Architecture

The City of Darwin has announced plans to revamp Smith Street in Darwin’s CBD, aiming to create a greener and more dynamic pedestrian hub. The council has selected GHD to carry out the concept design for the Smith Street Streetscape project. The desired outcomes of the project would see more greenery and shade introduced, improved […] More

A state significant development application proposing that a 45-storey, mixed use tower be established in central Sydney has been approved. The high-rise, to be known as Toga Central, will house a ten-floor hotel with a pool and day spa amenities, 22 levels of commercial space, parking for 106 vehicles and retail and dining tenancies on […] More

Acoufelt, an acoustic solutions specialist, has launched a new digital suite providing design professionals and clients with immersive tools to experiment with and envision Acoufelt products in a space. The Ammersion suite has two offerings – the Ammersion AR Visualiser and the Ammersion Virtual Showroom. The Ammersion AR Visualiser uses augmented reality technology to imagine […] More

A $100 million mixed-use building comprising 219 build-to-rent residences in Boorloo/Perth has been given the tick of approval by federal and state governments.
Both governments have committed funding for the establishment of the building at 195 Pier Street, with the federal government allocating $88.6 million and the WA government contributing more than $40.6 million.
The proposal, designed by Hassell and Plan E Landscape Architects, features mixed housing options across 29 storeys. Thirty percent of residences (66 apartments) will be made available to social housing tenants and 20 percent (44 apartments) to affordable housing tenants. The remaining dwellings will operate as market rate build-to-rent dwellings and specialist disability accommodation.

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The building will accommodate a landscaped podium on level seven, containing several communal offerings, such as a shared kitchen, workshop, laundry and outdoor area. Image:

Hassell and Plan E Landscape Architects

The design team has adopted a “blind tenure model” in its design of each apartment, ensuring that every residence is created to the same specifications, in a move that aims to remove visible distinctions between different housing types. The high-rise features an activated ground floor with flexible co-working spaces, a corner food and beverage tenancy and an office space. The building will also accommodate a landscaped podium on level seven, containing several communal offerings, such as a shared kitchen, workshop, laundry and outdoor area.
Alex Jones, a senior associate at Hassell, said the building has been designed to reflect the location’s historical connection to print media. The Government Print Hall once operated on Pier Street, while the nearby Stirling Street was the site where many esteemed newspapers such as The West Australian, The Sunday Times and The Australian, were printed. These references can be seen in the east and west elevations – which mimic book and newspaper covers – and a spine that expands the entire height of the tower.
“The design captures the printing past of the area. It builds upon the great connections the building has to the city and surrounds to create a vibrant and inclusive urban community. Here, residents can feel supported and safe, embrace the opportunities provided, and, most importantly, have a place to call home,” said Jones.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the project “ticks all the boxes” in its effort to provide more “safe and affordable” housing options. “It will mean key workers can live and work in the same community and provide new homes to Western Australians in need, including older women at risk of homelessness,” the prime minister said.
Construction will commence in mid-2024, with the project expected to be complete in 2026. More

Australia’s Workplace Gender Equity Agency (WGEA) published gender pay gap data for more than 5,000 private employers with 100 or more employees for 2022-23, which includes architecture and landscape architecture firms.
The data collected by the agency on individual employers is released for the first time, after reforms passed parliament in 2023.
Federal minister for women Katy Gallagher said, “The release of employer gender pay gaps marks a historic step towards transparency and accountability in addressing gender inequality.”
The data indicates the national workforce composition is 51 percent women and 49 percent men, while the upper pay quartile is composed of 35 percent women and 65 percent men.
The national median total gender pay gap across the whole workforce sits at 19 percent, however 50 percent of all employers have a gender pay gap of more than 9.1 percent.
The data also found that across the nation 30 percent of employers had a median gender pay gap within the target range between -5 percent and +5 percent.
Among the architecture and landscape architecture practices that reported data to the WGEA, none were within the target range, nine had greater gender pay gaps than the national average, and all but two practices are among the 50 percent of employers with a gender pay gap of more than 9.1 percent.
Group GSA had the lowest gender pay gap of 5.6 percent, while Mode Design had the greatest gender pay gap at 26.9 percent.

Company

Median total gender pay gap (%)

Total workforce gender composition (women/men)

Upper pay quartile gender composition (women/men)

Had a gender pay gap policy

Undertook payroll analysis

Took action on results of analysis

Group GSA

5.6

59/41

39/61

Y

Y

N

NBRS Partners

6.7

49/51

46/54

N

Y

Y

Woods Bagot

9.4

51/49

43/57

Y

Y

Y

Tract Consultants (The Trustee for Tract Consultants Unit Trust)

13.6

55/45

45/55

Y

Y

Y

Francis-Jones Carpenter

15.3

52/48

37/63

Y

Y

Y

Grimshaw

16.3

46/54

30/70

N

Y

Y

Aspect Studios

16.6

55/45

36/64

Y

Y

Y

Cox Architecture (The Trustee for Philip Cox and Partners Unit Trust)

17.1

45/55

26/74

Y

Y

N

Bates Smart

17.5

55/45

39/61

Y

Y

Y

Billard Leece Partnership

18.2

56/44

48/52

Y

Y

Y

BVN

18.5

50/50

28/72

Y

Y

Y

Conrad Gargett

19

44/56

29/71

n/a

n/a

n/a

Hayball

19

44/56

32/68

Y

Y

Y

Architectus

19.3

47/53

31/69

Y

Y

Y

Buchan Group

19.8

36/64

28/72

Y

Y

Y

Nettleton Tribe (The Trustee for Nettleton Tribe Practice Trust)

20

48/52

15/85

N

Y

Y

HDR

21.1

39/61

20/80

N

N

N

Designinc Sydney

23.8

58/42

32/68

Y

Y

Y

Hames Sharley

23.9

47/53

26/74

Y

Y

Y

GHD Woodhead

26.1

36/64

20/80

Y

Y

Y

Hassell

26.4

52/48

34/66

Y

Y

Y

Mode Design

26.9

42/58

24/76

Y

N

N

Table: ArchitectureAU. Source: Workplace Gender Equity Agency’s 2022-23 Employer Census.
One of seven large practices (Billard Leece Partnership) of the Champions of Change Architecture Group is close to parity in the gender composition of the upper pay quartile. The Champions of Change members aim to increase women’s representations at the highest levels of the profession.
“All employers should be aiming for a gender pay gap within +/-5%. This range allows for normal business fluctuations and employee movements, while signifying that an employer has a focus on identifying and addressing inequalities and is taking action to ensure there is gender equality throughout an organisation,” said WGEA CEO Mary Wooldridge.
“Particularly for those employers whose gender pay gaps are higher than their industry peers, publication of the results today is a catalyst for action and change.
“The gender pay gap is a widely used, internationally recognised measure for gender equality. Publishing employer’s gender pay gaps brings transparency to those employers who have low median gender pays gaps and those that don’t.
“The time for talk and excuses is over. Change takes action and employers need to double down on ensuring all employees are fairly represented and equally valued and rewarded in their workplace.” More

The dates for the 2024 Australian Architecture Conference have been revealed, with the national event returning to share fresh insights into the value of architecture, as well as the opportunities and obstacles that lie ahead for the industry.
Following a successful conference in Canberra in October 2023, this year’s national event is scheduled to take place in Melbourne from 8 to 11 May, with Hamer Hall – designed by Roy Grounds with a later redevelopment designed by ARM Architecture – confirmed as one of the conference venues.
The program will feature a suite of panel discussions, symposiums and networking opportunities. Some of the international speakers set to take the stage during the conference include the 2023 RIBA Royal Gold Medallist, Yasmeen Lari; Paul Monaghan, the executive director at Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, and Barbara Bestor, the principal of Bestor Architecture.
One program highlight to be presented on 8 and 9 May is the Wellbeing of Architects Symposium hosted by the Wellbeing of Architects: Culture, Identity and Practice, an interdisciplinary consortium comprising researchers at RMIT and Monash University’s Department of Architecture and Department of Management.
The 2024 Australian Architecture Conference steering committee comprises Cameron Bruhn (CEO of the Institute), Stuart Tanner (national president), Kerstin Thompson (2023 Gold Medallist), Julie Eizenberg (2019 Gold Medallist), Samantha Rouche, Jessica Spresser, Levi Birks, Owen Kelly, Ilion George, Jamileh Jahangiri, Alvin Zhu, and Kate Concannon.
Registrations for the 2024 Australian Architecture Conference will open on 29 February, with a limited number of early bird tickets to go on sale at a discounted price. More

Brisbane architect Russell Hall has been appointed new president of the Australian Institute of Architects’ Queensland chapter. Hall is the architect behind the iconic Carpenter Hall House in Wilston, notable for its dodecagon shape, which is listed on the Institute’s register of Nationally Significant Architecture. “Well-designed homes and buildings use less energy, are healthier and […] More

The program for the second Perth Design Week (PDW) has been announced. The annual public festival showcases good design and celebrates the local design community and its leaders.
The 2024 program comprises more than 80 events, including exhibitions, films, talks and experiences.
Organizers for Perth design week have also announced a new collaboration with global architecture practice OMA and Italian furniture brand Unifor who have created a bespoke installation for Cathedral Square titled “Principles Square.”
The installation will host a public screening of Point of Origin – a film that documents the OMA founder Rem Koolhaas’s process designing a house on an impossibly steep and narrow plot of land in Austria.
“Many of the successful Design Weeks around the world attract and engage not only local but international audiences, we are aiming high. PDW is an impactful event for Perth, allowing the city to proudly present and showcase our local design talent and their work,” said co-creators of Perth Design Week, architect Sandy Anghie and designer David Smith.
“Significantly, PDW was chosen as the first location after Milan, to host the highly innovative, interactive and inclusive installation.”
Other highlights of the festival include WA Homes – S, M, L exhibition, which explores a range of housing types in Western Australia, from small houses, medium-density developments, and multi-unit apartment blocks.
There will also be a number of panel discussions covering topics such as the new Medium Density Code, artificial intelligence in design, the future of the suburbs, and 20 years of the government architects office in WA.
New host Lawson Flats will be home to a panel discussion with Perth architect Nic Brunsdon and a design dinner, as well as the closing party.
Perth Design Week will also include architecture tours of Perth Arena, Boola Katitjin and a sketching and networking event laced with gin.
Perth Design Week runs from 14 to 21 March 2024. See the full program here. More