Architecture

Dark roofs will be banned on all new houses in New South Wales and large commercial buildings will need to meet net-zero carbon emission standards, the state’s planning minister has announced.
The government announced a ban on dark roofs in key development areas back in August but will now move to formalize the ban across the state.
In a speech to the Committee for Sydney, Rob Stokes cited University of NSW and University of Sydney research that shows that dark roofs could be lifting ambient urban temperatures by up to 2.4 degrees.
“There are no practical reasons why we shouldn’t be ditching dark roofing on new homes permanently to ensure that future communities of Sydney’s west don’t experience the urban heat that many communities do now,” he said, according to media reports.
“This would have an enormous impact on the urban heat island effect in our city, and I will be asking the Department of Planning to implement this as part of our ‘net zero cities’ approach.”
The kind of development seen in Sydney’s sprawling suburbs, particular in the city’s west and south-west, has long been criticized as inappropriate and unsustainable, with a lack of green infrastructure and dark-roofed houses built to the edge of blocks exacerbating the urban heat island effect.
Discussing the UNSW and University of Sydney research into building materials and urban temperatures, lead researcher Mattheos Santamouris noted that low-quality housing can have a marked influence on temperature and energy use.
“The temperature difference between Eastern and Western Sydney during summer, for example, is up to 10 degrees. In a distance of 60 kilometres, that’s tremendous,” he said.
“This has a tremendous impact on the quality of life of people in Western Sydney. They spend almost 100 percent more energy on cooling. They have much higher mortality rates.”
Committee for Sydney chief executive Gabriel Metcalf welcomed Stokes’s announcement of the ban, The Guardian reports.
“Of all the things that can be done about the problem of living with extreme heat in western Sydney, the easiest is requiring light coloured roofs,” he said. “This makes all the sense in the world.”
Stokes also said that the BASIX certification system which assesses the energy performance of housing will be updated, with the required rating lifted from 5.5 stars to 7 stars for new dwellings. Office towers, hotels and shopping centres, meanwhile, would be required to have their energy usage running at net-zero emissions from 2022.
Net zero targets for buildings are often criticized as they can exclude embodied carbon and rely on sometimes-dubious offsetting schemes.
Stokes said the proposed changes would have real effect. “Our proposed changes will save another 150,000 tonnes of carbon a year, helping achieve net zero by 2050,” he said. More

Flooring company Godfrey Hirst Commercial has achieved Climate Active Carbon Neutral certification via two key projects that have offset over 17,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. The Carbon Conscious Carbon Capture Project is a reforestation mission across 5,700 hectares in Western Australia. The project has seen more than 6 million native Mallee trees planted in […] More

A Hobart housing complex for vulnerable youth designed by Liminal Architecture is moving forward, with the Tasmanian government calling for construction tenders.
The development will deliver 26 independent residential units for people between the ages of 16 and 24 years, along with an “urban community hub” where support and education services will be available to both residents and non-residents.
To be known as the Hobart Youth Foyer, the project is part of the state government’s Youth 2 Independence (Y2I) Program, which combines housing and training to break down structural barries affecting young people at risk of homelessness.
Liminal’s design responds to the “layered” urban context ans surrounding heritage masonry.
“Located in a transitional position between commercial and city precincts, the site holds a bookend status and acts as a ‘marker’ within the larger city context,” the practice notes in a design statement.
“The building is made up of modular housing units that are pushed and pulled to create individual expression and serve to open up social areas, break-out nooks and green spaces, enabling natural elements to perforate the circulation spaces.
“The translucent, light-weight skin that ‘cloaks’ the building adds a layer of vibrancy, picking up on the red and orange hues of the contextual palette while also offering shading and privacy for the building’s occupants.”
Housing minister Michael Ferguson said the Hobart facility will be located near Tas TAFE, transport and other services. “The Y2I development is an optimal solution for this inner-city site which was originally designed to provide more residential units,” he said.
“Young people transitioning to adulthood coupled with circumstances like family breakdown, trauma and ill health may find themselves disconnected from education, employment, housing and support.
“There are also challenges for our youth finding accommodation through population growth which is putting pressure on housing availability.
“Participants in the Youth2Independence program agree to work with their support providers to develop independence in the areas of: education, employment, health and wellbeing, housing and living skills, community participation and social connections.
“In return, these young people enjoy safe, secure, supported and affordable accommodation for up to two years.”
Rent is capped at 25 percent of income. There are three existing Y2I facilities – Thyne House (Launceston), Eveline House (Devonport) and Trinity House (Hobart) – and another 25-bed facility is planned for Burnie. More

Brisbane City Council has released concept designs for two green bridges linking West End with St Lucia and Toowong, which are being built to make it easier to walk and cycle around the city. Open for public feedback, the concept designs show two quite different styles of pedestrian and cyclist bridges, one with a single […] More

The Victorian government has announced it will allocate an additional $241 million to the now-$1.7 billion transformation of Melbourne’s arts precinct in Southbank.
The first stage of the project, the northern precinct transformation, which includes the refurbishment of the Theatre Building, will soon begin, with the tender to be released on 23 November.
NH Architecture and Snøhetta were appointed to design the refurbishment of the Roy Grounds designed Theatres Building in 2018. The refurbishment will be the most significant revamp of the State Theatre since it was originally built in 1984.
The upgrades will include improvements to accessibility, acoustics, back of house facilities as well as new rehearsal studios, two new loading docks, and an overhaul of its lighting and sound systems that will also enable live streams.
“Restoring this site to its original glory is a wonderful legacy for the people of Victoria and our new restaurants and bars will transform the visitor experience,” said Arts Centre Melbourne CEO Claire Spencer.

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Proposed upgrades to Arts Centre Melbourne designed by NH Architecture and Snøhetta. Image:

Courtesy NH Architecture

There will also be two new restaurants and bars at the northern end of a new 18,000 square metre elevated park, designed by Hassell and So-il, that will become the central hub of the arts precinct. The space will host major festivals and public art and join together the existing buildings with the proposed NGV Contemporary, to be built at 1 City Road.
The upgrades to the Theatres building will also include a new western entrance onto the elevated park.
Victorian creative industries minister Danny Pearson said, “The vital works to the State Theatre will transform the building inside and out, making it more accessible and comfortable, and keeping it at the cutting edge of live performance venues in the country.” More

A CSIRO lab in Geelong for research into exotic and emerging animal and zoonotic diseases is set for a major upgrade, which the agency says will support Australia’s response to future pandemics. Appointed to design the upgrade to the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness is the design consortium BioDesign Collaborative, led by engineering and design […] More

The $60 million redevelopment of Bendigo TAFE is complete and the city campus is ready to welcome students in 2022.
Designed by Architectus with Six Degrees Architects and landscape architecture firm SBLA Studio, the project has delivered a new learning hub, a “one-stop-shop” for student training and job support and an Indigenous education centre. There are also a range of specialized learning environments for students studying hands-on subjects including hair and beauty, hospitality and creative industries.
Architectus associate Jayden Peacock said the design was based on ideas of self-paced learning.
“The revitalized Bendigo TAFE City Campus empowers students to become agents in their education, training and careers by expanding choices around how, when and where they learn,” he said. “The design team has created a range of stimulating new spaces that cater to all kinds of learners – from hands-on practical environments, to high energy collaborative settings, and quiet zones.”

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Bendigo TAFE’s redeveloped city campus by Architectus with Six Degrees Architects and SBLA Studio. Image:

Trevor Mein

Artworks by Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Ngurai Illam Wurrung artist Mandy Nicholson are prominent on campus. On the facade of the building, filigreed metal shades depict Waa and Bunjil, the two primary moieties in Dja Dja Wurrung culture, and on entering the building students will be greeted by a giant mural of the “wise crow” Waa.
Bendigo TAFE chief executive Sally Curtain said the refreshed campus embraced the history of the city.
“This campus has been a vibrant feature in the heart of Bendigo city for 167 years,” she said. “We are proud to deliver an improved educational precinct that continues to embrace its strong heritage in Bendigo city, while providing state-of-the-art, fit-for-purpose facilities to train the workforce of tomorrow.”
Peacock, who led the project for Architectus “from conception to completion,” has strong connections to the TAFE.
“Having lived in Bendigo for most of my life and as an alumnus of Bendigo TAFE, I’m excited for students and staff to experience the new uplifting and energizing education environments at the revitalized city campus,” he said. “It has been enormously rewarding to lead the design of a project that is both knitted into the historic fabric of Bendigo and firmly focused on the future of the region and its people.” More

The New South Wales government is planning to build a new high school in Jerrabomberra, a suburb of Queanbeyan on the border of the ACT.
Designs for the school by Tanner Kibble Denton Architects and Context Landscape Architecture have been placed on public exhibition as part of a state-significant development application.
Part of the Monaro Cluster of Schools, which includes projects in Jerrabomberra, Bungendore, Googong, Murrumbateman and Jindabyne, the school will help address increased demand created by a rapid growth in surrounding residential development. It will cater to up to 500 students initially, but core facilities such as the school hall, canteen and staff areas will be designed so that they could suit a 1,000-student school, should the learning spaces need to be expanded in the future.
Planning documents describe an L-shaped building form framing the high point of the site, which will be kept as open space and act as a natural “gathering place.”

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The new high school in Jerrabomberra by Tanner Kibble Denton Architects.

The bulk and scale of the proposed buildings, which range from one to three storeys, respond to the natural topography, with the buildings stepping down the slope toward the west and south.
“Breaks in the built form have been made, to allow visual and physical permeability, and to further break down the building mass,” the architect notes. “The design of finishes, including external screening and sunshades, create a visual rhythm on the facades which divides up the length of the buildings.”
The school will sit on the land of the Ngunnawal and Ngarigo peoples and the design process is being undertaken in consultation with local Indigenous representatives. Informed by these talks, the design team has incorporated a number of gathering places, including a yarning circle and a productive garden. The importance of moths to the area as the subjects of ancient and modern stories has also been reflected in the design, with the metal screening on the facade representing clusters of bogong and golden sun moths.
The school is expected to be operational by 2023. More