Architecture

A development application has been submitted for an integrated health, education and research precinct in Camperdown called the Sydney Biomedical Accelerator (SBA), designed by Denton Corker Marshall and HDR, in collaboration with Arcadia Landscape Architecture and Aileen Sage.
The proposed complex would be located on a vacant site at the corner of Western Avenue and Cadigal Lane in Camperdown, with the precinct comprising two wings, one named the Isaac Wakil Biomedical Building (IWBB), and the other called Building B.
According to planning documents, the IWBB wing would be sited at the University of Sydney’s Camperdown campus. The proposal states the wing would span across eight floors, with designated spaces for wet lab research, dry research, anatomical teaching, clinical research, as well as workstations. The IWBB will connect to the existing Susan Wakil Health Building (SWHB) to the north of the proposed site.
Plans show the proposed location for Building B is within the Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital site, on the boundary of the university’s Camperdown campus. Building B would primarily house specialist laboraties, along with a dry research space and biobank facility.

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View from Gloucester House Courtyard and the two pedestrian bridge links. Image:

Denton Corker Marshall

Both wings would be linked by an angled glass sheet dubbed the ‘Connector’ on the northern facade of the SBA complex. The Connector is “a dynamic 8 storey volume,” which contains “three glass lifts located in the centre of the space, the lobby to two passenger lifts in Building B, atrium voids containing two sets of cascading open interconnecting stairs… and a series of bridge links.”
Pedestrian bridges have been proposed between level three of Building B and the RPA Hospital, and between Building B and Gloucester House, to provide greater opportunities for cross discipline interaction and collaboration between the university and hospital. The glazed links will provide visual access to the activity occuring inside the bridge, while also providing new vantage points to overlook the Gloucester House courtyard.
The design team have ensured SBA’s facade is complementary to the surrounding context, including Gloucester House to the west and the Susan Wakil Health Building (SWHB) to the north. Plans state “the massing, materiality and fenestration of the SBA podium reflects Gloucester House, and its principal massing reflects SWHB with the solid podium base and floating development above, behind a lighter, shaded curtain wall facade.”
Passive design elements such as orientation, internal layout and facade shading have been incorporated to ensure the complex is well equipped to endure future weather conditions.
According to plans, the SBA would provide “increased tertiary education opportunities, the generation of new jobs and will foster research and innovation,” as well as “foster scientific innovation and collaboration, with the potential to deliver catalytic and transformational medical research outcomes, which will benefit the wider population of New South Wales and beyond.”
Denton Corker Marshall and HDR won a design competition for the project in 2022. The plans have been updated in line with recommendations presented at four Design Integrity Panel (DIP) meetings.
The application, which is now on exhibit, was submitted by the University of Sydney, in collaboration with the NSW Government (NSW Health), and the Sydney Local Health District. More

The Australian Institute of Architects has urged the Australian government to follow in the footsteps of the 27 nations, who, at the 2023 international climate forum, committed to supporting a new initiative focused on decarbonizing the built environment, called ‘Buildings Breakthrough.’
World leaders have gathered in Dubai to discuss global strategies for tackling climate change at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), taking place between 30 November and 12 December.
During the conference, two new initiatives were unveiled – the “Buildings Breakthrough” and the “Concrete and Cement Breakthrough,” both of which have an objective of reducing the carbon footprint of the building and construction sectors.
Twenty-seven nations have pledged their support for the Buildings Breakthrough, which aims to have near-zero and resilient buildings as the standard by 2030. Australia is not currently among the supporting nations. The Concrete and Cement Breakthrough also set the objective of achieving near-zero cement emissions by 2030.
According to information presented at COP28, building and construction industries account for nearly 40 percent of global energy-related carbon emissions, 50 percent of extracted materials, and one-third of global waste.
Institute national president Stuart Tanner called on the Australian Government to join the global battle, which could support sustainable decarbonization of the industry.
“The launch of these frameworks is a vital step to the transformation of the built environment through coordinated responses from national governments and international cooperation,” he said. “As one of the most urbanized nations in the world, cities are critical to Australia’s decarbonization journey. Australia should step up and accelerate the net-zero transition of our built environment.”
This year, COP28 featured a dedicated day for the built environment. Other declarations at the conference included a commitment from Australia to reduce the use of energy for cooling through the Global Cooling Pledge – an announcement that the Institute welcomed.
The Institute said it will continue to advocate for urgent climate action through partnerships with other industry bodies including the Green Building Council of Australia and ASBEC to develop practical solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimize waste and create a more sustainable future. The Institute is currently pushing for a national climate and energy plan to support global efforts in limiting temperature increases to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, as well as a new national policy for the built environment to expand the scope of the National Construction Code. More

The Western Parkland Authority in Sydney has revealed the winning design for the proposed Central Park in Bradfield City Centre – “Australia’s newest city” under construction in Western Sydney near the proposed Nancy-Bird Walton airport.
The Central Park will be the “jewel in the crown” for Bradfield City Centre – a key arrival point for the development, and an important arts and culture hub.
The winning scheme is designed by a team led by Aspect Studios with architects Collins and Turner, cultural consultant and Baramadagal woman of Dharug Country Jayne Christian, curatorial collaborator Emily McDaniel from the Wiradjuri Nation, artist Janet Laurence, structural engineers Eckersley O’Callaghan and lighting designer Steensen Varming.
Covering two hectares, the park will have 55 percent tree canopy coverage and is designed with Country.
“Bradfield Central Park is an opportunity to honour Country, celebrate the importance of old and new knowledge… not just for today but with consideration of the next seven generations.” said Aspect Studios.
The defining feature of the the design is a Sky Ring, an oval structure that will frame Big Sky Country. The Sky Ring will be surround by woodland. The park will also have a series of spaces including wetlands, a circular gathering green and a collection of woven shelters that will also provide ongoing artistic opportunities for Dharug creatives.

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Winning competition scheme for Bradfield Central Park by an Aspect Studios-led design team. Image:

Western Sydney Parkland Authority

The competition jury comprised James Corner (New York City’s High Line landscape architect), Abbie Galvin (NSW government architect), Kate Lucraft (Fluminis Design Advisory Services), Libby Gallagher (Gallagher Studio) and Clarence Slockee (Jiwah, and presenter on Gardening Australia).
“I think it balanced sort of the need to be an urban park and the understanding of its surroundings and its context, with the connection to Country and the sort of response to the Cumberland Plain,” said juror and New South Wales government architect Abbie Galvin.
Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and will open in time for the Metro and Western Sydney International Airport. More

A new luxury apartment living complex in Perth’s historical hub, designed by SS Chang, has been completed at 238 Adelaide Terrace. The 31-storey apartment complex, named AT238, houses 119 residences, as well as an indoor and outdoor gym, a steam room, 20 metre swimming pool, rooftop lounge and cinema, dog play area and dog wash, […] More

Australian playground suppliers For Park, Rhino Play, Play Works, and Play On have come together to launch a new network called the Play Collective (Play Co). The new network will provide architects and designers with access to industry experts in custom play equipment for local government, education, commercial venues and landscape design projects. The collective […] More

What would you expect from the personal home of an architectural great? Polished refinement, grandeur, a perfect floor plan? You won’t find these at the Aalto House. This is not the work of a senior starchitect, but rather the creation of two enthusiastic young Finnish designers, Alvar and Aino Aalto, who were keen to test their beliefs within the constraints of early-career means.
At this cosy residence in the Helsinki suburb of Munkkiniemi, you’ll find occasional curtains in place of doors, quirkily scaled stairs that test the possibilities of brick and timber dimensions, and custom-made joinery (much of which was added years later, a pattern many on a budget will sympathize with). But you’ll also find some passion projects – including a lifelong obsession with custom-made door handles, furniture and lights – designed for both human ergonomics and delight. This was Aino and Alvar’s home and office; a place for living, working and learning-by-doing. The building is resoundingly warm and tactile, with exposed natural timber, brick and textiles celebrated against areas of white. Even the white surfaces express the subtle materiality of timber panelling, bagged brick or expressed ceiling sheet joints. The home was clearly designed with the satisfaction of the human senses and psyche in mind.

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Maija Holma, courtesy of the Alvar Aalto Foundation

When I visited, I noticed the walls had a woven texture and realized it was simply fabric, held up by a few timber battens and nails. As a younger designer – almost exactly the same age as Alvar was when this home was built – I often struggle with how to achieve warmth and texture in a home on a plasterboard budget. Discovering details such as these long-lasting, textile-covered walls felt almost like receiving a secret wink from the Aaltos. I was both charmed and relieved by the details that don’t quite work, the things that are misaligned or look like an afterthought. The building seemed to say to me: “Hold on to the big ideas passionately and explore enthusiastically, and leave the rest to the delight of the imperfect.”
Alvar Aalto would have been 125 in 2023. This milestone underscores how ahead of its time the home and office were. With its generous connection to nature and light, and suggestions of a floor plan starting to open up, the design applies an International Style to a site-specific context. Looking at the Aalto House’s textural collage of box forms facing the street, I smirked, thinking of the many project homes of today that are still (poorly) aspiring to re-create the same ideas as this almost-90-year-old home and studio.
You should always jump at the chance to visit an architect’s own home. But don’t expect glitz and glamour; few architects prioritize this. Go instead to see a built time capsule of how they believe life can – and should – be lived.

Sarah Lebner is one of five winners of the 2023 Australian Institute of Architects’ Dulux Study Tour, which travelled to Helsinki, Lisbon, Vals, Zürich and Venice.
alvaraalto.fi/en More

City of Melbourne councillors have unanimously approved the revised Design Competition Guidelines, following a period of community engagement.
The revised guidelines, prepared by the council’s City Design Studio, promote design competitions as an alternative method of procurement that prioritizes good design and provides a pathway to design excellence.
“Our ambition with the design competition guidelines is to live up to and innovate upon the ideals of other world-class cities around the globe where we have seen design competition used effectively to promote creativity and better design,” said acting lord mayor Nicholas Reece, in moving the motion to approve the guidelines at the council’s Future Melbourne Committee on 5 December.
Design competitions have been used successfully in Victoria on major state government-led projects, as well as in other Australian cities and around the world.
In the City of Sydney, 62 percent of design competition projects have won design awards between 2000 and 2017.
“Ultimately the guidelines seek to influence the diversity of practices designing project across the municipality, to drive innovation, to prioritize holistic and site responsive design that balances public and private interests and enable investment and growth in the design talent pool of emerging small and medium sized practices,” Reece continued.
The guidelines outline clear and transparent processes for all participants, with two or three stage competition structures of varying options for anonymous or non-anonymous judging.
The council also resolved to asked the management team to identify potential City of Melbourne projects that may be suitable for design competitions.
“We need to lead by example,” said councillor Rohan Leppert. “There are many ideas but lets pool those ideas together, come up with a shortlist and see how we can really demonstrate that not only do these design competitions guidelines work but they are of extraordinary benefit to whoever the proponent is.
“Once we’ve demonstrated success, that is when we can see if this scheme can be embedded in a more general way in private development as well.”
Design competitions will be completely voluntary, but the council hopes it can encourage the private sector to adopt them as a procurement method. More

The Design Institute of Australia (DIA) has announced Ryan Russell, co-founder and director of architecture and design firm Russell and George, will be taking over the role of chair and president.
Russell’s appointment as the next DIA chair was announced during the organization’s AGM on November 2, 2023. He is set to assume the position at the next DIA AGM on October 31, 2024. As part of the role, Russell will serve as president and lead the National Advisory Council (NAC).
The DIA commented on the appointment in a comminque, which stated that Russell’s “experience as a designer has crossed the fields of architecture and interior design, industrial design, theatre and exhibition design. He has worked on projects as small as the design of a door handle up to the size of skyscrapers, across five continents. In 2007, he won the National Interior Design Award for Emerging Practice, and in 2010 he merged his business with Byron George, creating Russell and George.”
“Described as a strategist, futurist and entrepreneur in the industry, he now ventures into the fields of information technology, augmented and virtual reality and software development. He greatly assisted DIA national office in the transformation of its digital platforms and has a good understanding of the organisation.”
Russell’s most recognizable works are perhaps his interior commercial projects, with projects for Aésop, Ishizuka, Medibank, Society and Yakimono some of his most well known.
Current and outgoing president, Gavin Campbell said Russell was a fitting replacement for leading the DIA forward as he recognizes the “value of design, designers and the contribution the profession makes to a better Australia. He has been part of this process, and will continue the critical work as we move forward as a design community on a journey of advocacy and promotion of all design disciplines.”
Russell expressed his enthusiasm for working with DIA members, the board and the NAC to promote the progression of the design industry.
“Our design industry is at a turning point. I believe that our connections across the different design disciplines makes us stronger together, allowing us to shape our future as a collective within the broader social, economic and cultural contexts we are all experiencing,” Russell said. More