Architecture

The Old School New School conference returns after a two year hiatus with a virtual program that seeks to understand how architectural agency can influence positive learning experiences.
Held over three online sessions, the conference will examine the design of learning environments in early childhood settings, schools and universities.
Architects, educators and research specialists hailing from Australia, Europe, Asia and North America will present their work and interrogate architecture’s role in the future of education.
Session one, Designing for Primary and Secondary Education, will present research and evidence-based studies that explore how design can influence learning experience for diverse individuals across a range of backgrounds, cultures and learning abilities. Speakers Rosan Bosch of Rosan Bosch Studio from Denmark and Rachel Neeson of Neeson Murcutt and Neille from Sydney will present a range of projects, while Meagan Killer from the Queensland Department of Education, along with Bentley Park College principals Bruce Houghton and Adam Catalano, will present a program of inclusive space that seeks to support students who are at risk of disengaging from school.

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KNO Nursery by Youji no Shiro. Image:

Studio Bauhaus

In session two, Designing for Early Learning, speakers will present case studies of educational projects from a variety of pedagogical approaches and examine how the built environment influences developmental outcomes in children. Presenter Sandra Duncan from the USA will examine research on how emotions influence learning in children, and her co-presenter Faith Swickard will examine how this research applies through a spatial analysis of architectural elements. Sydney landscape architect Fiona Robbé will present a range of play spaces in early childhood settings and Japanese architect Taku Hibino of Youji no Shiro will present case studies of early learning centres.

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University of Tasmania’s Teaching and Learning Building at Inveresk by John Wardle Architects. Image:

John Wardle Architects.

The final session, Designing for Tertiary Education, will explore the rise of the city campus and how universities are influencing the transformation of the urban fabric. Canadian architect Shirley Blumberg of KPMB will present her practice’s university projects in Canada and the USA; Hazel Porter of Woods Bagot will speak about one of Australia’s first “innovation precincts,” Melbourne Connect; and the University of Tasmania’s vice-chancellor Rufus Black will speak about the university’s campus development projects.
Each session will be followed by a live panel discussion with all the presenters moderated by industry experts.
Old School New School is a Design Speaks event, organized by Architecture Media (publisher of ArchitectureAU.com) and supported by principal partner Dulux and major partner Planned Cover. Tickets for the conference are on sale now until 24 September. The sessions can be viewed live on 24 and 31 August, and 7 September or on demand until 1 October. More

An entire block in the Gold Coast’s Surfers Paradise will be given over to an $800 million three-tower apartment development complete with a suspended glass bottom pool, under plans lodged with the Gold Coast City Council.
Designed by Rothelowman with landscape practice Form, the development will sit between Ferny Avenue and Surfers Paradise Boulevard, at the centre of the Gold Coast’s tourism precinct. The towers will reach 38, 40 and 42 storeys and house 792 apartments and 1,713 square metres of indoor retail space.
The proposal to build a suspended lap pool follows the headline grabbing completion of London’s Embassy Gardens Sky Pool. The pool at the Gold Coast tower will located at the 26th storey – 10 storeys higher the London sky pool.

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The three-tower Ferny Avenue development designed by Rothelowman.

Another pool – a circular infinity lagoon pool at the podium level – will be a focal point of the development available to all residents. Each tower will have its own distinct podium, connected to the others via walkways to create “an upmarket neighbourhood village vibe.”
The towers will each be tailored to slightly different demographics. Tower 1 will be designed to be “dynamic, social and youthful” with the lagoon pool at its base, a barbecue area, gym and yoga garden and a sky lounge featuring co-working spaces,bar, indoor and outdoor seating lounge, and an “interactive sky gym.”
Tower 2 will be designed for families and will have an indoor and outdoor kids’ zone, and a sky lounge with gym, yoga and spa facilities. Tower 3 will be for the “mature lifestyle buyer” with the podium encompassing its own café, breakfast and dining terraces, a library and meeting rooms and a sky lounge featuring the suspended lap pool, a cigar lounge and wine bar.
The developers behind the project are SPG Land and Gordon Corp, in a joint-venture.
SPG Land chairman David Wang described the proposal as a transformational development for the Gold Coast.
“Our development is not only destined to be an exciting new residential address, but a new public space that everyone can enjoy whether they’re taking a shortcut to the beach or settling in with friends in the plaza for a morning coffee or an alfresco lunch,” he said. More

Among the 200 shortlisted entries in the 2020/21 World Architecture Festival Awards, there is again a strong contingent of projects from Australia and by Australian architects.
“We are delighted with both the quantity and quality of this year’s entries,” said festival director Paul Finch. “This promises to be the most competitive awards program we have ever run, and we look forward to meeting the shortlisted architects in Lisbon.”
The festival was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic, and will now be held from 1 to 3 December with the theme “Resetting the City: Greening, Health and Urbanism.”
Across the three days of the festival, architects will present their shortlisted projects to more than 100 international jurors.
Category winners will then compete with each other for the titles of World Building of the Year, Future Project of the Year, Interior of the Year and Landscape of the Year.
The Australian shortlisted projects are:
Completed Buildings
Culture
Chau Chak Wing Museum – JPW
Phoenix Central Park – Durback Block Jaggers and John Wardle Architects
Display
Mon Repos Turtle Centre – Kirk
Penguin Parade Visitor Centre – Terroir
Health
Puntukurnu AMS Healthcare Hub Newman – Kaunitz Yeung Architecture
Higher Education and Research
Monash Woodside Building for Technology and Design – Grimshaw
UTS Central – FJMT
House and Villa (Rural and Nature)
Coopworth – FMD Architects
House and Villa (Urban/Suburban)
House Taurus – Durbach Block Jaggers
JARtB House – Kavellaris Urban Design
Kew Residence – John Wardle Architects
Nissim House – Studio Milou
North Perth House – Nic Brunsdon
Housing
Collins House – Bates Smart
Holme Apartments – John Wardle Architects
Mixed Use
Collins Arch – Woods Bagot and Shop Architects
Sky Green – Woha Architects
New and Old
2 Ridge Street – Tzannes
Office
9 Cremorne Street – Fieldwork
Daramu House – Tzannes
Olderfleet – Grimshaw
Religion
Punchbowl Mosque – Angelo Candalepas and Associates
School
Fortitude Valley Secondary College – Cox Architecture and Thomson Adsett
Ravenswood Senior Learning Centre – BVN
Sport
Ken Rosewall Arena Redevelopment – Cox Architecture
Rod Laver Arena – Cox Architecture
Transport
Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail – Grimshaw and Aspect Studios in collaboration with the City of Sydney on behalf of Transport for NSW supported by Randwick Council
Landscape (Urban Context)
Prahran Square – Lyons with Aspect Studios
Sydney Park Water Re-use – Turf Design Studio
Future Project
Civic
Rethinking Melbourne’s Carparks – Bates Smart
Culture
Yalingbila Bibula – Cox Architecture
Education
The Kambala Sport, Wellbeing + Senior Learning Precinct – Allen Jack and Cottier
Infrastructure
Sydney Metro – Woods Bagot and John McAslan and Partners
Leisure-led development
Tawarri Hot Springs – Nic Brunsdon
Office
Atlassian Headquarters – Shop Architects and BVN
Residential
Sirius Redevelopment – BVN More

A 30-storey build-to-rent tower would be build atop a prominent ridgeline in Brisbane’s Bowen Hills, under a development application lodged with planning authorities. Designed by Nettleton Tribe for the Queensland CFMEU, acting as a developer, the tower would be bound by Campbell, Hazelmount and Edgar streets. Nettleton Tribe notes in its design statement that the […] More

SJB and Arcadia have prepared plans for a village-like residential estate on a former industrial site in Ashbury, in Sydney’s inner west. The development at 165-171 Milton Street would comprise five buildings ranging from three to six storeys containing 76 units and 62 terrace houses. It will also include a communal open space at the […] More

The Danish capital Copenhagen will be the next World Capital of Architecture in 2023. The World Capital of Architecture is designated triennially by UNESCO on the recommendation of the Internatioanl Union of Architects (UIA) and is the host city of the UIA’s world congress. “We are very happy to see the torch of the World […] More

Construction has begun on a seven-storey commercial building that will be home to Australia’s first combined children’s health and education centre.
The building, dubbed Proxima, is designed by PDT Architects and will be located within the Queensland government’s 9.5-hectare Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, a development area dedicated to life sciences, health and technology-related businesses.
The building will house five storeys of lettable office space as well as a childcare centre for up to 400 children, to be operated by Sanctuary Early Learning Adventure, which will also create a unique environment to support children with special needs.
Griffith University will also establish a centre for excellence in Inclusive Early Childhood Education in the building. “The centre brings together interdisciplinary teams across Griffith’s Allied Health disciplines and Early Childhood Education to embed a model of research-integrated inclusive childcare education,” said Griffith University Vice Chancellor Carolyn Evans.

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Proxima, the first private development within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct’s commercial cluster.

Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles said, “This is an Australian-first, an early learning centre with in-house access to allied paediatric health and research professionals, that will be within Lumina at the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.”
Meaghan Scanlon, minister for science and youth affairs, added, “Innovation within the health and knowledge sectors is exactly why this precinct was established, and it’s great to see it coming to fruition.
“Children will have access to the expert care that they need within a familiar, fun and caring environment at their early learning centre.”
The $80 million centre is the first private development within the commercial cluster and is a project of Evans Long. More

BVN has won a design excellence competition for the design of a “revolutionary” new primary school and multipurpose community space in Sydney’s Green Square.
The school and integrated community spaces, which can be occupied both day and night, will be built on the site of the former South Sydney Hospital site on Joynton Avenue.
The site is also home to a number of urban renewal projects, including the Joynton Avenue Creative Precinct by Peter Stutchbury Architecture and the Waranara Early Learning Centre by Fox Johnston.
“Green Square’s landmark heritage brick buildings have already been thoughtfully reimagined through adaptive reuse. As the final element to be delivered within the precinct, we felt that it was significant that the new school clearly be a part of the area,” said Ali Bounds, principal at BVN.
The layout of the design fosters connection with the broader community, surrounding parks and community facilities, including the Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre across the road by Andrew Burges Architects, Grimshaw and TCL as well as the nearby Green Square Library and Plaza by Studio Hollenstein in association with Stewart Architecture.

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The proposed Green Square Primary School and integrated community space by BVN. Image:

Courtesy City of Sydney

A new educational model also sets a framework for flexible learning spaces based around community hubs.
“The model encourages student and teacher interaction and provides well-connected teaching and learning spaces,” Bounds said.
Fellow BVN principal Matthew Blair added, “This project provides a rare opportunity to create a modern, neighbourhood-scaled school that contributes to a shared public domain.
“We believe buildings that are participative, that involve an engagement with users and that can be reactive to varying conditions will bring educational benefits.
The design excellence competition was judged by a panel of experts drawn from education, architecture and urban design fields.
“This revolutionary school design will provide much-needed community facilities that will be activated day and night for the whole community to use. It is an important addition to the area’s educational, social and cultural life,” said Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore.
“By 2030, over 60,000 people will call Green Square home. The school will serve as a lynchpin that connects our award-winning library and civic plaza, 40 new parks and the Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre, which opened earlier this year.”
The integrated school and community space will be jointly funded by the City of Sydney and the NSW Department of Education.
“Schools are the hearts of our communities and the winning design from BVN captured this and created a fantastic place for children to learn,” said minister for education Sarah Mitchell. More