Architecture

A plan to rezone a 42-hectare site in Parramatta North, prepared by Property and Development NSW, has been lodged and is now open for public comment. The proposal seeks to transform a significant portion of unused government land either side of the Paramatta River into a diverse precinct with education, research, commercial, cultural and residential outcomes.
Located on the Parramatta light rail line, the site represents one of the city’s greatest urban renewal opportunities. The area is home to 30 buildings of significant heritage value and a network of open spaces.

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The government have worked with local Dharug people, as well as the Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council, to understand and reflect the wishes of First Nations peoples in the plan for Parramatta North. ACT-based firm Stewart Architecture, design practice Aspect Studios, arts and culture consultancy City People and Aboriginal consultancy Bangawarra have together shaped the scheme.
According to Stewart Architecture, “…the vision for the Parramatta North precinct is guided by its connection to Parramatta River. Place-based urban outcomes that prioritise ecological regeneration through landscape, urban and architectural design outcomes will ensure that Parramatta North supports strong and diverse ecological communities of people, plants and animals to live together safely long into the future.”
The rezoning plan is aimed at creating a collection of neighbourhoods connected by green corridors. Across the site, 10.5 hectares of public open space is intended for diverse uses, including sports fields, parks and gardens, plazas and play spaces.

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If approved, the new plan will also facilitate the delivery of approximately 2,000 new homes – 5-10 percent of which will be allocated to affordable housing – and a new university campus for 25,000 students, supporting the Westmead Health and Innovation District.
New and varied uses are intended to rejuvenate the site’s historic buildings by showcasing stories through experiences in nature, in learning and in leisure. In a media communique, Stewart Architecture has noted that “revitalisation of the site will draw on the past – adaptively reusing heritage buildings in the precinct and working with Parramatta North’s existing character. It will support local First Nations peoples’ enduring cultural connections to Country and ensure all people now here can also connect with and learn from Country.”

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While the suburb’s cultural precinct, which incorporates the Parramatta Female Factory, falls beyond the scope of the rezoning application, Property and Development NSW claim that it has been considered in the overall precinct planning.
In order to enable the delivery of the plan’s intended outcomes, the application seeks approval to change permissible land uses, building heights and floor-space ratios across a portion of Parramatta North. It also seeks to introduce planning controls for future state significant development applications across the precinct, including design guidelines and design excellence processes.
The plan is on exhibition online and open for comment until 24 February. More

Early and mid-career architects, landscape architects and design professionals from across Australia can now express their interest in a fellowship that could take them abroad to one of the oldest cities in the world: Rome.
Launched by the Alastair Swayn Foundation and RMIT University, the 2025–26 Alastair Swayn Foundation-RMIT Architecture Affiliated Fellowship is an eight-week residency that offers one successful applicant the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary research, advance their practice and form international connections in Italy.
Fellows will be hosted by the American Academy, an American institution in Rome that accommodates independent studies and advanced research in fine arts and humanities. The campus features buildings designed by American architectural practices such as McKim, Mead and White and Michael Graves.
Over the eight weeks, the successful candidate will be provided accommodation, meals, a studio space, and access to the academy’s resources, including library archives. They will also be permitted to attend various programs, such as lectures and site visits.
According to a communique released by the Alastair Swayn Foundation and RMIT University, “applicants are expected to be outstanding practitioners at a pivotal point in their careers, where the fellowship will significantly contribute to their professional growth.”
Upon returning to Australia, the fellow will be required to share their experience through a public lecture and an illustrated report or relevant exhibits for publication in the Swayn Open Research repository on the Alastair Swayn Foundation website.
Simon Robinson, director of the not-for-profit design and research practice Office, was the inaugural recipient of the 2023–24 fellowship. During his residency at the American Academy in Rome, Robinson explored Learning from Corviale, a project documenting the refurbishment of one of Italy’s largest post-war public housing estates. This work supported his Melbourne-based Retain, Repair, Reinvest initiative, which focuses on sustainable public housing renewal by retaining communities, improving comfort, and reducing carbon emissions. Robinson’s fellowship concluded with a sold-out public lecture in August 2024.
Architect, artist and educator Stephanie Pahnis was awarded the 2024–25 Fellowship. During her upcoming residency, she will develop her project, Enduring Cultural Matter. The project will explore the relationships between materials, cultural memory and identity in architecture through the lens of adaptive reuse, maintenance practices and local material applications.
Expressions of interest for the next fellowship round can be submitted until 11 March 2025. The residency will occur between September 2025 and July 2026, with specific dates to be arranged in agreement with the successful applicant and the academy.
To apply or learn more about the selection criteria, visit the RMIT University website. More

A 13-storey high-rise approved for development in Sydney’s CBD is slated to become the tallest commercial mass timber building in New South Wales.

Designed by architecture and urban design practice Tzannes for property developer NGI Investments, the building has been approved for 4–6 York Street, opposite Wynyard Park and next to 341 George Street, the heritage-listed former Bank of New South Wales. The site currently serves as a parking lot for the George Street building.

The weight of the building was a significant consideration during the design process. The structure needed to be lightweight as the site is located above subterranean railway tunnels. Tzannes’s approach for addressing has involved transferring the load from the building’s western side to a central core using a hybrid concrete and steel structure. This system then supports 12 timber commercial floors, with 11 levels rising above the load transfer structure and one suspended below. According to a communique issued by Tzannes, “all timber and steel elements will be crafted for future disassembly and reuse.”

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The communique stated that facade materials and dimensions were selected to “respect and respond to the architectural language” of the neighbouring former bank. A concrete portion on the lower levels of the facade is intended to mirror the granite base of the heritage bank. Additionally, a double-height terrace establishes a visual connection to the historic building.

The project marks the design firm’s third application of timber construction in a commercial building, following International House Sydney and Daramu House. International House, completed in 2017, is recognised as Australia’s first engineered timber commercial building. More

The 2025 World Architecture Festival (WAF) will be hosted by the United States for the first time in the festival’s 18-year history.
Set to take place in Miami, the theme for the 2025 festival is Hearts and Minds. As such, the festival will feature an events program that explores “the interplay of architecture and design as a product of the mind and as an appeal to the senses and emotions,” stated WAF in a release.
Singapore was selected as the host nation for the 2023 and 2024 editions of the festival where several Australian practices received awards and commendations. Past winners include Darlington Public School by FJC, which was awarded the 2024 World Building of the Year, and Parramatta Aquatic Centre by Grimshaw and Andrew Burges Architects with McGregor Coxall, which earned the top gong in the 2024 Sport category. Additionally, SJB was a triple winner at the 2023 festival for 19 Waterloo Street and a temporary installation titled Eucalyptusdom.
The 2025 edition will be held at Miami Beach Convention Centre across 12–14 November.
Projects can now be entered into any of the 45 WAF and Inside awards categories until 25 April. The shortlist will be announced in July 2025 on the WAF website.
To view the full list of 2024 winners, visit day one here and day two here. More

Craft Victoria’s annual Fresh! exhibition is now showing, with seven graduates of contemporary craft and design being showcased. At the exhibition opening on 6 February, with five prizes, including the InteriorsAu Emerging Maker Prize were announced.
The program, which began in 1993, celebrates recent Victorian graduates working across textiles, cceramics, glass, metal and other mediums. The graduates are chosen by a panel and culminates in their work being shown at Craft Victoria’s Melbourne gallery.
This year, seven graduates have been selected:

Yueyun Chen – textiles
Lucinda Johnson-Cornes (Pitjantjatjara) – textiles
Afra Kullu – ceramics, glass
Qianxun Li – metal, paper
Dee Robinson – metal, painting
Indigo Stuart – textiles
Lachlan Vasic – metal

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Five prizes were given out at the opening:
InteriorsAu Emerging Maker PrizeThis annual prize recognises outstanding emerging talent from the exhibitors of Craft’s Fresh! exhibitors. A profile of the winner is published via architectureau.com.Awarded to Lachlan Vasic
The Amaeah Foundation AwardSelected by the Amaeah Foundation for emerging talent. Prize of $2,000.Awarded to Qianxun Li
Wardle Craft PrizeSelected by partners John Wardle and Meaghan Dwyer. Prize of $1,000, Awarded to Dee Robinson
The Future Leaders AwardsA philanthropic initiative promoting leadership, achievement and potential among young Australians, selected by Dr Helen Sykes AM. Prize of $1,000. Awarded to Lachlan Vasic
The Lemon & Friends Award of ExcellenceThis award recognises curious and experimental bodies of work and is selected by James Lemon. Prize of $1,000. Awarded to Lucinda Johnson-Cornes
The 2025 Fresh! exhibition is on show until 8 March 2025. More

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has announced that Japanese architecture firm SANAA will receive the Royal Gold Medal 2025 for architecture, with their design for Naala Badu in Sydney applauded in the accompanying citation.
SANAA, the collaborative practice of Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, has championed sustainable and user-centred design for more than three decades, stated a communique released by RIBA. Their projects often feature simple, minimalistic facades with complex interiors disguised within. Additionally, they are often distinguished by the skilful harnessing of light to create “an ethereal quality,” stated the release.

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The 2025 RIBA Honours Committee was chaired by RIBA president Muyiwa Oki, who was joined by Lesley Lokko, Bjarke Ingels and Sadie Morgan.
The committee praised the practice for shaping “a universal language of architecture that resonates with people everywhere.” They added, by balancing boldness with sensitivity to the local environment, their works “demonstrate that architecture can be both functional and profoundly elegant, offering a sense of calm amidst an increasingly complex and chaotic world.”
Specific projects regarded highly in the committee’s citation included the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City, the Rolex Learning Centre in Lausaunne and the Naala Badu extension to the NSW Art Gallery in Sydney.
President of RIBA Muyiwa Oki said SANAA’s designs demonstrate that architecture can balance functionality with profound elegance. “True pioneers in the field, their unwavering commitment to sustainable, user-centred design has quietly blazed a trail for others, setting an inspiring standard for the future of our built environment,” said Oki.
“Showing remarkable clarity and consistency over the decades, their work serves as a lasting testament to the transformative power of architecture – to inspire joy, create a sense of belonging, and connect us to the environments we inhabit.”

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Upon receiving the medal, Sejima and Nishizawa stated they were honoured. “We have always believed that architecture can transform and repair environments, helping us to relate to our surroundings, nature and each other. Throughout our careers we have tried to make spaces that bring people together, inviting them to imagine new ways of living and learning collectively,” said the duo.
“Architecture is always teamwork, and we are very grateful to everyone that has given us opportunities to develop these ideas over the years, and to all those people that have worked tirelessly with us to realise them. This is a very happy moment for us, thank you.”
The 2024 RIBA Gold Medal recipient was Ghanaian-Scottish architect, educator, author, racial advocate and curator Lesley Lokko.

The Royal Gold Medal 2025 will be presented to Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa in London on 1 May 2025. More

The jury for the 2025 Houses Awards has been revealed, comprising a group of award-winning architecture and design professionals, all with extensive experience in residential architecture.
This year’s program comprises 10 awards categories, including Australian House of the Year, New House under 200 m², New House over 200 m², House Alteration and Addition under 200 m², House Alteration and Addition over 200 m², Apartment or Unit, Sustainability, House in a Heritage Context, Emerging Architecture Practice, and the newly introduced Small Projects category.
John Ellway is an architect and the founder of the Brisbane-based firm, John Ellway Architect. He has built a remarkable portfolio of award-winning homes, including the Terrarium House, which received the Eleanor Cullis-Hill Award from the Australian Institute of Architects at the 2019 National Architecture Awards, the Elina Mottram Award at state level and the House Alteration and Addition under 200 m2 category at the 2018 Houses Awards. His project Three House was honoured as the Australian House of the Year at the 2021 Houses Awards. In 2022, his practice won another Houses Award in the House Alteration and Addition under 200 m2 category for the project Cascade House.

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Polly Harbison is the principal of Polly Harbison Design, a Sydney-based practice founded in 2003. Harbison’s firm has garnered significant acclaim in various awards and has been widely featured both internationally and locally. Notably, her project Pearl Beach House received the Australian Institute of Architects National Award and the NSW Wilkinson Award in 2021. Balmoral House, a collaborative project between Harbison and architect Clinton Murray, won the award for Residential – Houses (New) at the Australian Institute of Architects 2015 National Architecture Awards. In addition to her practice, Harbison has been on several architectural awards juries, including the Australian Institute of Architects 2022 NSW Architecture Awards.
Dimmity Walker is a director of Spaceagency Architects. Walker is skilled at managing client interface and delivery across a diverse range of complex architectural projects, resulting in an extensive portfolio of state and national award-winning projects. An active and engaged member of the profession, Dimmity has served on numerous design juries for state architecture awards and various national architectural design prizes. In 2023, she was named a fellow of the Australian Institute of Architects.
John Wardle is an internationally recognised architect and the founding partner of Wardle. He has developed a design process that incorporates and expands upon the ideas and themes present in a site’s topography, landscape, history and context. The work of Wardle has been celebrated in the publication of two monographs: Volume – John Wardle Architects (2008) and This Building Likes Me (2016), both published by Thames and Hudson. The practice has won coveted national and international awards for education, residential, public and civic design. John was honoured in 2020 with the Gold Medal, the Australian Institute of Architects’ highest individual distinction.
Chairing the jury will be Alexa Kempton who is the editor of Houses magazine. She has more than 20 years’ experience in architecture and design media, and has been part of the editorial team at Architecture Media for 10 years. Alexa is a former editor of ArchitectureAu and managing editor of Architecture Australia.
Pippa Soccio, the senior research scientist in building monitoring at CSIRO, will be the sustainability advisor while Louise Honman, an architect and built heritage specialist, will be the heritage advisor.
Entries close 14 March 2025. To enter, visit the Houses Awards website.
Houses Awards are organised by Architecture Media, supported by Artedomus, Blum, Brickworks, James Hardie, Roca, Fulgor Milano, Architectural Window Systems, The Heritage Council of Victoria and Latitude. More

The Western Australian Minister for Heritage David Templeman has announced the inclusion of Iwanoff House on the State Register of Heritage Places.
The highly regarded Iwanoff House, located in the Floreat suburb of Perth, served as both the family residence and the creative studio of Bulgarian-born architect Iwan Iwanoff. The studio is positioned on the ground floor, while the residence hovers as a single level above.
According to a state government communique, the 1967 residence is an early example of the late architect’s unconventional design approach, which was heavily influenced by European design. Constructed with concrete besser blocks, expansive glass panels and inbuilt furniture, the house has undergone some modifications over the years while retaining Iwanoff’s unique architectural features and geometric design.

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The Iwanoff House was featured in the Houses Revisited series. Author of the piece, Fleur Watson, stated that “Iwanoff brought a distinctly European Modernist sensibility to his interpretation of suburban living: essentially an apartment with a balcony over “the shop” – or in this case, the architect studio.”
“He balanced the house within the site by connecting the expansive rear native garden to the street via the carport void, located directly within the fabric of the building. This allowed direct visual access (now altered).”
Minister Templeman stated that Iwanoff House reflects a unique chapter in architectural heritage for Western Australia. “This house demonstrates Iwanoff’s visionary design principles, highlights the creative contributions of an innovative architect and tells the broader story of how post-war migrants helped shape the cultural and social fabric of our state,” he said.
“By including Iwanoff House on the State Register, we are ensuring the protection of this house and preserving its story for future generations to appreciate and draw inspiration from.” More