Architecture

Warren and Mahoney’s design for the redevelopment of the Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre in Melbourne’s north has been finalized, with works scheduled to begin later this year.
The redevelopment of the centre, built in 1968, will keep the outdoor 50-metre pool and 25-metre indoor pool while adding more indoor facilities, including an added warm water pool for exercise and rehabilitation.
Warren and Mahoney associate principal Brett Diprose said the design aimed to keep the historic and much-loved features of the centre while improving its energy performance and sustainability credentials, in line with Darebin council’s climate emergency strategy.
“The 6-Star Green Star centre will be the first of its kind in Australia to run completely on electricity, both on site generation and power purchasing agreements, removing the reliance on fossil fuel based, non-renewable gas,” he said. “A large solar panel array on the roof will power the heating of all the leisure water areas, while materials and systems have been specifically selected to minimize the carbon footprint during construction and reduce energy use once operational.

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Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre redevelopment by Warren and Mahoney.

“The timber structure provides sustainability benefits by capturing carbon dioxide and its renewable and recyclable properties, as well as delivering a low maintenance facility with a warm, welcoming aesthetic.”
The design has also been shaped by consultation with the community and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
“Another key design consideration was the relationship between cultural engagement and sustainability, including the stewardship of resources, appropriate engagement with First Nations people and identification of how to acknowledge and celebrate that in a future-forward way; be it through artistic engagement, interior approach or selection of materials and architectural expression,” said Diprose.
“We have started that process and will continue to work in collaboration with our Indigenous partners until the project is complete.”
Darebin council completed a feasibility study in 2017 to explore options for the centre, and found that the facility was nearing the end of its lifecycle. The redeveloped centre is scheduled to open mid-2023. More

Two Gabrielle Poole houses, an 1896 lighthouse and a diverse mix of beach houses old and new are among the architectural highlights in the Sunshine Coast Open House program, launched at the Caloundra Regional Gallery. The 2021 Sunshine Coast Open House weekend, scheduled for 23 to 24 October, will see 25 buildings of historical or […] More

Melbourne’s historic Jam Factory precinct, located on Chapel Street in South Yarra, could be transformed into a $1.5 billion mixed-use precinct under an updated proposal designed by Bates Smart, Townshend Landscape Architects and Leonard Design Architects. The proposal includes four residential towers, a hotel, and commercial, retail and entertainment spaces. A new civic space will […] More

Sydney’s tallest building, the 304-metre tall Centrepoint Tower, celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2021. The building was designed by Donald Crone and Associates (now Crone Architects) in 1968 and was opened to the public after 13 years of construction in 1981. It can be seen from as far as the Blue Mountains and the Central […] More

The NSW government has approved the Northern Precinct tower in the Waterloo Metro Quarter over-station development after its proposed use was changed from residential to commercial and its height was reduced by more than 26 metres. Designed by Woods Bagot, the northern tower is one of four towers proposed as part of the $900 million […] More

Leader in aluminium building products and finishing technologies Deco Australia is proud to announce its display centre, the Deco Innovation Centre, has won the 2021 AGWA Design Awards Showroom of the Year: Large Showroom Award. The renowned AGWA awards celebrate excellence in window, door and finishing solutions. The Showroom of the Year Award recognizes excellence […] More

Denton Corker Marshall’s “small and tall” Shepparton Art Museum, built on the lands of the Yorta Yorta peoples on the shore of Victoria Park Lake, will open to the public on 20 November.
Restricted to a small footprint due to a floodway running across the site, the museum is stretched vertically across five levels, making it the tallest building in the topographically flat town in regional Victoria. The architect, whose design was chosen through a design competition in 2017, describes the building as a “beacon” and a “sculpture” nestled in the landscape.
“The Shepparton Art Museum was a great competition to win as it represents such an important cultural contribution to a regional city like Shepparton,” said Denton Corker Marshall founding director John Denton. “Sitting between the lake and the main road into town from Melbourne it presents a strikingly bold signal – a new contemporary building added to the fabric of the city.”

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Shepparton Art Museum by Denton Corker Marshall.

Replacing the old gallery on Welsford Street, the art museum will house more than 4,000 artworks across four main gallery spaces. It will also feature a dedicated kids’ space and workshop space; a visitors’ information centre; the Kaiela Arts Aboriginal community arts centre; an outdoor amphitheatre; a café; and a 150-person event space and terrace.
The design is defined by a simplicity of form and clarity of materials. Across the building’s facades, four floating perforated L-shaped plates are suspended in the landscape, referencing traditional Australian verandas. Three of the plates are formed of powdercoated aluminium, while the fourth facing the lake is made of a rich ochre-red Corten steel.
“From a distance, the plates give virtually no indication of interior life and waits to be discovered and explored,” the architect notes in a statement.
“At their base, they float seemingly unsupported over an open, visibly accessible and highly activated ground plane. Each plate is simultaneously an object in its own right and an integral part of the whole. The plates group together, at different heights and contrasting materiality, to form a cube composition at a scale comparable to the surrounding red river gums. Each facade plate becomes a canvas, layered into the treed landscape of dappled light and shade with the ability to transform as a base for temporary installations or projection imagery.”

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Shepparton Art Museum by Denton Corker Marshall.

The building connects to surrounding parklands via a raised grass area dubbed the “Art Hill.” This raised form incorporates building services and back-of-house areas while offering an elevated outlook for the museum café that connects directly to the park.
Inside the museum, an open circulation galleria leads onto a range of interconnected multi-level spaces, including the Lin Onus Gallery, People’s Gallery, Williamson Community Space, SAM Kids Space, the Bill Kelly Peace Room.
“The building is about hope and aspiration, with a range of welcoming spaces and places designed to invite all members of the public to meet, enjoy, and call their own through arts and culture,” said Rebecca Coates, artistic director and CEO of Shepparton Art Museum.
“There’s a play of theatre, performance and comfortable reflection with natural light and views to the landscape connecting people to context and landscape.”
The new building was funded by local, state and federal government, as well as through philanthropic and community support.
Also working on the project in collaboration with Denton Corker Marshall and Greater Shepparton City Council were landscape architects Urban Initiatives and signage and wayfinding consultant Studio Ongarato. More

Hayball and MALA Studio have designed a new thermal springs facility to be located on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
Alba Thermals Springs and Spa will have 32 pools of varying sizes, including geothermal pools, cold plunge pools and herbal-infused botanical pools.
The buildings on the site will be partially embedded into the hilltop and will be made from curved and corrugated concrete, bronze glass and metallic finishes.
The main building will accommodate reception, retail, change rooms, a relaxation lounge, and spa treatment rooms, while the Springs Pavilion will be located higher on the site.
Hayball project director Eugene Chieng said the design is characterized by restraint and refinement, bringing together the “inspirational and the functional.”
“It is the symbiosis of the state of fluidity, the anticipation in the processional of spaces, and the beauty that is manifested in the curved lines that we sought in an attempt to seek moments of contemplation and the recalibration of self,” he said.

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Alba Thermal Springs by Hayball and MALA Studio

The landscape will be extensively planted with indigenous floral varieties. “I confess I’m in love with this site,” said MALA Studio founding director, Campbell Morris. “Having grown up in the local area, the indigenous vegetation, rural context, and grasslands are warmly familiar and comforting. I wanted this design and planting to instil similar feelings of relaxation and calm.
“The flip-side to this serenity and stillness is the fact that weather conditions can change dramatically and in an instant. It was important that the gardens not only reflect that wildness but be able to withstand such unpredictability and thrive in all elements.”
“This is very much an atmosphere-driven project, with water as the mood-setter. Every area of the gardens has its own ambience, textures, palette, and theme, but it feels very natural and uncontrived. Each pool has its own space so that the bathers’ experience is undiluted.”
The facility is due to open in the winter of 2022. More