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To mark their 160th birthday, TON has released the publication +- 160 Years, a creative culmination of TON’s history that documents the early innovation, design journey, materials and iconic products of the brand’s current and historic offerings. Melding heritage and innovation, TON creates heirloom pieces that can be traded down through generations. TON furniture is […] More
Adelaide has been named the world’s second National Park City, after London, at the World Urban Park Congress.
Bestowed by the UK-based National Park City Foundation, the designation is not meant as an award but “the beginning of a journey” towards creating “greener, healthier, wilder and fairer places to live.”
The idea is to transplant some of the principles associated with official national parks onto the city, to value cities as important centres of biodiversity, natural heritage and recreation in their own right.
South Australia’s environment minister David Speirs said Adelaide becoming a National Park City would bring a range of benefits.
“Adelaide National Park City status isn’t just another title for our city, it is a trigger to promote and connect people with on-ground action to look after our environment for everyone’s health and wellbeing as well as boost our economy through increased tourism,” he said.
“Over the next few years, through our urban environmental board Green Adelaide, you’ll see some real on-ground action towards the Adelaide National Park City movement to create a cooler, greener and wilder city.
“This includes $5 million to green our CBD streets and places, $5 million to re-wild the River Torrens, and millions of dollars in grants to enable the community and councils to deliver climate resilient projects on-ground.
“Plus, the delivery of iconic rewilding projects like bringing platypus back to the Torrens, creating a more butterfly friendly city, and enhancing habitat and awareness about our city’s birds of prey.”
Adelaide’s push to become a National Park City was led by the government body Green Adelaide. The bid was based on the proposed greening measures, as well as Adelaide’s already impressive parklands, which cover 30 percent of the city and support around 1,080 native plant species, 281 native species of birds, 60 native fish species and 47 native mammal species, along with 58 species of reptiles.
Green Adelaide board presiding member Chris Daniels said, “This milestone for our city follows National Geographic recently naming Adelaide as the sixth most sustainable city in the world thanks to the green movement, and the years of effort by volunteers, government and organizations to look after our nature, which boosted our city’s credentials in our application.” More
A 10-storey timber-framed office building proposed for a CBD site in Perth has been recommended for approval. Designed by local firm Donaldson Boshard, the building will be built at 78-90 Mounts Bay Road, north of the state heritage-listed Bishop’s House, a two-storey Victorian Georgian-style residence built in 1859 for WA’s first Anglican bishop. The proponent […] More
Cottee Parker has designed a 16-storey tower for 63–67 McLachlan Street in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane with “an abundance of tree and plant life” grafted onto it. Dubbed The Olive Branch, the tower includes 12 levels of office space, a wellness centre, and a rooftop restaurant. A terracotta breeze block screens the wellness space on the […] More
The Tasmanian chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects has announced Stuart Tanner has been elected chapter president. Tanner is director of Tanner Architects, based in Hobart. He will assume the role from for the remainder of the 2021-2022 term from Craig Rosevear, who was elected chapter president in February 2021. Tanner will also be […] More
Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi has been named the winner of the Royal Gold Medal 2022 by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
Given in recognition of a lifetime’s work, the medal is one of architecture’s top honours. The honours committee said Doshi has influenced the direction of architecture in India and abroad over a 70-year career that has spawned more than 100 built projects.
“He has influenced generations of architects through his delightfully purposeful architecture,” said RIBA president Simon Allford.
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Atira Guest House, Ahmedabad. Image:
Fabien Charuau
“Influenced by his time spent in the office of Le Corbusier, his work nevertheless is that of an original and independent thinker – able to undo, redo and evolve. In the twentieth century, when technology facilitated many architects to build independently of local climate and tradition, Balkrishna remained closely connected with his hinterland: its climate, technologies new and old, and crafts.”
Doshi said it was an honour to receive the award. “The news of this award brought back memories of my time working with Le Corbusier in 1953 when he had just received the news of getting the Royal Gold Medal,” he said. “He said to me metaphorically, ‘I wonder how big and heavy this medal will be.’ Today, six decades later I feel truly overwhelmed to be bestowed with the same award as my guru, Le Corbusier – honouring my six decades of practice.”
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Aranya Low Cost Housing, Indore. Image:
Vastushilpa Foundation, John Panicker
Doshi was born in 1927 in Pune and studied at the Sir J. J. College of Architecture in Bombay (now Mumbai), before working for four years with Le Corbusier as senior designer in Paris and for four more years in India to supervise projects in Ahmedabad. He also worked with Louis Kahn as an associate to build the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and they continued to collaborate for over a decade.
His practice, Vastushilpa, which he founded in 1956 with two architects, is today a multi-disciplinary practice with 60 employees and five partners spanning three generations.
The 2022 Honours Committee, chaired by RIBA president Simon Allford, included last year’s Royal Gold Medal recipient Sir David Adjaye, architect Alison Brooks, architect and academic Kate Cheyne, and cultural historian and museum director Gus Casely-Hayford. More
Fitzpatrick and Partners’ competition-winning design for an apartment and office complex in Sydney Olympic Park has been submitted for planning approval. The proposed development would include a 45-storey tower with 464 serviced apartments, a 12-storey office building with ground-floor retail, and two pavilion structures of two and five storeys. The pavilions are intended to act […] More
Concept designs by John Wardle Architects have been released for the redevelopment of the Port of Devonport in Tasmania, the headquarters for the Spirit of Tasmania ferries and the fastest growing port in the state. The Tasmanian government said the $240 million “Quay Link” development would be timed to cater for a new fleet of […] More
