Architecture

Andrews Projects have submitted plans for a twin tower development in Surfers Paradise to the City of Gold Coast. The development application involves a reworking of a proposal by the Orion Towers Group with Woods Bagot for 1100 units across two towers, approved by the city council seven years ago. The tallest of the towers had been set to break the southern-hemisphere record.
The new scheme, revised in collaboration with architects Bates Smart, comprises two 37-storey residential towers. While substantially downsized from the previous plans, Andrews Projects sales manager Sarah Andrews noted that “the Gold Coast market is severely undersupplied, and this situation is likely to worsen. This project will help meet the demand.”
Nearly 400 apartments, ranging from one to four bedrooms, occupy the proposed towers, while the six-storey podium below includes a foyer, co-working space for residents, cafe and four levels of above-ground parking. The landscaped podium top includes two outdoor pools, a hammam, steam room, sauna and gymnasium alongside communal cooking facilities.

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Bates Smart’s approach drew inspiration from the subtropical climate of the project’s site. Mathieu le Sueur, director in the firm’s Brisbane studio, commented, “The Gold Coast is one of the only places in Australia where the rainforest meets the ocean. Our design for Andrews Projects in Surfers Paradise celebrates this unique ecology. Architecturally, we shaped the towers as two slender stepped triangles to allow most apartments 270-degree views of the ocean.”
The approach also encompassed a strong landscaping strategy, le Sueur noting, “We brought the rainforest in at the ground by integrating deep curved perimeter planter boxes in the edges of each podium floor. They will be planted with lush species native to the local rainforest, as will the landscape rich amenity level. These moves make the development feel of its place and bring a new kind of design approach to Gold Coast architecture.” More

The University of Adelaide recently announced the winners of its inaugural Australian Space Architecture Challenge, organised by the Andy Thomas Centre for Space Resources (ATCSR). Open nationally to students and graduates across STEM and creative disciplines, the competition sought to gather intelligence across a wide range of fields and showcase Australia’s capacity to contribute to deep space human habitation.
Dr Amit Srivastava, head of the Lunar Architecture Research Group at the ATCSR, noted, “The Australian Space Architecture Challenge aligns with the goals of Australian Civil Space Strategy and the Moon to Mars initiative to advance Australia’s position in the global space economy.”
The brief tasked participants with designing a lunar habitat for the year 2069 – exactly 100 years since humans first set foot on the moon’s surface. Situated on a ridge between Shackleton and De Gerlache craters, design proposals were required to cater to a community of up to 30 people, “showcasing the innovative and sustainable evolution of lunar living and the preparation for the upcoming Mars expeditions.”
Citing cinematic precedents – including Tatooine in Star Wars and Arrikis in Dune – as possible inspiration, the brief encouraged participants to push the boundaries of reality. The jury, comprising architects, engineers psychologists and artists, awarded projects that demonstrated originality and inventive thinking alongside high technical feasibility and a sophisticated understanding of the psychological and social impacts of the human experience in space.
The winning design, titled Happy Homesick, was submitted by a student team from the University of Western Australia comprising Eric Luan, Claire Basso, Robert Cameron and JD Otto. The concept dispels visions of controlled, earth-like shelters typically found in pop culture, focusing instead on cultivating an environment reminiscent of home, where everyday activities, like hobbies and birthdays, coexist alongside space missions and scientific experiments.

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“Our concept investigates what a truly lunar or Martian architecture might look like, and whether a human born in space could feel at home there,” said the team. “We wanted to focus on the everyday experience of future lunar settlers and cultivate a ‘sense of place’ that’s unique to the lunar landscape.”
Jury member Jonathon (Johnnie) Dady and artist in residence at the ATCSR commented, “This presentation offered a non-colonial approach to the brief, recognising the need for emotional ownership of place and realising that a sense of wellbeing, motivation, and scope for creativity are founded on an embodied sense of place. The planning is offered as an idiosyncratic human act.”
Second place was awarded to Bowen Yang and Yichan Wei from the University of Queensland for their practical solution to the brief, titled Lunar Urbanism, and third place to Ihab Shamseldin and Samer El Sayary from the University of Technology Sydney for a terrarium vision on the Moon, titled Lunarium. Do Dang Quang Nguyen from the University of Adelaide was given an honourable mention for Alteon VII: a habitat for long-term living and research.

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The winning design will be exhibited at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy, between 14-18 October 2024. More

The Queensland government is inviting public comment on proposed changes to its statewide building code, which would permit secondary dwellings that fulfil certain criteria to be used as small households.
A secondary dwelling, in this context, is defined as a small and self-contained home situated on a property where a primary house already exists. The suggested revisions aim to increase housing supply and support housing diversity by providing specific design criteria for secondary dwellings, in an attempt to streamline and simplify the approval process.

The proposed provisions regulate the siting, dimensions and design of a secondary dwelling, as well as the interaction between a primary and secondary dwelling, and the usage of the lot. Once approved, the reforms would apply in residential zones (not medium or high density), emerging community zones, rural residential zones and rural zones.
Some proposed changes include:

A secondary dwelling is required to have a maximum gross floor area of 80 square metres if it is located on a lot smaller than 1,000 square metres, or a maximum gross floor area of 100 square metres if it is located on a lot greater than 1,000 square metres.
The granny flat must be attached or at least two metres from the primary dwelling, and in a rural zone must be a maximum of 20 metres from the primary dwelling.
Ancillary dwellings must have a maximum height of 8.5 metres or 4.5 metres when within 5 metres of a road frontage.
The design of a secondary home must incorporate a minimum of two design measures, including passive design, adaptability, climate responsive, and so forth.
Secondary dwellings must include an outdoor living space of certain dimensions.

The statewide consultation marks the first phase of the Distinctly Queensland Design Series, a strategy that highlights opportunities and initiatives for boosting housing availability.

To find out more about the proposed revisions, visit the consultation portal, which will remain open until 12 November 2024. More

In the lead up to the City of Melbourne’s election for lord mayor, candidate Arron Wood has unveiled a plan to establish an Intercultural Museum within Lendlease’s development of Gurrowa Place, south of the Queen Victoria Market. The 3.2-hectare urban renewal project was given approval from the state government in March 2024 and is currently under heritage review from the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.
The Intercultural Museum, designed by Searle × Waldron Architecture, is proposed on the site of the Queens Corner Building. The proposal for the greater precinct incorporates a mix of student accommodation, residential apartments and work spaces designed by a team including NH Architecture, Kerstin Thompson Architects, 3XN Australia, Openwork, McGregor Coxall, Lovell Chen and Urbis.

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According to a statement from Wood, the Intercultural Museum will be “a true people’s place, embracing and exploring intercultural narratives that bring people closer together. Accessible and inclusive to all, it will be a place to make connections, historically and contemporarily; challenge the status quo; shift perceptions; and be active contributors to our own stories.”

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Deputy lord mayoral candidate Erin Deering noted that “this museum will be more than just a cultural hub; it will be an economic driver, supporting local businesses and helping to revitalise our city as we continue to recover and grow.” The 10,000-square-metre facility is intended to connect with Melbourne’s other cultural institutions, such as the city’s Hellenic Museum.
“The museum will feature a range of interactive exhibitions, educational programs and events designed to engage people of all ages and backgrounds, promoting inclusivity and reinforcing Melbourne’s multicultural identity,” Deering said. More

Following their earlier announcement, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City in the United States has launched an international design competition for the design of the museum’s expansion. According to a statement from the museum, “the goal of the expansion is to attract new audiences and design a centre that speaks to community, creating a museum for all.”
The current museum houses a collection of more than 42,000 art objects across two buildings – an original Beaux-Arts, neoclassical-style building and the contemporary Bloch Building completed in 2007, designed by American architect Steven Holl as part of an invited design competition. The buildings are connected by the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park.

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The Nelson-Atkins board of trustees hope that the next iteration of the site will expand the museum’s conventions so that it evolves as a more dynamic and inclusive place. Director and CEO of the Nelson-Atkins Julián Zugazagoitia said, “This expansion solidifies the Nelson-Atkins’ foundational desire to reach all audiences, particularly those for whom art is not familiar. It will enable the museum to better serve our community, and I envision a vibrant space for visitors to become energised by art and immersed in new and creative experiences.”
The competition brief specifies a partial renovation of the original building and 5,700 square metres of new floor area in the form of a single or multiple additions. The latter includes a primary entrance and welcome foyer, photography centre, featured exhibition galleries, learning and activity spaces, a theatre, and a restaurant.
The first stage of the competition requires architect-led, multidisciplinary teams – including a landscape architect, structural engineer and services consultant at a minimum – to submit details of their project approach, team composition and relevant experience. Successful entrants will have the opportunity to propose additional consultants – including lighting and exhibition designers and the like – in preparation of their design concept.
Competition director Malcolm Reading commented that the jury were looking for “a winning team that can honour and integrate both the [museum’s] historic and contemporary elements while creating a dynamic new addition that brings innovation and freshness. Sustainable design will also be paramount so the campus and art within may be enjoyed for generations to come.”
Up to five teams will be shortlisted as finalists and each will receive a fee of US$75,000 for their work at the competition conclusion. The chosen winner will then work with the museum to combine forces with a local partner firm to realise the project.
Entries for the first stage of the competition close on 29 October 2024. More

Childhood memories, geometric play and 1980s pop culture inspired the design of this eye-catching collection of pieces for the home.
Billy collection from Tait
Billy is an outdoor furniture range that delights in nostalgia for childhood summers. A tubular steel frame inspired by Hills hoists and pool ladders supports seats and tabletops in powdercoated aluminium or Accoya timber. Designed by Adam Goodrum and Tait. Visit website
Hemispheres by Bankston × Civilian
Australian hardware brand Bankston has collaborated with New York design studio Civilian to create Hemispheres: a range of levers, pulls, door stops and knobs with interchangeable components. The modular range offers welcome versatility and encourages playful applications. Visit website

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Geometrica from Beeline Design
A love for the Memphis design movement is palpable in this lively collection from Melbourne-based Beeline Design. Bold shapes, brave colour and playful material combinations ignite the imagination. Styling, art direction: Bree Leech. Photograph: Martina Gemmola. Visit website

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Mythos by Lee Broom
The Mythos wall light by Lee Broom features a brass frame supporting a globe. Curved and linear forms lend it a strong sculptural identity and play with notions of balance. Mythos is part of the Alchemist series: a collection of light fittings inspired by mythology and astrology. Visit website

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Insula sofa from Kettal
Low and luxurious, the Insula sofa is designed for indoor and outdoor settings. The modular sofa comprises an aluminium base, soft flat cushions and roll-shaped backrest in individual, double and corner sizes. Designed by Patricia Urquiola for Kettal. Visit website

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Four shortlisted design teams are vying for creative directorship of the Australia Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. Here, we share their proposals:
Redux by Jessica Spresser and Peter Besley
This proposed exhibition explores the human impact on the Australian landscape, focusing on the impact of asbestos in Australia. The display traces the evolution of asbestos, from its rapid ascent as a favoured construction material to its classification as a substance to be avoided and dumped. The title Redux refers to revival and reinterpretation, and in this spirit, the design team stated they aimed to embody “redux” by showcasing new processes for transforming the repudiated material into harmless, carbon-negative-by-products.
Manifesting as a modular display, the installation is designed to be adaptable for re-exhibition. A central exhibition space features large-scale panels raked with former-asbestos mineral render mounted on spotted gum frames, along with tall free-standing columns of blue former-asbestos mineral glaze and scattered seating stools with glazed tops. Additionally, the display will feature maps of asbestos building stock and dump sites.
While Jessica Spresser and Peter Besley are the creative directors behind the proposal, the project also involved contributions from Bill Gammage, Rory Gardiner, Deborah Barnstone, Uma Ketheson, Kleopatra Ananda, Jasmine Sharp, Thomas Li, Asbeter and SDA.

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Precarious Actions – The Marked Home by Ian Strange, Fleur Watson and Jon Clements
This scheme, as described by the design team, “explores and reveals our increasingly fragile relationship with the experience of home.” The proposed exhibition builds on Australian artist Ian Strange’s research into the human history of making marks on homes to codify, symbolise and expose precarious housing conditions. Markings can be used to shame, separate or signify that a dwelling is no longer a home and conversely, they can also be co-opted by citizens to urgently bring attention to issues such as sovereignty, homelessness, climate change or conflict.
This curatorial framework of this exhibition revolves around two questions: What can we learn from the human history of markings on houses in relation to our precarious relationship with home? How are Australian architects taking action to respond urgently and with collective intelligence to the housing crisis today?
The exhibition consists of five interconnected parts, including a large-scale marking and light installation on the exterior of the pavilion, a “precarious home” installation, a scaffold structure with curated works by Australian architects responding to housing precarity today, a taxonomy installation of historical markings on houses, and a film contextualising the research.

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A New Normal by Georgia Birks, Ewan McEoin, Rachel Nolan, Dr Timothy Moore and Ross Harding
A New Normal builds on a movement led by architects who are working to transform Australia’s cities from being net consumers of energy, waste, and water into net producers by 2030, without any formal request from governments. The national movement originated from a manifesto launched at the National Gallery of Victoria during 2020 Melbourne Design Week. This manifesto inspired a large exhibition of tangible prototypes (several now built) that offered solutions to social and environmental challenges escalated by the built environment.
The exhibition is presented in two parts: in the gallery and in the undercroft of the gallery. The gallery space features a solar battery in the centre of the gallery space that powers a series of short films that tell the story of the architect-led movement and a future where humans have embraced the “new normal.” The films are interspersed with tongue-in-cheek fake advertisements which emphasise the immediacy and do-it-yourself spirit of A New Normal. In the undercroft, the project is augmented by other technological elements of A New Normal. This includes: a biogas BBQ to feed people, a rainwater tank to create mist and cool people down, and a composting toilet with a magical view. These elements demystify technology by putting culture at its centre – extending the promotion of A New Normal culture.
An expanded team of advisors provided consultation on this scheme. This advisory team comprised Nigel Bertram, Clare Cousins, Mark Jacques, Patrick Kennedy, Rachel Neeson, Philip Thalis, Kerstin Thompson, and Building 4.0 CRC.

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Home by Jack Gillmer, Emily McDaniel and Michael Mossman
This proposal conceptualises the Australia Pavilion as a “home away from home.” The exhibition presents physical, interactive, virtual and technological mediums, providing participatory opportunities for visitors and contributors of the project to storytell their understandings of home through the lens of Country. “Located within the context of existing and future colonial infrastructures, our proposal utilises methods to Indigenise place to introduce culturally considered innovations safe for ceremony, imbued of Country,” said the design team.
A monumental presence of rammed earth will feature prominently throughout the exhibition, highlighted by a curving rammed earth wall and bench seat designed to facilitate the flow of movement and embrace a sand-filled ceremonial space known as the beating heart. Visitors can choose to contribute by leave their mark and tell their story of home via a “living canvas.”
The creative directorial team behind Home were nominated to represent the voice of First Nations design practitioners: Clarence Slockee, Kayle Salvatori, Elle Davidson and Bradley Kerr.

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The winning consortium will be revealed on October 10 2024. More

The South Australian government has invited feedback on its draft Greater Adelaide Regional Plan (GARP), a 30-year vision for suitable future development.
The draft plan builds on insights collated from a three-month consultation process in late 2023. It presents a long-term vision for sustainable growth across the Greater Adelaide Region, an 11,000-square-metre area from Cape Jervis to Murray Bridge that encompasses the CBD and the townships of the Barossa Valley and extends to the boundary of Port Wakefield.
The region is currently home to about 1.5 million people, representing approximately 85 percent of the state’s population. This figure is predicted to increase by an additional 670,000 individuals by the year 2050. In an attempt to meet this future influx, the plan aims to proactively pinpoint appropriate land for housing, employment and commercial developments, as well as any supporting infrastructure. It highlights prospective areas for an additional 315,000 homes and the introduction of green spaces.
The key items on which the government is requesting feedback include: the nominated siting of new housing and employment developments, specific areas that should be protected from future development and the maor infrastructure needed to support such growth.
The consultation period for the draft closes on 4 November 2024, with the plan set to be finalised in the first quarter of 2025. To submit feedback, visit the Regional Planning Portal. More