Architecture

The multi-award-winning Daylesford Longhouse by Partners Hill has been listed for sale.
Winner of the Australian Institute of Architects 2019 Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture at the National Architecture Awards, as well as Australian House of the Year and New House over 200 square metre categories at the 2019 Houses Awards, the longhouse is recognised as one of Australia’s most celebrated contemporary homes.
The property occupies a 20-acre parcel of land at 178 Mannings Road in Elevated Plains, within Victoria’s Hepburn Shire. From afar, the building presents as a 110-metre long shed. Within the single volume, however, a series of internal buildings are arranged around a greenhouse setting. These buildings include living quarters, a garden kitchen/cooking school, visitor accommodation and a working farm.
In her 2019 review of the project for Architecture Australia, Katelin Butler described entering the building as “magical and otherworldly,” noting that despite this atmosphere, every design decision is marked by masterful clarity and grounded in rational thinking.

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Owners Ronnen Goren and Trace Streeter acquired the property about 15 years ago, and worked closely with architect and Partners Hill director Timothy Hill to bring to life their vision – a place to live, farm, host and create, while also enabling a self-sufficient lifestyle.
Goren, co-owner of Daylesford Longhouse and co-owner and director of multidisciplinary design practice Studio Ongarato, described the longhouse as one that “redefines luxury: grounded in place, rich in experience, and connected to community with food and entertainment at the heart.”
He added, “We are now at a stage where the time is right to pass on the legacy of what we have created.”

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Timothy Hill was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 2025, with the Daylesford Longhouse praised in the jury citation. The longhouse was recognised by the jury as being emblematic of Hill’s broader approach to architecture, one that has “engendered an expectation that architecture can, and must, offer contiguous interior–exterior space through which inhabitants can feel place and climate – architecture that is sensual, tactile, crafted and joyful.”
The project has appeared on ABC television series Grand Designs Australia, as well as the Apple TV+ series Home.
Expressions of interest for the Daylesford Longhouse are now being accepted. For details, visit here. More

The final underground station in the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project is now complete, the Victorian government has announced.
Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Transport Infrastructure Gabrielle Williams visited the newly completed State Library Station – the last of the five Metro Tunnel stations to be finished, following Arden, Parkville, Town Hall and Anzac stations.
Designed by Hassell, Weston Williamson and Partners, and Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, the new stations will link Footscray and Malvern, connecting the Sunbury Line to the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.
According to the state government, State Library Station is the deepest and most complex station ever built beneath Melbourne’s CBD. Located 42 metres below Swanston Street – deeper than the height of Marvel Stadium – it features platforms that are 220 metres long and 18 metres wide, making them among the widest underground metro platforms in the world.
In a statement, the government highlighted the use of precision keyhole construction, with crews lowering materials and machinery through shafts while traffic continued to flow on streets above.
The station’s main entrance, located at the corner of La Trobe and Swanston streets, is framed by 12 columns that are topped with 70-tonne, 18-metre beams, which were lifted into place by a 400-tonne crane. A second entrance opens onto Franklin Street.
A major artwork by Australian artist Danie Mellor, titled Forever, is integrated into the glazing at the main entrance. The work incorporates historical portraits of Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung women set within contemporary landscape imagery. The historical images were sourced from the archives of the neighbouring State Library Victoria, with support from the library’s curatorial team.

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The station features 27 escalators, including two at Melbourne Central Station, which it shares a concourse with. The longest escalator stretches 42 metres, making it the longest in Melbourne – 12 metres longer than those at Parliament Station.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the Metro Tunnel project is the biggest transformation of Melbourne’s rail network in more than 40 years. “Transferring between State Library and Melbourne Central is one small step for a commuter and one giant leap for Victoria,” said Allen.
“The end of major construction means the start of a new era for Melbourne, where you can get to uni, work and retail faster and easier.”
Opening dates for the stations are still to be announced. More

On Wednesday 15 October, Design Speaks Weekly host Georgia Birks will be joined by renowned architectural critic Elizabeth Farrelly and Finding Infinity principal Ross Harding in a special live recording of the podcast at South by Southwest (SXSW) Sydney.
The SXSW Sydney program, which brings together diverse professionals across technology, media, government, creative industries and more, will feature a dedicated live podcast stage and a packed program of podcasts, with topics ranging from AI and startups to true crime and music.
Within this lineup, Design Speaks Weekly will delve into the work of architecture professionals across Australia to find design solutions that address the biggest challenges of our time, like the climate and housing crises. Farrelly will share her insights into what’s holding Australia’s designers back in the face of crisis, while Harding will unpack the ongoing push to build a self-sufficient, sustainable future.
Tickets are on sale on the SXSW website.
Design Speaks Weekly is presented in partnership with the Australian Institute of Architects and with support from Lysaght. A fresh episode will be delivered every Tuesday. You can listen to it on major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. More

The University of Adelaide recently announced the winners of its Australian Space Architecture Challenge (ASAC), a competition hosted by the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources that invites conceptual proposals for human habitation in deep space.
This year’s theme, Built on the Moon, tasked entrants with envisioning the Central Operations and Habitat Zone of the Australian Lunar Village, a planned permanent lunar settlement situated on the elevated ridgeline of the Malapert Massif near the Moon’s South Pole.
The inaugural challenge in 2024, open to Australian students and graduates across STEM and creative disciplines, garnered more than 80 team registrations. This year, the challenge expanded globally, attracting 110 teams from across the world.
The winning design, titled Umbra, was developed by a team comprising Alma Kugic, Denis Acker, Finley Wallace, Victor Ramirez and Nicholas Florio from the University of Stuttgart in Germany.

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Second prize was awarded to Zhelun Zhu, Weiyi Wang, Ke Yan and Xinle Tian from the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in China for their project, Moon Metabolism.
Samer El Sayary of Alexandria University in Egypt and Ihab Shamseldin from Sydney took third prize for their project, Lunar Colony Reefs.

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Amit Srivastava, organiser of the challenge and head of the Lunar Architecture Research Group at the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources (ATCSR), said space architecture has been a research theme since the centre’s inception in 2019.
“The competition this year was focused on industry integration, and we partnered with four Australian construction and robotics companies involved in lunar construction to showcase our homegrown capabilities,” Srivastava said.
“This included Crest Robotics and Earthbuilt (working on a new robot with a $500,000 grant from the NSW government), Luyten3D (Australia’s biggest manufacturer of 3D concrete printing machinery), 3VIMA (Sydney-based 3D concrete printing construction company) and Astroport Space Technologies (South Australia-based company developing construction material from lunar regolith and other lunar construction machinery).”
“Participants were invited to explore how Australian capabilities address NASA’s highest priority technology gaps, including how additive manufacturing and robotic construction can be leveraged for In-Situ Resource Utilisation (ISRU) and Waste Recycling.”
The winning entries from the Australian Space Architecture Challenge were displayed at a public exhibition as part of the Space Architecture Symposium (SAS) held on 4 October. More

Visions for a new theatre in Canberra have been unveiled, designed by Cox Architecture in collaboration with Yerrabingin, Charcoal Blue theatre consultants and Arcadia Landscape Architecture.
Located in the city’s Civic and Cultural District at City Hill, the proposed Lyric Theatre is the first part of a staged redevelopment of the Canberra Theatre Centre, which includes refurbishments to the Canberra Theatre, the Playhouse and the Courtyard Studio. The ACT government had previously appointed a consortium comprising Architectus, Henning Larsen and Arup to lead the redevelopment.
The new lyric theatre planned for the northern side of the Playhouse has been newly imagined by Cox Architecture as a “world-class performing arts venue that reflects Canberra’s cultural aspirations.”
According to the architect’s communique, a 2,000-seat auditorium at the heart of the project will “establish a new benchmark for cultural inclusivity, accessibility and artistic excellence in Australia,” and expand the city’s capacity for major performances.
The design of the auditorium, which comprises stepped terraces of 1,000-seat stalls, a 500-seat circle and a 500-seat balcony, is aimed at enhancing acoustics and intimacy while reducing the building’s mass along the site’s main public frontages.

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Engagement with First Nations and LGBTQIA+ community groups has been key to the design team’s approach.
Director and project design lead at Cox Joe Agius said, “We wanted the design to reinforce Canberra Lyric Theatre’s unique identity – one grounded in cultural respect, continuity and storytelling.”
“As a project of national significance, it was vital that the design harmonise with Canberra’s civic fabric while also affirming the role of cultural infrastructure in shaping a shared identity – one that’s shaped by our First Nations heritage as well as the diversity of contemporary Australia.”
Co-founder and director of Yerrabingin Christian Hampson added that the “project honours and celebrates its unique place in Country, connecting audience and performer through a shared experience of acknowledgment.”
According to the architect, the theatre’s sculpted architectural form frames views to Black Mountain and Vernon Circle, while also filtering light though a layered exterior. As the first stage in the redeveloped precinct, the proposal is intended to provide a welcoming public domain that supports intuitive circulation, with its main entry oriented to the future Theatre Plaza.

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Last year, the ACT government put out a call for ideas on the transformation of City Hill Park adjacent to the theatre, which were exhibited online. They note that a forthcoming concept masterplan that builds on the proposals will guide future improvements, “incorporating stakeholder engagement, site analysis and feasibility.”
As part of the approval process, the Lyric Theatre design is on public exhibition with the National Capital Authority until 20 October. More

Perth Airport has released its masterplan, outlining a multi-billion-dollar investment program into new and upgraded infrastructure. The announcement follows the release of renders in July for a new domestic terminal, specifically designed for Qantas operations, and an expanded international terminal (Terminal 1), both of which are being developed in collaboration with Woods Bagot, Nordic Office of Architecture, and Architectus. The landscape design is being undertaken by UDLA and TCL.
In addition to these works, the masterplan outlines a program to expand Terminal 2, which includes regional connections, a new 3,000-metre runway parallel to the existing one, a 237-room hotel operated by Accor, two multi-storey car parks, and improvements to the road network.

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According to the masterplan, the works will be progressed in stages, beginning with the first car park and the new runway. Construction of the hotel is slated to commence after the initial car park is finished, in mid-2026, while works on the new terminal and second car park are expected to begin in mid-2027.
The entire redevelopment is scheduled to be operational following the completion of the new terminal in 2031, and after Qantas operations are consolidated to the central airport precinct; both Terminal 3 and Terminal 4 buildings are set to be decommissioned.

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Perth Airport CEO Jason Waters said the masterplan details the enormous potential of the airport, which is forecast to grow from an annual passenger intake of 17 million to more than 30 million passengers by 2046.
“We have begun work on the largest private investment in infrastructure in Perth’s history, which will be delivered over the course of this five-year plan,” he said. “This will unlock the full potential of the resources sector and its extraordinary pipeline of new projects worth more than $100 billion. It will create a vast array of new tourism, business and trade opportunities for Western Australia and deliver new property development opportunities on the airport estate.
“Most importantly, it will provide Western Australians with a world-class travel experience within ‘One Airport’ and deliver our airline partners the capacity and efficiencies they need to grow their businesses,” Waters added.

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Waters said that in its development, the airport commits to growth that is responsible and sustainable.
“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and the masterplan confirms our commitment to net zero by 2032.”
The masterplan is now open for public comment until 23 December. More

A development application proposing a residential precinct on a former 168-hectare industrial site in Brisbane’s West End has been lodged.
Designed by Plus Studio with placemaking consultants Urbis, the project would transform a site on Donkin Street through the introduction of five 30-storey towers and one 12-storey tower, with three oriented towards the river and three facing the urban landscape. The development is proposed to accommodate 1,108 dwellings, making it Plus Studio’s largest masterplanned project in Queensland to date.
Each tower is designed to be visually distinct, with the architects noting in a communique that the river-facing towers adopt a lighter colour palette featuring glass balustrades and white aluminium screening, while the urban-facing towers embrace “bolder tones,” with steel powder-coated balustrades in red. The statement noted that podiums have been designed to reference industrial aesthetics through materiality, intended to reflect the site’s industrial history.

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Under the proposal, the riverfront towers are connected at podium level via bridges.
Director of Plus Studio Danny Juric said the practice worked closely with Urbis to design a “public realm that fosters interaction at every level.” Rooftops and podium terraces feature shared amenities, including a terraced amphitheatre, a lap pool, a spa and sauna, a gym, barbecue areas, yoga and pilates studios, and coworking spaces.
The plan also features pocket parks, a pedestrian laneway that connects the riverfront with the city edge, food and beverage establishments and flexible open spaces for markets and community activities.

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The site is framed by established fig trees, some of which, according to the development application, have stood for more than two centuries. These will be retained as part of the precinct.
Juric said the project represents a city-shaping opportunity for Brisbane. “This is a rare chance to transform an underutilised industrial site into a new riverside landmark. We’ve drawn on the character of West End while responding to the lifestyle and landscape qualities that define Brisbane today, creating a destination that connects the city’s past and future.” More

“Material Intelligence” is the theme of this year’s Sydney Craft Week, taking place from 10 to 19 October, marking the ninth year of the Australian Design Centre (ADC)’s popular festival of craft and design.
When ADC director Lisa Cahill first had the idea in 2017, she envisaged a city-wide program embracing all forms of making. It now offers 240 events across Sydney and surrounding regions, from exhibitions and makers markets to hands-on workshops.
“Craft practitioners have a deep understanding of materials, and the skills needed to work with those materials, to source, combine and manipulate them,” Cahill says. “Intelligent use of materials also needs to consider environmental sustainability including the lifecycle of material use. These are also important factors in contemporary building and architecture – Sydney Craft Week aims to spark connections between these different creative communities.”

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Isabelle Toland, co-founder of Sydney-based practice Aileen Sage Architects, will be taking part in a series of digital conversations released during Sydney Craft Week. For Isabelle, material intelligence is a key ethos of her design approach.
“It is a huge consideration in architecture,” she says. “It’s using materials in a very considered and intentional way, really thinking about where they’ve come from, their cultural significance, who’s been involved in making and bringing that material into that particular form.”
It’s also an important element in improving environmental outcomes across the industry, she says. “A greater appreciation for materials is really key to a more sustainable way of looking at building, construction and design.”
Material intelligence has been at the heart of two recent Aileen Sage Architects projects – the Redfern Community Facility completed in 2024, and the Waterloo Community Facility now under development, both on Gadigal Country.

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One striking visual element of the Redfern building (designed in collaboration with First Nations designer Daniele Hromek and Heritage Specialist Architect Jean Rice) is the use of original bricks, previously concealed under render and paint.
“Once you realise how beautiful those bricks are, you’re not going to throw them away,” Toland says. “Especially the clinker bricks, which have those dense spots because of the firing process and material quality, with those imperfections and impurities in the clay bodies.”
These bricks are now exposed around the building’s new lift, along with salvaged dark and pale house bricks from other parts of Sydney. Clay was also salvaged from the lift excavation. “It was quite beautiful with white and red seams,” Toland says. This “wild” clay is now stored at the community centre, with plans for a series of workshops to use it for making.
Toland has worked closely with different First Nations designers and Knowledge Holders on these projects, including how to incorporate culturally significant materials into the design and build. One source of inspiration for the Waterloo building, which includes a childcare centre, is the possum skin cloak. This important material object has been reclaimed by contemporary First Nations women including local master weaver and Gadigal, Dharawal, Yuin, Wiradjuri woman Nadeena Dixon.
Toland learnt a cloak could start with one skin for a child or baby when they were born, which then grew with them, inscribed with their own story. The cloaks also represent a protective layer for children.
“It’s the weight and the density of the pelt, and the texture of the fur,” she says. “It does give you that sense of protection and security, which I think is quite beautiful.”

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The architects integrated culturally significant materials into the building design, including a masonry screen that offers protection while filtering light and views. Toland also joined a weaving workshop led by Dixon, alongside women from the project and the Waterloo-Redfern community. Part of Dixon’s Cultural Weaving Program, the workshop invited participants to wrap fish-shaped frames using a simple stitch. These were later added to a net Dixon had woven with her daughters, creating a shared artwork that celebrates cultural knowledge, community, and connection to Country.
“The weaving project was a way of connecting people through something tangible and immediate, marking the start of a long journey that we were all commencing together to create a new public place for community,” says Toland.
The 2025 Sydney Craft Week Festival runs 10-19 October, with events, exhibitions and hands-on workshops across all forms of contemporary making including ceramics, weaving and leatherwork. More