Architecture

Italian furniture studio Minotti has launched its 2021 collection, curated with Rodolfo Dordoni and featuring designs by Gam Fratesi and Marcio Kogan of Studio Mk27. Embracing rationalism and brutalism, the range includes sofas, beds, dining and armchairs, stools, tables and sideboards. The Roger seating system by Dordoni himself is designed to be versatile, with a […] More

In the depths of Melbourne’s 2020 lockdown, a group of urban designers hatched an idea to create a “force for good” for the future development of our cities. As we emerge from a second year of pandemic isolation, the group has resurrected a more than 30-year-old organization to galvanize like-minded peers and colleagues to tackle major challenges facing our cities.
First established in 1986, the Urban Design Forum is a not-for-profit organization bringing together a network of aligned professionals with an interest in improving the quality of Australian cities. The original organization produced quarterly newsletters, as well as conferences, but has been inactive since 2006.
The leadership team of the revamped Urban Design Forum comprises Leanne Hodyl and Margie McKay (joint-presidents), Katherine Sundermann (vice-president) and Andy Fergus (advocacy lead).
When this new generation came together to connect, share knowledge and advocate for better urban design outcomes, they discovered the dormant organization that had chartered a similar path three decades earlier.

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Sub Base Platypus by Lahznimmo Architects and Aspect Studios is the winner of the 2021 Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design at the National Architecture Awards. Image:

Ben Guthrie

“We approached the original founders who were still the president and treasurer and had been in those roles for 35 years,” joint-president Leanne Hodyl said . “It was an exciting opportunity to take all of their fantastic advocacy and knowledge sharing work and pick it up again and reinvigorate the Urban Design Forum.”
“They were just thrilled and very supportive of the next generation coming in and continuing to drive a debate around good design in our cities.”
The new Urban Design Forum, which launched in early November 2021, now has more than 100 members as well as supporting organizations including universities and design practices.
“[Our members are] primarily people who work in and with cities,” vice-president Katherine Sundermann said. “They might be urban designers but we’ve also had people join us who are ethical developers, a lawyer and landscape architects. They’re people who work with these big urban challenges on a daily basis.”
The group has three main purposes: first, to support its member through social and career mentoring events; second, to share knowledge about urbanism through its website and social media channels; and thirdly to advocate for better urban design outcomes in the public interest.
“Most people live in cities,” Sundermann said. “We know that cities are where we’re facing a lot of the big issues in terms of climate change, biodiversity loss, and income inequality. Our main purpose is to ensure the way cities are developed and governed can help address some of those challenges. I think that’s something that touches on everyone.
“So, how can we be a force for good that really gets everyone involved in how we can conceive of the future of the city? Because we don’t want to leave it just to the private sector, or to the public sector. Everyday people need to be a part of that.”

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Carrum Station and Foreshore Precinct by Cox Architecture received the Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design at the 2021 Victorian Architecture Awards. Image:

Peter Clarke

An important area of advocacy for the group will be the planning system, which they see as a key tool in delivering good urban design outcomes. “It’s about creating the right preconditions for amazing architecture. That’s a really important part of what urban design does,” Sundermann said.
“If we’re able to set up the right built form controls for an area – it means it won’t get over developed. It means the sunlight to the parks is protected, so you can sit there on your lunch break. It seems like it might be something that people don’t think they need to be interested in, but it affects everyone and how we use our neighbourhoods.”
In the next three years, the group hopes to have an overarching urban design strategy connected to the planning system to add regulatory weight to the importance of urban design. “At present, urban design too often treated as a plug-in condition – there’s not one overarching strategy, which we think is a key gap,” Hodyl said. “If we can get something like that in place, more positive outcomes will flow from there because urban design will be seen as an intrinsic and central driver of good cities.”
The group has also made a submission to Victoria’s parliamentary inquiry into apartment design standards and aims to use their collective voice to advocate for the key drivers of good development.
“We’re also really excited about being a resource and an ally,” Sundermann continued. “Our website and Instagram have a lot of information about cities so even if you don’t want to become a member and urban design is not the core thing that you do, certainly spreading the word within the industry about the importance of thinking about these things and how it can support great design outcomes is a really big part of what we’re wanting to do.”
Urban Design Forum hopes to expand its membership to all Australian states and territories and has plans for a number of public events throughout the year, including its launch event, What Cities Need Now, to be held at MPavilion on 8 December.
“We’re definitely looking to be an small organization that punches above our weight,” Sundermann said. “We’re entirely volunteer run at this point. We’re independent so we can really advocate for the things that we want to see and we’re not beholden to other interests.”
For more information and to become a member, head to the Urban Design Forum website. More

The City of Melbourne has released its plans for a four-kilometre promenade along the north bank of Birrarung (Yarra River).
Dubbed the Greenline, the six-metre-wide promenade will run uninterrupted from Birrarung Marr to the Bolte Bridge, an area where walking and cycling is currently limited by narrow and poorly connected paths, steep slopes and uneven pavements.
Going before the Future Melbourne Committee on 7 December, the Final Greenline Implementation Plan outlines how the project will establish the riverbank as an ecological corridor, while also engaging with its history as Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country and as a maritime port.

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Greenline project concept image, City of Melbourne.

“Imagine walking along the north bank of the Yarra from the MCG to Docklands as the sun sets. You meander along pedestrian boardwalks and over bridges, explore in new parks, and celebrate our Aboriginal heritage and culture,” said lord mayor Sally Capp.
“Just as Southbank and Federation Square energized Melbourne at the turn of the century, Greenline will usher in a new era for our city at a time we need it most.”
Along with improving public amenity, the project will focus on improving river health, increasing tree canopy and reintroducing riparian vegetation to support biodiversity. The edge of the river will be reconstructed and softened, allowing for natural processes to shape the river
Some of the initiatives proposed as part of the project include expanding the promenade in the existing Birrarung Marr precinct; creating better connections between the river, Swanston Street and Flinders Street Station; upgrades to Banana Alley vaults and the lower promenade in the Yarro Yarro precinct; and creating a new park at the end of the Salt Water Wharf precinct.
The council will also work with the Yarra Pools community association to formally assess the merits of its proposed swimmable river project. Already underway is an upgrade to Enterprize Park, which will be completed soon.

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Yarra Pool concept design by Wowowa.

“Locals and visitors will soon enjoy an extra 1,000 square meters of green lawn – almost the size of one Olympic swimming pool – with better views and access along the river,” said Capp.
The final plan comes after a period of community consultation, in which around 400 people providing their feedback online.
“Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and found more than half of those surveyed wanted the space to be used for exercise and recreation, as well as opportunities to enhance greening and improve the environmental health of both the riverbank and the river itself,” said councillor Olivia Ball.
The City of Melbourne is advocating for a tri-government funding partnership, and is asking for $100 million each from the federal and state governments. More

Timberlink Australia unveiled the new brand for their forthcoming engineered wood products building solutions range – NeXTimber by Timberlink.
NeXTimber by Timberlink will manufacture cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (GLT) products, providing an Australian-made renewable and carbon-positive timber building solution for commercial, residential, and public projects.
Backed by a $63 million capital investment, the NeXTimber range will be manufactured on Australia’s first combined world-scale softwoods CLT and GLT manufacturing line, within a purpose-built manufacturing plant being constructed adjacent to Timberlink’s state-of-the-art timber manufacturing facility in Tarpeena, South Australia. Production will begin in 2023.
Timberlink chief executive officer Ian Tyson said, “NeXTimber by Timberlink places us at the forefront of integrated forestry and softwood processing in Australia. The NeXTimber range will be manufactured on Timberlink’s Tarpeena site from Timberlink timber, sourced from local certified pine plantations. The plantations, like Timberlink, are under the ownership of funds managed by New Forests. This connection from seed to structure will give NeXTimber customers a unique level of supply certainty.”
Ian Tyson continued, “Currently around half of all of Australia’s engineered timber is being imported and the demand for this is expected to rapidly grow in the next decade, so building the sovereign capacity of locally made CLT and GLT is great news for Australian manufacturing and local regional employment.”
A total of 27 full-time permanent jobs will be created when the facility opens in 2023, rising to 50 at full output. A significant number of additional jobs are also being created during the construction phase.
Engineered timber products are increasingly being used in Australia and globally, particularly in mid-rise buildings, due to a combination of factors, including cost-effectiveness, livability, and ease and efficiency of construction. Timber products also satisfy the increasing demand for energy efficient, sustainable, and carbon-positive building materials.
Timberlink CEO Ian Tyson concluded by saying, “Timberlink is looking forward to growing the NeXTimber brand and supporting more specifiers and builders in using Australian-made mass timber that stores carbon because as our brand says, NeXTimber: It’s what better tomorrows are built on.”
To support the launch of the NeXTimber brand, Timberlink has released a new video.
NeXTimber More

Palettes of warm neutrals and greens feature in many interior trends forecasts for 2022, as well as texture in all its iterations: sculpted wall linings, plush velvets, raw linens, and wall finishes referencing sand and crushed stone. “Our desire to connect with nature, within our homes, blurs the line even further between indoors/outdoors as we […] More

A pink pond installation designed by Taylor Knights and James Carey has opened in the garden of the National Gallery of Victoria. Pond[er], the winning design for the 2021 NGV Architecture Commission, comprises a rectilinear shallow pond surrounded by a garden bed of wildflowers that will bloom at different times during the installation. The design […] More

The Australian Institute of Architects has awarded the 2021 NSW Chapter Prizes, recognizing those that have made “extensive and enduring contributions” to architecture, along with students and emerging architects who have made a mark with socially and environmentally conscious work.
The 2021 NSW President’s Prize was awarded to Kathlyn Loseby, who is CEO of the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia and a past president of the Institute’s NSW chapter.
The jury noted the role Loseby has played in deepening the profession’s influence in NSW.
“Kathlyn presided over a period of immense regulatory change in NSW and through extraordinary service, personal commitment and sheer determination managed to advocate on behalf of the profession in parliamentary and government circles thereby elevating the profession as a trusted advisor desirous of high quality-built environment outcomes,” the jury said.
Loseby was also awarded a life fellowship alongside five other NSW architects, Olivia Hyde, Peter Kemp, Rachel Neeson, Alex Popov and Agi Stirling.
Fellowships were also awarded to Jenna Rowe, Belinda Goh, Steven Donaghey, Guy Luscombe, Angus Kell, Abdullah Lftekhar, Robert Graham and William Smart.
Kevin O’Brien from BVN Architecture won the 2021 NSW Reconciliation Prize for the Kimberwalli Centre for Excellence. The jury said the project “has been designed and delivered with self-determination and pride in culture front of mind”.
Commendations in this prize category were awarded to the Burri Gummin Housing Studio, a collaboration between the Yarrabah Community and the University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design and Planning, and to Luk, a pendant light and artwork created by Ngardang Girri KalatMimini (NGKM) in collaboration with Koskela, engaged by Gensler on the refurbishment of Ernst and Young (EY) offices.
Kirsten Orr received the Marion Mahony Griffin Prize, which recognizes a distinctive body of work by a woman architect.
Architect Hugo Chan won the research-based 2021 David Lindner Prize for his submission “Architecture and Belonging: An Exploration into Designing for Cultural Diversity”. His research will explore “the connections between architecture, culture, belonging and memory and the role that the built environment plays in defining, shaping, and perpetuating self-identity and belonging of migrant communities in urban contexts.”
Emerging architect Nicole Larkin will have the opportunity for research-based travel or study to enrich her professional development after winning the 2021 Christopher Procter Prize for her proposal “The Wild Edge”, which aims to “consolidate a holistic approach to best practice for the management, conservation and future design of ocean pools.”
Architecture student Ryan Dingle won the 2021 Brian Patrick Keirnan Prize for his project repurposing a disused railway tunnel underneath Hyde Park that takes visitors from the city to the botanic gardens, while fellow students Lucy Sharman and Chloe Goldsmith received commendations.
President’s Prize
Kathlyn Loseby
Reconciliation Prize
Winner
Kevin O’Brien
Commendations
Burri Gummin Housing StudioLuk
Marion Mahony Griffin Prize
Kirsten Orr
David Lindner Prize
Hugo Chan
Christopher Procter Prize
Nicole Larkin
Brian Patrick Keirnan Prize
Winner
Ryan Dingle
Commendation
Lucy Sharman Chloe Goldsmith
Life Fellows
Olivia Hyde Peter KempLife Fellows Kathlyn Loseby Rachel Neeson Alex Popov Agi Stirling
Fellows
Jenna Rowe Belinda Goh Steven Donaghey Guy Luscombe Angus Kell Abdullah Lftekhar Robert Graham William Smart More

Three shortlisted designs have been unveiled for the bicycle ramp at the Sydney Harbour Bridge’s northern end, with the state government inviting feedback.
Each of the designs is for a linear ramp, since a public vote supported the linear option over a looped design.
The selected design teams include architecture and landscape architecture firms, along with Indigenous design consultants and engineers. They are:

Aspect Studios, with Collins and Turner Architects, Yerrabingin, Eckersley O’Callaghan Engineers, JMT Consulting and Design 5 Architects
Realm Studios, with Djinjama, Aileen Sage, Lucas Stapleton Johnson, Dr. Mike Harris, PMI Engineers and Nick Schliepe
Civille, with Ney and Partners, HNS Landscape Architects, Djinjama and Sue Rosen Associates.

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The Sydney Harbour cycleway by Aspect Studios, with Collins and Turner Architects, Yerrabingin, Eckersley O’Callaghan Engineers, JMT Consulting and Design 5 Architects.

The Aspect Studios-led proposal strives for the “lightest touch… with a form that dissolves into air whilst leaving the much loved park largely untouched.” Whereas the other two designs jut out from the bridge over Bradfield Park, Aspect’s design hugs the alignment of the viaduct, “such that infrastructure and movement are combined in a more simple, complementary and intuitive manner leaving the park open and uncluttered.”

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The Sydney Harbour cycleway by Realm Studios, with Djinjama, Aileen Sage, Lucas Stapleton Johnson, Dr. Mike Harris, PMI Engineers and Nick Schliepe.

The Realm Studios proposal also aims to touch the earth as lightly as it can, and deviates from the alignment of the reference design, which ran directly through Bradfield Park. “Our alignment swings further towards Alfred Street, opening up a much larger space between the Bridge and the Cycleway – that illuminated gap between Mother and Child,” the design report reads. “Our steel structural solution allows us to support the cycleway on a series of ultra-fine steel columns, that start from a single discrete point, and spread up to hold the Cycleway.”

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The Sydney Harbour cycleway by Civille, with Ney and Partners, H+N+S Landscape Architects, Djinjama and Sue Rosen Associates.

The Civille design also swings out towards Alfred Steet, creating maximum breathing space between Milsons Point Station and the ramp. The design takes inspiration from the Nawi(bark canoes) once used for crossing the harbour in terms of colour and form and is clearly differentiated from the design aesthetic of the bridge. “Its form speaks to the language and structure of Bradfield Park and its radial organisation,” state the design team. “The mass of the existing Sydney Harbour Bridge concrete wall is counter-balanced by a light and metallic cycle ramp structure.”
The Transport for NSW project is intended to make it easier for cyclists who currently have to carry their bikes up or down 55 steps at Bradfield Park. North Sydney Council has previously lambasted the proposal as “an assault” on open space in the area. Feedback on the proposals is open until 16 January 2022. More