Architecture

The ACT Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects has welcomed draft reforms released by the state government to increase the supply and diversity of housing within the territory’s existing urban footprint. The proposed policies target zoning changes within existing Canberra suburbs to unlock available land and enable more low-rise, “missing middle” housing types across the city.
According to a communique from the state government, the focus of the Missing Middle Reforms is to facilitate the construction of 30,000 new homes by 2030, yet the release noted that “the reforms go beyond simply building more homes. The aim is to create more diverse housing options that blend seamlessly into Canberra’s suburbs.”
In addition to the zoning changes, the ACT government is working with experts from the local design and construction industry to develop a Missing Middle Housing Design Guide, which will provide guidance on the design of multi-occupancy houses on a block, townhouses, terrace homes and low-rise apartments that respect the local neighbourhood character.
Architect and director of DNA Architects Rob Henry has been consulting with the ACT government on the Missing Middle Housing Reforms on behalf of the Institute.
“Providing high-quality, social and affordable housing is essential to building an inclusive and equitable city,” Henry said. “By ensuring housing solutions are well-designed, sustainable, and integrated into diverse neighbourhoods, the ACT can meet the needs of vulnerable populations and low-income residents.”
“Architects are already working to create designs that prioritise energy efficiency, adaptability and liveability, enhancing the long-term value and social outcomes of housing projects while supporting broader housing affordability goals,” he continued.
The state government is inviting feedback on the proposed reforms until 3 July.
The Institute has welcomed the consultation put forward by the ACT government. They intend to review the proposed guides and amendments to ensure they address the short-term demand for missing middle housing types as well as future urban expansion.
“The recognition of place is paramount to building communities, not just houses,” said Henry. “To ensure long-term growth and mobility, the ACT must preserve and expand public transport corridors, including future extensions of the light rail network.”
Canberrans can have their say on the reforms online. More

Updated plans for the third and final stage of the Melbourne Jam Factory precinct redevelopment have been lodged.
Built in 1858, the Jam Factory was first established as a brewery, later becoming a factory for producing preserves and jams, before eventually evolving to become a retail and cinema precinct in the 1990s. Now, the factory site is set to be transformed once again into a mixed-use hub with retail, residential, accommodation and hospitality offerings.
American-born international architectural practice Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) alongside local architects Buchan were engaged to design the precinct, in conjunction with Gurner’s in-house architect and interior design business Gurner Design House. Townshend Landscape Architects was appointed to design the landscape.
According to a communique, the latest proposal substitutes the previously approved box-style commercial tower fronting Chapel Street with “sculptural fluted towers.” Additionally, the allocation of 600 residences has increased to 800 dwellings. As a result of these changes, the estimated cost of the project has increased to $3.75 billion, up from the earlier estimate of $2.75 billion.

View gallery

The precinct will additionally accommodate 20,000 squares metres of retail, commercial and hospitality spaces; a reimagined Village Cinemas; two hotels; a 1,600-square-metre, north-facing public piazza; and a through-site link that leads visitors past retail and dining offerings.
The heritage facade along Chapel Street will be restored and the heritage chimney will be reconstructed as part of the project.
Construction has already commenced on the project, with demolition works underway. Once complete, the total area of the Jam Factory precinct will match the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), covering an area of 20,000 square metres. More

The 2025 Rigg Design Prize, Australia’s most prestigious contemporary design award, will open on 19 September, showcasing the nation’s emerging design talent. Marking a significant shift, the tenth edition focuses exclusively on 35 outstanding Australian designers under the age of 35, working across ceramics, glass, furniture, woodwork, metalwork, textiles, lighting, and contemporary jewellery.
Traditionally awarded to established and mid-career practitioners, this year’s prize highlights fresh voices and innovative approaches within Australia’s design landscape. The participants will debut new works at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), offering visitors an intimate look into their creative processes, ideas and motivations.
Selected from across Australia, the 35 finalists who were invited by the NGV to compete for the $40,000 Prize are:

Patrick Adeney (VIC, Furniture)
Kartika Laili Ahmad (WA, Lighting)
Ella Badu (VIC, Jewellery)
Walter Brooks (NT, Object Design)
Dalissa Brown (NT, Ceramics)
Andrew Carvolth (SA, Furniture)
Nicola Charlesworth & Kim Stanek – Object Density (NSW, Furniture)
Samantha Dennis (TAS, Jewellery)
Carly Tarkari Dodd (SA, Jewellery)
Hamish Donaldson (VIC, Glass)
Jack Fearon – FEARON (QLD, Furniture)
Olive Gill-Hille (WA, Furniture)
Marcel Hoogstad Hay (SA, Glass)
Katherine Hubble (VIC, Jewellery)
Jay Jermyn (QLD, Lighting)
Nicolette Johnson (QLD, Ceramics)
Zaiba Khan (VIC, Jewellery)
Lavinia Ketchell (QLD, Object Design)
Claudia Lau (VIC, Ceramics)
Nicole Lawrence (VIC, Furniture)
Julian Leigh May (VIC, Furniture)
Alfred Lowe (SA, Ceramics)
Marlo Lyda (NSW, Lighting)
Claire Markwick-Smith (SA, Furniture)
Simone Namunjdja (NT, Object Design)
Nathan Nhan (ACT, Ceramics)
Annie Paxton (VIC, Furniture)
Douglas Powell – Duzi Objects (WA, Furniture)
Amy Seo & Shahar Cohen – Second Edition (NSW, Furniture)
Emma Shepherd – Sundance Studio (VIC, Weaving)
Shahn Stewart – Alchemy Orange (VIC, Object Design)
Dalton Stewart (VIC, Furniture)
Georgie Szymanski (VIC, Furniture)
Kohl Tyler (VIC, Ceramics)
Isaac Williams (TAS, Furniture)

NGV director Tony Ellwood AM said: “The 2025 Rigg Design Prize turns the focus to the early-career designers of our country and gives them a career-defining platform to share their work with a wide audience. This prize is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding creative achievements of our early career designers and will show an incredible breadth of skill and ability from a group who are on the rise in their careers and professional practice.” More

Brisbane Open House (BOH) has announced its full program for this year’s event, which will be held over the weekend of 19–20 July. According to a release from BOH, the 2025 program is the most expansive in five years, more than doubling last year’s offering with 91 buildings on show for attendees.
The line-up includes a range of buildings, structures, places and spaces across Greater Brisbane, including private homes, which also return to the program for the first time in five years.
BOH has partnered with the Australian Institute of Architects to open the doors to ten architect-designed residences, offering visitors insights into contemporary, modernist and sustainable house designs.

View gallery

In the city’s north, Blok Stafford Heights by Blok Modular and Vokes and Peters will be open for ticketed tours, as will Floating Gable House by Phorm Architecture and Design. Towards Mt Coot-tha in the west, both Birdwood by Peter Besley, and House of Birdwood by Marc and Co will host guided tours, also to be booked in advance. John Ellway Architect’s Twin Houses is also open for pre-booked tours on the southside of the city.
New additions to the 2025 program include first-time access to Riviere, designed by Bates Smart; Bradbury Park Play Scape, designed by Alcorn Middleton; Milton House; and the Morningside School of Arts and St Laurence’s College.

View gallery

Behind-the-scenes access will also be granted to Brisbane Airport as it celebrates 100 years. Likewise, a limited number of visitors will have the rare opportunity to descend 30 metres underground at the Roma Street Cross River Rail Station cavern.
“This is a landmark year for Brisbane Open House, not just in the scale of what we’re offering, but in the depth of experience we’re creating for locals and visitors alike,” said BOH chair Malcolm Middleton.
Returning favourites include Newstead House, Roma Street Fire Station, Brisbane Arcade, ABC Brisbane, Centenary Pool and Government House. The program will also feature guided walks, live music, dance performances, film screenings and the BOH photography competition.
In addition to building tours, the 2025 program includes a series of twilight events including a heritage talk, a guided walk through Kurilpa with local design advocates and a fast-paced presentation night at Arup’s new studio. A panel conversation exploring the living legacy of Torbreck will include Stuart Vokes of Vokes and Peters and Leah Gallagher of Kin Architects, who have each renovated apartments in the iconic building. Both of Kin’s renovations will be open for pre-booked tours.

View gallery

Brisbane councillor and deputy chair for City Planning and Suburban Renewal Penny Wolff said that the weekend-long program presents a unique opportunity to bring people into the places that define the city’s character — and to celebrate the work of the people who shape it.
“Whether you’re visiting a heritage-listed landmark or stepping inside a building you’ve walked past a hundred times, this event deepens your connection to place. It’s a chance for locals and visitors to understand Brisbane’s design legacy, and the values that continue to shape our future.”
The full program is now accessible on the Brisbane Open House website. Tickets will be released on Saturday 5 July. More

Gavan Ranger, the long-standing chair of the board of Architecture Media Pty Ltd, has announced his retirement and will be stepping down as chair and a director of Architecture Media effective from Friday 6 June 2025. His decision responds to some personal challenges being faced by members of his family, as this will allow him to dedicate more time to them.
Gavan was initially nominated by the Australian Institute of Architects as its representative on the Architecture Media board from 1992 until 1996 when he became an independent representative, eventually being elected chair in 2004.
He has brought a wealth of experience and expertise to the role of director and chair of the board, both as a widely experienced architect and having held a number of major volunteer roles at the Institute.
Gavan has worked on significant projects in both the public and private sectors, and as a principal of major architecture and design practices in Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.
His professional roles have been complemented by long-term involvement with the Institute at state and national levels. These roles included chapter and national councillor, SA Chapter President, chair of the National Marketing Committee, honorary national secretary and member of a Chapter Honours Committee. These contributions were recognised by the award of Life Fellow in 1996. Similarly, he is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia (DIA), was awarded Design Icon by its SA Branch in 2017, and was inducted into the DIA Hall of Fame in 2019. He is also a Foundation Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
During his tenure on the Architecture Media board, Gavan has seen the successful expansion of its print and digital publishing operations, as well as its professional development and highly successful events activities.
Gavan steps down, proud of his contribution to Architecture Media and is confident of its sound future.
He leaves with the best wishes and appreciation of Architecture Media’s board and staff for the work he has led and the considerable time and effort he has dedicated.
Announcement of the next board chair and recruitment for a new director will occur soon. More

The University of Melbourne’s Potter Museum of Art is set to reopen tomorrow following the redevelopment of the institution’s existing building, located on the eastern edge of the university’s Parkville campus.
Originally designed by Katsalidis Architects and opened to the public in 1998, the existing museum received a commendation for Public Architecture at the Australian Institute of Architects National Architecture Awards in 1999. It has been closed for refurbishment since 2018.

View gallery

A media release from the university noted that the renovation, designed by Wood Marsh Architects, features “teaching and learning studios and upgraded social, events and associated amenities – all of which are accessible through a new, distinctive arched entry on campus.”
Co-founder of Wood Marsh Randal Marsh commented that the “concave and mirror polished stainless steel portal, oriented to one of the university’s main thoroughfares, creates a dynamic new entrance to the Potter Museum of Art.”
Marsh added, “This sculptural element is set-off from the existing buildings facade and leads you into a new vaulted double height foyer. A monochromatic black timber wall directs you along an axis to connect to the existing gallery spaces through an elegant and spacious foyer and restaurant.”

View gallery

Chairman of the Potter Museum of Art Peter Jopling commented, “The Potter Museum of Art was established in 1972 at the University of Melbourne, and for over 50 years it has played a significant role in the cultural life of Melbourne, exhibiting contemporary art alongside the university’s collections.
“We are delighted to welcome visitors back into our revitalised museum and to chart a new, bold, and thought-provoking environment for visitors to interact with and enjoy and explore art,” Jopling said.
The university’s statement noted that the new and improved spaces for the museum are designed to facilitate collection-based learning programs. According to the communique, “The Potter is an industry leader in collections and exhibitions-based learning, working with the University of Melbourne’s art collection and the Potter’s exhibition program to engage students from a wide range of faculties and disciplines, as well as wider audiences.”

View gallery

The museum reopens with an exhibition titled 65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art, which will be on show until 23 November 2025. More

The winners of the 39th Dulux Colour Awards, which recognise transformative examples of colour use in the built environment across Australia and New Zealand, have been selected from a shortlist of 88 projects. According to a communique from Dulux, this year’s prized projects “push the boundaries of established genres and defy previously accepted norms to astound and delight with their complexity and ambition.”
“Our aim with the Dulux Colour Awards is to reveal and reward the ultimate exemplars of architectural innovation using Dulux Colour as a central design device,” said Dulux colour and communications manager Andrea Lucena-Orr.
Dulux noted that this year’s Grand Prix winners “represent somewhat of a pattern emerging, namely the use of a single colour as the pivotal and defining design strategy.” This strategy is evident in Australia’s Grand Prix-winning project, the Sarah and Sebastian Armadale retail store by Richards Stanisich, which takes a striking green and juxtaposes it with reflective surfaces within faceted spaces.
Across the categories, Dulux noted that “rule-breaking and genre-defying colour usage is evident,” including the unconventional application of contemporary colour on heritage projects, or to soften traditionally ‘hard’ building typologies. The multi-tone green facade of Commercial and Multi-residential Exterior winner, Northern Park Memorial Depot by Searle x Waldron Architecture, is an example of the latter. “This treatment represents a design decision to approach an industrial program with sensitivity, and to achieve that through specific colour choices appropriate to the context and natural surrounds,” said Lucena-Orr.
The most hotly contested category this year, that of residential interiors, drew intense dialogue among the judges as they weighed up the finalists. The winning project, Elonera House by Studio Doherty, and the three commendation award winners present vastly different colour strategies and schemes.
The 2025 jury comprised director of SJB Andrew Parr; co-founder of At.Space Alex McLeod; co-founder of Luchetti Krelle Rachel Luchetti; co-founder and director of Edition Office Kim Bridgland; principal at Kerstin Thompson Architects and adjunct professor at RMIT and Monash Universities Kerstin Thompson, and Lucena-Orr.
Lucena-Orr reflected, “We are consistently astounded by the calibre of paradigm-shifting projects, and the architects and designers behind them who break boundaries, challenge conventions and defy expectations with their profound appreciation of the potential of colour.”
The winning projects are:
Australian Grand Prix
Sarah and Sebastian Armadale – Richards Stanisich
New Zealand Grand Prix
Lava Flow – Pac Studio

View gallery

Commercial Interior – Public and Hospitality
Melbourne Place – Kennedy Nolan
Commendation
Auburn High School Senior Centre – Wowowa Architecture
Burly Bar – Studio Plenty

View gallery

Commercial Interior – Workplace and Retail
Sarah and Sebastian Armadale – Richards Stanisich
Commendation
Buon Gusto – Studio Shand
Comma – Byron Bay – Duet

View gallery

Commercial and Multi-residential Exterior
Northern Memorial Park Depot – Searle x Waldron Architecture
Commendation
Windale Hub – Adriano Pupilli Architects

View gallery

Residential Interior
Elonera House – Studio Doherty
Commendation
Lava Flow – Pac Studio
Rosherville House – Kennedy Nolan
Wharf House – Arent and Pyke

View gallery

Single Residential Exterior
Dunstan – SSdH

View gallery

Temporary or Installation Design
Carol Jerrems: Portraits – Youssofzay Hart

View gallery

Australian Student
Landscape of Co-existence – Angela Xu and Georgia Reader, the University of Sydney
New Zealand Student
Pātaka Kōrero Fale o Tala: A Storehouse of Narratives in Samoa – Will Chomchoei, the University of Auckland More

The Northern Territory government has announced that the state’s proposed art gallery, which has been under construction since 2022, is now to be subject to a public Expressions of Interest (EOI) process. According to the government, this process is designed to “identify the most cost effective and impactful use of the building” going forward.
Concepts for Darwin’s proposed Northern Territory Art Gallery, designed by Ashford Architects with Clare Design and Hully Liveris, were first unveiled in 2021. NT News noted that construction of the Northern Territory Art Gallery was expected to be complete by 2026.
In his statement to the media, Minister for the Arts Jinson Charls acknowledged that the project had faced major funding shortfalls and is now estimated to exceed the budget by over $100 million, but emphasised the government’s commitment to seeing it through to completion.
“[…] we want to go to market and ensure we are achieving the most effective model going forward for the benefit of all Territorians,” said Charls.
The open EOI will invite applications from interested parties to operate the site. Given the competitive process, the government hoped that applicants would “articulate in detail the potential costs involved to operate, the benefits to the community and specific model used to maximise the possibilities the site offers.”
A taskforce comprising key government agencies, including the Department of People, Sport and Culture, Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations, Department of Treasury and Finance, and Department of Logistics and Infrastructure will be appointed to draft and manage the EOI.
Charls commented, “By seeking proposals from multiple potential operators, with a view to selecting a model of operation that best contributes to rebuilding the economy and restoring the Territory’s lifestyle, we can be open to alternative funding opportunities outside of the Northern Territory government.” More