Architecture

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City in the United States will soon launch an international architectural competition for the design of the museum’s expansion.
The museum’s collection comprises more than 42,000 art objects, including paintings, photography and sculptures from Asia, North America, Europe and Africa, as well as objects produced by Indigenous Native Americans. The museum also houses a major art research library and the Ford Learning Center.
Evelyn Craft Belger, chair of the museum’s board of trustees, said the competition follows several studies undertaken at the museum by Cooper Robertson, an urban design firm.
“We have spent several years weighing both the needs of the museum and the community and have given careful consideration to a number of studies performed,” Belger said. “Having explored several scenarios, the board wholeheartedly embraces the idea of an architectural competition.”
The museum’s strategic plan emphasises art as its central mission, supported by care for occupants of the museum, a commitment to community, and responsible and ethical actions that will ensure the long-term sustainability of the Nelson-Atkins.
Julián Zugazagoitia, director and CEO of the Nelson-Atkins Museum, said the competition will suit designers who appreciate art and culture, and who have a passion for cultural initiatives.
“At the second stage of the competition, we will be looking for designs that inspire community engagement and attract new audiences through exemplary design that will best position the Nelson-Atkins to serve guests for generations to come.”
Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) has been appointed to oversee the competition. The consultancy was also recently engaged to manage the Powerhouse Parramatta Sydney competition.
The competition is expected to launch in the third quarter of 2024. Check the MRC website for updates. More

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Hare and Klein founder Meryl Hare has been recognised in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours list with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her exceptional contributions to interior design. Hare, who founded interior design firm Hare and Klein in 1989, said she was shocked by the news. “I was in Darjeeling when […] More

It is so exciting to be back at the desk after a year away and to catch up on what I missed in the design and architecture world. What’s more exciting is a new project we are about to launch here at Architecture Media. For more than 20 years, Artichoke magazine has been a beacon […] More

The Architectus-designed Health and Medical Research Building (HMRB) at Flinders University in Adelaide is set to welcome students on campus, with the facility’s construction now complete.
Co-located with Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders Private Hospital on Flinders University’s Bedford Park campus, the $280-million HMRB will serve as a combined research, education and clinical expertise facility. The three co-located buildings all form part of a wider medical hub called Flinders Village.
The 22,000-square-metre HMRB accommodates wet and dry research laboratories, workspaces, seminar rooms and amenities. The design embodies principles and strategies for improving health and wellness. Personalised messages that encourage wellbeing and collaboration are inscribed on the internal staircase handrails, while floor-to-ceiling windows draw in natural light and establish visual connections to the outdoors.

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An internal staircase anchors the design as part of the wayfinding strategy. Image:

Shannon McGrath

Architectus principal and project principal Andrew Schunke said they conceived the building as a machine and a tool for research. “Beyond that, we wanted to design a building that spoke to the university’s legacy steeped in a commitment to advancing science and research, and reflecting Flinders’ core values of courage, integrity, innovation, and excellence,” Schunke said.
“We envisioned the HMRB as a connective environment, a vessel for creative ideas and collaboration. Anchored in place and nature, the building and public spaces are designed to facilitate opportunities for the diverse cohort of scientists, researchers and academics to learn from each other and work together – casting a spotlight on human-centred outcomes.”
Consultation with the Cultural Narrative and Indigenous Art Advisory Panel, including Uncle Lewis Yarlupurka O’Brien, explored local Indigenous narratives, including Rainbow Country, and identified important Kaurna landmarks, such as Patawalonga, Tjilbruke Springs, Mount Lofty and Mount Bonython. These narratives and cultural landmarks were represented through the building’s form, visual connections and colour palette. Each level’s interior is distinguished by a different colour scheme, symbolising the multicoloured sands of Rainbow Yarta (Country). The blades on the facade follow the building’s contours, guiding occupants’ eyes toward those distant Kaurna landmarks.

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Each level’s interior is distinguished by a different colour scheme, symbolising the multicoloured sands of Rainbow Yarta (Country). Image:

Shannon McGrath

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the opening. “I’m incredibly excited to see history being made at the HMRB – whether it’s better understanding neural pathways to control chronic pain, unravelling the secrets in our DNA to address debilitating genetic conditions, supporting the health of mothers and babies – there are endless possibilities to what the 600 researchers here will be able to achieve,” said Albanese.
Colin Stirling, Vice-chancellor at Flinders University, added, “Flinders is redefining healthcare. This … facility will drive collaboration and empower our researchers and students to push the boundaries of medical innovation.” More

The proposal to establish Ngurra, an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural precinct, on the southern shore of Lake Burley Griffin in Kamberri/Canberra has been shelved, despite a design competition for the site having been won.
The federal government has confirmed that the precinct, initially slated for construction between the Old Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial, will instead be built at the Acton Peninsula.
The earlier precinct proposal featured a new location for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) building, along with a centre for knowledge and culture, and a national resting place for repatriated ancestral remains. The new plans would see the National Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Centre and the National Resting Place still built, but with the current AIATSIS building (named Maraga) to be renovated and expanded instead.

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Winning Ngurra concept design, Kamberri/Canberra, designed by Djinjama and COLA Studio, and Hassell and Edition Office in collaboration. Image: Hassell

Djinjama and COLA Studio, and Hassell and Edition Office in collaboration won a 2022 design competition for the previous site. Stage one of the design competition was launched on 4 March 2022, with a total of 25 responses received from across the country. The winning consortium was selected over three shortlisted teams, including BVN Architecture with Greenaway Architects and Nguluway DesignInc as Blak Hand Collective; Denton Corker Marshall with Yhonnie Scarce and Kat Rodwell; and Peter Stutchbury Architecture with Allen Jack and Cottier Architects.
Neither this successful concept or any of the shortlisted designs will be carried over to the new site, necessitating the recommencement of a new design process.
The winning scheme depicted the National Indigenous Knowledge and Cultural Centre taking shape as a large, organic canopy elevated above a central plaza and supported by timber columns. In contrast to the strong visual presence and obvious discernability of the centre, the National Resting Place was more discreet, embedded within the rolling hills. The jury said the winning concept was “bold, yet elegant” in its integration with the landscape, further applauding the design team’s “commitment to rehabilitation of the site as a statement about the environment and First Nations connection to Country.”

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A team comprising Peter Stutchbury Architecture with Allen Jack and Cottier Architects was shortlisted in the design competition for the previous site. Image:

Peter Stutchbury Architecture with Allen Jack and Cottier Architects

A spokesperson for the Ngurra Project Team said a new design process will be undertaken shortly, where there will be opportunities for all four shortlisted design teams to submit interest in progressing a design concept.
The next phase of the project is yet to be disclosed.
A collection of the finalist’s renders can be found in the gallery. More

Madrid is unusual for a European capital city. Historically, it had no port, no cathedral, no university and no palace. Nor does it lie on a major river like other European capitals. Like Canberra, the city was chosen to be the capital because it is the geographic middle of the Iberian Peninsula.
The city developed over the centuries alongside short bursts of population growth – becoming a city with a “mix of contrasting styles,” our guide Werner Durrer tells the 2024 Dulux Study Tour group. The historic radial centre gives way to a modern gridded plan as the city grew along its outbound routes. Neoclassical mixes with influences from Berlin, Vienna and even Chicago. “The city has a huge tradition of ornament over monument,” Durrer said.
“What struck me so much was that every building is so diverse and there’s such a beautiful amenity in so many developments, particularly in central Madrid,” said Simona Falvo, one of five winners of the 2024 Dulux Study Tour.
Flynn Carr added, “One thing I found particularly interesting and engaging was how they’ve prioritised people within the urban landscape. The urban scale has tended to lend itself to having more plazas and open spaces.”

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City-Park Madrid Rioby West 8, Burgos and Garrido, Porras La Casta, Rubio and Álvarez Sala. Image:

Linda Cheng

An eight-lane highway beside the Manzanares river was buried underground, making way for a six-kilometre-long linear park, designed by Burgos and Garrido, Porras La Casta, Rubio and Álvarez Sala, and West 8, for the residents of surrounding areas. The care and consideration of the city’s public spaces goes hand-in-hand with the utilisation those spaces.
Much of Madrid’s urban fabric has developed in the 20th century – making it a surprisingly young city. Madrid’s population grew from one million just after the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, to a city of more than six million today.
“It’s younger than Sydney, if you look at it from that perspective,” Jamileh Jahangiri said, “but the city didn’t look disconnected, you could see the architecture of the new and old was representing the culture.”
“I think the best examples of contemporary architecture we saw were the museum projects that were engaging with existing building fabric and referencing it or responding to the form and type,” added Emma Chrisp.

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Museum Caixa Forum by Herzog and De Meuron. Image:

Linda Cheng

“The Caixa Forum, for example, retains that existing masonry heritage building and then does all these gymnastics to lift it up and then the top form of the building references the existing streetscape forms.”
The 2024 Dulux Study Tour winners were also impressed with some of the housing projects they visited in Madrid, particularly the Casa Girasol by Josep Antoni Coderch. The apartment complex built in 1966, “felt so contemporary,” said Chrisp, demonstrating the enduring relevance of good design.

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Casa Girasol by J.A. Coderch. Image:

Linda Cheng

On the final full day to Valladolid, past the fields of poppies, wildflowers and wind turbines. The group visited along the way a number of community projects by Óscar Miguel Ares of Contextos de Arquitectura y Urbanismo. In towns that were struggling to retain their young people, Ares’s projects, funded partly by the revenue from the turbines, combine multiple functions in one building while also creating places that the community proudly embraces.
The Ayuntamiento en Valverde De Campos combines municipal offices, council chambers, a café, and medical facilities on the same site, while the Piscinas Muncipales En Castromonte swimming pool is both a place of recreation and a meeting place with the kiosk able to open to the pool during the day and serve as a bar for the community at night.

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Piscinas Muncipales En Castromonte by Contextos de Arquitectura y Urbanismo. Image:

Linda Cheng

“The buildings seem to be buoyed by the other aspects of life taking place around them, rather than being these icebergs in public space or icebergs floating out in urbanity,” said Flynn Carr.
Ares said, “You may only get the opportunity to design one building for a particular place so it ought to do as much as it can to support that community.” He also said that architecture should be built for the people, rather than for images to be circulated on social media.
In reflecting on their time in Spain, the Dulux Study Tour winners found that the most successful architectural projects are culture-led, rather than design-led, as Mike Sneyd observed.
“The urban fabric is a product of the culture not the other way around,” he said. “Anything that is not embraced by the culture and the population is never effective.”
Jamileh Jahangiri added, “Sometimes we as designers want to force elements of community, but if we understand what really is the life of the city, then maybe what we can design becomes better.”
Linda Cheng is travelling with the 2024 Dulux Study Tour. Follow #2024DuluxStudyTour on social media and the blog. More

A round-up of innovative and resource efficient products designed with longevity and responsibility front of mind.
Oriented Strand Board from Forest One
Manufactured from de-barked pine from wellmanaged forests, oriented strand board panels are a strong and sustainable product for walls and cabinetry. Most of the energy used in production is recovered from the plant’s waste heat, reducing the product’s carbon footprint. Visit website
Drop-arm awnings from Shade Factor

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Drop-arm awnings from Shade Factor. Image: Supplied

Warema drop-arm awnings provide external protection from direct sun, while retaining diffuse daylight. Gas struts provide tension for wind resistance, while stainless marine-grade components ensure longevity. An extensive range of fabric colours and types is available. Visit website
Aura sofa from King Living

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Aura sofa from King Living. Image: Supplied

Meticulously crafted, the Aura sofa is designed for longevity with a steel suspension system that protects and extends the life of interior components. Aura’s organic curved shapes reimagine modular sofa design. Optional storage, concealed inside the base, is available. Visit website
Iglu louvres from Breezway

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Iglu louvres from Breezway. Image: Supplied

Developed in response to updated energy efficiency requirements, Altair’s Iglu system combines the performance of double glazing with the ventilation properties of louvres. It has been tested for wind and water resistance, fire retardance and acoustic performance. Visit website
Hamptons carpet from Fyber

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Hamptons carpet from Fyber. Image: Supplied

Durable and easy to maintain, the Hamptons carpet comprises fibres made from recycled PET from plastic bottles. The flatweave textile is a resourceful use of waste material, yet also offers a soft and textured surface that can be used indoors or outdoors. Visit website
Touchwood panels from Britton Timbers

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Touchwood panels from Britton Timbers. Image: Supplied

Touchwood is a tongue and groove panelling product available in blackwood or Tasmanian oak. Quick and easy to install, it is made using Tasmanian timber veneers from PEFC certified forests. Touchwood can be left natural or finished with stain, wax or varnish. Visit website More