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Ten Australian projects are among the finalists of the 2020/21 Inside Festival awards. More than 100 finalists across 11 categories have made the cut, including bars, restaurants, hotels, workplaces and homes. The shortlisted practices will present their projects to juries during the Inside festival, co-located with the World Architecture Festival, which will be held in […] More
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
A 17-storey student accommodation tower proposed for Sydney’s Chinatown has been recommended for approval, following some amendments to the design spurred by criticism from the Design Advisory Panel. Designed by PTW Architects, the complex will incorporate the former Kwong War Chong building 82-84 Dixon Street, significant as one of the earliest Chinese-owned buildings in the […] More
Adelaide firm Studio Nine Architects has designed a series of five modular, prefabricated buildings ideal for remote retreats or backyard work-from-home hideaways.
The designs for prefab building company Assembly Three have been conceived for a world in the grips of a pandemic, “where travel has become restricted to within our own state and a need for additional space within our own homes, for work or retreat, has arisen.”
Ranging from a compact 22-square-metre studio to a 82-sqaure-metre suite, the architectural spaces are designed to dissolve into the landscape, with a striking steel exterior encasing restrained interiors.
The buildings are constructed using XFrame, a light-weight flat-pack timber framing system designed in New Zealand and supported by Adelaide research commercialization firm Innovyz. Assembly Three says the system uses 30 percent less material than standard timber wall framing, is carbon negative, rapidly recoverable and makes for designs that are more transportable.
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Assembly Studio by Studio Nine Architects.
“Many similar transportable products (think shipping container design) require transportation via a truck to site before being craned into place,” Assembly Three said in a statement. “By utilising XFrame, Assembly Three products are not constrained by logistics … opening up hard to reach, off-grid locations that traditionally haven’t been suitable for development.”
Studio Nine’s design framework builds off the base footprint of the XFrame, adding or subtracting volumes and floor space to adapt to different briefs.
The 22-sqaure-metre Assembly Studio is designed for a cosy retreat or simple work-from-home set-up. Moving up in size, the 27-square-metre Assembly Office is a flexible one-to-two-person working environment with a standalone kitchenette and breakout space.
Then there are the three tourism accommodation designs — the Assembly Cabin, Assembly Suite and Assembly Suite +. Each sleep two, with a kitchenette, ensuite, fireplace and undercover deck area.
The 45-square-metre Assembly Cabin is conceived of as an “entry level Airbnb, caravan park offering or a small footprint granny flat design.”
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The XFrame system.
The 68-sqaure-metre Assembly Suite is a double-height volume that includes a dedicated lounge and dining area. And the largest option, the 82-suare-metre Assembly Suite+ features a mezzanine-level bedroom.
“Striking a balance between feeling warm and cosy in winter and connected to the outside in summer, the spaces are adaptable to their setting,” said Assembly Three.
Studio Nine has aimed for consistent design language across all five buildings , with typical finishes including timber wall panelling, neutral grey tone flooring and matt black joinery.
“All designs are fully self-contained with integrated services and enclosures screened from view, eliminating a rear-elevation and allowing the products to be viewed from 360 degrees.
“With no reliance on typical timber framing or use of steel in the structure, impacts of current supply shortages and weekly price escalation issues have no effect on the build time or cost.”
A prototype of the framing has been constructed at Adelaide’s Tonsley Innovation District. More
