Architecture

Powerhouse Parramatta will establish a biennial architecture, design and engineering exhibition and a new gallery after it received a $10 million donation from a Sydney developer.
The Holdmark Gallery, named after its benefactor Holdmark Property Group, will be the second largest gallery space in the new Powerhouse Parramatta, covering 2,300 square metres with ceilings eight metres high.
Associated programs that will be delivered alongside the new gallery include a summer school program created in partnership with Western Sydney University. This multi-disciplinary program will focus on urban design, architecture, engineering, and holistic approaches to the built form.
Vice chancellor and president Barney Glover said the program will “simultaneously develop students’ design thinking capability and advance practical solutions for issues directly identified by the local western Sydney community.”
Students will have the opportunity to engage with a western Sydney local council on a project to tackle real-world challenges in the built environment and generate solutions under the guidance of academics and industry practitioners.

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Designed by architects Moreau Kusunoki and Genton, Powerhouse Parramatta will be the largest museum in New South Wales, at 30,000 square metres. Image:

Moreau Kusunoki and Genton

Holdmark founder and chief executive Sarkis Nassif was born in Lebanon emigrated to Australia in 1987. He said his donation was motivated by desire to give back to the city that, as Nassif described, has “given so much to me.” Powerhouse Parramatta is Nassif’s first philanthropical gesture in the arts sector. The company will also become the principal partner of Sydney Design Week.
Powerhouse chief executive Lisa Havilah said Nassif has a migrant story that will resonate with many in the western Sydney community.
Powerhouse Parramatta is the area’s first cultural institution and will cost $915 million to build. The organization is hoping to raise a total of $75 million towards the project from private philanthropy. Powerhouse Parramatta is the New South Wales government’s largest investment in cultural infrastructure since the Sydney Opera House.
Construction is expected to commence this year with the museum opening to the public in 2025. More

Dulux has announced the finalists for its 36th Colour Awards, naming the entrants whose projects exemplified “the most innovative use of colour in the built environment.” In 2022, 103 finalists have been selected by a panel of design industry experts from Australia and New Zealand. The judges include Adriana Hanna (director of architecture at Kennedy […] More

Liebherr’s new generation of fully integrated smart appliances comprises five bottom-mount fridge-freezer models and is available from late April 2022. Customers can expect a variety of innovations that make everyday life easier and more convenient. “For us, a refrigerator is more than just an appliance. It should be a reliable partner that provides assistance, thinks […] More

The State Library Victoria has launched an appeal to preserve historic drawings of Melbourne’s St Paul’s Cathedral, dating as far back as 1878. The collection of 154 plans by English architect William Butterfield range from small sketches to one-to-one architectural details that measure up to six metres long. The State Library has called on the […] More

A concept by Candalepas Associates has been named the winner of a design excellence competition for a 55-storey mixed-use tower on the corner of Liverpool and Castlereagh Streets in central Sydney. This announcement follows the practice’s appointment, alongside Glenn Murcutt, for another multi-use tower at 271 Elizabeth Street making it the practice’s second project within […] More

The Victorian government has unveiled a new memorial for victims and survivors of family violence in Melbourne’s St Andrews Place. Designed by Muir and Openwork, the memorial eschews traditional notions of monuments and instead creates “landscaped rooms” where people can gather and reflect. The site is a triangular shaped patch of lawn adjacent to Melbourne’s […] More

Initial discussions between the owners of this 1930s Californian-bungalow-style house in Brisbane and architects Joel Alcorn and Chloe Middleton of Alcorn Middleton Architecture Office focused on aspirations for the sensitive transformation of the historic home. As the conversation settled on the family’s close ties to Mykonos in Greece, the team was inspired by visions of […] More

The City of Sydney has released its updated vision for the future of the city into 2050.
Sustainable Sydney 2030–2050 Continuing the Vision is the council’s draft plan transform the city into a more “liveable, sustainable and diverse” Sydney.
Building on the visions introduced in the previous Sustainable Sydney 2030 strategy, the updated vision for a more ideal city includes greater public squares, less traffic, better access to the harbour, more space for people and a stronger cultural identity.
City of Sydney engaged with the community through surveys and community workshops and identified five key themes for an ideal future city.
These included an environmentally responsive city that is designed with people at the heart, that is dynamic with a future-focused economy, and has a lively creative and cultural scene.
The council also engaged with Sydney architects, landscape architects and urban designers to develop 10 transformative project ideas that reflected the community’s values and future aspirations for Australia’s most populated city.

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Yananurala – acknowledging Country on Sydney Harbour’s foreshore. Image:

City of Sydney

Yananurala – acknowledging Country on Sydney Harbour’s foreshore
Yananurala will be a 9 km walk that highlights Aboriginal history and culture at places along Sydney Harbour. The walk will be part of the greater Eora Journey in the public domain, and will feature works of national significance by Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander artists.
Making space for culture
This response is a two-part strategy for creating and preserving creative space in Sydney. This initiative will revitalize current cultural assets and establish a cultural land trust to create more cultural production spaces.
Reimagining our community assets
This initiative explores new ideas for how underused space and venues may be redeployed for greater community benefit.
City space improvement program
The City of Sydney proposes temporary and permanent initiatives to transform roads into public space in the city centre, including timed road closures and temporary use of parking for lunchtime activation.

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Creation of three public squares will provide more outdoor space for public life.

Three linked squares
Under the 2050 vision, three new squares will be created at Circular Quay, Town Hall Square and Central, all linked by a transformed George Street that will provide more space for public life in the city centre.
The green city
More green spaces will be created under the future plan, including green avenues, common park spaces, and an expansion of Moore Park. The transformation will provide more opportunities for walkways, cycleways and outdoor community activation.

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Rehabilitation of Sydney Harbour in the future could create more opportunities for recreation on the foreshore. Image:

City of Sydney

The water city
More opportunities for foreshore recreation could be created with the rehabilitation of Sydney Harbour. The city intends to support the foreshore environment to promote opportunities for public swimming.
Connecting Green Square
An eastern transit corridor could be developed to link the Green Square town centre and rail station to a future metro station in Zetland.
Metro as catalyst
Metro has been determined the best way to connect people across metropolitan Sydney. Greater investment in public transport infrastructure can reduce congestion and facilitate movement around the city while taking cars off the road.
Housing for all
Additional models for affordable housing have been identified as an extremely necessary initiative to help bridge the widening gap between those who an afford housing and those who cannot.
The plans will be exhibited for community feedback before being presented to council for adoption in June.
To view the draft document outlining the resources and priorities for a future sustainable Sydney, visit the City of Sydney website. More