Architecture

The South Australian government has proposed updated heritage standards for the Goolwa and Port Adelaide State Heritage Areas, in a move that seeks to protect the historical character of two of the state’s oldest maritime precincts from inappropriate future developments.
Port Adelaide was South Australia’s first port (declared as a port in 1837) and the first local government area to be designated as a State Heritage Area due to its vast collection of colonial buildings – the largest collection in the state. Many of these historical nineteenth century structures supported commercial activities related to the shipping trade.
Goolwa also played a vital role in Australia’s trade history during the mid- to late-1800s, serving as a key port along the Murray River for the transportation of goods to and from Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
The state government is currently revising the existing Guidelines for Development across 17 State Heritage Areas, introducing a new heritage standard for each area. If the revisions receive approval, they will be used to evaluate planning and development applications referred to the heritage minister. The approved standards will also be shared with property owners to offer guidance on permissible modifications and additions to buildings.
Michael Queale, the principal heritage architect for the Department for Environment and Water, said State Heritage Areas serve to protect and celebrate places that hold historical, cultural or natural significance, as well as demostrate the evolution of the state.
“Property owners can use the heritage standard for advice when they submit a development application. It covers what is acceptable for new buildings or changes like fences, pergolas, sheds, adding rainwater tanks, or any development that might affect heritage values,” he said.
“The proposed heritage standard will not change any regulated development application fees, nor does it change the heritage listing status of properties within the State Heritage Area. These properties will continue to be protected.”
The consultation portal for changes related to the Goolwa and Port Adelaide State Heritage Areas is open until 22 November. To have your say, visit the website. More

The City of Subiaco in Perth is inviting expressions of interest from multidisciplinary design teams for the creation of a new building and improved public space in its civic precinct, following the launch of a two-stage procurement process.
Expressions of interest are now open to architecture firms across Australia. Three teams will be shortlisted from the pool of candidates that expressed their interest in the project. Those three teams will then be required to produce concept designs demonstrating their understanding of the project scope, building location and heritage of the civic precinct.
The competition brief involves designing a new council chambers and administration building at 241 Rokeby Road to replace the existing 50-year-old building. The new facility will feature about 150 workplaces, a public lobby that allows for exhibition space, public toilets and a community hub with workshop rooms. Additionally, the landscape design aspect of the brief aims to enhance approximately 13,000 square metres of public space within the precinct, including Rankin Gardens.
Multidisciplinary teams should include both an architect and landscape architect. To qualify, teams must include a lead architect who is a practising architect, architectural company or architectural partnership within Australia, that is eligible to register as an architect in Western Australia, in accordance with the Architects Act 2004 (WA).
A jury of design experts has been selected to assess entries alongside the City of Subiaco council. This jury comprises government architect for Western Australia, Emma Williamson; Emeritus Professor of Architecture, University of Western Australia, Geoffrey London; Professor of Architecture (Urbanism) at RMIT University, Mark Jacques, and director of Shelley Penn Architect, Shelley Penn.
The registration portal is now open and will close on 14 November 2024. Proposals for stage one must be submitted by 21 November. The shortlist for stage one will be revealed on 27 January 2025, while the competition winner will be announced in mid-2025.

Following the announcement of the winner, the detailed design phase of the project will commence, accompanied by a period of community consultation. More

The Royal Institute of British Architects has awarded their 2024 Sirling Prize to the Elizabeth Line, designed by Grimshaw, Maynard Equation and Atkinsréalis. Completed in 2023, the project for London’s new transport network includes ten new stations, each designed in response to their individual contexts, connecting into unified line-wide architecture.
RIBA Stirling Prize jury chair and RIBA president Muyiwa Oki commended the project for its highly-inclusive, cohesive outcome, one which, according to the Institute, has already evidenced its social, economic and environmental value by expanding capacity, reducing congestion and creating employment opportunities since its opening.

View gallery

“The Elizabeth Line is a triumph in architect-led collaboration, offering a flawless, efficient, beautifully choreographed solution to inner-city transport,” Oki commented. “It’s an uncluttered canvas that incorporates a slick suite of architectural components to create a consistent, line-wide identity – through which thousands of daily passengers navigate with ease.”
On behalf of the design team, Neill McClements, partner at Grimshaw, said, “The Elizabeth Line is a piece of infrastructure that has been transformative, not only for London’s transport network but also for many people’s lives, highlighting the role design plays in elevating our every day.”
Across myriad elements, including platform architecture, passenger tunnels, escalators, concourses, signage, furniture, fittings and signage, the project was designed with longevity and in mind. According to the architect, the curved glass-reinforced concrete cladding that lines the tunnels was selected to enable an economy of scale while ensuring future ease of maintenance.

View gallery

McClements observed that the project is “a recognition of the challenges that our profession faces today – the responsibility we have to rapidly respond to the climate emergency, decarbonise our cities and prioritise social and economic equity. We know this is only achievable through collaboration and the Stirling Prize recognises all of the design and construction teams that have come together to make the project the success that it is.”
Other nominees in the six-strong shortlist for the prize included the large-scale regeneration of King’s Cross by Allies and Morrison and Porphyrios Associates and the transformation of the National Portrait Gallery in London by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell. More

Seven Australian projects and four student projects have been named winners in the 2024 Architecture Masterprize.
The awarded projects include a Brisbane school building, Sydney aged care facility and Melbourne residence. Tadao Ando’s MPavilion 10 and Rob Mills’ Hampden by RMA – also in Melbourne – have earnt the Best of Best title, which recognises the top five percent of projects in the awards.
The prize, formerly known as the American Architecture Prize, was started in 2015 by publishing and awards company Farmani Group. In 2024, it accepted entries from 43 countries in 47 categories spanning architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture.
In addition to their Hapden by RMA project, which was awarded in the Residential Architecture – Multi Unit category, Rob Mills Architecture & Interiors took home a second prize for their Hillside Residence in Prahran in the Residential Interior category.
Two Sydney projects were also awarded prizes. Kaunitz Yeung Architecture’s Yutjuwala Djwarr – Nhulunbuy Flexible Aged Care Facility – a project which unites First Nations knowledge with contemporary technology – was recognised in the Health / Wellness category, and Archer Office’s Allan Border Oval Pavilion – a clever combination of grandstand and club house – was recognised in the Recreational Architecture category.

View gallery

An innovative and transformational educational facility, the Brisbane Grammar School STEAM Precinct by Wilson Architects was named a winner in the Educational Buildings category.

View gallery

In landscape architecture, Decibel Architecture was awarded in the Installations and Structures category for their “floating” Waratah Studio in Melbourne’s Chelsea Garden.
The awards’ overall winners were Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Centre by Rockwell Group in the United States (Architectural Design of the Year), Nobu by Cuaik CDS in Mexico (Interior Design of the Year) and Qin Lake Park: From Culture to Nature by Grasp Earth Architecture and Landscape Design Co., Ltd in China (Landscape Architecture of the Year). The newly minted Social Impact Project of the Year Award was given to 54 Social Housing in Inca, Mallorca by Fortuny-Alventosa, Morell Arquitectes in Spain.
A jury of 58 designers, architects, curators and academics from around the world selected the winning projects. More

The National Gallery of Australia in Kamberri/Canberra have announced the winner of their National Sculpture Garden Design Competition, which was launched back in April. Based in New South Wales, the winning team comprises CO-AP, JEF, TARN and Plus Minus Design, under the name CO-AP Holdings.
National Gallery director Dr Nick Mitzevich said the collective won the international competition with a thoughtful approach that showed a sensitivity and respect for the garden’s history and heritage. Their plan for renewing, reconnecting and revitalising existing gardens and infrastructure more than doubles the space for public art, creating opportunities for new experiences and a permanent building.

View gallery

According to Mitzevich, “the jury were struck by the devotion and care CO-AP Holdings had for the National Sculpture Garden. CO-AP Holdings understood the significance and gravitas of the existing garden and its legacy, but also the importance of bringing the garden into the 21st century.”
CO-AP Holdings’ proposal replaces the existing Sculpture Garden marquee with a permanent stainless steel and glass pavilion, and introduces a new promenade and multi-campus square at the National Gallery forecourt. The existing summer, winter and spring gardens that surround these elements will be reworked into seven distinct gardens linked in a continuous circuit with enhanced accessibility and lighting. Comprising eucalypt forests, a fern gully, casuarina groves and grassy woodlands, these gardens are intended to capture Australia’s rich and biodiverse landscapes.

View gallery

Will Fung, director of CO-AP and member of the winning team reflected, “We decided to enter the competition because we shared a deep love for the Sculpture Garden originally designed by Harry Howard, Barbara Buchanan and Roger Vidler. It is the most important modernist landscape in Australia and provides a beautiful counterpoint to Colin Madigan’s magnificent gallery building. We feel that this is a sustainable and respectful design decision. We are very much looking forward to exploring, developing and implementing our ideas for the National Sculpture Garden with the National Gallery of Australia.”

View gallery

The winning consortium was selected from a shortlist of five teams from Victoria and New South Wales by a jury of distinguished experts. Chaired by architect and chair of the Heritage Council of Victoria Professor Philip Goad, the jury comprised National Gallery director Dr Nick Mitzevich, Barkandji artist and curator Nici Cumpston, and renowned Chilean landscape architect Teresa Moller.
First Nations consultant Bradley Mapiva Brown (Bagariin Ngunnawal Cultural Consulting), artist Leila Jeffreys, structural engineer PMI Engineers, lighting designer Arup, wayfinding consultant Studio Ongarato, heritage consultant CAB Consulting, art consultant Felicity Fenner and quantity surveyor Heymann Consulting also contributed to the successful proposal.
The National Gallery will begin working with CO-AP Holdings and key stakeholders to develop the design next year. Mitzevich commented, “We are very much at the beginning of the journey and we look forward to working with the team to develop a final design and future vision for the Garden.” More

A state significant development application proposing a nine-storey student accommodation building has been submitted by the University of Newcastle to the New South Wales Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.
The student housing complex forms part of a 2018 masterplan that proposed the development of seven new university buildings over a 10-year period in the Honeysuckle precinct. The buildings were conceptualised to support teaching, research and accommodation.
The accommodation building – designed by Architectus – would be sited at the university’s city campus, on the corner of Worth Place and Civic Lane. The proposed building houses more than 400 beds for both domestic and international students.
University of Newcastle vice-chancellor Professor Alex Zelinsky said the university’s vision for providing much-needed accommodation options for existing and prospective students is one step closer to becoming a reality.

View gallery

“Addressing the housing needs of our students has always been one of our highest priorities, and with the proposed 445 beds in this new building, we aim to provide some relief to the growing demand for student accommodation,” Zelinsky said.
According to Architectus’s design statement, the proposed concept aims to cultivate a sense of community by providing students and staff with welcoming spaces for social interaction, such as communal areas positioned outside the lift core on every floor. Additionally, the design aims to foster wellbeing through the integration of greenery and a layout that organises residences around a naturally ventilated central corridor.
“At the core of the development is the provision of diverse student living accommodations, offering a range of types designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s students,” the statement reads.

View gallery

The ground level features activity spaces, including a music room and areas for cooking, dining, recreation and administration. Also on the ground floor, 130 square metres has been dedicated to retail amenity.
Architectus associate principal Craig Earley said the design revitalises a formerly industrial area of the city. “Both the architecture and interior design have been deeply influenced by the site’s cultural and colonial histories. This approach offers students the opportunity to gain a richer understanding of the Country they inhabit while helping them build a strong identity within their student community,” Earley said.
Feedback received during the application’s exhibition is currently being compiled for determination. Should the application receive approval, the university anticipates that construction will commence in 2025.
Earlier concept designs for the accommodation building were unveiled in January 2024. More

In partnership with Bric Housing, St George Community Housing has lodged a development application at 41–49 Carseldine Place to deliver new social and affordable homes in Brisbane’s north. The $87 million project designed by long-time collaborators DKO comprises 62 social and 90 affordable housing units.
Located 12km north of Brisbane’s CBD in Carseldine Village, the project is designated within Economic Development Queensland’s Fitzgibbon Priority Development Area (PDA) – a zone targeted for residential development incorporating significant bushland area and open space.
Director of DKO’s Brisbane studio Kai Chua commented that the team’s approach prioritised sustainability and passive design alongside resident amenity, longevity and ease of maintenance.
“The building has been designed as a series of boutique blocks to break up the long and narrow site, navigating scale and identity within Carseldine Village,” Chua said. “These spaces between the blocks became opportunities for us to incorporate ventilated corridors, communal break out areas, landscape elements and even moments for art.”
Of the 152 residences, 75 percent achieve cross ventilation. Sunshades and balconies have been incorporated along the building’s east and west facades to minimise heat gain. The proposal is set to achieve a 5-Star Green Star rating.
Chua commented that the firm has been “incredibly proud to have been involved in designing critical housing in this area and look forward to progressing the building through its next phases.” More

A development application that proposes the establishment of dual towers up to 17 storeys tall in Cottesloe, Perth, has been filed with the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage.
The application proposes the construction of two towers – one at 15 storeys in height and the other reaching 17 storeys – connected by a three-storey podium. The nominated site, a 3,232-square-metre parcel located at 7–11 Station Street, is positioned between the Cottesloe Train Station and the historic Albion Hotel.
Currently, the site is occupied by two single-storey retail and commercial buildings, which would be demolished if the development is granted approval.
Designed by Architectus, the building would accommodate 125 residential dwellings and residential communal amenities on the podium roof including a pool, cocktail lounge and gym. Additionally, it would contain a 128-room hotel with a restaurant, a function area, a bar, co-working spaces and a pool.

View gallery

Under the plans, four levels of basement parking and 1300 square metres of commercial and retail floor space would also be introduced, along with a new pedestrian link connecting Station Street to De Nardi Lane.
Property developer Sirona Urban first submitted plans for the site in 2021, with the plans having undergone multiple design iterations since then.
In its design report, Architectus notes that the proposal aims to revive the neighbourhood’s fine grain character at the ground level and reactivate the street edge. In aiming to accomplish this, the architects have envisioned a layered facade, the creation of a double-height laneway and the introduction of dining offerings that have the potential to spill out onto the street. Landscaped public spaces surrounding the building further aim to activate the area.
According to the design team, the articulation and materiality of the building was conceptualised to extend Cottesloe’s natural and built context. “Materials have been chosen to reflect the limestone and sand that characterises the Cottesloe coastline and historic quarries,” the report states.
“The soft and rounded corners, and gradation from darker to lighter tones, are also informed by the natural landforms’ erosion over time.”
The plans are on exhibition until 4 November 2024. More