Architecture

A “city shaping” tech hub, a cricket centre, and a billion-dollar renewal of a city centre are among the projects to be fast-tracked in the latest tranche of the NSW government’s Planning System Acceleration Program.
One fast-tracked project, the first stage of Sydney’s Tech Precinct at Central Station, worth $659 million, involves two adjacent “blocks.”

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14 to 30 Lee Street Tech Centre by SOM, Hassell and Woods Bagot.

At 14 to 30 Lee Street there will be a precinct designed by SOM, Hassell and Woods Bagot for Transport for New South Wales. It will provide above and below ground integration with the new Sydney Metro station and house office and retail space targeted towards technology-, innovation- and education-based tenants. The design of the precinct references the ambition of Victorian-era rail stations as well as factories and industrial spaces.

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Atlassian’s Sydney headquarters tower by Shop Architects and BVN.

And at 8 to 10 Lee Street, Australian tech company Atalssian is planning to build its headquarters – a hybrid timber building designed by New York-based Shop Architects and BVN that will be the tallest hybrid timber structure in the world at 40 storeys.

Also having its planning assessment accelerated is the NSW Cricket Centre, a dedicated, year-round cricket, training and administration facility at Sydney Olympic Park that will serve both regional and metropolitan cricketers.

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NSW Cricket Centre by Cox Architecture.

Designed by Cox Architecture, the facility will include a two storey cricket centre and two ovals. “In response to the surrounding rectilinear warehouse sheds adjoining the site, the proposed NSW Cricket Centre’s indoor centre and high performance building takes cues from its context, where each long span roof form is in response to the function it contains,” Cox Architecture states in planning documents.
The most valuable project on the list is Blacktown City Council’s planning proposal for Blacktown CBD. Worth $1.1 billion, the proposal calls for increased building heights, the removal of floor space ratio controls and the introduction of incentive building heights for key and gateway sites that achieve design excellence.

Also on the list are similar planning propsals for the renewal of Wentworthville town centre ($690 million) and Kensington and Kingsford town centres ($384 million).
Other projects to be fast-tracked include: a new school for up to 120 students aged between 15 and 22, Warakirri College by Koturic and Co. Architects; a $100 million warehouse and distribution facility, Horsley Drive Business Park designed by FDC with Geoscapes Landscape Architecture; the $177 million Crows Nest Metro Station development; and a number of railway projects.
Planning minister Rob Stokes said the 13 new could inject $4.3 billion into the NSW economy if approved.
“This latest tranche of projects could enable the next step in Central Sydney’s technology transformation, as well as major revamps for the Kensington to Kingsford light rail corridor, a billion-dollar renewal of Blacktown CBD and a new over-station development at the future Crows Nest Metro Station,” he said.
Decisions on the projects will be made by 14 August 2020. More

A survey conducted by the Australian Institute of Architects has found rising unemployment, widespread cessation of projects and loss of earnings among architects.
The survey was conducted in June 2020 and generated 428 responses.
It found that 64.87 percent of respondents had projects stalled, with 30.48 percent of stalled projects valued between $1 million and $5 million, and 15.75 percent valued between $10 million and $50 million.
Among the survey respondents, 63.18 percent of practices had lost earnings, and a similar proportion had accessed government relief payments including the Job Keeper wage subsidy. Some 27.27 percent of practices had been forced to lay off or stand down staff and 11.68 percent of survey respondents had lost their job or suffered a change in their employment status.

The Institute’s survey results come as the federal government announced an extension of the Job Keeper subsidy to March 2021.

The survey also found that unemployment among the profession had risen 2.35 percent. The rate of full time employment had plummeted 10 percent to 59.72 percent, the rate of part-time employment and casual employment both rose.
“These findings have serious implications for jobs, not only in architecture but also in the broader construction sector which employs nearly 1 in 10 Australians,” said Institute CEO Julia Cambage.

Survey respondents cited uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as a significant reason for the stalled projects, along with issues in financing, including slowing approvals and lack of investor confidence.

Town planning delays remain rife despite government initiatives to fast track assessments.
The Institute says its survey findings are consistent with data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which show a decline in residential approvals.
“We urge governments to consider further stimulus measures to protect people’s livelihoods,” Cambage said.

In April, the Institute made a submission to the federal government on economic stimulus that recommended fast tracking existing health, educational, housing and infrastructure projects in early stages of development.
The Institute also said the government should focus on a broad range of projects and at a variety of scales such as social and affordable housing, community facilities, public spaces, energy efficiency upgrades for existing buildings.

“Incentivizing people to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, paired with a program of upgrades to public buildings is one compelling example,” Cambage said.

“Further substantial investment in social and affordable housing is another priority area that has yet to be fully addressed.”
The Association of Consulting Architects (ACA), which itself conducted several surveys on the economic impact of the pandemic on architects, has also called for further government stimulus.
ACA National President John Held said the government should take a “finer-grained approach to stimulus – one responsive to local needs and a different future to one we thought we needed a year ago. One where the best qualities architects can bring – an understanding of society, of public space, of environmental stewardship and of private amenity – can create a post-pandemic future.” More

A historic reservoir in Sydney’s inner-west will be transformed into a childcare centre for 159 children, according to plans submitted to council by Little Lane Early Learning and Milton Architects.
The Drummoyne Reservoir has been a distinctive feature on the suburb’s skyline since 1913 and is listed on the state heritage register for its technological and historical significance, as well as for its “fine, well-designed Federation Free Classical structure.”
It consists of a large utilitarian tank, supported by a colonnaded tank stand in the classical style, with a seven-storey concrete tower rising on the southern side.

Milton Architects’ scheme for the site involves the adaptive reuse of the heritage structure and the construction of a new two-storey building along with three levels of basement car parking.
The childcare centre will be spread across five levels within the reservoir tank itself, with an outdoor play area and garden on the rooftop.

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The proposed Little Lane Early Learning centre at the Drummoyne Reservoir by Milton Architects.

In all, there will be more than 1,700 square metres of unencumbered outdoor play areas spilling out across the ground and upper levels, with the centre of the site proposed as a “soft landscaped area” between built forms.
“We want to focus on creating a community-based centre that encourages children to participate,” Little Lane owner Shan Kuo told The Daily Telegraph. “The design is focused on what is best for the children and how the children can learn to become part of the community.”

Entry to the childcare centre will be through the ground floor of the reservoir tank where two indoor playrooms will open directly to an outdoor play area along the south-western boundary of the site.
More play area will be spread across levels three to five, with an outdoor play area with a northern orientation is located within the unenclosed portion of these levels.
The project will involve the demolition of some heritage fabric but heritage architect Lucas Stapleton Johnson found that “given the robustness of the overall form and design of the Reservoir, the proposed changes will result in minimal visual impacts and the Reservoir will continue to be clearly understood as a former water reservoir and its original form and configuration will continue to be appreciated.” More

The rooftop of the Art Gallery of WA will be transformed into an indoor and outdoor gallery and the largest rooftop venue in Perth.
The rooftop transformation, designed by TAG Architects and FJMT and dubbed Elevate, will create an open air sculpture park that will feature works from the State Art Collection.
The project will also create a rooftop venue capable of hosting 500 people, was well as an external lift and bridge from the Perth Culture Centre precinct, which will allow people access to the rooftop after hours.

“Elevate will provide stunning views of the hills, the city skyline and the New Museum, and the combination of rooftop events, artworks and people will add vibrancy to the Perth Cultural Centre precinct,” said culture and arts minister David Templeman.

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Rooftop development at the Art Gallery of WA by TAG Architects and FJMT.
Image: Courtesy Art Gallery of WA
A new internal gallery will also be located on the roof. The conservation lab will be relocated from the roof to the basement, where new facilities will enhance the conservation, preservation and preparation of works for the State Art Collection.

The main gallery building of Art Gallery of WA, designed by Polish émigré Charles Sierakowski, was “designed in the Bauhaus method with a Brutalist exterior, which was popular in European design,” according to Perth Heritage. The building has an unusual hexagonal plan, which allows visitors in the gallery spaces to gain glimpses of other spaces. Internally, the building is also distinctive for its hollow honeycomb ceiling.

For the rooftop redevelopment, the WA government has also commissioned a 34-metre-long work by Noongar artist Christopher Pease that will wrap around one third of the rooftop wall.
“Aboriginal art is not only strikingly beautiful, it is critical to truth telling and provides us insight into the history of our state and the connection of First Nations people with these lands,” said treasurer and Aboriginal affairs minister Ben Wyatt.
The WA government awarded the construction contract to ADCO Constructions. The rooftop project is due be completed in January 2021. More

The Sydney suburb of Crows Nest will have a new high perch under plans before the council for a 36-storey tower.
Designed by Turner and Silvester Fuller, with urban design input from Roberts Day, the apartment tower will be the tallest in the area will occupy an entire block known as Fiveways Junction, between the Pacific Highway and Falcon Street.
The 140-metre tower will comprise three interconnected “mini towers.” Nineteen existing allotments will be demolished for the development, which will feature a five-storey podium housing a mix of retail, commercial and community spaces.

In all, the development will accommodate 310 dwellings and 10,000 square metres of non-residential floor space in flexible floorplate sizes.
By way of public benefit, the developer Deicorp is proposing to build a 2,000 square community building with landscaped rooftop open space, along with providing affordable housing “up to a total value of $20 million.”

The site is the only one in Crows Nest to be identified as “significant” in the NSW government’s Metro system strategy and will be within walking distance of the proposed Crows Nest Metro Station, set to open by 2024.

The architects say the existing commercial and retail tenancies suffer from poor connections and the absence of suitable public spaces protected from the Pacific Highway, with many of them vacant and poorly performing.

“The amalgamation of the 19 allotments that currently make up the Fiveways Junction will enable this currently ‘lost space’ to be transformed as a vibrant and welcoming gateway to the Crows Nest Village,” planning documents state.
“The new ground plane will offer shade, soft landscape, urban furniture and a pedestrian friendly environment which will provide easy and safe connections to the major bus stop on Pacific Highway and to adjacent precincts.”

New laneways through the site will be designed to reinforce connections to existing street-grid and create additional permeability for the neighbourhood.
The proposed community building occupies a key corner of the site, “encouraging movement and social ownership.”
“The proposal offers a significant civic component that is easily separable as a stand-alone stratum and identifiable element,” the architects state. “The permeable nature of the podium multiplies the available perimeter connecting the tenancies, the public domain and creating excellent workplace amenity.”
The form of the podium has been designed to connect with the existing street walls along Falcon and Alexander streets and Pacific Highway and to relate in scale and detail to nearby heritage buildings.
Deicorp is hoping to attain planning approval by October 2021. More

The Committee for Sydney and the NSW government have launched an open ideas competition to reimagine Sydney’s public spaces.
The competition seeks ideas that could enhance the way public spaces bring people together, encourage inclusivity and reflect unique aspects of the city.
NSW planning and public spaces minister Rob Stokes said the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the beneficial role public spaces play in the mental, physical and the social wellbeing of communities.

“So much of the pandemic has been focused on what we can’t do. This is about what we can do, about seizing the incredible opportunity we have to rethink our streets, parks and public spaces into the future,” Stokes said.
“That’s why we want you, the people of Sydney, to share your ideas on how to improve, change and create even greater public spaces across Sydney.”
Caroline Butler-Bowdon, executive director of Public Spaces at the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, added, “We’ve seen how much value and joy great public spaces bring to people from our experience of the pandemic, but our public spaces make a difference to people’s lives 365 days of the year.

“The Public Space Ideas competition is a great opportunity to reimagine our public spaces – our streets, our parks, our community places. No idea is too small. We encourage creativity and vision.”
The competition will be judged across categories with nine awards to be handed, including best public facility, best open space, best street and a people’s choice award.
“Ideas could include transforming an existing public space or creating something completely new, but we want to hear from the community across Sydney about what they would like to see,” said Gabriel Metcalf, CEO of the Committee for Sydney.

A winner will be awarded by the minister along with two special categories: one for children and young people and the other for university students.

Entries will be judged by a 13-member panel that includes NSW Government Architect Abbie Galvin, AILA national president Shaun Walsh, Gehl Architects partner and managing director Henriette Vamberg, as well as representatives from Sydney’s universities: Elizabeth Mossop (UTS), Helen Lochhead (UNSW), Kerry London (Western Sydney University) and Robyn Dowling (University of Sydney).
The competition is open to everyone and entrants will be required to submit a 250 word description and an image of their idea, in the form of a sketch, drawing, rendering or similar. Applications close on 28 August.
The competition is supported by Aecom and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects. More

The University of NSW’s Faculty of Built Environment will merge with two other faculties as a response to the financial hardship brought on by COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the restructure, the university will also reduce its workforce by 493 full-time-equivalent positions.
The university will reduce its existing eight faculties to six by combining built environment with the faculties of art and design, and arts and social sciences. The roles of two deans and two vice-presidents will also be axed.

A spokesperson for UNSW Sydney told ArchitectureAU, “The Faculty of Built Environment will become the School of Built Environment in a new and stronger Faculty of Arts, Architecture & Design (faculty name subject to consultation). The School of Built Environment will move intact to the new faculty and will continue to offer degrees in architecture.
“By bringing together the creative arts, humanities, design and architecture into this new Faculty we are creating clearer and more attractive choices for students, and more opportunities for staff to interact with and connect their important research and teaching to colleagues at Kensington.”

The move follows the federal government’s refusal to extend the JobKeeper wage subsidy to the university sector.
“We need JobKeeper in our universities now, and then we need a fundamental rethink of the higher education system,” Troy Wright, secretary of the Community and Public Sector Union NSW, told media on 15 July.
In June, the federal government proposed major changes to university fees for students. Fees for architecture degrees would decrease by 20 percent, however fees for humanities degrees would increase by 113 percent.

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A new cultural hub celebrating Jewish life and culture will be built in Elsternwick, under ambitious plans revealed by a number of Melbourne’s key Jewish institutions.
The Jewish Arts Quarter will be centred around a new eight-storey building at 7 Selwyn Street designed by Melbourne’s Mclldowie Partners that will bring together the Jewish Museum of Australia and the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre and National Library, along with performing arts and co-working spaces.

The building will be woven into an existing precinct that includes the Jewish Holocaust Centre, Sholem Aleichem College and Classic Cinemas, and will “shine as a beacon” to the Australian Jewish experience and to social connection and cohesion in Melbourne.
“The ability to rejoice in the widest range of arts and culture will encourage everyone that visits the quarter to appreciate and gain a better understanding of what we can offer – especially as we emerge from these challenging times,” said Barry Fradkin, president of the Jewish Museum of Australia: Gandel Centre of Judaica.

Mclldowie Partners’ design for the eight-storey Jewish Arts Quarter building is defined by a deliberate division between podium and tower, with the podium housing the museum and co-working spaces occupying the tower.

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Jewish Arts Quarter by Mclldowie Partners.

“The podium aims to respond to the existing rhythm of Selwyn Street by sitting in direct alignment with its neighbours, particularly the Jewish Holocaust Centre to the north,” the architects state in a design report.
“The design draws on horizontal references from both the Holocaust Museum and Classic Cinema which breaks down the facade so that it responds intimately with the human scale of the street.”
“The highly textured concrete of the podium has a material richness and patina that reflect the passing of time. A series of curved panels peel away from the facade, a playful invitation to the museum beyond, akin to opening the pages of a book or the calligraphic quality of Jewish written language.”

Along with permanent and temporary exhibition spaces for the museum, the podium will house learning spaces for school groups, adult education classes and public programs, a museum shop and a café serving contemporary Jewish cuisine at ground level.
In the basement, a multipurpose performing arts venue will accommodate up to 300 for theatre, dance, music and comedy performances along with lectures and other community uses.
The tower, setback from the street and the neighbouring apartment building, has its top corners lifted, “as if peeled to match the sculptural quality of the podium below.”

It is fully glazed to the east to provide natural light to the office spaces, and clad in a veiled metal screen on its other facades. “The design expresses, in its facade, the building’s civic and cultural value, whilst considering its immediate and broader context,” state the architects.
Though the project is yet to go before council, it is supported in principle by the Victorian government and the Glen Eira City Council.
“The Jewish Arts Quarter offers a wonderful opportunity for the wider community to come together – regardless of race or religion – to celebrate the rich Jewish culture that is so much a part of Elsternwick and Glen Eira,” said mayor Margaret Esakoff. “It will provide a welcoming space for everyone to celebrate Jewish life, culture, food, arts and music.” More