Architecture

A former ambulance station that was gutted by two separate fires 20 years ago could soon be transformed into a culture and arts centre in the central west New South Wales town of Forbes. The Forbes Arts Society purchased the Forbes and District Ambulance Station at 110 Lachlan Street in December 2019 and have since […] More

SJB and Health Projects International have unveiled designs for a new hospital precinct on the New South Wales Central Coast.
The 238-bed Northside Private Hospital in Gosford will deliver public and private health care with integrated operating theatres, intensive care unit, mental health ward, outdoor care spaces and ground floor retail services.
SJB director Adam Haddow said the project was the firm’s first health care precinct. “We are passionate about bringing thoughtful architecture to regional Australia, and we are committed to delivering a sympathetic design outcome that enhances the local area and delivers care and amenity to the local community,” he said.
The design prioritizes an active and permeable ground plane, with a triple-height main entrance providing an abundance of natural light and ventilation, improving wayfinding and mitigating the stress of hospital waiting rooms. Green rooftop gardens will also offer outdoor experiences for patients and staff.

View gallery

Northside Private Hospital by SJB and Health Projects International.

The 10-storey building is designed to integrate into the surrounding context, with the use of sandstone and terracotta referencing Gosford’s historic quarries and a generous colonnade wrapping the public domain retail spaces, creating a welcoming edge to the hosptial.
“Our experience in residential, commercial and hotel sectors has influenced the amenity-focused design of the ground plane and the considered facade modulation that will wrap the exterior of the building,” said Haddow.
The $172 million was approved by the state government in May and is expected to be open by 2025.
Local MP Adam Crouch said at the time of the approval that the hospital at Racecourse Road would improve health care access for the growing population.
“The former disused Ausgrid Depot will be transformed into this state-of-the-art health facility, which is vital given the population growth of 95,250 residents expected by 2041,” he said.
“The new hospital will be connected to Gosford by a shuttle bus, improvements to a nearby bus stop and more than 300 parking spaces for patients, visitors and front-line workers.” More

A wedge-shaped office building reaching 37 storeys could be built between Market and Park streets in Sydney’s Midtown precinct, under a proposal before planning authorities.
The building at 133–145 Castlereagh Street would deliver around 100,000 square metres of office space and include a series of terraces, above the podium and across the sloping top of the tower. It would serve as an expansion of Stockland’s Piccadilly Complex, which currently comprises two office towers of 14- and 32-storeys and a two-level shopping centre.
3XN has produced a reference design to support the application, which will require an amendment to planning controls, and a design competition will be held for the final design.
The building would incorporate a three-to-ten-storey podium to match adjoining building and podium heights, with floor space to be used for the Wesley Mission/Uniting Church, and a mid-block through-site link aimed at accentuating Piccadilly Complex’s active frontage along Castlereagh and Pitt Streets.
The proponents note in planning documents that Sydney’s Midtown was not long ago considered a retail shopping district with “antiquated” commercial office space, but that a handful of recently approved redevelopments within the immediate context of Piccadily would breathe new life into the area.
“The redevelopment of Piccadilly will not only add pedestrian activity to the public domain of the revitalized precinct, but it will also provide a variety of large, contiguous commercial floor plates in the heart of the CBD to meet market demand,” reads the urban study report. “The large floorplates utilise an elongated central core that eliminates the deep, sub-optimal daylight zone in the middle of most large office floorplates.
“The podium terraces over-look the dynamic, active urban street-scape while the tower terraces created by the sloped, solar access plane to Hyde Park provide valuable views to Sydney’s, large green space and Harbour views beyond.”
The planning amendment is recommended for approval and will go before a full City of Sydney council meeting on 28 June. It will then go to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment for gateway determination, followed by public exhibition. More

The Victorian government has announced two sites for building new social and affordable housing as part of its $5.3 billion Big Housing Build program. To be built alongside existing public housing in Collingwood and South Yarra, the houses will join a number of other projects already underway in the program to deliver more than 12,000 […] More

The Northern Territory government has submitted a development application for the new State Square art gallery designed by Darwin practice Ashford Architects with Clare Design and Hully Liveris, revealing the design for the first time.
Part of the wider development of Darwin’s CBD funded through a 10-year city deal with the federal government, the gallery will be located on the former Juror’s carpark adjacent to the Supreme Court on Smith Street.
Lindsay Clare, director and co-founder of Clare Design, said the gallery would promote contemporary dialogues across Indigenous, non-Indigenous and Asian art while facilitating high-profile events, competitions and festivals.
“The gallery’s architecture is inspired by the Territory’s unique geology, landscape and climate,” he said. “It addresses the environmental imperatives of the tropics through a mix of innovative and traditional solutions to protect occupants and artworks from the heat, glare, rain and humidity.
“The solutions include a fly roof and rain-screen walls that ventilate and shade the Gallery envelope, protecting it from direct heat-gain and weather. Importantly these solutions, combined with landscaping reduce the ‘heat island’ effect and create a cool zone around the Gallery.”
A masterplan for State Square and Darwin Civic completed by TCL and Troppo Architects in 2020 outlined how the area around the historic public park will be transformed. The former Chan Building has been demolished and will be replaced by an open, grassy area, while a former 90-bay carpark will also be replaced with a landscaped public space for events.

View gallery

State Square Art Gallery by Ashford Architects with Clare Design and Hully Liveris.

The art gallery will sit adjacent to the park’s “Central Heart” a “playful, shaded, flexible and active” space for events and the everyday. The gallery itself will have a “generous grand veranda with cafes and room for events and festivals.”
The Northern Territory arts minister Chansey Paech said the gallery would help make the park an iconic tourist destination.
“This project will provide quality exhibition space to showcase our significant art and material culture collections, host Australian and international exhibitions, and deliver learning and participation opportunities for the community,” he said.
The development application for the gallery is now with the Development Consent Authority and will be placed on public exhibit from 25 June. If approved, construction is expected to be completed by late-2023. More

Dulux has announced the finalists of its 35th annual colour awards. From 437 entries across six categories, 105 finalists have made the cut.
Dulux colour and communications manager Andrea Orr said that along with recognizing the innovative and excellent use of colour the entrants in the 2021 awards demonstrated an increase use of biophilia in design, which resulted in nurturing tones and natural finishes.
“The prevalence of concrete, stone and timber, as well as warm metals, paired with warm earthy hues and deep greens and blues, indicates the need for a return to nature and its grounding effect in chaotic times,” Orr said.
“Reflecting the mood of the time, we are seeing a trend towards dark cocooning exteriors, with deep greys, charcoals and black contrasted with light, warm interiors, especially in residential projects. These combinations are no less innovative, but they are suggestive of designers and clients seeking reassurance, permanence and security.
“Externally, we noted the increased use of natural tones to blend harmoniously with the surrounding environment, particularly in commercial categories. Yet, despite these tendencies to earthy, natural tones, there is still an evident willingness to be playful with the use of colour, in unexpected highlights and accents.”
The judging panel for the 2021 awards comprises Jefa Greenaway (Greenaway Architects) Melissa Bright (Studio Bright), Patrick Loo (Common Space, NZ), Sarah-Jane Pyke (Arent and Pyke), and Suzannah Waldron (Searle x Waldron Architecture).
Winners of each category will be announced at a gala event later in 2021 along with the winners of the Australian and New Zealand Grand Prix respectively.
All finalists can be viewed on the Dulux website. More

Four student accommodation towers designed by four different architecture firms will be built along Anzac Parade in Sydney’s Kensington and Kingsford, with development approvals granted.
The projects are all being built by developer Scape, the largest student accommodation provider in Australia, which is spending around $1 billion on these four projects plus a fifth tower for which it says approval is “imminent”.
The towers range from six to 18-storeys. Design competitions were held for each tower, with SJB, BVN, PTW and Plus Architecture appointed for the four approved towers.
SJB is designing the largest of three projecs, Scape Lachlan at the Todman Square intersection, which will comprise a cluster of three towers atop a shared base with community, communal and retail functions.
Joseph Loh, SJB studio associate, said the design prioritizes public space. “The building is modulated into components which play against the skyline and scale to enhance the street character,” he said.
“Materials shift in colour, texture and transparency creating a rich, varied experience at pedestrian level. Concrete, glass and brick structures are contrasted with fine steel details, pattern and landscape. At the internal intersection of the through-site link and newly formed Lachlan Lane, the community work hub is a space that everyone can engage in. Generous shared spaces at the heart of the precinct emphasize public access and social blending of users.”
Plus Architecture will design the tower at 182-190 Anzac Parade, BVN the tower at 172-180 Anzac Parade and PTW Architects the building at 391-397 Anzac Parade.
Stephen Gaitanos, managing director and co-founder of Scape said, “Scape’s trophy assets will deliver much needed residential and student rental accommodation and deliver an economic hub for Randwick’s expanding health and education precincts.”
Scape said in a statement the buildings would include rooftop pools with gyms, outdoor cinemas and relaxation zones, co-working and study zones and other kinds of shared space to encourage social interaction. More