designed by HDR, which includes a new Acute Services Building that houses the children’s emergency department, short stay unit and operating theatres. The Paediatric Services Building will connect the Acute Services Building.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said, “This is a once-in-a-generation project that will strengthen our frontline services by delivering world-class healthcare facilities and services for families to provide them with the care and support when they need it most.”
The government has allocated a further $658 million for the redevelopment of Sydney Children’s Hospital and Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre at Randwick, also designed by Billard Leece Partnership. More
Hames Sharley has released concept designs for a $160 million tower as part of a proposal to revamp a retail stretch along Barrack Street in Perth. Revealed plans are for the design of a 22-storey multi-use tower that will transform a portion of the Hay Street Mall between Murray and Hay streets. Four of the […] More
