Architecture

Hames Sharley has appointed Gavin Kain as director and cross-portfolio design lead.
“Gavin’s appointment signifies a new era of growth and further evolution for Hames Sharley,” said Caillin Howard, managing director. “He will help lead the team as we continue to innovate, explore new markets, and further expand our national presence.”
Kain said that time spent teaching abroad and completing several projects across Australia, New Zealand, and several other major cities worldwide have taught him the importance of place, context, and the subtle differences that impact design.
“Understanding and exploring the social, environmental, historical and geographic, and economic context of place excites me,” he said. “As does the idea that, as designers, we are here to help – to make life better. The big issues – social challenges, environmentalism, equity – are central to our work.”
Kain has been involved with the Christchurch Blueprint project, the Adelaide Convention Centre, New Zealand International Convention Centre and CoEx Dubai. He was government advisor for the ICC Sydney project.
He said it is an exciting time to be an architect and urbanist, given the growing appreciation of the role cities and buildings are playing both environmentally and socially.
“COVID has seen many aspects of our lives that were taken for granted reconsidered,” he said. “We see pop-up bike paths in the Sydney CBD, large numbers of people moving to new centres, and the nature of retail and work endlessly debated.
“It is a pivotal moment for the profession and I’m deeply humbled and excited for the incredible opportunity to collaborate with the talented people across Hames Sharley’s studios.” More

The Queensland government has released designs for a half-kilometre pedestrian and cycle bridge that will link the new underground Cross River Rail Boggo Road station with nearby transport connections and education and healthcare facilities.
Designed by Hassell, the cable stay bridge will be approximately 480 metres long, with the cable stay spire reaching around 45 metres high.
The main deck will be up to 6.25 metres wide and 20 metres above the ground. Key features will include lifts on the eastern and western sides, dedicated cycling and pedestrian paths, seating and rest stops, shade and planting at both ends and rail corridor security mesh.
The bridge will link Boggo Road station with Park Road train station, the South East Busway, the Boggo Road health, science and education precinct, the new Princess Alexandra Hospital precinct and a new high school at Dutton Park.

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Cross River Rail Boggo Road station concept design by Hassell.

Queensland transport minister Mark Bailey said, “This bridge will be a unifier for the local community as it soars over the railway junction and will make active travel safer, quicker and easier for local workers, residents and students.
“It will provide faster and more convenient walking and cycling connections, forms an extension of the local cycle network and improved connectivity to the PA Hospital bus station and the new underground Boggo Road rail station.
“Crossing over both freight and passenger train lines, the bridge will be a feat of engineering and a standout signature element for an area that currently divides the community.”
The government is asking the community to suggest a nemae for the new bridge through the Cross River Rail website.
“The bridge could be named after somebody local, who has a track record of service and creating community connections, even someone linked to health, science and education or take a name that honours local First Nations culture,” said local MP Joe Kelly.
Construction on the bridge is scheduled for March and is expected to take around 18 months, depending on weather conditions. More

TAFE NSW has announced a new First Nations Interior Design Scholarship, which will support Indigenous students in the Bachelor of Interior Design at TAFE NSW Design Centre Enmore.
The scholarship will be open to one student each year, starting from 2022 through to 2024, and will cover the full fees for the degree as well as educational support throughout each successful applicant’s studies.
Richard Cass, head of Creative and Design Ideation at TAFE NSW, said the scholarships would be awarded on the basis of study and career potential – including career goals, motivation and creative portfolio.
“The Bachelor of Interior Design allows students to develop practical design skills and learn the theory needed to equip them with a sound understanding of design best practice, both in Australia and internationally,” he said.
“TAFE NSW will ensure that scholarship recipients receive academic support through progressive review and solutions with head teachers, teachers and the Aboriginal Education and Engagement Team.
“TAFE NSW Design Centre Enmore is a purpose-built design studio where students are able to immerse themselves in design. It’s the perfect place to build design skills and get a head start in the booming interior design industry.”
The scholarship is supported by furniture company Stylecraft. Anthony Collins, Stylecraft’s managing director, said the scholarship presented an exciting opportunity for aspiring Indigenous designers.
“Stylecraft has committed to the scholarship program for three years,” he said. “By 2024, three students will be in the Interior Design stream completing the scholarship program. We will also work with TAFE NSW to identify any internship or mentoring opportunities for scholarship recipients within Stylecraft or industry partners and clients.”
“The ultimate aim of the program is to encourage participation by Indigenous Australians in the Interior Design profession, and we look forward to contributing to the students’ design journey,” he said. More

Fender Katsalidis has designed six apartment buildings of between seven and eleven storeys for Pennant Hills Road in Carlingford, north east of Parramatta. Lined up along a steep incline, the buildings will be arranged around a central village forecourt, with public pedestrian paths running between buildings and leading to a future light rail connection. The […] More

Two complementary apartment towers designed by Rothelowman will be built in Brisbane’s West End, under a planning proposal submitted to council. Known as Tower 4 and Tower 5a, the towers will both reach to 20-storeys. Tower 5a, which will be built first, will have 95 apartments while its twin will have 110. According to Rothelowman’s […] More

Hassell and SO-IL’s masterplan for phase one of the Melbourne Arts Precinct transformation (MAPT) is going before council on 1 February, as Development Victoria seeks approval for a planning amendment to pave the way for the development.
Phase one of the “once-in-a-generation” project will see the construction of the NGV Contemporary gallery as well as an elevated deck above Sturt Street supporting a new 18,000-sqaure-metre public realm and upgrades to the Arts Centre Melbourne Theatres building, mostly back-of-house.
The masterplan outlines the preferred building envelope for the NGV Contemporary – the design team of which is to be announced in early 2022 – and describes the proposed design for the public realm and elevated deck.
NGV Contemporary will be built in place of the existing building at 77 Southbank Boulevard, and the masterplan proposes a built form with a height of 60 metres, cantilevering over Sturt Street reserve, Kavanagh Street and Southbank Boulevard.

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Melbourne Arts Precinct transformation phase 1 masterplan by Hassell and SO-IL.

The elevated deck would span the full width of the Sturt Street Road reserve, from City Road through to Kavanagh Street, interfacing with the Australian Ballet Centre along its western edge and connecting with the future NGV Contemporary building to the south.
The 18,000-squaremetre activated public realm, incorporating space for outdoor dining, art and performances, would be predominantly located above existing built form (The Arts Centre Melbourne Theatres building and car park) and the new elevated deck structure.
“MAPT will enable visitors to move seamlessly from Southbank, the Birrarung and the city through the Melbourne Arts Precinct extending from Federation Square in the north and the length of Sturt Street in the south,” the masterplan reads.
“Featuring creative installations, activations, and performances in the public space, the MAPT will bring the excitement, colour, and inspiration that we find inside Melbourne’s theatres and galleries into the outdoors.”
Victoria’s planning minister is the authority tasked with approving the requested amendment, but it has been referred to the City of Melbourne for comment.
The council’s in-house urban design and landscape architecture team offered in principle support to the vision, noting that the raised public realm had the potential to unify the precinct, which has been historically fractured by geographic barriers.
However, the City Design team also recommended that “more robust contextual analysis, principles, strategies, staging plans and massing envelopes are established.”
In particular, the City Design team said built form encroachment over Kavanagh Street and Southbank Boulevard should be removed to maintain appropriate pedestrian network conditions and that “further rationalization and detail” is required to proposed gateways and connections between the Melbourne Arts Precinct and surrounding context.
Council management are recommending that the Future Melbourne committee advises the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning that further detail is required to be provided in the masterplan before council can support the proposed amendment. More

The Heritage Council of Victoria has resolved to include a Maggie Edmond designed amphitheatre and Paul Couch designed pavilion in the Victorian Heritage Register, contravening a recommendation from the executive director of Heritage Victoria. The amphitheatre and pavilion are part of the Fairfield Park Amphitheatre Complex in north-east Melbourne, which also includes a small kiosk […] More