Architecture

Three mixed-use buildings in Sydney’s Green Square town centre, previously approved by the City of Sydney, have once again been proposed – the latest in a series of urban renewal plans for the former industrial locality.
The development has been in progress for a long time, with Bates Smart appointed as the architect in early 2016 through a design competition.
Approval for the three buildings (known as site 7, 17 and 18) had previously been granted by council across two development applications, however, a shift in the market reflecting a desire for larger owner-occupied dwellings drove a design re-think.
A new application has been filed with all three developments comprised in the one single submission. Outlined in the plans are proposals for a 160storey building and a 13 storey-building, designed by Tzannes, and a 20-storey building by Bates Smart, to be located at 960A Bourke Street, Zetland.

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Approval for the three buildings (known as site 7, 17 and 18) had previously been granted, however, a shift in the market reflecting a desire for larger owner-occupied dwellings drove a design re-think by Bates Smart. Image:

Bates Smart

Key design changes for site 18 include a reduced retail offering from two storeys to a single storey at ground level, increased communal amenities with a wellness centre, business lounge and music room proposed across the second floor totalling 147 square metres and a 46 square metre lounge bar on the roof, a single level of penthouse apartments has been replaced by three levels of penthouse apartments, the lobby has increased in size and integration of operable shading to the Northwest and Southwest facades.
Proposed for the building frame and balustrades at site 18 are powder coated aluminium in matte white and charcoal, alongside clear glazed windows. The base of site 18 has been designed as a stone plinth with punctured window openings. Expressed sandstone corners and a dynamic stepped form at the building’s base along Paul Street, provide an opportunity for a highly visible public art integration.

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Updated designs for sites 7 and 17 by Tzannes. Image: Tzannes

For sites 7 and 17, the building separation distances remain the same as per the previous application. For floors affected by window glare and privacy issues, mitigating measures have been adopted including glazing angled away from the boundary, directing views down the street, recessing living spaces behind balconies, as well as the integration of internal blinds and window modifications.
Previous plans for the facade of the buildings considered the two sites as siblings in their expression, forming a cohesive backdrop to the plaza. The updated form of the buildings feature more accentuated curved lines and a change in brick colour for site 17. Both buildings have been designed to complement one another, while also displaying individual identities through differing materials, vertical and horizontal articulation. Apartments placed at the centre of the site 7 tower and wings of the site 17 tower, as well as a residential podium above site 7’s retail offering, again provide variation between the two building facades.
The proposed communal open spaces on site 7 and site 17 also remain consistent with the previous application, however, a desire to embed biophilic design into the architectural character of the development led to the proposal of edge planting on all levels.
All residential parking for sites 7, 17 and 18 remain located in the integrated basement carpark, accessible via Tweed Place.
Planning documents state Green Square “has undergone radical change in recent years” through the completion of public domain and community infrastructure projects such as the Green Square Library and Plaza, Community Centre, Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre and the Drying Green. Ensuing project endeavours include the Green Square Public School, as well as more retail developments.
The development application has been filed with the City of Sydney, with plans now on exhibit. More

An exhibition and online auction seeks to raise funds to a new innovative organization aimed at creating better housing for remote Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory.
The Wilya Janta Housing Collaboration is an organization led by Warumunga elder Norman Frank Jupurrurla, a resident of Tennant Creek, and medical doctor Simon Quilty.
The exhibition Papulu-ku Nyinjjiki (seeing houses), hosted by Office at its Melbourne studio, includes works from artists from Tennant Creek Brio art collective as well as photographs, drawings and architectural models from Wilya Janta.
The works will be auctioned online, and the proceeds will contribute to the construction of a demonstration house, which will be home to Norman Frank Jupurrurla and Serena Morton Napanangka.

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Wilya Janta Housing Collaboration. Image:

Courtesy Office

“Facilitated by Office and Troppo Architects, the design has evolved over the last year through ongoing conversations about how they currently live and would like to in the future,” said Simon Robinson, director of Office. “This is something no one has ever asked them nor any other Aboriginal person in Tennant Creek.
“The home is Norman and Serena’s design, it is unique and responds to how they want to live. It is also a demonstration home for the process that will be undertaken by Wilya Janta for other Aboriginal people. A process of listening and respect, asking them how they would like their own home to be.”
One of the key challenges for the housing in remote Northern Territory is the extreme climate. Government-provided housing is often poorly designed, with little to no insulation, forcing residents to rely on electrically powered heating and cooling. Residents of remote communites access electricity on a prepaid system, and can experience disconnection when the credit runs out.
A study in 2021, co-authored by Norman Frank Jupurrurla and Simon Quilty, found that 91 percent of households using prepaid electrictiy have experienced diconnection and that they were more likely experience disconnection on very hot or very cold days.
The co-designed housing also consider cultural practices, such as bedrooms that allow residents to sleep east to west, and separated bathrooms that adhere to kinship avoidance practices.
Wilya Janta also seeking philanthropic support. The online auction closes on 15 October. More

The City of Canterbury-Bankstown has announced four shortlisted teams that will proceed to the second stage of a competition to design a community space in the centre of Bankstown in Sydney’s south-west. More than 100 expressions of interest were received in the first stage of the competition to transform the Griffith Park Precinct. The four […] More

Global design blog Dezeen has announced the architecture shortlist for its 2023 awards, with 85 projects making the cut across 15 categories. Australia was among the top three countries in the shortlist with seven projects, just behind Mexico with eight and the UK with 20. Australian projects fared particularly well in the residential categories with […] More

Melbourne’s MPavilion celebrates its first decade by announcing a line-up of more than 100 free events to be held over five months, from November, 2023 to March, 2024.
Launching 16 November in the Queen Victoria Gardens, the festival has been divided into three themes inspired by the architect of the 2023 MPavilion, Tadao Ando. In November and December, programming will consider Memories of Place, the links between water, gardens and changing landscapes and how we benefit from nurturing their existence. In January and February, the festival will honour Craftsmanship, and the artistry and devotion required. A Blank Canvas in March will close out the festival with a celebration of Ando’s design philosophy, sparking creativity through his minimalism, masterful conception of space and use of light, shadow and water.
ArchitectureAU rounds up the top architecture and design events:
Whose Backyard? NIMBY’S, YIMBY’s and the Future of High-Density Living
Wednesday, 22 November, 6:30pm — 8:00pm

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Whose backyard? NIMBY’s, YIMBY’s and the future of high-density living will delve into the merits and pitfalls of increasing density in urban areas. Image: Supplied

As Australia’s housing crisis deepens, higher-density living will be a crucial part of any effective solution. Building upwards rather than outwards can be more economically and socially beneficial. In this discussion, experts Nemesia Kennett, Dr James Lesh, Dan McKenna, Colleen Peterson, and Gerhana Waty will delve into the merits and pitfalls of increasing density in urban areas, often characterized as the “Yes-In-My-Backyard” (YIMBY) or “Not-In-My-Backyard” (NIMBY) movements. Through the lenses of planning, design and community care, this discussion asks: how do we respect memories of place while also responding to the need for centrally-located, high-density housing?
Holistic Design for Health
Friday, 24 November, 6:30pm — 8:00pm

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Bendigo Hospital by Silver Thomas Hanley, Bates Smart, Oculus and Paul Thompson. Image:

Peter Clarke

The Office of the Victorian Government Architect works to ensure Victoria’s buildings, infrastructure, and public places are functional, durable, efficient, sustainable, inspiring, and enjoyable, now and into the future. The office will host a discussion with leading thinkers, researchers and design practitioners exploring the topic of holistic architecture and urban planning, with a focus on natural systems and environments.
Blakitecture
Monday, 4 December, 2023, Monday, 22 January, 2024 and Monday, 18 March, 2024

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MPavilion’s seventh annual BLAKitecture forum will be held across three dates. Image:

Bradley Kerr

MPavilion’s seventh annual Blakitecture forum aims to centralize Indigenous voices in conversations about architecture, the representation of histories, and the present and future states of our built environments. Blakitecture was created by MPavilion and led by Sarah Lynn Rees until the last season. This year’s event will be curated by MPavilion’s program consultant Bradley Kerr. Event times will be announced closer to the date.
Place as Protagonist
Tuesday, 5 December, 6:30pm — 8:00pm

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Place as Protagonist explores memories and place in Melbourne through sharing stories. Image:

Leanne Hodyl

Place as Protagonist explores memories and place in Melbourne through two modes of storytelling: an online map-based community engagement platform Crowd Spot, and a storytelling event that brings a mix of voices together with a prompt to share a story about a time when the city made them laugh or cry. So many places in Melbourne hold significant memories for different people, and bring a richness and nuance to public spaces and landscapes and sharing stories can provide a guide to how the city can embody the stories of its community over time.
Inflection Journal Vol. 10 — Housing: Ever Learn to Dwell
Thursday, 7 December, 6:30pm — 8:00pm

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Reflect on the sensorial and social value of housing at the launch of the 10th volume of Inflection journal. Image: Supplied

Reflect on the sensorial and social value of housing at the launch of the 10th volume of Inflection journal. Inflection is the annual student-run journal curated by the Melbourne School of Design. Now in its tenth year, the 2023 event will look at evolving memories of housing as both a primitive yet complex assembly of contemporary living and urban conditions. Are there alternative patterns of living that tackle these issues, as well as nurture the memories? Come contemplate and celebrate the past and future of our daily lives.
If These Walls Could Talk
Thursday 14 December, 6:30pm — 7:30pm

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Younghusband redevelopment project by Woods Bagot. Image:

Woods Bagot

The Younghusband Woolstore Redevelopment reimagines a 122-year-old redbrick wool store and adjoining network of industrial early 20th-century buildings as a new mixed-use community precinct. Using an approach that seeks to “lightly touch” the existing historic structures, Woods Bagot will retain the rich heritage and character of the brick warehouses. Come along to this panel discussion and hear from speakers who have worked across all angles of the project, from the architects to the art consultant and the caretaker who has cared for the buildings since the 1970s, as they discuss what will be Melbourne’s largest net-zero carbon, adaptive-reuse precinct.
Crossing Borders: Immigrant Women Designers and the Built Environment
Sunday, 28 January, 2024, 5:00pm — 6:30pm

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Crossing Borders hopes to foster a deeper understanding of the obstacles that female migrant designers encounter in their professional lives. Image: Supplied

Explore the experiences, challenges, and stories of migrant female built environment practitioners working in Australia. Through discussing the challenges they have faced and overcome, this panel hopes to foster a deeper understanding of the obstacles that female migrant designers encounter in their professional lives as well as how it plays into their interests in the chosen field. The discussion will delve into the complex interplay between design, culture, identity, and migration, considering the diverse stories, tensions, and interactions these designers and academics have within the Australian context. By inviting these culturally and linguistically diverse designers and academics to speak, this talk aims to provide a platform for marginalized groups to build communities and bonds, and explore how their cultural backgrounds and identities shape their interests and professional practices.
NAM (New Architects Melbourne) #42
Wednesday, 31 January, 2024, 6:30pm — 8:00pm

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NAM (New Architects Melbourne) #42 will discuss relationships between the mastery of materials, site-specificity and emerging technology. Image:

Qunzhang Nam

NAM (New Architects Melbourne) #42 brings together emerging architects, experienced practitioners and allied professionals to discuss the enduring importance of craftsmanship in shaping the built environment. With the discussion centred around the nuanced relationships between the mastery of materials, site-specificity and emerging technology, attendees are invited to learn more about craft traditions and about collaborating with artisans and local communities to sustain craft techniques. Speakers will each share their encounters and experiences with craft in a rapid PechaKucha-style presentation, with 20 slides and 20 seconds of commentary each.
Taking Care: First Nations Design for a Changing Climate
Tuesday, 27 February, 2024, 6:30pm — 8:30pm

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Taking Care is an invitation to celebrate designing on, with, and for Country, through First Nations-led transitions towards material practices of connection and care. Image:

Michael McMahon

As our climate changes, the celebration, support and amplification of inclusive and non-extractive material practices has never been more urgent. Taking Care is an invitation to celebrate designing on, with, and for Country, through First Nations-led transitions towards material practices of connection and care. Taking Care convenes voices from key First Nations-led projects across the contemporary field of design, introducing the ways in which material practices of care and connection are reshaping the fabric of our grown and built environment.
Robin Boyd Foundation Panel: Tradition and Innovation
Sunday, 3 March, 2024, 2:00pm — 3:00pm

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Walsh Street (1957) Robin Boyd. The Robin Boyd Foundation Panel will explore the relationship between traditional and modern aspects of everyday life in Japan and connections to architecture in Melbourne. Image:

Mainroad Property Marketing

This panel discussion will explore the relationship between traditional and modern aspects of everyday life in Japan and connections to architectural and design innovation in Melbourne. The event will accompany an exhibition curated by NMBW Architecture Studio at Robin Boyd’s iconic Walsh Street residence. Participants are invited to explore the exhibition before or after the talk.
Architectural Photography Workshop
Sunday, 3 March, 2024, 6:00pm — 8:30pm and Saturday, 9 March, 2024, 6:00pm — 8:30pm

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Learn how to photograph the MPavilion structure and showcase its best angles in a workshop with Australia’s pre-eminent architectural photographer, John Gollings. Image:

John Gollings

Learn how to photograph the MPavilion structure and showcase its best angles in this workshop with Australia’s pre-eminent architectural photographer, John Gollings, known for his expansive work documenting both cultural and contemporary architecture. Suitable for serious photographers, in this workshop Gollings will replicate full architectural coverage of the structure, showing both the constraints and opportunities of ground level and drone photography.
The Excellent City Series: Festival of Design
Saturday, 23 March, 2024, 12:00pm — 9:00pm

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The Excellent City Series: Festival of Design invites you to speculate on what design excellence could look like in Melbourne and how we might work together to achieve it. Image:

Rory Gardiner

Celebrating craftsmanship, subversive tactics and inclusive ways of creating, this festival invites you to speculate on what design excellence could look like in Melbourne and how we might work together to achieve it. The Festival will explore interdisciplinary co-creation and how unlikely partnerships may influence ways of doing things, for the better. Join artists, agitators, provocateurs, built environment professionals, academics and activists for an afternoon of sequential collaborative workshops, discussions and performances. Designed for diverse participants to freely contribute and interact through a range of activities, this event welcomes people of all ages, genders, cultures, abilities and walks of life.
The Canvas is Never Blank
Wednesday, 27 March, 2024, 6:30pm — 7:30pm

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All living recipients of the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal prize, as invited by the AIA, discuss and debate critical regionalism versus global modernism. Image:

Daniel Moore

To what extent should architecture consider or ignore the natural and contextual environments of buildings? When architects consider the local climate, culture, and history of a project, they can design more energy-efficient, functional buildings that respond to the needs of the people using them. On the other hand, some architects believe that considering nature and context can limit the architect’s creativity and lead to less innovative buildings. Listen to all living recipients of the Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal prize, as invited by the Institute, as they discuss and debate critical regionalism versus global modernism. More

The proponents of a three-tower over-station development in Sydney’s Crows Nest have announced plans to create affordable housing for key and essential healthcare workers in the area. The Woods Bagot-designed proposal, to be located on Pacific Highway above a future Crows Nest Metro station, was first approved by the then-planning minister Rob Stokes in 2021. […] More

Sydney Open 2023 will provide behind-the-scenes access to more than 40 of the city’s important historic and architecturally inspiring buildings and spaces, many usually off limits to the public.
Presented by the Museums of History NSW, the open offers visitors a chance to marvel at some of the most loved and hidden architectural gems across the city, from historic and culturally significant buildings to award winning contemporary and inspirational designs.
Highlights of the program include Argyle Well, an 1840’s terrace restored and extended with a contemporary addition for modern living by Welsh and Major; Mortuary Station, the only surviving example of purpose-built Victorian railway funerary architecture in Australia; RSHP Office Barangaroo Tower 2, a prominent landmark in Barangaroo with views over Pyrmont and Darling Harbour, South Eveleigh, a work and lifestyle precinct; Yirranma Place, a restored former church reimagined as a social purpose precinct by SJB for philanthropy; Parbury Ruins, an archaeological gem preserved under a large residential complex; and Tusculum, a grand colonial villa constructed with stuccoed brickwork and interiors that feature cedar imported from Lebanon and marble from Tusculum in Italy, and home of the Australian Institute of Architects.

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Attendees will have the opportunity to visit the National Art School, with 2023 marking the 101st anniversary of the unique transformation from gaol to art school. Image:

Peter Morgan for Museums of History NSW

Attendees will also have a unique opportunity to visit the National Art School, which, in 2023, is marking the 101st anniversary of the unique transformation from notorious gaol to Australia’s longest running art school.
Museums of History NSW CEO, Mary Darwell said the event is a great opportunity to engage, appreciate and better understand the “diverse and beautiful architectural heritage and stories of this wonderful city.”
“We look forward to seeing everyone on the day soaking up the incredible atmosphere, celebrating Sydney’s great architecture and design.”
Since 1997, the open has welcomed more than 95,000 visitors into more than 600 buildings and places of architectural, historic and cultural significance. More

Four finalist teams have been selected to proceed to the next stage of a competition to design an Indigenous Centre of Excellence at Western Sydney University (WSU).
The finalists teams are:

Ngurrabirang Dharug, which includes Hardyhardy, Jason Wing, Mantirri Design, ARM Architecture, TCL, Cundall.
Ngalaiya Collective, which includes Greenaway Architects x Greenshoot Consulting, COLA Studio, NH Architecture, Oculus, Jabin and Atelier Ten.
BVN, which includes BVN, Blaklash, Aspect Studios, Introba and Land Eco.
Sarah Lynn Rees, Jackson Clements Burrows Architects,Peter Stutchbury Architecture and Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture, which also includes Uncle Dean Kelly, Hills Thalis and Flux consultants.

“The quality of the entries and the overwhelming interest in the competition underscore the significance of this project,” said Dillon Kombumerri, chair of competition selection committee. “Designers from around the country recognize the Indigenous Centre of Excellence as a unique opportunity to contribute to First Peoples’ education and culture. The selected finalists have demonstrated exceptional potential in shaping this iconic First Nations space.”
In stage two of the design competition, teams will develop comprehensive design proposals for the project, to be situated on Dharug land at WSU’s Parramatta South campus.
The Indigenous Centre of Excellence is part of the university’s strategic aim of fostering and supporting the development of the next generation of Indigenous leaders.
“The Indigenous Centre of Excellence will be a celebration of tens of thousands of years of Indigenous knowledges and histories. It will provide an important space for the community to engage with both the University’s and the Western Sydney region’s deep connection with Indigenous people,” said WSU vice-chancellor Barney Glover.
“It is testament to the University’s commitment to advancing Indigenous education, leadership, and engagement, recognixing that we are located on Aboriginal land and that our relationship with Indigenous communities is foundational to who we are as an institution.”
The centre to provide opportunities for Indigenous peoples to celebrate culture and connection to Country, as well as connect with First Nations peoples across the world. The centre will be a place of truth-telling, teaching and learning, inter-disciplinary research, creativity and innovation.
“We are thrilled to see such a strong group of finalists who are dedicated to honouring Indigenous knowledges and cultures in their designs,” said WSU deputy vice-chancellor Indigenous leadership, Michelle Trudgett. “This project is a beacon of Indigenous excellence, and these finalists will play a pivotal role in bringing this vision to life.”
The winning team and design is expected to be revealed at the end of 2023. More