Architecture

Sydney’s brand new Gaggenau showroom has just opened its doors, with four contemporary kitchens, a courtyard and media room designed by German architect and long-time collaborator of the brand, Hendrik Müller, of 1zu33 Architectural Brand Identity.
Müller said the space has been divided into two zones – one part, which they call the social hub, is street facing and showcases the products whereas the other part is at the rear and exhibits the appliances in action with a fully functional kitchen.
“In the front part, you see products on display, whereas in the rear, this is much more influenced by residential design, created with the intention of focusing on an application driven way of showcasing the product,” Müller said.
There is a ceiling height of about five-metres in the social hub, which Müller said creates the impression that you are in a gallery. In the rear zone, there is a dropped ceiling with wooden beams and a raised floor to evoke a more cozy, homey feel.

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The new Gaggenau Sydney showroom, with architecture and design by 1zu33’s Hendrik Müller and styling by Jack Milenkovic. Image:

Steen Vestergaard

For the social hub, Müller said he drew inspiration from the many restaurants, bars and coffee places that are located near the showroom in Surry Hills, but the local influence didn’t stop there. They also integrated shelves and drawers with metal plates to resemble a local post box as the former site of the showroom was a post office.
The social hub is multipurpose and not only displays appliances, but also houses the reception and consultation area.

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The new Gaggenau Sydney showroom, with architecture and design by 1zu33’s Hendrik Müller and styling by Jack Milenkovic. Image:

Steen Vestergaard

Müller described creating an intimate volume that contains a digital screen for videos about the organisation and its products to play on a loop. A mirror has been installed into the space to elongate the room. Müller wanted to create a space for the digital experience that was separate to the rest of the showroom, so that the video did not end up distracting customers from the conversation they are trying to have with staff.
“A store with a video screen on the wall that is playing a video with sound can end up being disturbing when you are trying to have a conversation. Your eyes are always distracted to the moving image. Because of that we decided to incorporate a small, intimate space that gives you the full experience and that allows you to focus your full attention on the content,” he said.

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The new Gaggenau Sydney showroom, with architecture and design by 1zu33’s Hendrik Müller and styling by Jack Milenkovic. Image:

Steen Vestergaard

In the back end of the showroom, the design reflects Gaggenau’s origins and heritage as a nail forge 400-years-ago, by blending metal and mineral materials with wood finishings.
“When you go inside, you see the three milestones, as we call them. One is iron ore, which has been relevant for producing metal goods in the early days, then we have cobalt, which is used for the enamelling and has been one of the key competencies of Gaggenau since about 150-years-ago, and then you see lithium, which stands for the whole digitalization and computerization of their products,” Müller said.
A softer colour scheme has been chosen for the rear section of the showroom, in contrast with the darker colour palette at the front. Two adjacent kitchens incorporate an oak floor, with one a fully functional kitchen that features products from one Gaggenau range, and the second, a display kitchen showcasing a different series.
Müller said a “wooden core” or “nucleus” connects the two kitchens, which has been achieved through the integration of a tailor-made wooden table crafted by Sydney-based designer, Tom Faraday.

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The new Gaggenau Sydney showroom, with architecture and design by 1zu33’s Hendrik Müller and styling by Jack Milenkovic. Image:

Steen Vestergaard

Both kitchens open to an outside courtyard, which has been laid with clean, white stone in a herringbone pattern. The courtyard is yet another functional space that has been specifically designed to accommodate customer consultations and events.
The design team rebuilt the entire facade of the store, with steel and glass materials that again harmonizes well within the context of Surry Hills.
“For us, it’s always important not to deliver an overpowering design. We like to use a palette of expressive materials with a tactile quality because that’s part of the storytelling. What do you see? What do you feel? The different textures you get. The light, the sound, the scent. Everything is deposited into the memory that you take away from your visit.
“Today, digital media are so big and we tend to rely on our visual senses when designing, but the more information you get through all of your other senses, the deeper the footprint that is created and the stronger your memory will become.
“What can we as designers do for the brand? We can deliver the space, but that for me is only 50 per cent of the customer experience. The other 50 per cent is the personal engagement, the quality of the consultation, the time you spend with people during events and so forth. Very much of the relation is defined on a personal level and we are shaping the physical world around this to enhance the products in the showroom. I like to say that, for me, it’s most relevant, not what people experience when they’re in the showroom, but what they memorize and take away and what they will be able to tell you or someone else about it one week later.”
To find out more about Gaggenau’s Australian stores, visit here. More

A distinctive 183-metre-tall hybrid timber tower, designed by Fraser and Partners, has obtained development approval, with the 51-storey building reportedly on its way to earning the title of tallest hybrid timber tower in the world.
The $350-million tower will be three metres taller than the current title holder: Atlassian’s hybrid timber tower in Sydney designed by Shop Architects and BVN, which was approved in 2021.
The City of South Perth initially recommended to reject the proposal because it did not meet the criterion of “design excellence.” However, the Joint Development Assessment Panel vetoed the council’s recommendation.
Located at 4-8 Charles Street, South Perth, the development will be named C6, after the chemical element for carbon on the periodic table – a fitting name for the first carbon negative building in Western Australia.
The hybrid timber tower will be constructed using 7,400 square metres of exposed timber. According to the C6 Perth website, the vision behind the design is to deliver “a simple, elegant, structural solution that can be replicated time and time again,” and to “use materials where they are most fit for purpose.”
“We seek to create homes that generate joy. Let’s design our buildings to be win-win for us and for our planet – these two notions should not be mutually exclusive.”

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The fully electric building will comprise 237 one and two-bedroom apartments, a public park, urban farm, and an EV parking lot with charging stations. Image:

Fraser and Partners

The fully electric building will comprise 245 one- to four-bedroom apartments, a public park, cinema, urban farm, private food waste and recycling capabilities and an EV parking lot with charging stations, housing a fleet of 80 electric cars for communal use.
Fraser and Partners’ design intends to adopt biophilic design principles, with C6 to feature3,500 square metres of landscaped floral, native and edible gardens for a “tower to plate” food and beverage offering.
C6 will release 85 per cent of the site to the community, with locals and visitors able to enjoy the nature themed playground, educational and entertainment cinema, horticulutural zone, and landscaped gardens on the ground plane.
Architect Callum Fraser said C6 is more than a building, “it’s a new building system that inverts the carbon diagram – from carbon creation to carbon capture and sequestration. An architecture of consequence.” More

The Queensland government has opened the $176-million expansion to Cairns Convention Centre, designed by Cox Architecture and CA Architects.
The 10,500 square metre expansion follows major refurbishment works to the original centre in 2021.
The new expanded centre accommodates a 410-seat function room, three 120-seat meeting rooms, exhibition space for 30 booths, a new entry, and a large, generously planted porte cochere.

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Cairns Convention Centre expansion by Cox Architecture and CA Architects. Image:

Christopher Frederick Jones

The expansion has been designed to enhance the original 1990s convention centre, also by Cox Architecture.
“The original building components are largely internalized spaces. They are driven by blackout capacity and light and sound control,” said project director Richard Coulson. “The new expansion really was more about engaging externally while maintaining the expectation of a world class convention facility.”
Located at the edge of a creek with views towards a nearby mountain range, the building has been “orchestrated” to play with the natural features of the landscape. “The design for the Convention Centre was a chance to embrace the water again and to make the water edge a people’s place,” Coulson said.

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Cairns Convention Centre expansion by Cox Architecture and CA Architects. Image:

Christopher Frederick Jones

A 500-seat banquet space on the top level looks out to the creek and mountains. “A Traditional Owner explained to me that the mountain ranges form Guyala [pronounced goo-ya-la], the White Breasted Sea Eagle. It’s a fantastic creation story from the local community. To know that the silhouette of that spectacular skyline and this special place will now be shared with many because of the strategies in this project is very rewarding.”
The external facade, which features more than 1,000 glass-reinforced concrete sunshades, has been inspired by the colours of the rainforest and region. The fins provide relief from the tropical sun, while also allowing views out.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said, “The new-look Cairns Convention Centre is a fitting addition to Queensland’s Far North tourism mecca, which will undoubtedly attract world-class events to the region.” More

The Australian Institute of Architects has backed calls to accelerate and wholly implement the National Construction Code 2022, arguing a complete switchover to environmentally friendly construction materials would assist Australia to meet its sustainability commitments. Institute national president Stuart Tanner said sustainable alternatives were accessible and available for use in construction and by implementing the […] More

Canberra’s Watson Health Precinct could become home to the city’s first dedicated residential rehabilitation facility for First Nations people, following the submission of a $49 million development application.
Design team, Judd Studio and STH, have proposed the construction of a 24 bed two-storey rehabilitation facility on the site, as well as the establishment of four one- and two-storey buildings to make up the new health hub, new driveway verge crossings and internal driveway, parking area, outdoor recreation areas and landscaping.
The precinct upgrades will allow the facility to double the intake capacity for services and enable positive clinical and therapeutic outcomes for more people.
The project would involve the demolition of existing buildings at the precinct, which have been used to provide specialist mental health care and alcohol and other drug rehabilitation care to young people for almost 20 years.
Four new buildings, Calm House, Palm Hub, Palm House and Catholic Care, have been proposed to form the health hub, with each building offering different functions.

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Palm Hub outdoor communal area. Image:

Judd Studio and STH

The precinct is sited at 350 Antill Street, at the base of Mount Majura. The property, which is surrounded by open space, is set back from the street and bordered by native trees to provide a tranquil, and private space to support people during their rehabilitation and recovery.
The landscape serves as a multi-use space, with plans indicating an outdoor dance and gathering circle, half basketball court, vegetable garden and horticulture training area, gym, kitchen and dining terrace, seating areas, covered verandah area and open grass areas.
Canberra Town Planning submitted the application, which is now on exhibition.
Construction has been predicted to be completed in late 2024. More

The Health Care Health Design forum will explore the influence architecture can have on the quality, efficiency and community impact of healthcare systems, as well as the role design can play on the entire hospital experience from arrival and treatment to recovery and departure.
Leading practitioners, researchers and professionals from around the globe will consider the evolution of healthcare design while investigating architecture’s relationship with the health challenges of today, including supporting communities through design, reimagining mental health spaces, and how responsive solutions can inform tomorrow’s hospitals.
Three online sessions will be held across three days in October, with each session presenting a unique and fascinating topic. The line-up will alter for each session, offering differing perspectives, insight and case studies reflecting the different facets of healthcare design.
The three distinct themes to be elaborated on include – People-Centred Healthcare: Designing for Community Impact, The Psychology of Care: Designing for Mental Health, and Hospitals of the Future: Designing for Innovative Healthcare.
Each session will comprise one hour of presentations and an hour-long panel discussion. You can choose to view as many sessions you’d like. For each two-hour session, architects can accrue 2 formal CPD points, and Design Institute of Australia members can accrue 3 DIA CPD points.
Tuesday 3 October, 12–2 pm AEDT
Session one – People-Centred Healthcare: Designing for Community Impact
Edwina Bennett, Woods Bagot (Adelaide, SA)Tara Veldman, Billard Leece Partnership (Sydney, NSW)Adele King and Alexandra Smith, Warren and Mahoney (Auckland, New Zealand) with Bronwen Te Whare, Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand (New Plymouth, New Zealand)
Dissection moderator: Stefano Scalzo, Victorian Department of Health
Tuesday 10 October, 12–2 pm AEDT
Session two – The Psychology of Care: Designing for Mental Health
Susan Le Good, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (London, UK)Lada Bodnaruk, Architectus Conrad Gargett (Brisbane, Qld)Rhonda Johnson, Jacobs (Auckland, New Zealand)
Dissection moderator: Leigh-Anne Hepburn, University of Sydney
Tuesday 17 October, 12–2 pm AEDT
Session three – Hospitals of the Future: Designing for Innovative Healthcare
Catherine Loker, Hassell (Sydney, NSW)Stig Vesterager Gothelf, 3XN (Copenhagen, Denmark)Isabelle Mansour, Mott MacDonald (Sydney, NSW)
Dissection moderator: Sophie Patitsas, Office of the Victorian Government Architect
Tickets can be purchased until 10 November, 2023. Following the streaming dates, delegates can view all three sessions on demand until 17 November, 2023. To book visit Design Speaks. More

Global design house Fritz Hansen has launched their environmentally conscious Skagerak Collection, which is now available in Australia. The collection features indoor and outdoor furniture and accessories crafted primarily from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified teak and oak. With input from renowned architects and designers, the collection pieces have been created with materials that age […] More

The Victorian government has announced a plan to demolish and redevelop 44 high-rise public housing towers in what would be Australia’s biggest urban renewal project.
The project has been proposed in a bid to deliver more social and affordable housing and meet demand for supply.
Constructed between the 1950s and 1970s, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews described the buildings as outdated and no longer fit for modern living standards.
In a published media statement, the Victorian government said the towers would fail current building codes in relation to “noise, sustainability, waste and recycling, bedroom area dimensions, room depth, ventilation, private open space, accessibility and minimum amenity standards.”
“If Homes Victoria undertook only critical capital repairs and maintenance to the 44 towers, it’d cost an estimated $2.3 billion over the next 20 years – roughly $55 million per tower. But even then, their design means many homes would never be able to meet contemporary codes, nationwide energy rating schemes or accessibility needs,” the statement reads.
Two towers in Flemington, one in North Melbourne and two in Carlton are first on the list to be knocked down. Across Flemington and North Melbourne, 503 dwellings will be replaced with 1,800 new homes and in Carlton, 231 homes will replace 196 existing apartments – an increase in home supply of 18 per cent.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the project would be Australia’s biggest urban renewal development.
“It’ll boost social housing by at least 10 per cent across these 44 sites. It’s a massive agenda to reimagine these spaces and rebuild them into the modern, accessible, comfortable homes Victorians expect – and deserve,” he said.
There are approximately 10,000 people living across all 44 towers, a number the state government says will increase to 30,000 people once the sites have been redeveloped. Every tenant living across the 44 towers will be guaranteed a home while the redevelopment rolls out.
Homes Victoria has launched a community consultation phase with residents, which saw them visit every household across each tower last week. Community consultation will ramp up, with Homes Victoria staff to remain onsite at the towers to provide information and support.
The Victorian government’s decision to demolish and redevelop the towers has garnered mixed reactions, with some Victorians in support of the knock down and while others, including architects, have criticized the plan for not considering adaptive re-use options.
The 44-tower rebuild is one component of the Victorian government’s housing statement, which was recently unveiled. More