Architecture

Brisbane council has approved a $450 million mixed-use centre in the inner-west suburb Toowong, described as “a one in 50-year opportunity to revive community amenity.” More

Plus Architecture has prepared designs for a major redevelopment of the John Chapman House accommodation at Moore Theological College in Sydney. More

Architeam Cooperative has announced the finalists of its 2020 Architeam Awards for small practices. More

A major two-tower development proposed for Lots 5 and 6 of Elizabeth Quay in Perth, on the lands of the Noongar people, has been granted approval.
Designed by New York practice Rex (design architect) and Hassell (executive architect), the $367 million development will include one tower of 58 storeys and another of 21 storeys.
Together they will house 52,000 square metres of office space, 1,800 square metres of dining and retail space, 237 apartments and 84 hotel rooms.

The development was originally known as “Perth+” for its distinctive cross-shaped insertion in the centre of the vertical volume of the taller tower, but this element has since been removed from the design.
“The tall tower stands as an icon in the city and on the Quay, an elegant, lean volume interrupted by the dynamic amenities zone, itself a beacon visible from afar as a symbol of the lively activity down on the Quay day and night,” write the architects in a design statement.

“The lack of clear differentiation between the three uses inside the towers conveys a unified simplicity and humility that is heightened by the internal, visible animation of the amenities zone while the massing and the long fins of the façade emphasize verticality.”
The project’s developer Brookfield Properties is also behind two adjacent towers, the $360 million Chevron tower, designed by Hassell, and the $300 million EQ West tower, designed by Kerry Hill Architects, both of which are currently under construction.

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Elizabeth Quay Lots 5 and 6 by Rex Architecture and Hassell.
Image: Courtesy Rex
WA planning minister Rita Saffioti said the latest approved project promised to be a landmark development for the city.
“These new towers will become another iconic view along our Swan River and encourage more people into the Perth CBD, providing a boost to the economy and supporting and creating local jobs,” she said.
Lands minster Ben Wyatt said, “The 2,500 construction jobs created by this project will add to the employment opportunities already delivered through ongoing construction at Elizabeth Quay, and the 10,000 jobs expected from the recently announced $1.5 billion Perth City Deal.” More

Adelaide’s Studio Nine Architects has designed a prototype for modular, transportable tiny houses that could be used to alleviate homelessness.
Dubbed Calyx, the project is inspired by the protective layer around a flower bud. It comprises a 16-square-metre unit that accommodates a sleeping area, an ensuite, a small kitchen and storage spaces.
Studio Nine undertook consultations, surveys and interviews with the intended end users to understand how they would use the spaces before arriving at a design.

The design minimizes circulation spaces within the unit while at the same time maximizing natural light penetration through the use of large windows, doors and skylights.
The interior is designed with natural materials and provides connection to the outdoors. The units are affordable, modular, transportable and energy efficient.

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The Calyx Project designed by Studio Nine Architects.
Image: Courtesy Studio Nine Architects
They are designed to be installed in a cluster with a communal pod that would provide spaces for washing facilities, a large communal kitchen and serve as a space for events such as skills based workshops, financial training, cooking demonstrations, gardening workshops and barista courses.

The communal pod would also include an office and live-in facilities for a case worker or counsellor.
The project is the brainchild Forage Built, which aims to provide housing for people experiencing homelessness. The design is being pitched to organizations in the homelessness sector and the team are looking for land holders and developers that could provide a site for temporary medium term use.
The construction of a prototype and a pilot program are both underway.

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Open House Hobart is returning for the eighth time in mid-November, opening up Hobart’s architectural gems to the public through a mix of face-to-face and virtual events.
Among the buildings open over the weekend beginning Saturday 14 November will be Signalman’s Quarters in Battery Point, a home designed in 2016 by 1+2 Architecture around a stone cottage constructed in 1853 to house the signalman of Mulgrave Battery; Dock on the Bay, a mid-century building in Berridale designed by influential Tasmanian architect Ray Heffernan; and Mariners Cottages – believed to be the oldest remaining buildings on the site of the ship building yards in Napoleon Street in Battery Point.

The Hobart Fire Brigade’s 1911 Head Station, still operational, but also home to the Tasmanian Fire Museum will also be open for tours as will the Supreme Court of Tasmania, by Peter Partridge.
Another highlight of the program is “one of the great modern houses of Australia”, the 1978-built Dorney House at Fort Nelson, designed by Esmond Dorney. The modernist house will be open for virtual tours, and on the Saturday night it will host Runaway Belles with Emily Sanzaro, Brian Ritchie and Esmond Dorney, part of the Sheltering music series which “invites you to experience a synchronicity of sound, music and design.” Another Sheltering music event will be held at Dock on the Bay on the Sunday.

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Dorney House at Fort Nelson, designed by Esmond Dorney.
Image: Ray Joyce
Then there’s a number of walking tours and a “Sunday drive” taking in buildings outside of Hobart, including Bozen’s Cottage by Taylor and Hinds Architects in historical Oatlands.
Numbers will be limited for building tours, with pre-booking essential.
“We have been working closely with the City of Hobart to provide a COVID-19-safe event that adheres to the government’s guidelines, but one which will allow Tasmanians to experience and learn about the value of architecture and our built environment,” said Open House Hobart producer, Jennifer Nichols, who is also executive director of the Australian Institute of Architects Tasmanian chapter, which organizes and runs Open House Hobart.

“We want to keep our community safe, and for those who don’t feel comfortable to be there in person, we will be running a number of virtual tours across the weekend, along with events either side of this. This will also allow people from across the world the opportunity to tune in a see a little bit of Hobart and its surrounds.”
After the Open House weekend will be a number of livestreamed speaker events. On Tuesday 17 November architect Mat Hinds, of Taylor and Hinds Architects, will discuss Bozen’s Cottage with owners Alison and Doug Bridge, and on Wednesday Rodney Eggleston of March Studio will discuss Kingborough Community Hub, and Neil Bourne of Denton Corker Marshall will present Bridge of Remembrance.
See the full program here. More

FJMT’s revised designs for the $1.8 billion redevelopment of the Harbourside Shopping Centre in Darling Harbour has been put on exhibition for public feedback.
The major development is a project of Mirvac, who bought the site in 2013. Opened in 1988 as part of the Bicentennial Program, Harbourside played a key role to the success of Darling Harbour but is now “outdated and in decline,” according to the developer.
The proposed redevelopment will include the demolition of the shopping centre, along with the removal of the pedestrian bridge link across Darling Drive and obsolete monorail infrastructure. In its place, the development would include a mixture of non-residential and residential uses, including retail and restaurants, residential apartments, and open space.

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FJMT’s concept for the Harbourside Shopping Centre redevelopment.

It would incorporate a civic square, a widened waterfront boulevard and a footbridge link to Pyrmont, makig up a total of 8,000 square metres of public space.

Mirvac engaged Los Angeles firm Jerde Partnership to prepare an initial concept scheme for the retail component of the development and these initial concepts have been integrated into the holistic proposal by FJMT.
Planning documents note that the project would support the realization of the NSW government’s vision for an expanded “cultural ribbon” spanning from Barangaroo, around to Darling Harbour and Pyrmont.

A residential tower was considered a better option than offices because of the 24-hour activation and the reduced floorplate requirments.
FJMT states that to mitigate against view impacts, “the tower adopts an elongated plan, with the narrow facade oriented to the east and west, with wider facades to the north and south.”
“The narrow waterfront tower facade coupled with the current podium form and set back will provide opportunity for a high level of amenity at ground plane with consideration of wind,” state the architects.
The project is classified as a state-significant development, which means it will go through a staged development application process assessed by the state government. The first application is for concept approval for the entire site. More

The Victorian government has approved another round of major projects as part of its push to fast-track planning approvals to boost the economy.
Planning minister Richard Wynne announced approvals for projects worth a total of $625 million across metropolitan, rural and regional Victoria. Most of the projects are office buildings.
At 462-482 Swan Street in Richmond, a $130 million, 13-storey office building designed by Architectus will be built. In planning documents, Architectus states that the building’s design draws on the high street facade typology prevalent along Swan Street. “The layered hierarchy of detail sets a legible rhythm along the street with the interplay of depth diluting the mass of the large street wall frontage,” state the architects.

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36-52 Wellington Street by Jackson Clements Burrows.

In Collingwood, a 15-storey, 5-green star commercial development designed by Jackson Clements Burrows has been approved. Costing $85 million, the 36-52 Wellington Street building responds to the industrial context.

“Referencing surrounding warehouse building typologies, a rhythmic and visually cohesive brick facade to the ground and podium levels and upper levels to the east,” state the architects in planning documents.
And in Frankston, a $116 million, 8-storey office building will be built at Bayside Shopping Centre, 12 Balmoral Walk. To be known as the Balmoral Building, it is designed by Lyons with landscape architect Openwork. Planning documents describe an “urban, porous, and site-specific ground plane” that will become an “exemplar for future privately owned public spaces in the city.”

The other projects approved include a $24.2 million mixed-use development at 69-75 Mortlake Road, Warrnambool; two four-storey apartment complexes including 53 social housing units in Reservoir valued at $74 million; and a 72-megawatt solar farm on Wangaratta-Kilfeera Road in Laceby, valued at $93 million.
“We know how important the building and development sector is to our economic recovery and we’re continuing to support the industry with a pipeline of shovel ready projects,” said Wynne. More