Architecture

RMIT has partnered with Europe-based not-for-profit Dark Matter Labs to tackle urgent environmental and societal issues such as climate change, artificial intelligence and human development, migration and biodiversity loss.
The project, dubbed the Planetary Civics Initiative, has hit the ground running with two research ventures already in motion, the Planetary Papers and Design Research Studios.
The Planetary Papers series will feature interviews and commentary from interdisciplinary and international experts with diverse professional backgrounds and perspectives, who are all united by the goal of shifting thinking, dialogue, practice and public policy from the national to the planetary. First in the line-up will be the soon-to-be professor of practice at RMIT, architect and founding director of Dark Matter (Dm) Labs, Indy Johar.
The information collated from the Planetary Papers will inform topics of focus for the Design Research Studios project, with each studio providing a site for collaborators from unique disciplines to develop or comment on frameworks for addressing real-world challenges.
The first three studio topics to be covered are: transforming fashion systems, led by RMIT dean of fashion and textiles professor Alice Payne, regenerative design practice led by RMIT dean of design professor Andrea Siodmok OBE, and radical design ecologies with a focus on river networks, led by dean of communication and design at RMIT Vietnam, professor Julia Gaimster.
Deputy vice-chancellor of RMIT’s College of Design and Social Context professor Tim Marshall said adopting a global style of thinking is a vital component of addressing the environmental, societal and technological disruptions of our time.
“Planetary-scale thinking is about acknowledging the mutual reliance and interdependence between humanity and the earth’s living systems, and the artificial intelligence systems that are being rapidly developed,” Marshall said.
“The Planetary Civics Initiative is a call to action in recognition that the current governance systems and policies in place are not sufficient for a sustainable future and require radical yet practical redesign to meet the scale and scope of our challenges.”
Johar reverberated Marshall’s sentiments saying the joint initiative between RMIT and Dm can help address the challenges posed by the “technological revolution and climate breakdown we face.”
“Our aim is to discover, design and develop the institutional ‘dark matter’ that supports a more democratic, distributed and sustainable future. The Planetary Civics Initiative is another step towards spurring the wider societal transition needed,” Johar said.
The Planetary Civics Initiative will be officially launched at a keynote event featuring Indy Johar as part of the City of Melbourne’s Now or Never festival and RMIT’s Wild Hope exhibition and public program series. More

Australian manufacturer Ozroll has reduced its annual carbon footprint by 1200 tonnes by switching to Capral LocAl Green lower carbon aluminium for their Elipso aluminium louvres and plantation shutters. General manager of Ozroll Queensland, Jack McDonald said they made the transition to a more environmentally friendly material to meet growing demand for more sustainable solutions. […] More

Registrations are now open for the 2024 NGV Architecture Commission Design Competition, the ninth edition of the annual competition. Architects or multi-disciplinary teams are invited to register for the two-stage design competition, which offers architects the opportunity to create an installation in the NGV garden through captivating and stimulating design. Teams can include both Australian […] More

New home proposals in South Australia will now be able to skip the planning approval process if they meet certain criteria, a policy the state government says will attempt to tackle the housing crisis by offering a more streamlined process. Under the government’s “A Better Housing Future” plan, new homes built in greenfield areas can […] More

Construction at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) Woden Campus is starting to ramp up following an approved development application for the main building. The educational facility, designed by Gray Puksand, will feature a suite of new amenities including a new ‘light-rail-ready’ public transport interchange as well as more open, green spaces for residents, students, […] More

Claudia Takada from Clarke Hopkins Clarke has been announced the winner of the 2023 Buildner Office Design Competition for her proposal for an office space in Blackheath, New South Wales.
The speculative project has been designed with the knowledge that working remotely is now possible from anywhere in the world as long as there is internet. It offers a remote working space in an Australian bushland setting for urban workers. The proposal seamlessly blends with its surroundings and incorporates a “breathing” theme, with each room able to access an outdoor pergola or wooden shutters for airflow.
Takada created a tranquil design that reflects her own working-from-home aspirations.
“Tactile, slow and calming are words we probably associate with time spent outside the working environment. This proposal aims to change our understanding of office environments by incorporating community uses, timeless materials and an open, breathable structure that opens out into a verdant, sometimes harsh landscape,” Takada said.

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Takada created a tranquil space that reflects her own working-from-home aspirations. Image:

Courtesy of Claudia Takada.

Dubbed Blackheath Creative Hub, the proposal provides a flexible alternative to office work by adapting to evolving work patterns. The design caters to the unique needs of both office workers and the wider community by integrating co-working spaces, private offices, multi-purpose areas, soundproof booths and meeting rooms, a communal kitchen and dining area, an open library, small nooks and multiple private and shared entry and exit points.
Takada said she projected her own aspirations onto the design. “I’m quite introverted so I feel more comfortable in smaller, enclosed spaces, which are accommodated in this scheme,” she said.
“Tactility is something else I like to think about with my design, especially from a user point of view. It makes the whole experience more interesting and inviting. I especially love using Australian timbers like Jarrah and Blackbutt, playing with the colours inherent in each one, using them to accentuate certain ideas or structural items or as a background finish that brings a lot of warmth.”
Juror Julia Murphy, a managing partner at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, said, “This project offers a poetic relationship of nature and the outdoors to the post-covid office landscape and takes a radical approach to humanism in the office environment.”
A submission dubbed Parasitic Office by University of Sydney students Weicheng Li and Zihan Xu received an honourable mention in the competition. More

A $1.5 billion, four-tower proposal in Brisbane, designed by architects Cottee Parker, has been submitted to Brisbane City Council for assessment. The application proposes to transform a 9,361-square-metre site at 79 Logan Road in Woolloongabba into a tourism hub in time for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Dubbed the Gabba Heart Precinct, the project includes plans […] More

Designs by Liminal Architecture for the $20 million redevelopment of Cosgrove High School in Glenorchy, Tasmania has been released for public review.
The redevelopment of Cosgrove High School seeks to deliver modern learning and support facilities including a student hub, social area, cultural gathering spaces, flexible outdoor learning spaces, a catering kitchen, health and fitness facilities, as well as a new administration centre, upgraded accessibility across the site and to Main Road and increased parking options.
Designs for the school, submitted as part of a development application to Glenorchy City Council, call for the partial demolition of existing facilites to make way for a new three-storey building.
A 2022 master plan has been reviewed by the Community Reference Group, a body made up of members of local government, tertiary institutions, non-government agencies, the community and sporting organisations, and has now been released for community feedback.
The masterplan took into consideration the steady climbing of student enrollments at the school, addressed the need for a future proofed design and highlights the school’s desire to focus on the wellbeing of students and staff through the delivery of new spaces.
A spokesperson for Cosgrove High School said it is a very exciting time for their students, staff and the wider community, who have all been part of the planning process through extensive consultation since 2019.
“The project will provide a high-quality mix of new facilities for our Years seven to 12 students. These works will see us in a better position to support contemporary teaching and learning for our current learners, as well as future generations of Cosgrove students,” the spokesperson said.
“Demolition of some of the existing infrastructure is required in readiness for construction works to begin on the site in early 2024. It is expected that these works will commence in October 2023.”
The development application can be viewed on the Glenorchy City Council website until 29 August. More