Architecture

Leading architects from Australia and around the world will present in Design Speaks’ upcoming Architecture Symposium program, which returns in a new format in late November.
The symposium will comprise four distinct sessions each looking at the future of living through a different lens: alternative housing models, the integration of social agendas, emerging directions in market-based housing and compact housing. Participants can choose to take part in just one, or all or the sessions, which will be accessible online.

The curators of The Architecture Symposium: Housing Futures, Hannah Tribe and Andrew Burns, have selected contemporary architects whose projects respond creatively to the spectrum of housing challenges and opportunities.
“We have, as a profession, an opportunity to step confidently from turbulent times into a future where we take the lead on the transformation of the urban, suburban and regional residential environment,” said Tribe and Burns. “The Architecture Symposium will highlight projects that are already doing so, opening directions for the profession and stimulating new ways of living.”

The first session, on 25 November, will look at new directions in market housing. Speakers including Angelo Candalepas of Candalepas Associates, Philip Thalis of Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Design and Alison Brooks of Alison Brooks Architects will present their respective projects and speculate on how today’s crises – climate, pandemic, recession – will affect the future of market housing.

In the second session on 27 November, presenting architects will discuss alternative housing models. Clare Cousins will discuss her eponymous firm’s role in the Nightingale Village, the ambitious housing project based on a modified version of Germany’s baugruppe model; Adam Haddow of SJB will discuss the Illawarra Road co-housing project; Huw Turner and Penny Collins, of Collins and Turner, will talk about Hablis, specialist long-term accommodation for the homeless mentally ill.

The third session (2 December) looks at housing with a social agenda, and includes international speakers Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu of SO-IL, who will present a social housing project in Mexico, along with Rachel Nolan of Kennedy Nolan and Melissa Bright of Studio Bright.

And the finally, on 4 December, the last session will look at compact housing, with architects discussing typical suburban subdivisions that have been revisited to provide additional housing density. Timothy Hill, of Partners Hill, will discuss his project Mermaid Multihouse, Emma Williamson of The Fulcrum Agency will present Boonooloo Road Housing and Melody Chen of A-CH will show Yandina Sunrise.
Each session will close with a panel discussion lead by Hannah Tribe and Andrew Burns.
To see the full program, head here.
Design Speaks’ The Architecture Symposium is organized by Architecture Media, the publisher of ArchitectureAU.com. It is supported by major partner Planned Cover. More

Rothelowman has finessed its designs for a 29-storey office and apartment tower in South Brisbane, adjusting the approved scheme by reducing apartment and parking numbers.
The tower at 13-17 Cordelia Street, South Brisbane, on the lands of the Turrbal and Yuggera peoples, will now house 265 build-to-rent apartments, down from 310, along with 951 square metres of office space and 261 square metres of retail on the ground floor.
Developer Arklife submitted the amended application on 23 October, having won approval for the original proposal back in 2017.

In planning documents, Rothelowman describes how the built form responds to the tower’s mix of uses.
“These rich and varied offerings are outwardly expressed through the interplay of building structure, tectonic assembly and the collection of spaces strategically integrated throughout the tower for heightened occupant experience and a sense of place,” the architects state.

“An activated multi-level subtropical podium experience engages with the existing Jolly and Batchelor premises.”

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13-17 Cordelia Street by Rothelowman.

The locally listed heritage building was built as the Astill and Freeman Boot Factory in the late 19th century and was bought by Batchelor and Jolly, a leather manufacturing company, in 1964. Batchelor and Jolly operated out of the building until 1994.
“Existing heritage primary facades, internal timber structures and lightweight roof structure will be reinstated in-situ to recall South Brisbane’s industrial past,” state the architects. “The relationship of the heritage fabric and associated interiors are carefully considered in the new programmatic overlays to enhance its former character and establish pedestrianized thresholds at the entry forecourt.”

Overall, the building will have a tripartite composition defined by podium, tower and roof, with the singular tower massing articulated through four slender forms.
The landscape design by Lat 27 will aim to create a “sensory garden filled with a variety of colours and textures that will carry through the first few levels of the building.”
An elevated “skygarden” in the centre of the tower will open up city views and improve sightlines. It will feature a collection of lushly planbted communal “living rooms,” each space accommodating a different communal function to promotes social interaction. A recreation rooftop with swimming pool will be framed by the expressed structural frame that “crowns the building and frames human scale apertures of the city and greater landscape beyond.” More

The Abbotsford Convent Foundation has appointed Hassell to lead a masterplan for the protection and enhancement of the historic convent precinct that sits within a bend of the Birrarung (Yarra River) in Melbourne’s north-east.
Hassell was selected through a competitive tender process as lead consultant, and will prepare a masterplan that will shape the precinct’s management over the next decade and beyond. The foundation secured funding through the federal government’s Australian Heritage Grants program and the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation to update the masterplan, which was last updated in 2005.

“An updated masterplan will provide a comprehensive, integrated vision for the convent’s future,” said foundation chair Victoria Marles. “As we reimagine the world we will live in through and post the pandemic, there has perhaps never been a more vital time to undertake this strategic visioning. I am thrilled that Hassell will be leading this project, bringing together the best designers and thinkers in a unique, collaborative process that will have a lasting impact on the precinct for years to come.”

Occupied by one of the largest convents in Victoria through the nineteenth and into the twentieth century, the site is today an arts, education and cultural hub. It was added to the national heritage list in 2017 for its historic and architectural significance.

“Our purpose is to design places people love. Places that facilitate connections, between people as well as between people and the ecosystems, cultures and histories we live in,” said Hassell principal Ben Duckworth. “The Convent is a much-loved place that does exactly that – it represents the qualities that make a city a worthy place to live in: a place of genuine exchange between people, through personal interactions and expressions of culture. We see a rich variety of opportunities to amplify and expand these qualities even further.”
Hassell will begin work on the Abbotsford Convent precinct masterplan in November 2020, with the project to be completed by October 2021.

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A $20.4 million, 19-metre-high water polo and aquatics centre would be built on a narrow strip of land connecting Sutherland shire to the Kurnell Peninsula, under plans submitted to the local council.
The Sharks Aquatic Centre, designed by Turner, has been in the works for a number of years as part of the wider Cronulla High School Master Plan, which was approved in 2014. To be operated by the not-for-profit Sharks International Water Polo Academy, the venue would host local, regional, state and national water polo competitions, as well as facilitating training and education. It would include a 50-metre pool and seating for around 1,000 spectators, along with an exercise physiology suite, classrooms, offices and other ancillary spaces.

Turner, in planning documents, describes how the building has been designed in reference to its scenic location.
“There is a reference to the sea and sand dunes, which is emphasized in the movement of the façade and the play on reflection and refraction to evoke a building that interacts with light and shadow,” the architects state.

“The verticality and frequency of the columns that wrap around the building reference the dense mangroves that surround the bay.”
The design seeks to create a legible building, which is safe and connected, in order to attract new people to the sport.

“The frequency of the vertical columns which surround the whole perimeter are used to define areas for gathering, meeting and entry points, and have become a key component in the signage and wayfinding strategy,” the planning documents state.

The challenging nature of the shape of the site has been embraced and celebrated by an articulated façade, which leads visitors around to the building entry from the moment of arrival whilst instilling a sense of movement.”
The proposed height – 18.77 metres at the tallest point – breaches the 12 metres allowed at the site by local planning rules, but the architects note that the bulk of the building falls within the regulations and that “the ridged portion of the roof is set back from the boundary of the neighbouring residential development to minimize the impact of the increased height.”
Habit8 is the landscape architect for the project and Capital Bluestone is the developer. More

Organizers of the Architecture Master Prize have announced the winners of the 2020 edition of the international awards.
More than 1,500 entries were judged by a panel of 58 jurors across multiple categories, vying for the accolades of Architectural Design of the Year, Interior Design of the Year, and Landscape Design of the Year.
In 2020, the organizers introduced a Best of the Best award, the winners of which were shortlisted for the design of the year prizes. Four Australian projects received Best of the Best accolades.

The Architectural Design of the Year went to Tadao Ando’s He Art Museum, Interior Design of the Year was awarded to Nocento Cafe by Vo Trong Nghia, and Landscape of the Year went to Thammasat Urban Farm Rooftop by Landprocess.
The Australian winners are:
Best of the Best
Healthcare Architecture
Puntukurnu AMS Newman Clinic – Kaunitz Yeung Architecture
Other Architecture
The Link at Chadstone – Make
Small Architecture
Jackalope Pavilion – March Studio

Installation and Structures
South Perth Mend Street Animal Canopies – Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects with Place Laboratory and ETC
Other winners
Cultural Architecture
Phoenix Central Park – Durbach Block Jaggers and John Wardle Architects
Green Architecture
Puntukurnu AMS Newman Clinic – Kaunitz Yeung Architecture
Healthcare Architecture
Puntukurnu AMS Newman Clinic – Kaunitz Yeung Architecture
wulu-win Wellness Centre – Kaunitz Yeung Architecture
Recreational Architecture
Pingelly Recreation and Cultural Centre – Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects with Advanced Timber Concepts Studio
Residential Architecture – Single Family
Great Ocean Road Residence – Rob Mills Architecture and Interiors
Urban Design
The Link at Chadstone – Make
Honourable Mentions
Unhistoric Townhouse – Systems Architects
Student winners
A Farewell to Life – Khai Vun Edwin Ho, University of Newcastle
Library of Importance – Lok Tin Shing, RMIT University
Micro Habitation – Man Kin Kenneth Lui, University of New South Wales More

As Melbourne begins to open up after lockdown, a kaleidoscopic structure reflecting on thousands of years of Jewish tradition has appeared on the lawns of Birrarung Marr.
Known as Sukkah, the colourful installation is a collaboration between architect Zahava Elenberg and the Jewish Museum of Australia. It was originally to be unveiled for the week-long Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot in early October, but the city’s lockdown delayed its opening.
The proponents hope the installation will now act as a new outdoor meeting place for locals venturing into the city once again, as a representation of “community, connection and reflection.”

Elenberg said the design of the installation reflects the long-held Jewish tradition of constructing temporary booths or huts in which to rejoice with family, friends and neighbours.

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Sukkah by Zahava Elenberg and the Jewish Museum of Australia.

“Sukkah is a temporary shelter in memory of the huts used by the Israelites as they wandered the Sinai Desert during their exodus from Egypt. It is a place of memory and empathy for those who are homeless and displaced,” she said.

Each of its components is embedded with symbolic meaning, the colours referencing the four species mentioned in the Torah that are of particular significance to the Sukkot festival: the etrog, hadas, aravah and lulav.
“The walls are the colours of the earth, desert and etrog (the fruit of the citron tree),” said Elenberg. “The blue eaves remind us of the limitless sky and encourage us to look beyond adversity. The roof is clear to allow the stars to be seen at night, and is connected with shades of the hadas (the myrtle tree), aravah (the willow tree) and lulav (the palm frond). In this time of uncertainty and isolation, the Sukkah brings us together to reflect on humanity and what it means to be part of a community.”

Available to visit now as an outdoor-only meeting place, Sukkah will open up further as restrictions ease, with visitors be able to enter and view the internal structure. It will remain on Birrarung Marr until 13 December.
“This beautiful site-specific installation reflects the long-held Jewish tradition of constructing temporary booths or huts in which to rejoice with family, friends and neighbours while giving thanks to the earth for its bounty,” said Jewish Museum of Australia director Jess Bram. “As Melbourne comes out of its long and challenging lockdown, Zahava’s inspiring sculpture feels like the perfect symbol of unity and hope that we’re proud to be offering our city.” More

The Australian Institute of Architects has called on governments to act urgently following the public release of the bushfire royal commission report.
The Institute says that while many of the royal commission’s recommendations are long term reforms, the recommendations regarding upgrades to building standards and the use of shelters and water spray systems must be implemented as soon as possible.
“The Royal Commission has noted key evidence that will save lives and deliver a more resilient built environment that is better equipped to face future challenges,” said Institute CEO Julia Cambage.

“They identified the need to evaluate the National Construction Code to include making buildings more resilient to natural hazards as a specific objective, as well as revisiting the effectiveness of the Australian Standard AS3959-2018: Construction of buildings in bushfire-prone areas.

“The Royal Commission recognized this standard is out of date and based on 2009 Forest Fire Danger Index data rather than responding to the much higher danger levels being experienced a decade later.”

The Institute says the recommendations need to go further and faster.
“With some 5,900 buildings destroyed and communities anxious to rebuild, governments have a limited window of time to effect reforms that will ensure a higher standard of more resilient construction,” Cambage continued.

“We can’t have people rebuilding to a standard that demonstrably is not fit-for-purpose.
“Nor can we fail to address the huge legacy issue and clearly identified risk presented by the 380,000 properties currently exposed to ‘high natural hazard risk’ which the Royal Commission’s report says ‘may grow to 735,000 by 2100…in the absence of any new houses being built, due to an increasing frequency and severity of hazards.’

“Supporting homeowners to install water spray systems or accredited bushfire bunkers where appropriate are relatively simple measures that are proven to enhance bushfire safety.”
Architect Nigel Bell, who gave evidence to the royal commission on behalf of the Institute, said, “The experience of the 2019-20 bushfire season suggests that there is no such thing as a bushfire proof house, and the legacy of our existing built environment suggests we are unable to guarantee the safety of occupants in buildings during bushfire.”

The Institute’s submission to the royal commission highlighted research that suggests up to a million existing houses in bushfire prone areas across Australia have little or no bushfire protection, with 2.2 million people living in high or extreme bushfire risk areas.
“This means we need to consider other approaches like the use of private and public shelters, such as they have done for decades in the United States as protection from hazards like wildfires and tornadoes,” Bell said.

The Institute also reiterated a call on the government to commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2030, with the royal commission report highlighting that “Extreme weather has already become more frequent and intense because of climate change; further global warming over the next 20 to 30 years is inevitable.”

Cambage said, “Resilience must include a commitment to net zero emissions in our buildings and responsiveness to our new climate reality because it is critically important to ensure that all rebuilding projects following natural disasters look to enhance the standard of our built environment.
“This has the added benefit of helping to mitigate the emerging issue of energy poverty and while also reducing vulnerability to future disasters.
“Built environment professionals have a critical role to play in improving the resilience and adaptation of Australian society to changing climatic conditions and we look forward to supporting a timely response from government to this landmark report.” More

A mushroom coral has inspired the design of a building that will house the world’s first coral conservation facility, to be located in Port Douglas in North Queensland.
Living Coral Biobank, designed by Contreras Earl Architecture, will be a “living ark,” conserving 800 species of hard coral in order to secure the biodiversity and long-term future of the organisms worldwide.
The sculptural building will be made from a series of undulating concrete fins, clustered together at the lower levels to provide protection from severe weather events such as floods. The fins fan out as the building rises, creating gaps for light and ventilation at the upper levels.

The building will accommodate a 6,830-square-metre multi-function centre to host exhibition areas, auditorium, classrooms, advanced research and laboratory facilities over four levels, and a 200-person function space.
A terraced forum space which forms the entry plaza will be a transitional space between the humid tropical heat of the external environment and the interior of the building. The stairs will continue to a viewing platform on level two, where visitors can observe the specimen tanks below. The public spaces of the building will be visually connected through a central atrium.

“A childhood spent growing up in Cairns and exploring the beauty of our oceans and marvels of the Great Barrier Reef has had a profound impact on me as an architect,” said Monica Earl of Contreras Earl Architecture. “It was a formative part of founding a practice with the ambition to create architecture that interacts with nature in symbiotic and complimentary ways without detriment to the environment.”

The building will aim to be self-sufficient and carbon neutral. “This project brings with it a profound responsibility to consider the impact of architecture and the construction industry on the natural world,” said Rafael Contreras. “As one of the world’s major contributors of CO2 emissions and associated climate change, it is essential that the construction industry be encouraged by architects towards carbon neutrality. The Living Coral Biobank is an opportunity to set a global benchmark for sustainable outcomes and zero-carbon goals as well as creating a world-leading conservation and education facility. The ambition for this project is to create a beacon for environmental awareness – a centre of hope.”

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Living Coral Biobank by Contreras Earl Architecture.
Image: SAN
Contreras Earl Architecture will collaborate with Arup and Werner Sobek to integrate a holistic sustainable strategy that reduces energy consumption while also providing the building with six compatible climate zones over four levels.
The Living Coral Biobank is a project of Great Barrier Reef Legacy, a not-for-profit marine conservation charity, which is looking for investors to fund the construction of the Biobank.
Michael Kerr, mayor of Douglas Shire, said, “This iconic design will be a recognisable structure which people will automatically relate back to Port Douglas. The unique architecture has the right feel for a globally significant and cutting-edge coral reef conservation facility to be based right here in Port Douglas.”
Amanda McKenzie, CEO of the Climate Council, added: “The Biobank building will be of immense importance for coral conservation and the community of Port Douglas. As an education, research and design experience, it will contribute to the town’s resilience, development and enhance its worldwide recognition as the gateway to the world’s ever-more precious resource that is the Great Barrier Reef. The Climate Council applauds this wonderful initiative.” More