Architecture

Detailed designs of Hope Island train station on the Gold Coast have been released for public comment. The station is one of three planned on the Gold Coast as part of the Cross River Rail project, all designed by architecture firm GHD Woodhead with its parent engineering company, GHD. The Hope Island station was previously […] More

Sydney firm Brewster Hjorth will lead the detailed design for the new $20 million home for the Orange Regional Conservatorium, the local council has announced. The proposed facility will include a 250-seat auditorium (with capacity built in for an additional 48 seats or additional stage), a 74-seat planetarium auditorium, 40 practice studios and rehearsal spaces […] More

A new survey of clients of architecture firms released by the Australian Institute of Architects reveals what clients look for in an architect.
The Stronger Insights for Stronger Practices – 2021 Client Feedback Report is a collaboration with the Royal Institute of British Architects, and follows a similar report released in the UK in 2016.
Institute CEO Julia Cambage said the report would provide architects with a valuable resource, especially at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively impact practice.
“Growth comes from the ability to foster a culture of continual improvement; however, practices are reporting hesitancy from clients in providing robust feedback within a one-on-one setting,” she said. “By facilitating this body of work on behalf of the profession we are able to bypass this concern.”
Among the findings of the survey were that three-quarters of clients think architectural services represent good value, and 61 percent of clients believed that a fixed price agreement was the preferred form of fee structure.
Effective communication was the most sought-after quality in an architecture firm, with almost 80 percent of respondents calling communication “extremely important.”
Next on the list of desirable attributes, extremely important to around 70 percent of clients, was the ability to “respond well to my needs, anticipate well, and pre-empt problems well (including outside of their immediate brief and scope).”
Also highly valued were architects that were “strong team players” with effective budget, program and risk management skills, who are “innovative and bring new ideas to the table.”
Sixty percent of survey respondents said that they expect, and value architects that act ethically and challenge them if a project’s objectives are not maintained.
The survey also asked about factors influencing a client’s decision to invest in sustainable design. Affordability and operational efficiency were found to be the most important factors, with reputation benefits, PR opportunities and alignment with company philosophy seen as less important.
“The framework and questions within the report could also be used as a guide for practices who would like to do a deeper dive on key areas with their own client database,” said Cambage. “It is pleasing to see such positive feedback about the profession identified within this report. The report identifies opportunities for business development improvement, new service provision and for the first time data which can be used by architectural practices to help ensure sustainable design becomes built form.”
Find the report here. More

Guymer Bailey Architects has been appointed to lead the detailed design of a major upgrade of forensic mental health services at the Thomas Embling Hospital in Melbourne’s Fairfield. The $349.6 million expansion will deliver a dedicated 34-bed women’s precinct, a 48-bed medium security men’s facility and clinical administration facilities. The Victorian Health Building Authority said […] More

Blackened timber salvaged from the Black Summer bushfires will be used in the third Summer Place architecture pavilion in Albury on the New South Wales-Victoria border, which will be designed, for the first time, by a local practice.
To be built on Wiradjuri Country, the pavilion by Akimbo Architecture, titled See the Forest, will “bridge the divide” between QEII Square in the centre of Albury and the surrounding river landscape.
Akimbo Architecture director Carly Martin said the blackened timber design will reflect on the significance of the Murray River and specifically the riverside trees and the shade they provide.
“Along the river, trees may be anywhere up to 1,000 years old, linking an ancient Indigenous landscape to the present,” she said.
“These mighty trees have given wood for campfires, bark to craft canoes, and burls and roots for shaping water vessels.”
The blackened timber slabs on the exterior the pavilion will be sourced from firegrounds near Corryong, 120 kilometres east of Albury-Wodonga. They will be positioned vertically, “maintaining their connection to the forest from which they came.”

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See the Forest, the 2021 Summer Place pavilion by Akimbo Architecture.

They will be supported by a steel structure recycled from the previous Summer Place pavilion, designed by Chrofi.
“The black curved form is sited askew to the orthogonal geometry of QEII, disrupting and creating a point of gravity within the space,” Martin said.
“The dynamic yet enigmatic exterior rewards curiosity, and as the viewer approaches the warm tones of the vertical timber slabs are revealed.
“Within the pavilion, each timber slab is unique, inviting close examination of these natural artworks. For a moment, the viewer is transported away from QEII, and the only experiences are that of the tall ‘forest’ of timbers – the smell and the touch.”
The pavilion aims to create discussions around the local environment, sustainability and the “meaning of summer” in the region.
Martin founded Akimbo Architecture in Albury in 2019, having worked over the previous decade at Casey Brown Architecture in Sydney. She is one of five winners of the 2021 Australian Institute of Architects’ Dulux Study Tour.
The Summer Place pavilion series is organized by the City of Albury. The inaugural pavilion was designed by Raffaello Rosselli Architect in 2018. More

Four mixed-use towers designed by Woods Bagot would be built as part of the Buranda transit-oriented development in Brisbane’s south under plans before council. The $400 million proposal from developer Wee Hur would include a 27-storey residential tower, 25-storey student accommodation tower, seven-storey commercial office building, and seven-storey residential aged-care building. The towers would sit […] More

Schools Infrastructure NSW is building a new Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Education within Western Sydney University’s Hawkesbury Campus in Richmond, west of Sydney.
Designed by NBRS Architecture, the education facility will comprise a series of single-storey, linked pavilions set within the landscape. Providing agricultural and STEM education for up to 325 students, it will include five science laboratories, 10 general learning spaces, practical activity teaching areas, a botany room, and accommodation for up to 62 visiting students and teaching professionals from regional and rural NSW.
There will also be covered outdoor learning areas, a dining/recreation hall, a canteen and kitchen, agricultural plots, and significant landscaping spaces.
In planning documents, NBRS Architecture describes linear open building forms with open spaces and lightweight construction techniques. The site will enjoy views of the Blue Mountains to the west. The architects note the design expression takes inspiration from the cultural practices of the local Durag people.

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Hawkesbury Centre of Excellence in Agricultural Education by NBRS Architecture. Image:

Schools Infrastructure NSW

“The circulation and building forms have been inspired by the natural environment, the Hawkesbury River, the flood plains, the weaving pattens found in food bowls, and fish traps,” the design statement reads.
“The buildings have been designed and orientated to capture views of the landscape and to maximise the connection between internal and external agriculture teaching spaces.
Another focus of the design is to develop a a strong axial link back to the main Western Sydney University. with a pedestrian plaza and promenade linking the facilities. At the heart of the school will be a square or “village green,” designed to capture views over the agriculture plots and the blue mountains.
“At the end of the square are large sliding barn doors designed to allow the space to be closed down to create a sun trap in winter and shield the square from cold westerly winds or open the site up in summer,” the architects note.
The NSW government says the centre will be available to students from across NSW for intensive studies, regular visits or excursions from regional, metro and overseas students.
A state-significant development application is on exhibit until 14 September. More

Australian tap manufacturer Sussex has introduced a new finish option for its range of tapware that offers a longer lifespan and is made with no contaminants or dangerous by-products.
The LUX finish is based on Physical Vapour Deposition technology, which creates a superior finish to standard electroplating by applying an ultra-thin film of scratch-resistant coating to metal.
LUX will be available across all of Sussex’s seven core collections, including an exclusive matt black finish.
The announcement comes as the Melbourne-based company becomes the first tap manufacturer in Australia to be certified as carbon neutral, achieved in partnership with Climate Active.
“The investment in the PVD technology, as well as the facility that houses it, makes Sussex a truly state-of-the-art tapware manufacturer, and the only in Australia to offer a carbon neutral, PVD solution for tapware,” said Sussex’s director Vanessa Katsanevakis.
The investment in the technology makes Sussex a fully vertically-integrated manufacturer, with design, manufacturing and finishing under one-roof.
“Sussex has been mastering the art of precision tap making for 25 years now,” said Katsanevakis.
“The launch of LUXPVD symbolizes a new level of mastery that we have achieved over our product offering, and it comes with the promise to our customers that they can always expect us to pursue manufacturing excellence within Australia.”
Sussex was founded 25 years ago by watchmaker-turned-jeweller Nicholaas Johannes van Putten.
Katsanevakis, his daughter, took over the company in 2011 in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. She said she was faced with a choice: take the company offshore to compete on price, or maintain its local footing and invest in renewable energy, marketing and design. She chose the latter, and in 2018 was awarded Young Manufacturer of the Year by the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame.
“Sussex has always been committed to investing in the future, and that means three key things: investing in people, investing in Australia and investing in our product,” she said. “From the craftspeople we employ to the solar energy we use, innovation and sustainability are both approached through a simple yet powerful proposition: to make it right.”
For further information head here.
Sussex is a suppporter of the Houses Awards, organized by ArchitectureAU publisher Architecture Media. More