Architecture

Entries are now open for the 2024 Australian Urban Design Awards, the annual program established in 1996 to celebrate exceptional homegrown urban design projects.
Created by former prime minister Paul Keating’s Urban Design Taskforce, the awards have highlighted the critical role of good urban design for more than 25 years. The scope of the awards is wide-ranging, attracting entries for not only built projects, but also initiatives and publications that make significant social contributions to cities and towns.
There are four awards categories, including: Built Projects – City and Regional Scale, recognizing completed built projects at a town, suburb, city or region scale; Built Projects – Local and Neighbourhood Scale, acknowledging completed built projects at a site, local or neighbourhood echelon; Leadership, Advocacy and Research – City and Regional Scale, celebrating proposed projects and ideas that could facilitate, guide or promote urban design excellence at a national, state, territory, regional or city scale; and Leadership, Advocacy and Research – Local and Neighbourhood Scale, applauding proposed projects and concepts that could facilitate, guide or promote urban design excellence at a site, local or neighbourhood level.
Cox Architecture, Six Degrees Architects, Architectus, Oculus Landscape Architecture and Urban Design, Aspect Studios, and SBLA Studio were among the winners of the most recent awards, last presented in 2022.
The Australian Urban Design Awards are co-convened by the Planning Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Architects and the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects.
Entries will be accepted until Friday 2 February 2024. Submissions can be made via the Urban Design Awards website. Awards and commendations will be revealed at a presentation at Canberra’s Parliament House on 18 March 2024. More

Plans for the construction of Australia’s first “circularity centre” have been released with Bega in New South Wales set to become the home of circular innovation.
Designed by Cox Architecture, the facility will operate as a discovery and educational centre, a tourism destination and the headquarters for circular economy research and advancement. Plans state the hub will “showcase local products, programs, technology use and community history, connecting the past to the future.”

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The centre is set to open in early 2026. Image:

Cox Architecture

The project is an initiative of the Regional Circularity Cooperative, a membership organization with support from a range of businesses including Bega Cheese, the University of Wollongong, Bega Valley Shire Council, as well as industry bodies, such as Meat and Livestock Australia, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, and Landcare and Aboriginal Land Councils. The group aims to make the Bega Valley “the most circular region in Australia by 2030.”
“The Bega Valley is the perfect location to prove the concept of the circular economy because it is a natural water catchment and has relevant industries thriving in the district – tourism, agriculture, aquaculture and Australian food producer, Bega Cheese – and a strong resilient community who are open to change,” the University of Wollongong said in a statement.
Comprising a visitors’ centre, a local providore, agriculture technology and business innovation hub, the Centre of Circularity aspires to be the “home of circular economy” education in Australia.

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The centre will educate visitors on circular economies, sustainability, technology, and capabilities of the region as the home of circularity. Image:

Cox Architecture

The facility will embody the theme of circularity through the use of recycled, repurposed and locally sourced materials, as well as through targeting sustainability and low energy ratings. It will also incorporate First Nations culture and history into the design.
The objectives of the establishment include educating visitors on circular economies, technology, sustainability, agriculture, land management, water use, food production and business innovation; demonstrating the capabilities and potential of Bega Valley as an epicentre of circularity; establishing the region as a model for other regions and organizations to follow suit; and attract domestic and international tourism to the area.
The NSW government has allocated $14 million to the $19 million National Circularity Centre (NCC), while the Bega Group has committed to contributing the remaining $5 million, as well as provide land for the construction of the site.
The centre is set to open in early 2026. More

Linear collection

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Linear collection by Coco Flip. Image: Supplied

Coco Flip, a Melbourne-based furniture and lighting design studio, presented its Linear collection at Melbourne Design Week 2023. Created in collaboration with Melbourne’s last remaining pleating factory, Linear lights combine pleated linen with reclaimed timber. Visit website
Manta Pilti credenza

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The Manta Pilti (dry sand) series tells the story of an increasingly arid landscape in remote South Australia Image:

Fiona Susanto

The result of a cross-cultural design collaboration between Tanya Singer and Trent Jansen, the Manta Pilti (dry sand) series tells the story of an increasingly arid landscape in remote South Australia, expressed through detailed timber carvings. Visit website
Salt Pig

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Salt Pig by Henry Holland Studio. Image: Supplied

The Henry Holland range of Salt Pigs are hand-built from earthenware clay. Designed to sit proudly on the kitchen counter, these retro-inspired vessels are available in a selection of marbled colourways and hold a generous amount of sea salt, herbs or spices. Visit website
Haze sideboard

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Haze sideboard by Ferm Living. Image: Supplied

Constructed from reeded glass and powder- coated steel, the Haze sideboard from Ferm Living is both a storage solution and an elegant display cabinet. Its sleek metal frame blends with a range of interior styles, and its glass doors blur the cupboard’s contents. Visit website
Overlay rug collection

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Overlay rug collection by Danielah Martinez. Image:

Pete Daly

Designed by Danielah Martinez, Overlay balances playful shapes with plush layers in a modern collection of geometric rugs. Carefully hand-tufted in India from New Zealand wool, Overlay is designed for long- lasting comfort. Visit website
Crafted Collection

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Crafted Collection by Made By Morgen. Image: Supplied

Made by Morgen’s Crafted Collection features a range of bespoke furniture including beds, tables, seating and storage. The pieces highlight the simplicity of Scandinavian design, combining traditional Danish cord weaving techniques with the beauty of natural timber. Visit website
Vero dining table

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The Vero dining table by Arte Brotto has been designed to age gracefully. Image: Supplied

Italian furniture brand Arte Brotto, available from Domo, is a family-owned company that has been implementing traditional making techniques for more than 50 years. Crafted from FSC-certified wood, the Vero dining table and L21S chair celebrate the natural beauty of solid walnut. Visit website More

The ABC has announced it will be the home of a new Grand Designs television series to be released in 2024, featuring two new hosts and a fresh direction. Grand Designs Transformations will concentrate on renovations rather than new builds, unlike its Foxtel predecessor Grand Designs Australia, which wrapped up in early 2023 after 11 […] More

In a bid to decarbonize buildings, the federal government has allocated $100,000 in funding to support a new training program for architects, to be delivered by the Australian Institute of Architects.
The program intends to “equip architects with the tools to tackle the complex challenge of reducing embodied carbon in buildings,” the communiqué reads.
Aimed at lowering emissions before the construction phase starts, the initiative seeks to provide insight on how to decrease embodied carbon emissions produced through processes such as material extraction, production and transportation of building products, as well as construction, maintenance, repairs and renovations.
Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy Jenny McAllister said clever approaches to design could assist Australia in achieving its target of net zero emissions by 2050.
“Architects can dramatically reduce emissions from our built environment before one brick is even laid, just by making different design choices,” said McAllister. “Rethinking opportunities and making smarter choices in building design will help decarbonise the industry, but also save costs. Cost effective solutions already exist, we want to help bring these solutions to more architects across Australia.
“Clever design strategies, like repurposing an existing structure in the Quay Quarter Tower, saved 12,000 tonnes of embodied carbon. This is equivalent to taking 2,600 cars off the road.
“We want to help our architects design for a net zero future. This new training program will do just that.”
According to a statement released by the federal government, current market solutions suggest a 5 to 18 percent reduction in embodied carbon could be accomplished while a 0.4 to 3 percent decrease in material costs for typical building and infrastructure projects could be achieved.
“As the electricity grid decarbonizes and energy efficiency is embraced by homes and businesses, embodied carbon will overtake operational emissions, growing from 16 percent of a building’s total emissions in 2019 to 85 percent by 2050.”
The program will comprise a roadmap and toolkit developed by industry experts, to be delivered in person and online via the Australian Institute of Architects. More

Recipient of the 2023 National Award for Public Architecture, the much-anticipated Melbourne Holocaust Museum will reopen its doors to the public on Sunday 12 November.
The Kerstin Thompson Architects-designed museum adaptively reuses the original building on the site, constructed in the 1920s and purchased by the museum in 1984.
A significant site for memorializing and preserving history, the form visually and physically interacts with the street through its facade and internal views to the surrounding neighbourhood. The frontage of the building prompts passersby to pause, reflect and remember.

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The facade uses a combination of clay and transparent glass bricks woven together, enabling light to be drawn through the clear bricks. Image:

Derek Swalwell

The concept of light was central to the design, with light not only being a symbol of knowledge, but also a beacon of hope. The facade uses a combination of clay and transparent glass bricks woven together, enabling the light to be drawn through the clear bricks, and again creating a relationship with the street. Soft natural light fills the interior, while complementary timber features offer a subdued yet visually pleasing aesthetic.

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Timber features offer a subdued yet visually pleasing aesthetic. Image:

Derek Swalwell

The project has garned significant praise from those within the architecture profession. The 2023 National Architecture Awards jury observed in their citation “the details are rigorous and pared back, granting a calm order and elegance. From outside to within, this building is perfectly positioned as a sophisticated and appropriate place to tell the stories of the Jewish community.
“This simple, warm space is a comforting adjunct to the immersive exhibition spaces which are at times confronting.”
Similarly, the 2023 Victorian Architecture Awards jury said the realization of the Melbourne Holocaust Museum is simultaneously sensitive and powerfully symbolic. “A humane architectural language and materiality define the museum’s centralised circulation.
“Moments of vertical connection evoke reverence and the clever manipulation of natural light through openings and reflective surfaces provide relief from the museum’s exhibits, as well as facilitating opportunities for contemplation and contextualisation. The museum is successful in its balance of the pragmatic, poetic and sustainable.”
The museum, comprises three exhibition spaces, as well as learning, memorial and research facilities. With the launch of the museum marks the debut of its permanent exhibition Everybody Had a Name, a tragic and moving retelling of survivor stories, accompanied with photographs and artefacts. Melbourne Holocaust Museum opens on 12 November 2023. To find out more about current exhibitions visit the Melbourne Holocaust Museum website. More

A five-tower mixed complex has been proposed for the centre of Adelaide, which will accommodate a 220-room hotel and 600 residential apartments, as well retail, wellness and recreation facilities.
Designed by Elenberg Fraser with landscape architecture by TCL, the $1.25 billion project is proposed for the former Australia Post site on the corner of Grote and Gouger Streets.
The site is, incidentally, one of three Australian Institute of Architects’ alternative suggestions for the proposed Women’s and Children’s hospital.
The towers will range between 15 to 28 storeys high. Tower 1, housing a hotel and facing Grote Street, will be 17 storey, and its design will retain the existing Walton’s Biscuit Factory facade.
The remaining four towers will accommodate residential apartments, with 90 units reserved for affordable housing, thanks to an affordable housing overlay on the site that allows the developer, Gurner, to exceed the height limits for the area. The affordable housing units will be dispersed among towers 2, 4, and 5. Tower 3, the tallest of the five towers at 28 storeys, will occupy the prominent corner of Blenheim and Gouger Streets.

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Tower 3 in the proposed Grote and Gouger designed by Elenberg Fraser and TCL. Image:

Elenberg Fraser and TCL

The proponents say the project is “aiming to achieve the most significant carbon-neutral project in the city.”
“The design of the project draws inspiration from the rich architectural heritage of Adelaide, specifically emphasizing the principles of order, symmetry, and the repetition of elemental and local materials,” said the architects in the projects planning application. “Influenced by the city’s historic buildings, the design seeks to create a harmonious and visually appealing environment. By carefully analyzing the architectural language of the heritage structures, the project incorporates similar design elements to evoke a sense of continuity and connection to the past. The use of locally sourced materials not only pays homage to the region’s heritage but also contributes to the sustainability and authenticity of the design.
“The design of the towers takes inspiration from classic modernism buildings. Drawing from modernist houses, the tower design seamlessly integrating lush greenery and terraces that blur the boundaries between the built environment and the natural world.”
The towers will be connected a private network of laneways and gardens as well as a “cenote” at the centre of the site that will form a plaza.
The application will be considered by the State Commission Assessment Panel on 8 November. The planning report recommends consent be granted. More

The South Australian government has unveiled designs for a $74 million upgrade to Noarlunga Hospital in Adelaide’s southern suburbs. The government first announced the redevelopment project in January 2023. Wiltshire Swain Architects and GHD Woodhead were appointed by SA Health and Department for Infrastructure and Transport to design the upgrade in consultation with clinical teams […] More