Architecture

Sydney’s tallest building, the 304-metre tall Centrepoint Tower, celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2021. The building was designed by Donald Crone and Associates (now Crone Architects) in 1968 and was opened to the public after 13 years of construction in 1981. It can be seen from as far as the Blue Mountains and the Central […] More

The NSW government has approved the Northern Precinct tower in the Waterloo Metro Quarter over-station development after its proposed use was changed from residential to commercial and its height was reduced by more than 26 metres. Designed by Woods Bagot, the northern tower is one of four towers proposed as part of the $900 million […] More

Leader in aluminium building products and finishing technologies Deco Australia is proud to announce its display centre, the Deco Innovation Centre, has won the 2021 AGWA Design Awards Showroom of the Year: Large Showroom Award. The renowned AGWA awards celebrate excellence in window, door and finishing solutions. The Showroom of the Year Award recognizes excellence […] More

Denton Corker Marshall’s “small and tall” Shepparton Art Museum, built on the lands of the Yorta Yorta peoples on the shore of Victoria Park Lake, will open to the public on 20 November.
Restricted to a small footprint due to a floodway running across the site, the museum is stretched vertically across five levels, making it the tallest building in the topographically flat town in regional Victoria. The architect, whose design was chosen through a design competition in 2017, describes the building as a “beacon” and a “sculpture” nestled in the landscape.
“The Shepparton Art Museum was a great competition to win as it represents such an important cultural contribution to a regional city like Shepparton,” said Denton Corker Marshall founding director John Denton. “Sitting between the lake and the main road into town from Melbourne it presents a strikingly bold signal – a new contemporary building added to the fabric of the city.”

View gallery

Shepparton Art Museum by Denton Corker Marshall.

Replacing the old gallery on Welsford Street, the art museum will house more than 4,000 artworks across four main gallery spaces. It will also feature a dedicated kids’ space and workshop space; a visitors’ information centre; the Kaiela Arts Aboriginal community arts centre; an outdoor amphitheatre; a café; and a 150-person event space and terrace.
The design is defined by a simplicity of form and clarity of materials. Across the building’s facades, four floating perforated L-shaped plates are suspended in the landscape, referencing traditional Australian verandas. Three of the plates are formed of powdercoated aluminium, while the fourth facing the lake is made of a rich ochre-red Corten steel.
“From a distance, the plates give virtually no indication of interior life and waits to be discovered and explored,” the architect notes in a statement.
“At their base, they float seemingly unsupported over an open, visibly accessible and highly activated ground plane. Each plate is simultaneously an object in its own right and an integral part of the whole. The plates group together, at different heights and contrasting materiality, to form a cube composition at a scale comparable to the surrounding red river gums. Each facade plate becomes a canvas, layered into the treed landscape of dappled light and shade with the ability to transform as a base for temporary installations or projection imagery.”

View gallery

Shepparton Art Museum by Denton Corker Marshall.

The building connects to surrounding parklands via a raised grass area dubbed the “Art Hill.” This raised form incorporates building services and back-of-house areas while offering an elevated outlook for the museum café that connects directly to the park.
Inside the museum, an open circulation galleria leads onto a range of interconnected multi-level spaces, including the Lin Onus Gallery, People’s Gallery, Williamson Community Space, SAM Kids Space, the Bill Kelly Peace Room.
“The building is about hope and aspiration, with a range of welcoming spaces and places designed to invite all members of the public to meet, enjoy, and call their own through arts and culture,” said Rebecca Coates, artistic director and CEO of Shepparton Art Museum.
“There’s a play of theatre, performance and comfortable reflection with natural light and views to the landscape connecting people to context and landscape.”
The new building was funded by local, state and federal government, as well as through philanthropic and community support.
Also working on the project in collaboration with Denton Corker Marshall and Greater Shepparton City Council were landscape architects Urban Initiatives and signage and wayfinding consultant Studio Ongarato. More

Hayball and MALA Studio have designed a new thermal springs facility to be located on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Alba Thermals Springs and Spa will have 32 pools of varying sizes, including geothermal pools, cold plunge pools and herbal-infused botanical pools.
The buildings on the site will be partially embedded into the hilltop and will be made from curved and corrugated concrete, bronze glass and metallic finishes.
The main building will accommodate reception, retail, change rooms, a relaxation lounge, and spa treatment rooms, while the Springs Pavilion will be located higher on the site.
Hayball project director Eugene Chieng said the design is characterized by restraint and refinement, bringing together the “inspirational and the functional.”
“It is the symbiosis of the state of fluidity, the anticipation in the processional of spaces, and the beauty that is manifested in the curved lines that we sought in an attempt to seek moments of contemplation and the recalibration of self,” he said.

View gallery

Alba Thermal Springs by Hayball and MALA Studio

The landscape will be extensively planted with indigenous floral varieties. “I confess I’m in love with this site,” said MALA Studio founding director, Campbell Morris. “Having grown up in the local area, the indigenous vegetation, rural context, and grasslands are warmly familiar and comforting. I wanted this design and planting to instil similar feelings of relaxation and calm.
“The flip-side to this serenity and stillness is the fact that weather conditions can change dramatically and in an instant. It was important that the gardens not only reflect that wildness but be able to withstand such unpredictability and thrive in all elements.”
“This is very much an atmosphere-driven project, with water as the mood-setter. Every area of the gardens has its own ambience, textures, palette, and theme, but it feels very natural and uncontrived. Each pool has its own space so that the bathers’ experience is undiluted.”
The facility is due to open in the winter of 2022. More

UrbanStone’s new range of Australian marble and granite stoneware offers a rich and textured surface that captures the beauty of the Australian landscape. Made right here in Australia, these natural products have beautifully textured surfaces that are sure to elevate any space to the height of sophistication.
Inspired by the vast chasms and breathtaking gorges of Western Australia’s Pilbara region, where many of the finishes are sourced, UrbanStone’s new range is sure to infuse any space with the richness of the landscape.
The marble is available in four distinctive colourways and two finishes, Antique and Polished. The soft, creamy hues of Austral Dream and Austral Marble are a nuanced option for those seeking a more neutral, yet no less remarkable, finish. The colourways of Pilbara Green and Pilbara Red, named for the land from which they were carved, lavish a space with unassuming decadence and warmth.
No two UrbanStone Australian marble products are the same. Crafted in two sizes, 600 × 600 mm and 600 × 300 mm, these large format tiles are perfect for all settings, from traditional builds steeped in history to contemporary high-end projects. UrbanStone’s Australian marble offering is an expressive and impactful option for those looking to design with a point of difference.
A boldly contemporary material informed by rich design traditions, UrbanStone’s new locally sourced Australian granite offering celebrates the multifaceted landscape from which it is carved. The granite products are bold, regal and strong, offering an organic aesthetic that infuses character into any space.
The granite is available in five colourways. The seductive Austral Black and statement Garnet Ice or Desert Rose are sure to evoke a feeling of grandeur, whilst the Austral Coffee and Austral Juperana colourways offer a palette of hushed, earthy tones. Available in 20 mm thickness, to suit residential projects, UrbanStone’s granite range provides a rugged yet sophisticated tactility ideal for both internal and external applications.
Brett Ward, general manager of international marketing at Brickworks, says “There are very few materials that elevate a home quite like marble and granite, and with UrbanStone’s new ranges you’ll be spoilt for choice. Offering nine new luxurious, hardwearing finishes, inspired by and sourced from Australia’s magnificent rugged landscape, these brilliant new arrivals celebrate the luxury of living.”
Optimizing style and function, and exclusive to Brickworks, the new UrbanStone Australian marble and granite ranges are sure to distinguish any project. More

A 1.5-hectare creative precinct in a former industrial area of St Peters, inner-west Sydney, would be transformed into a build-to-rent “campus,” under plans submitted to council.
Cox Architecture has designed the planned redevelopment of Precinct 75, currently home to 12 heritage buildings leased to creative and light industrial tenants.
The project would deliver 330 build-to-rent apartments across three new and one partially retained building, which would together include 2,144 square metres of light industrial and commercial space at ground level. Building heights would range from two to nine storeys.
Another four buildings would be adapted to deliver another 14,573 square metres of commercial and light industrial floor space, while a new central green space and a series of through-site links designed by landscape architect McGregor Coxall would knit the precinct together.

View gallery

Precinct 75 redevelopment by Cox Architecture.

A dedicated artist’s studio to be run by the Inner West Council Artist would be located at the ground floor of the existing Building 6. It would be designed as a flexible space capable of hosting a variety of creative uses including arts and crafts workshops, a flexible gallery exhibit area, and studios for local artists.
“Conceptually, the site can be viewed as two equal halves, residential and commercial/ light industrial, stitched together by an activated ground plane and extensive public realm improvements,” Cox Architecture states in planning documents.
“The structure of the masterplan aims to create a precinct which delivers a high level of amenity, legibility, and permeability throughout the site.”
The key shared spaces proposed are Makers Way, a new spine for the site providing pedestrian and vehicular access between Mary and Edith Street; The Commons, a large and unobstructed landscaped area at the centre of the site; and The Garden, a pocket park to the south of the site where the residential buildings are concentrated.
The $145-million project is being developed by Home. Should it be approved, it would be delivered across two stages, with the new residential buildings to be prioritized. More

Dulux has launched the first Greenguard Gold certified ultra low chemical emission paint manufactured in Australia, Dulux UltraAir – a premium water-based interior range that significantly reduces the number of chemicals present in the air during and after application. Greenguard Gold is a third-party certification that tests for over 10,000 chemicals and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions, helping to reduce indoor air pollutions and the risk of chemical exposure.
According to Dulux interior category manager Heather Hart, worldwide, there has been an increasing number of brands emerging with a focus on “air/odour” but there has been a gap in the Australian market, leading to the inception of Dulux UltraAir. “Proven to emit fewer chemical emissions, Dulux UltraAir helps maintain indoor air quality,” Hart says. “It also has hardly any odour, so you can get back into the room a lot quicker, which is especially important with Australians currently spending substantial amounts of time in their homes and needing to live in their spaces as they renovate them.”
Research by Environmental Health Australia found indoor air quality can be two to five times worse than outdoor air quality, making it more important than ever to select products for the home that help maintain a healthy environment.
“Traditionally in paint, we have always measured VOCs, which are present in materials used to make paint. With UltraAir, we don’t just stop at measuring the VOC in the paint can, we also measure what is released into the surrounding space whilst the paint dries. These are the chemical emissions which you are breathing in,” says Hart.
When it comes to using the UltraAir range, it’s perfect for the whole interior of the home but Dulux recommend starting in areas such as the family room, children’s playroom, home gym/study or main bedrooms, where good air quality is important. Each coat is touch-dry after two hours; however, consumers will have the convenience of using the room almost immediately upon applying paint due to the combination of ultra low odour and ultra low chemical emissions.
“With ultra low chemical emissions, Greenguard Gold certified UltraAir might assist families who may be prone to sensitivities such as asthma or allergies, in addition to other respiratory or skin irritants,” says Hart. “Users will breathe easy knowing they’ve not only picked a quality product with a premium finish but have done so with their indoor air quality at the forefront of their decision making.”
UltraAir is tinted off a white base in a low sheen or matte finish, giving customers access to around 90 percent of Dulux’s full suite of colours, an estimated 4000-plus hues. Available now at Bunnings, Mitre 10 and participating Inspirations Paint stores nationwide, Dulux UltraAir comes in a range of sizes: 1 L, 2 L, 4 L, 10 L and 15 L tins (depending on the product), with RRP starting from $76.50 (4 L) for the primer, $65 (4 L) for the ceiling paint, and $105.50 (4 L) for wall topcoat. More