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The University of Newcastle has unveiled a concept design for a proposed student accommodation complex at its city campus in the heart of Muluubinba/Newcastle. The concept by Architectus proposes a nine-storey building on the corner of Worth Place and Civic Lane in the Honeysuckle precinct near the Coquun/Hunter River waterfront. The complex will accommodate up […] More
A proposal that involves the establishment of three towers and a public green square at the southern end of Naarm/Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market (QVM) is one step closer to becoming a reality, following Heritage Victoria’s decision to grant permit approval for the heritage aspect of the plan.
The QVM holds great cultural and historical significance for Melburnians. A much-loved food and retail market has operated from the site since the 1870s. Prior to that the land was used as Naarm/Melbourne’s first official cemetery, established in 1837. Despite the cemetery having closed in 1917, it is estimated that there is still 6,500 to 9,000 burials present on the site.
In June 2023, plans for a mixed-use redevelopment on the southern side of site were revealed, with the project estimated to cost $1.7 billion. Designed by NH Architecture, Kerstin Thompson Architects, 3XN Australia, Searle × Waldron Architecture, Openwork, McGregor Coxall, Lovell Chen and Urbis, the vision for the project is to create an activated southern precinct, to be known as Gurrowa Place. Under the plans, three towers would be constructed providing a mix of student accommodation, residential apartments, and work spaces.
The same month plans were released, Heritage Victoria received a heritage permit application regarding the project, specifically concerning the conservation and adaptive re-use of several stores on Franklin Street, the transformation of the existing open-air carpark to create 1.8 hectares of public open space, and the creation of two towers into the airspace above the Franklin Street stores.
Heritage Victoria granted the heritage permit on the grounds that a significant portion of the application lies outside their jurisdiction. While the permit states that the towers are the “most impactful” part of the proposed development, only Towers One and Two partially pertain to the Heritage Act 2017. This is because they have been created with a partial cantilever that extends into the airspace above the Franklin Street stores canopy. Furthermore, a section of the basement in both buildings falls within the extent of registration.
In their assessment of the application, Heritage Victoria concluded that the “cantilever of Towers One and Two over the Franklin Street Stores canopy will have a limited impact on the cultural heritage significance of QVM when considered in the context of the place in its entirety.
“The proposed conservation works to the Franklin Street Stores are a positive heritage outcome and will remove unsympathetic accretions, reconstruct removed elements and return the stores to an earlier and more appropriate appearance.
“Replacement of the existing carpark with public open space (Market Square) represents the former use of the place as a cemetery, is more respectful of the estimated 6,500 to 9,000 burials still remaining at the place and will be carried out in a way which will not substantially disturb the subsurface area.”
Tower Three and the Queens Corner Building were excluded from the heritage permit application as they have no relevant heritage requirements.
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Under the plans, three towers would be constructed providing a mix of student accommodation, residential apartments, and work spaces. Image:
NH Architecture, Kerstin Thompson Architects, 3XN Australia, and Searle × Waldron Architecture.
The City of Melbourne stated the precinct would be complementary to a number of nearby projects recently completed or soon to be delivered, including “heritage shed restoration, the new Munro library and community hub, hospitality and retail offerings in the Munro development and Mirvac’s build-to-rent project on Therry Street.”
The heritage permit, will now be assessed separately by the state planning department. The permit will expire if construction on the project has not commenced within two years of the permit issue date. Additionally, the permit will no longer apply to the site if the project is not completed within six years of the permit issue date.
For project updates, visit the City of Melbourne website. More
The 2024 Australia Day Honours list has acknowledged and celebrated the contributions and achievements of 1,042 Australians. Among them are six architects who have made significant advancements in the field of architecture.
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Maggie Edmond. Image:
John Gollings
Gold Medallist, Maggie Edmond, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for “significant service to architecture, to tertiary education, and to professional organizations.”
Edmond’s distinguished career as an architect and urban designer spans more than five decades. In 1969, she began working as an architect, and in 1974, she became the principal at Edmond and Corrigan, where she still works. She is the recipient of 35 awards the Australian Institute of Architects, including the Walter Burley Griffin National Award for Urban Design in 1995. In 2023, Edmond was retrospectively awarded the Australian Institute of Architects 2003 Gold Medal with Peter Corrigan at the National Architecture Awards.
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Helen Lochhead. Image:
Jessica Lindsay
Architect, former National Trust of Australia (NSW) board member and academic, Helen Lochhead was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for “distinguished service to architecture and urban design, to building regulation reform, to tertiary education, and to professional organizations.”
Lochhead has served in various roles at the Australian Institute of Architects, including as the institute’s national president between 2019 and 2021. She has been an ongoing board member of the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat since 2018, and was appointed chair of the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016, 2018 and 2020. She is chair of the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment, and an emeritus professor of architecture and urbanism.
Also appointed as a Members of the Order of Australia (AM) was John Taylor for “significant service to architecture, heritage conservation, and to professional organizations,” and Margaret Ward for “service to the building industry.”
Two architects were awarded the Medal of Order of Australia (OAM) including Paul Hede, of Victoria, and Peter Hodge, of Western Australia – both for their “service to architecture, and to the community.”
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Dillon Kombumerri. Image: Supplied
Architect, Dillon Kombumerri was awarded a Meritorius Award for “outstanding public service to the field of architecture and design and relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and cultural practices.”
Kombumerri is principal architect at the Government Architect NSW office. Hailing from Yugambeh and Quandamooka Country, Kombumerri was the University of Sydney’s first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander architecture graduate in 1990. In October 2023, the University of Sydney awarded him an honorary doctorate of architecture in recognition of his contributions to Australia’s built environment. More
Hassell has collaborated with the European Space Agency and Cranfield University to create a concept masterplan that would enable a permanent human settlement on the moon. Developed with anthropologists, psychologists, roboticist and astronauts, the concept explores how a permanent community of around 150 people could be established in reduced gravity in a lunar environment. The […] More
Creative Victoria has awarded Sibling Architecture a grant of $189,680 to undertake research on the design of sensorial sensitive environments, a subject on which the firm has devoted years of passionate investigation.
The funding will enable the practice to carry out in-depth research on their chosen topic and then later present the findings at a major Melbourne-based event in 2025. The research project is the latest in a series of concerted, ongoing efforts made by Sibling Architecture to study the interaction between those with diverse needs and abilities, and their environment and stimuli.
The firm completed an addition at the Wangaratta District Specialist School (WDSS) in 2023, which saw the integration of calm/focus areas, sensory spaces, social areas, and support facilities for students with intellectual, and in some cases, physical disabilities. They also upgraded the headquarters of Arts Project Australia, a creative social enterprise that supports artists with intellectual disabilities by promoting their work and advocating for their inclusion in contemporary art practice.
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Wangaratta District Specialist School by Sibling Architecture. Image:
Derek Swalwell
Amelia Borg, co-director of Sibling, said the latest research venture will be carried out in stages, with a major emphasis on consultation and active listening throughout the process.
“The first stage will involve a post-occupancy evaluation of the WDSS and the Arts Project Australia. During this stage, we will engage with the users and staff to determine how the buildings are being used,” Borg said. “Then the second phase will entail prototyping and designing spaces according to the findings, followed by the overall presentation of the results.
“Anecdotally […] we have learned that the spaces [at WDSS] are being used as we intended, which is great, but, we’re also eager to build on that initial dialogue and understand whether there are elements that we could add or different experiences that we could create.”
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In the group sensory room at Wangaratta District Specialist School, a poly-pipe lighting installation demonstrates Sibling Architecture’s experience in exhibition design. Image:
Derek Swalwell
Borg said designing sensorially sensitive spaces can be a “balancing” act for architects and designers as it involves catering to needs across a wide spectrum.
“Part of the whole challenge is that some users may be hypersensitive – meaning that they may find too much stimulation overwhelming or distracting – and the reverse can be true as well – where some users may crave a stimulating environment with more input. That’s one facet of the research we will be conducting: the balance and the different sort of strategies that can be employed in both scenarios,” she said.
The grant follows an earlier grant the firm received in 2018 from Creative Victoria to conduct a small research project, titled New Agency, which explored the topic of ageing populations and how various spaces, such as homes and public places, can better accommodate ageing bodies through different methods of design arrangement. The outcome of that research was presented in an exhibition at RMIT Design Hub. The recently secured funding will also explore similar themes of accessibility, however, it will zero in on how individuals with different neurodivergent challenges might experience a space.
The funding from 2018 enabled the practice to carry out their research on a small scale, however, since they have been granted a larger sum this time, it will enable them to broaden the scope and scale of their research, resulting in potentially further-reaching, positive outcomes.
The research findings will be presented in Melbourne in 2025, in a format yet to be determined. More
The jury for the 2024 ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact has been revealed. The program honours projects that are public-spirited, prioritize empathy over aesthetics, and have made valuable societal contributions. The 2024 jury includes David Fisher of Housing Choices Australia, Maryam Gusheh of Monash University, Kieran Wong of the Fulcrum Agency, Linda Cheng, of Architecture […] More
Seoul-based Korean architect Minsuk Cho and his firm, Mass Studies, have been revealed as the designers of the 23rd Serpentine Pavilion.
The pavilion, titled Archipelagic Void, will be unveiled at London’s Serpentine South Gallery on 5 June 2024. Its features include five “islands” centred around a singular circular void. Mass Studies envisions a void defined by a series of smaller, adaptable structures, dotted around the void’s perimeter. The structures will form a constellation-like arrangement, enabling the park’s natural ecology to emerge from the apertures between the structures.
The central void is reflective of a “madang” – a small courtyard found in traditional Korean houses – used to accommodate everyday activities and large collective events. Around the void, each structure will be realized as a “content machine” with each structure to be individually named and each serving a unique purpose.
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Serpentine Pavilion 2024 designed by Minsuk Cho, Mass Studies. Design render, exterior view. Photo © Mass Studies. Image:
Image courtesy of Serpentine
The Serpentine South Gallery will provide entry to the pavilion outdoors, while the auditorium will serve as a gathering area. A small Library will feature to the north of the Pavilion, offering a moment of pause. The Tea House will honour the Serpentine South’s historical role as a tea pavilion. The Play Tower, the most open space, will feature a netted structure.
The Serpentine South Gallery will provide entry to the outdoor pavilion, while the auditorium will serve as a gathering area. A small library will be situated to the north of the pavilion, offering visitors a moment of reprieve and the Tea House will pay homage to the pavilion’s historical function as a tea pavilion. Finally, in the Play Tower, the most open space, will feature a netted structure. When these structures are integrated with the Archipelagic Void structures, ten distinct volumes are created – five covered, and five open, in-between areas – each surrounding the void. Highlighted by varying natural light conditions, these flexible spaces will host live programs and presentations.
The 23rd Serpentine Pavilion will be on display from 7 June until 27 October 2024. More
The jury responsible for selecting the winning design for a new mixed-use facility at the Suttons Beach precinct on Queensland’s Redcliffe Peninsula has been revealed. A national competition to design a new mixed-use hub at the site of the former 1937 Suttons Beach Pavilion was announced in October 2023 – commissioned by the City of […] More
