Architecture

The NSW government is rezoning the northern Sydney suburb of Frenchs Forest, releasing a draft place strategy that calls for a new town centre, 2,000 new homes and 1.5 hectares of new public open space.
Supported by an urban design study undertaken by Chrofi and Architectus, the 20-year strategy lays out a vision for a revitalized urban centre that will support new jobs and reduce the need for people to commute outside the Northern Beaches.
Key moves include the relocation of the Forest High School to 187 Allambie Road in the adjoining suburb of Allambie Heights and the creation of a town centre around the school, which will include 1,000 new dwellings with 15 percent to be classified as affordable housing. The remaining 1,000 homes will be located in surrounding “transition areas.”
The homes will include apartments in blocks of up to 12 storeys, townhouses and terraces.

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A concept image from Chrofi and Architectus’ urban design study.

The town centre will incorporate the new Northern Beaches Hospital, designed by BVN.
Planning minister Rob Stokes said the houses and town centre would support a predicted population growth of 39,000 new residents by 2036.
“Frenchs Forest is a popular area which has grown significantly in recent years and this strategy outlines how we can help fast-track approximately 2,000 new homes and provide the infrastructure and services needed,” he said.
“The Frenchs Forest plan is about providing more employment on the beaches so our community doesn’t have to travel vast distances for work. A town centre next to a brand new hospital is an incredible opportunity for more jobs where people live.”
In their urban design report, Chrofi and Architectus lay out how the design will carry forward the essential characteristics of the place. “These include capitalising on its elevated topography to provide outlook over the city, revitalising the forest, and retaining elements of Forest High School to acknowledge the social impact of 60 years at this site,” the document states. “Other aspects of the site’s history including Aboriginal heritage, timber getting, orchards and brick pits can be interpreted and become elements of the public domain.” The Gayamaygal and Garigal people are the traditional custodians of the Northern Beaches.
The draft strategy is on public exhibition until 3 September. More

A striking 11-storey office building has been approved for Mascot near Sydney Airport, traditionally an industrial area that has recently seen an influx of mixed-use commercial developments. Designed by Scott Carver, the $81 million building at 32 Ricketty Street will be around 300 metres from the mixed-use residential Mascot Central precinct and 500 metres from […] More

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The historic Metro-Minerva Theatre in Sydney’s Kings Cross could be given a new life as a boutique hotel with a series of performance spaces recalling its old life.
The theatre was opened in 1939 and ceased operation in 1979 when it was converted into a market and subsequently offices for film production company Kennedy Miller. In 2019, Kennedy Miller sold the building to developer Abacus Group. The site had development approval for office use and a height limit of 22 metres.
Fears then ensued over the fate of the historic building which resulted a community campaign to save it from redevelopment. In December 2020, the building was listed on the state heritage register as a rare example of an inter-war functionalist style theatre. Developer Central Element then purchased the site in early 2021.
TZG Architects has designed the transformation, which would preserve the building’s distinctive Art Deco features, including the original horsehair ceiling and proscenium arch.
A development application for the proposal has been submitted to the City of Sydney. Central Element director Wayne Chivas said the building’s heritage significance was a key reason the company snapped up the site.
“Like the broader community, we are pleased the building is now heritage-listed and we look forward to honouring and protecting the history of the building and its significant cultural heritage,” he said.

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The restored Minerva Theatre by TZG Architects.

He said the interiors of the public spaces would incorporate interpretive displays on the building and its history and the main auditorium would be restored to allow for a mix of hospitality offerings, live music and cabaret.
But Minerva Theatre Action Group spokesperson Brandon Martignago said that while he commended the design, the site was not appropriate for a new hotel, and he was unconvinced by the proposed performance spaces.
“It’s a beautiful design, they’ve done well stuffing a hotel into this grand theatre space,” he said. “The design pays homage to the theatre, but for us that doesn’t cut the mustard.”
The action group is advocating for the theatre to be restored as a 1,000-seat theatre, which is supported by the state government and the City of Sydney. A feasibility study funded by both levels of government in 2020 found that there is commercial market interest and that it would be operationally viable to re-open the theatre.
Martignago, who is also head of local business group Potts Point Partnership, said a theatre would help contribute to a vibrant 24-hour precinct comparable to London’s Soho, while a new boutique hotel was not needed in an already saturated market.
He said the performance spaces outlined in the current proposal were unlikely to be logistically or financially viable, and that they were more akin to a “piano in the cosmetics section of David Jones.”
Central Element said in a statement that it had commissioned Arup to assess the requirements and constraints of the building if it were to be refurbished as a functioning theatre with a 1,000 seat capacity. It said the building constraints limited the seating capacity to under 700 seats and that having a solely dedicated theatre would not be economically or technically viable.
The company also said it was dedicated to “maximizing the creative and performance use of the building in line with community demand for more live performance and cultural venues in Sydney.”
Should the development application be approved, the developer expects to reopen the Minerva in 2024. More

A student-designed structure in Lake Macquarie in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales will become Australia’s first permanent regional multimedia arts pavilion when it opens in spring 2021. The design of Multi-Arts Pavilion mima is based on a concept by University of Newcastle student Samantha Bailey, who won a Lake Macquarie City Council […] More

The final tower in a group of five student accommodation towers to be built along Anzac Parade in Sydney’s Kensington and Kingsford has received development approval. It follows the earlier approval of another four towers to be built by the student accommodation developer Scape in June. Plus Architecture is the architect of the Kensigton tower, […] More

A “kaleidoscopic” design dubbed “the Light Catcher” has been revealed as the 2021 MPavilion, which will be installed in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens in November. “The structure we imagine is a shimmering device that qualifies itself as an urban lighthouse that hosts and enlightens the cultural activities planned for the 2021 summer season in Melbourne,” […] More

A private university has plans to establish a campus in a revitalized heritage precinct in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, alongside a 30-storey student accommodation tower. Local firm Arkhefield has prepared designs for the Torrens University campus and tower to be built at the site of the heritage Waltons department store, which closed to the public in […] More