Architecture

New plans for a waterfront precinct in Perth’s CBD have been unveiled, including a proposal to revitalize the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre (PCEC).
Established in 2004, the centre, designed by Cox Architecture, is the oldest and smallest major convention centre in Australia.
A concept proposal for the site has been lodged by the property’s joint leaseholders, Wyllie Group and Brookfield Properties. The scheme would see the existing 16,500-square-metre PCEC building expand with an additional 4,500 square metres to accommodate larger event capacity. It would also see the facility – which currently has its back turned to the Swan River – open up to face the water and stretch out above it.

Premier Roger Cook, announced on 16 January that negotiations are currently underway between the leaseholders and the state government.
“There is huge potential on our riverfront, and this proposal would deliver an iconic new precinct that opens up major tourism and hospitality opportunities for WA, helping to diversify our economy and create local jobs,” Cook said. “Our city deserves better than a shed on the river.”

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The project would see the facility – which currently has its back turned to the Swan River – open up to face the water and stretch out above it. Image:

Wyllie Group and Brookfield Properties

In a communique published by the state government, it stated that the project would seek to improve connectivity to Elizabeth Quay via a pedestrian link, as well as activate the overlooked and underused riverfront with an outdoor floating theatre on the Swan River, three new jetties, and new food and beverage venues. To further animate the precinct, the establishment of a hotel, affordable residential apartments and commercial spaces have also been recommended in the proposal.

Minister for Planning, Lands and Housing, John Carey, said the site is “prime riverfront land” that has severely underutilized for far too long. “We can do much better than a box on the river,” he said.
A business case for the redevelopment will now be finalized and presented to the state government for review in mid-2024. The project design team and estimated cost of the project are yet to be disclosed. More

The National Gallery of Victoria have announced the finalists competing in the 2024 Australian Furniture Design Award for a $20,000 prize and product development collaboration with Stylecraft.
After entries closed on October 18, 2023, the five shortlisted contenders have been named: Bala Ga’ Lili (the practice of Bonhula Yunupingu and Damien Wright), Marta Figueiredo, Michael Gittings, Nae Tanakorn, and collaborative duo supermanoeuvre and Tomkins Design.
Since 2015, the biennial award has provided an opportunity for design practitioners to submit new and original furniture or lighting design concepts. The award seeks to recognize outstanding design, critical and creative thinking, sustainability, material development and research that explores innovative production processes. Director of the National Gallery of Victoria, Tony Ellwood, said, “This award celebrates the incredible creativity and innovation empowering this design discipline, as well as its contribution to design discourse and Australian culture.”

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Standing place from the Other places series by Elliat Rich, winner of the 2017 Australian Furniture Design Award. Image:

elliat rich

The competition runs in two stages, which began with an open call for design submissions and information on the entrant’s professional practice. The shortlisted finalists now proceed to stage two, to present their realized designs for exhibition and judging at the Stylecraft showroom during Melbourne Design Week 2024.
The award offers generous financial support to its shortlisted and winning designers. All shortlisted entrants will receive an honorarium of $2,000 to assist with the realization of their design for exhibition. The winning designer will receive a cash prize of $20,000 and an invitation to develop a commercial range or product in collaboration with Stylecraft.
Stylecraft’s CEO, Anthony Collins, said: “For 70 years, Stylecraft has been guided by the principle of active collaboration with the global and Australian design community. The Australian Furniture Design Award is unique in the national design landscape for its combination of recognition, professional development, financial support and very importantly, a commercial opportunity for an Australian designer. We are excited to build upon the legacy of this important award, founded by Stylecraft and the Jam Factory, in 2015.”
The 2024 Australian Furniture Design Award jury comprises Ewan McEoin, senior curator of contemporary art, design and architecture at the NGV (Chair); Tony Russell, brand director at Stylecraft, Melbourne; Anne-Claire Petre, founder of Anaca Studio, Melbourne; Hamish Guthrie co-director of Hecker Guthrie, Melbourne, and Elliat Rich, Alice Springs-based designer and 2017 AFDA winner. The 2024 competition advisor is Simone LeAmon, curator of contemporary design and architecture at the NGV. More

The Australian Capital Territory government has announced it has wholly adopted the 2022 National Construction Code, which mandates that every new home is now required to meet a minimum energy standard of seven stars. Minister for Sustainable Building and Construction, Rebecca Vassarotti, announced on 15 January that the code would be effective immediately. Under the […] More

Following a national design competition, Western Sydney University has revealed the winning team for the design of its new Indigenous Centre of Excellence, on Darug land, at the university’s Parramatta South campus.
The winning team comprises Sarah Lynn Rees, Jackson Clements Burrows Architects (JCB), Peter Stutchbury Architecture and Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture. The team also includes Uncle Dean Kelly, Hill Thalis Architecture and Flux Consultants. The winning consortium’s design was selected from four shortlisted groups.
The design competition selection panel said they were thoroughly impressed with the winning team’s design concept, which successfully brought to life the vision for a community-centric, transformational new building that integrated Country and First Nations knowledge.
Chair of the Design Competition Selection Committee, Dillon Kombumerri, said the winning scheme is “an outstanding, Country centred design that promotes First Peoples’ leadership, knowledge sharing, creative skills and living cultural practices. As well as being an iconic destination that the Western Sydney University and the communities it serves can be proud of, the facility will be a welcoming place for everyone who visits, ensuring its enduring legacy.”
The purpose-built facility will enable visitors of all ages, abilities and interests to learn about the Indigenous history of the Western Sydney region. The centre will house arts and cultural collections to facilitate the sharing and preservation of Indigenous Australian culture.
Other building features include informal learning spaces, interdisciplinary research areas, and events spaces for performances, talks and screenings.
Winning team spokesperson and senior associate at JCB, Sarah Lynn Rees, said they are thrilled to have been selected as the design team for the project.
“It is not very often that you have the opportunity to respond to a brief that is seeking to holistically embed and care for Country, culture and community. We could not be more excited for the next stages, walking side by side with Western Sydney University, Darug Ngurra and the community to realize a place that shows the world how powerful mob can be when we are allowed to be,” said Rees.
The winning building design will be shared in early 2024. More

The proposal to establish Australia’s first year-round indoor snow resort – the $400 million Winter Sports World in Penrith, Western Sydney – has been given the tick of approval after an eight-year process.
On 11 January 2024, the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment granted the protracted project State Significant Development Application approval. Environa developed the original scheme over a period of six years, receiving planning approval from the NSW government in December 2021. A subsequent competition to design the building’s facade resulted in the selection of a proposal by Collins and Turner.

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The indoor snow resort will comprise a 300-metre advanced open run for skiers and snowboarders, as well as learn-to-ski runs and a dedicated winter wonder snow play area. Image:

Environa Studio, Collins and Turner

The indoor snow resort will comprise a 300-metre advanced open run for skiers and snowboarders, as well as learn-to-ski runs and a dedicated winter wonder snow play area. The tourist attraction will also feature a dedicated competition venue for snow sports, spaces for ice climbing and crevasse outdoor rock climbing, dining options, and a 170-room hotel with conference and function rooms.
Kinetic lighting will illuminate the Jamison Road facade at night, creating the impression of a blizzard. Meanwhile, the public area and curved lower-level facade will be designed to look like melting ice, adding to the overall frosty aesthetic.
Currently the site of a 2.35-hectare horse paddock, the landscape will be transformed to include features such as water streams, pathway networks, landscaped plantings and eight-metre-tall wooden message sticks (one First Nations medium). Visually imitating mountains and melting ice, the message sticks will tell stories about First Nations people and their connections to Country.
Winter Sports World has been designed to generate net-zero carbon. To achieve this, the design team has incorporated rooftop and north-facing wall photovoltaic panels, which will be used to generate 50 percent of the resort’s energy. The remaining power will be drawn from solar, wind, and hydroelectric sources offsite, with any further emissions to be offset.

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View from the restaurant. Image:

Environa Studio

The project’s wider design team comprises First Nations artist Jamie Eastwood, JLA Landscape Architects, engineer Atelier Ten, and an environmental design consultant. Facade engineer Eckersley O’Callaghan and lighting designer Electrolight collaborated on the exterior design.
In early 2024, the project will enter a phase of detailed design and engineering development to prepare for construction. The first stage of construction will involve excavation works for the basement, which will house a large underground water tank for snowmaking as well as mechanical plant rooms, loading docks and a car park.
Peter Magnisalis, the property developer behind Winter Sports World, said the project will be technically challenging and highly complex: the first of its kind in Australia.
“We need to take the time in this crucial preparation stage to ensure we get the project right before it can start to rise above the ground,’’ Magnisalis said. More

Revised designs for Sydney’s Central Barangaroo precinct have been released for public feedback, after the original plans for a 20-storey apartment tower were scrapped due to concerns over building height.
Property developer Aqualand was initially appointed to redevelop the site in 2018, however, since then, the project has encountered significant delays. In 2022, former New South Wales premier, Dominic Perrottet, announced there would be a reduction in height limits in the Central Barangaroo area to preserve views of Sydney’s harbour – a move that would require Aqualand to reevaluate and modify its plans.
The updated concept plans, designed by SJB, include a total of seven buildings, with six of the seven ranging from seven to eight storeys, and a seventh building of up to ten storeys. An underground food court and shopping centre linked to the Barangaroo Metro stop are part of the latest proposal, as well as a luxury hotel – to be operated from the tallest of the buildings.

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Six of the seven buildings range from seven to eight storeys tall, with a seventh building of up to ten storeys. Image:

SJB, courtesy of Aqualand

Aqualand project director, Tim Roberston, said he hoped the latest plans had addressed previous concerns regarding height. “Projects like these get a lot of scrutiny, that comes with the territory, but we’re ready to get on with it,” he said.
“Once the [Barangaroo] Metro opens later this year [2024] we expect that many people will ask what the hold up has been with Central Barangaroo. Thankfully, we’ve had really clear direction from the new government and we’re ready to get on with delivering a fantastic lifestyle precinct for Sydney.”
If the development is approved, construction on the precinct is expected to commence in 2024, with the project expected to be completed in 2029. The revised Barangoo Central concept plans are on exhibition until 2 February 2024. More

Redevelopment of the 10-hectare community park designed by Context is complete and the park is now open to the public. The site of Tench Reserve is narrow and undulating, constrained on each side by the Nepean River, a motorway and housing developments. The first stage of the masterplan, focusing on the riverside precinct, was composed […] More

Haymes Paint has revealed it has seen strong demand of its Artisan Collection paints in the lead up to and beginning of 2024. The popularity of the collection demonstrates a shift toward highly textured, industrial finishes. Highly sought-after in 2023 was Artisan Collection Surface, with the emergence of a new ‘cut and polish’ finish that […] More