Architecture

On 21 August 2024, leaders of the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA), USA National Council of Architect Registration Boards (NCARB) and New Zealand Registered Architects Board (NZRAB) agreed on a new Mutual Recognition Agreement at an event in Wellington, New Zealand.
The new agreement revises an existing Mutual Recognition Agreement with the United States, improving access to international practice by removing the requirement to hold one of the three national passports, expanding eligibility requirements and streamlining data laws.
One of the key benefits of the new agreement is that architects no longer need to work the previously mandated 6,000 hours (approximately three years) after registering to apply, meaning that newly registered architects are able to participate. As AACA president Dr Giorgio Marfella pointed out, “This new agreement further strengthens opportunities for sharing know-how and creativity, providing easier processes of exchange and recognition for architects at all levels of experience.”
In Australia, New Zealand and most US states there are no additional examinations beyond local registration and successful completion of the Mutual Recognition Agreement. While some US states may have additional requirements, it is expected that the new changes will boost the number of US states participating in the agreement.
Speaking of agreements already in place between Australia and the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, Canada, and New Zealand, AACA chief executive officer Kathlyn Loseby commented that the “mutual recognition programs are helping local architects to go global. We’ve already seen the success of our United Kingdom agreement, with more architects moving both ways across borders.”
Registered architects will be able to apply for fast-tracked recognition of their qualifications from 6 November 2024. More

Renewal SA has invited community consultation on indicative concept designs for transforming the former Adelaide Bus Station site on Franklin Street into a mixed-use precinct.
Under the draft plans, the former bus station site would be redeveloped into a 200-suite hotel, a build-to-rent development, market housing for sale, and commercial and retail tenancies. The plans indicate the mixed-use precinct, named Tapangka on Franklin, would supply accommodation to approximately 1,000 people and include 35 percent affordable housing.
Woods Bagot are the architects behind the redevelopment leading the design and masterplanning, with Hip V. Hype operating as the sustainability consultants.
The draft proposal highlights the ambition for the new hub to become Adelaide’s first carbon-neutral precinct. Tapangka on Franklin will target key sustainability objectives relating to energy efficiency, thermal performance, climate resilience and circular economy. The design will also prioritise alternative modes of transportation over driving, such as walking, cycling and public transport.
Key features of the indicative design include an activated public plaza and landscaped open spaces.

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Minister for Planning Nick Champion said the vision behind the project is to establish a “benchmark for sustainable development” in South Australia.
“This development will bring visitors and workers into the precinct and help more people secure housing through affordable sales and rental,” he said. “We are keen to hear from South Australians about what they think of the draft plans and in particular what elements could be incorporated to activate the public spaces.”
The SA government has allocated $1.2 million to upgrade existing public spaces within close proximity to the proposed precinct – on Bowen and Grote streets.
Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026 following the appointment of a project team.
Renewal SA is seeking design feedback on buildings, public spaces, transportation connectivity, and sustainability. Commentary is able to be submitted until 15 September. More

Preliminary design renders for the new $1.2 billion Bundaberg Hospital in Queensland have been released.
The new hospital – to be located in Thabeban, Bundaberg – will accommodate both critical and non-critical healthcare departments, including acute, medical, surgical, and mental health, as well as emergency and clinical support services. The healthcare facility seeks to respond to the current and future medical needs of the region’s growing population.

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In August 2023, Billard Leece Partnership (BLP) was appointed to lead the design of the new hospital, in collaboration with Cox Architecture. The architects are part of the CPB Contractors consortium, which was selected as the preferred bidder for stage one of the development by the Queensland government. The consortium is working alongside Queensland Health (Health Infrastructure Queensland) and Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service.
The six-storey building will not only accommodate spaces for medical treatment but will also incorporate spaces that promote healing and wellbeing, training and education and rehabilitation.
It will house 121 overnight beds; teaching, training and research spaces; a palliative care unit; a children’s ward; maternity birth suites; a staff dining area; a pathology area; allied health unit; a pharmacy, and a rooftop helipad.

The design is based on a concept called “Stories of the Land,” which emphasises connections to the natural environment, specifically focusing on water, geology and land. As such, references to the region’s water bodies, flora and fauna, soil and geology have been woven into the design.
Construction is anticipated to commence in 2024. The hospital is expected to be complete in late 2027. More

A Queensland architecture practice has been shortlisted in an international open design competition for a new conservation centre in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) competition attracted more than 100 entries from 32 different countries, however only four will advance to the next stage.
Australian firm Hayman and Charlton Architects have been shortlisted, alongside fellow contenders DCS and Architects (Italy), Studio Moren (UK), and Void Studios (UK).
Entrants were challenged with designing an “innovative and engaging” conservation centre that could be used to facilitate tourist education about conservation in the reserve and the traditions of the Maasai people. The purpose of the centre is to deepen visitors’ knowledge of the significance of the Maasai Mara region – as the site where millions of animals journey to during the Great Migration that occurs annually.

Florence Nyole, who serves as the president of the Architectural Association of Kenya and as a member of the competition jury, said the contest garnered “outstanding architectural talent,” with many submissions capturing both the spirit of place and the Maasai culture.
“The forms, the rich colours and the flow of spaces met the brief with most of them exceeding our expectations. It was a tough session for the jury but the emerging top four showed exemplary solutions that can be taken further to give conservancy a breathtaking centre,” said Nyole.

The shortlisted candidates will receive comprehensive feedback on their proposals to facilitate additional refinement before the final presentation of the scheme and an interview.

The winning practice will be announced in November 2024. More

The Australian Institute of Architects Curatorial Committee for the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale has unveiled its shortlist for the creative director of the Australia Pavilion.
Among 21 entries, four consortia have been selected as finalists. All of the shortlisted teams will now progress to the next stage, where they will prepare and present an extended proposal to the curatorial committee.
The four teams include:

Jessica Spresser and Peter Besley – Redux
Ian Strange, Fleur Watson and Jon Clements – Precarious Actions – The Marked Home
Georgia Birks, Ewan McEoin, Rachel Nolan, Dr Timothy Moore and Ross Harding – A New Normal
Jack Gilmer, Emily McDaniel and Michael Mossman – Home

One winner will be selected to lead Australia’s representation at the 2025 Venice Biennale, the premier international architectural forum. The 2025 biennale has been curated by architect and engineer Carlo Ratti, under the theme “Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.”
Jane Cassidy, the national president of the Institute and a member of the curatorial committee, said the committee envisions a captivating exhibition that responds to the curatorial theme.

The winning exhibition will be one that not only connects with a global audience, but that also speaks to an Australian demographic to align with any future exhibitions in Australia following the biennale.

“The 2025 Venice Biennale Curatorial Committee’s vision is to tell a rich and engaging story, showcase original ideas and describe the depth of our architectural expertise. It also provides the opportunity to promote the value of architecture nationally within Australia,” Cassidy said.
The selected creative director will be announced in October 2024, while the Australia Exhibition will open to the world on 8 May 2025. More

The Woods Bagot-designed Melbourne Quarter Tower has opened, marking the completion of the third and final commercial tower in the Melbourne Quarter precinct.
Sited across from the Southern Cross Station, the objective behind the precinct is to activate and connect a previously underutilised gap between the CBD grid and Docklands. The Melbourne Quarter Tower (MQT), at 426 feet tall, is the largest of five office and residential towers in the precinct.

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The tower form responds to its context, adopting a concave on one face of the building to echo the curve of Wurundjeri Way. Woods Bagot principal Hazel Porter said the tower’s embrace of Wurundjeri Way responds to one of the primary objectives of the masterplan, which aimed to tie together the built form along Collins Street.
“Maximising the volumetric titles, the tower rises directly over the freeway, returning valuable inner-city space back to the public,” Porter said.

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Internally, the commercial levels of the building, which accommodate offices and workspaces, are approximately 2,000 square metres in size, with the upper floors gradually tapering as the building curves in. The double-height lobby features a verdant vertical wall that contrasts with the neutral tones of the sandstone flooring and timber wall battens. The interior of the topmost level features a sweeping modular timber ceiling that conceals the building’s plant room.
The Melbourne Quarter precinct is among one of the largest mixed-use urban regeneration developments to occur in the city. More than 50 percent of the 2.5 hectare precinct has been dedicated to public open space. At the heart of the hub is a central park, named the Sky Park, which the new buildings revolve around. More

A newly approved planning scheme amendment has moved Docklands’ waterfront one step closer to being redeveloped as a hub for housing, entertainment and employment.
Two waterfront buildings are involved: the Australian Football League (AFL)-owned AFL House at 140 Harbour Esplanade; and the Development Victoria-owned 160 Harbour Esplanade, which is occupied by the Channel 7 broadcast centre.
Development Victoria and the AFL entered a joint venture agreement to explore redevelopment opportunities at the two sites in January 2024. An earlier proposal, designed by Grimshaw Architects and filed by the joint venture partners in May 2024, sought the development of three towers at the sites; however, the City of Melbourne did not support it.
Minister for Planning Sonya Kilkenny has now approved a planning scheme amendment (PSA) application for the sites, which have been rezoned to permit the building of mixed-use commercial, residential and entertainment developments.
Future building designs will need to respond to the conditions of the planning scheme amendment and are subject to further approvals before construction can begin.
Minister for Development Victoria Colin Brooks said redeveloping these sites and integrating them with Marvel Stadium will deliver “more homes, jobs, shops, restaurants and entertainment to the Docklands waterfront.”
“Docklands plays a key role in delivering much-needed housing in Melbourne as we get on with delivering 800,000 new homes in Victoria over the next decade, with thousands of homes to be built in the precinct including a mix of market homes and build-to-rent,” Brooks said.
The joint venture partners may now commence planning that aligns with the PSA, including delivery strategies for releasing the sites to market. More

Australia’s first all-electric hospital building, designed by BVN, opened on 17 August.
Canberra Hospital’s new Critical Services Building (CSB) — also known as Building 5 — is a nine-storey structure that is powered by 100 percent renewable energy. As a result, its emissions impact is reduced by approximately 1,886 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
The 44,000 square metre building is linked to the existing hospital campus through a double-height welcome hall, which also serves as the hospital’s new primary reception area. The building houses a new emergency department, intensive care unit, operating theatres, day surgery with expanded recovery areas, cardiac care unit, and inpatient wards.
The design prioritises families as a key user group of the hospital. The welcome hall, collaboratively designed with the community, aims to create an inclusive space by incorporating outdoor terraces and courtyards for alternate, greener waiting areas. The intensive care facility also includes two sheltered terraces, both of which have been specifically designed to support medical equipment. This setup enables patients and their families to experience outdoor environs while visiting and receiving care.

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BVN principal Julian Ashton said the major expansion of Canberra Hospital will “unite healthcare and community in an environmentally-friendly wellbeing-oriented campus.”
“Our approach to this project included a strong focus on engaging with the local community to really understand how the new facilities would be used, and how the spaces could bring additional value to the people who use them,” Ashton said.
“The introduction of gathering spaces such as the welcome hall are examples of areas within the hospital that evolved through this process, offering something fundamentally different to the status quo in hospital design.”
The ACT Minister for Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith, highlighted that the opening of the CSB is a huge milestone for the territory’s public health system as it is the largest healthcare infrastructure project undertaken by the ACT government to date.
“It will help to meet the growing health needs of our city, attract health workers to the ACT, and provide staff, patients and families with a light and pleasant environment to work and heal.” More