Architecture

An international ideas competition has launched, inviting tertiary students and graduates of urban planning, architecture and landscape architecture to propose a climate- sensitive urban design strategy for a particular site. The Future Climate Future Home Competition was initiated by the Australian Urban Design Research Centre, part of the School of Design at the University of […] More

A 16-storey hotel designed by BVN has been approved for development in Sydney’s Haymarket, following the submission of a revised application. The newly approved proposal for the 136 Hay Street site expands on an earlier approved application from 2017 that was modified and resubmitted to the City of Sydney in 2023. The $104-million highrise will […] More

The winners of a Design Excellence Competition for the $188 million redevelopment of Riverside Theatres in Western Sydney have been announced.
Cox Architecture is set to lead the design of the updated performing arts centre with 3XN Architects, Aileen Sage, Turf Design Studio and Bangawarra. The consortium was selected unanimously by the jury from a pool of five international design teams.
Chair of the Design Excellence jury and NSW Government Architect Abbie Galvin said all five submissions proposed “exciting, thoughtful and highly original designs.”
“Congratulations to the winning team for their sophisticated and expressive design which has cleverly combined the complex requirements of […] performance spaces with a dynamic form that twists, shapes and modulates to respond to the river and welcomes the community.”

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Facade from Parramatta River. Image:

Cox Architecture with 3XN Architects, Aileen Sage, Turf Design Studio and Bangawarra

The venue will comprise a 1,500-seat Broadway-style theatre, a refurbished 760-seat Riverside Playhouse theatre, a new 420-seat black-box drama theatre, an 80-seat digital studio and cinema, as well as enhanced public spaces. It will accommodate more than double the current capacity of the existing theatre.
The project design objectives include updating facilities for contemporary use, improving accessibility and inclusivity around the site and fostering cultural diversity.

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Inside the Broadway-style theatre. Image:

Cox Architecture with 3XN Architects, Aileen Sage, Turf Design Studio and Bangawarra

Design director of Cox Architecture Joe Agius said the reimagined Riverside Theatres will be a major uplift in the cultural capacity for Parramatta and Greater Western Sydney.
“Guided by a commitment to the location’s First Nations origin and sense of place, our goal was for a design that sensitively responds to both the natural beauty of the river and the site’s city context. Our team of creative collaborators are honoured to be part of this transformative project for the City of Parramatta and New South Wales.”
City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Pierre Esber said the redevelopment is a monumental step in Parramatta’s journey to becoming a global city.
“Parramatta is already the geographical heart of Sydney and the redevelopment of Riverside Theatres will create an iconic architectural landmark that honours our First Nations heritage and connects deeply with the cultural fabric of our city,” Esber said.
“We are committed to providing a thriving cultural precinct in Parramatta and this new design for Riverside brings us one step closer to our end goal.”
The project is part of an envisaged Parramatta Cultural Precinct, which will also include the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) and Civic Link.
Construction will begin in late 2025, with the reimagined performing arts centre anticipated to open in 2028. More

The federal government has revealed the winners of its national Reimagining Where We Live design ideas competition, which challenged architects, landscape architects and designers to design aged care facilities that have potential to improve residents’ quality of life.
The competition called on design practitioners to conceptualise aged care homes that were welcoming, safe, accessible and dementia friendly, while simultaneously testing the draft National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines throughout the design process.
The jury comprised 2023 Gold Medallist Kerstin Thompson, architects John Choi, Allan Kong and Sophie Dyring, interior designer Erin McDonald, landscape architect Catherin Bull, media personality Tim Ross, as well as 2023 Senior Australian of the Year Tom Calma and dementia care expert Stephen Judd.
Two categories – Regional Town and Urban Metro – were judged as part of the competition, with participants able to submit designs for one or both categories. Fifty entries from all six Australian states were received, with no entries from any of the territories.
The jury stated it was “energised and impressed” by the quality of the submissions.
“Entrants were challenged by the need to balance lifestyle options, specific support needs (e.g. for people with a diagnosis of dementia) and potential resulting operational implications. Nevertheless, the jury is of the opinion that in a real-world codesign scenario, an outcome that positively balanced these could be achieved,” the jury commented.
“The jury considered that with design development some proposals – in whole or part – could become typology models for future design consideration.”
First place winners of each category have been awarded $50,000, while second place winners have been granted $20,000.
Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells said the entries demonstrate the value of good design in vastly improving a person’s quality of life.
“Good design can vastly improve the quality of life for older people living in aged care, and the working environments of the people who care for them,” Wells said.
“Through this design challenge, we’ve seen innovative ideas and accommodation solutions that will shape the future of aged care accommodation and support older people to live meaningful lives in safe, high quality residential care when it is needed.”
The winning competition projects include:
Urban Metro category
First place
Scales of Care – LM2A with Super Natural
“An exceptional proposition designed as a dynamic connection between the individual and the community to create a productive relationship … between the practice of care, and the environment in which it takes place … a positive feedback loop … fostered between the resident and the world around them,” commented the jury.
Second place
Connection, Community and Movement – Walter and Walter
Highly commended
Reflection Home – Cultivar and Wild Studio
Canopy – Jacqueline Bartholomeusz, David Sutherland, Lorraine Calder and Oculus
Commended
An Ordinary Life – T and Z Architects and Aspect Studios
Regional town category
First place
Manu Place – Monash Urban Lab with NMBW Architecture Studio, BoardGrove Architects, BLOXAS and Glas Landscape Architects
“This is an outstanding proposition which critically addressed the principles and guidelines with a strong and appropriately scaled low-rise spatial program sensitively and intelligently embedded within the site context and neighbourhood,” said the jury.
Second place
All Together Now – Other Architects, Openwork, Andy Fergus and Alicia Pozniak
Highly commended
The Connected Garden – Mark Boffa, Guruge Ruwani Dharmasiri, Pulasthi Wijekoon, Jana Osvald and Julie Ockerby More

Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory has received a $24.5 million grant from the federal government to establish a medical program, which will be housed in a new building designed by DWP Australia and Ashford Group Architects. The university first announced plans for a medical school in 2021. In 2023, construction began on the […] More

Heritage Victoria has inducted a brutalist beauty – Geelong’s State Government Offices building – onto the state heritage register. The six-storey building, located on the corner of Fenwick and Little Malop streets, is of the brutalist architectural style, constructed from robust materials like steel and reinforced concrete that are synonymous with the genre. The building […] More

Applications are now open for the 2024 Melbourne Awards, with the program set to celebrate those leaving a positive and enduring mark on the city. The 2024 Melbourne Awards will include eight awards categories, two of which focus on rewarding good design. The City Design category will celebrate the work of organisations that have helped […] More

Several architecture and landscape architecture practices have been recognised in the 2024 National Trust (NSW) Heritage Awards for their efforts in prioritising heritage conservation in redevelopment projects.
Nineteen projects were awarded across nine categories, including Aboriginal Heritage; Advocacy; Architecture; Built Conservation; Interiors and Objects; Landscape; Education and Interpretation; Events, Exhibitions and Tours, and Resources and Publications, among other individual and special categories, including: New Young Achiever; Heritage Skills Lifetime Achievement; Cathy Donnelly Memorial; Judges’ Choice, and the President’s Prize.
Architect Matthew Devine chaired the awards jury, alongside jurors Ann Toy, Barrina South, Caitlin Allen, David Burdon, Kathryn Pitkin, Libby Gallagher and Peter John Cantrill.
The winners of the 2024 National Trust (NSW) Heritage Awards are:
Architecture
119 Redfern Street, Redfern – entered by Aileen Sage Architects
Built Conservation
The Glass House: Bill and Ruth Lucas, Castlecrag – entered by Cracknell and Lonergan Architects
The White Bay Power Station, Rozelle – entered by Placemaking NSW, Design 5 Architects, CBRE and FDC
Interiors and Objects
NSW Parliament Chambers Restoration Project, Sydney – entered by Department of Parliamentary Services
Restoration of D class Tramcar 117 of 1899, Loftus – entered by Sydney Tramway Museum
Landscape
West Head Lookout, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park – entered by Oculus and Bruce Mackenzie with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service
Judges’ Choice
The White Bay Power Station, Rozelle – entered by Placemaking NSW, Design 5 Architects, CBRE and FDC
To see the shortlisted projects, visit here. More