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Researchers have launched a second-round survey looking into the mental wellbeing of architecture students in Australia. The first survey conducted in 2021 which found that students who responded to the survey were “worryingly poor,” with high levels of exhaustion, moderate level of psychological distress, and two-thirds of respondents perceived their studies had an overall negative […] More
Coffs Harbour City Council has opened its $82 million new cultural and civic space – Yarrila Place – designed by BVN.
“Yarrila” in Gumbaynggirr means “illuminate / brighten / light up / illustrate,” and it expresses an ambition: that the region will have a bright future.
The project was built with the advice of the Yandaarra Aboriginal Advisory Committee.
Design influences for the building include the natural environment, such as the mountain range to the west and the harbour to the east.
“The range defines the skyline and a sense of enclosure, diversity and surprise throughout the LGA. The Harbour is a clear idea of welcome, shelter, protection and safety,” BVN said in early concept diagrams.
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A skylight draws natural light into the atrium. Artwork: ‘Let them feel the light’ by Emma Coulter. Image:
Martin Siegner
The building’s form has also been shaped by a giant fig tree in the rear laneway. “The fig tree provides a recognizable anchoring point in the building. It is visible from Gordon Street, Riding Lane and the various spaces of the building. It stimulates the understanding of how to navigate the building, constantly reminding a visitor of where they are and where the heart of the project is,” BVN said.
“The fig tree provides the opportunity to create a unique meaningful place. Combined with the cultural importance of fire and the ability to experience a special place over multiple levels.”
The curvature of the rear facade is sculpted around the canopy of the fig tree, which is also then repeated on the front facade.
A pinch in the front elevation also defines the entrance to the internal open-air atrium that runs through the building in a continuous track, which takes visitors to a public space on level three and a rooftop terrace.
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The atrium connects visitors to all levels of the building. Image:
Martin Siegner
The atrium bisects the building: to the north-east, a new three-level library includes dedicated areas for children, young adults, local history and private study. A multipurpose space sits above the library.
On the south-west side of the internal atrium is Yarrila Arts and Museum, located on the ground floor beneath a co-working space and council administration facilities.
“This is a facility that will be here for generations. It will be a place of learning, it will be a place of lifting up culture and local artists but it also will be a meeting place,” said prime minister Anthony Albanese, who attended the opening ceremony amid the Voice to Parliament campaign.
BVN principal Matthew Blair, who grew up in Coffs Harbour, said the place “will evolve over time, and is imbued with a philosophy of open-minded welcome, creative collaboration and community optimism.” More
Season Three of Design Speaks Collection will revisit some of the most talked about editions of The Architecture Symposium. The 2021 Beyond the Building returns in three sessions, in which curators William Smart of Smart Design Studio and New South Wales government architect Abbie Galvin lead an exploration of impactful public projects that have had […] More
A new 16-storey $600 million Health Translation Hub at the junction between University of New South Wales’ Kensington Campus and Randwick Hospitals Campus has begun construction.
Architectus and Aspect Studios were appointed design of the facility, which will be linked to the adjacent Sydney Children’s Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital via a skybridge.
The vision for the hub is to improve health outcomes in the community by bringing educational and medical researchers, clinicians, educators, industry partners and public health officials together in one location to support the translation of innovative research and education into enhanced patient care and treatment.
New South Wales premier Chris Minns said medical research is an essential part of providing world-class healthcare.
“This project will enable the rapid translation of research and education into improved patient care and better community health outcomes. We look forward to seeing this collaboration come to fruition,” he said.
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NSW premier Chris Minns visited the site of the future 16-storey $600 million health hub. Image:
Narrative Graphics
Architectus and Aspect Studios have responded to the solar exposure of the site by incorporating shading hoods and insulated panels onto the facade of the building. The tower has been designed to be flexible in terms of use, with the ground level able to be leased by like-minded industry partners.
As part of the development, 2,500-square-metres of north-facing open public space will be established to provide a place of respite for staff, students and visitors to unwind.
The project is targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating, with the design incorporating energy efficient technology.
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Architectus and Aspect Studios have designed the tower to link up to the adjacent Sydney Children’s Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital via skybridge. Image:
Narrative Graphics
The long-term development partnership involves the Plenary Health consortium funding, developing and operating the 35,600-square-metre facility. The partneship is supported by a 20-year commitment from UNSW to occupy 65 per cent of the space, with the remaining space available to industry partners.
UNSW’s provost scientia professor Vlado Perkovic said the facility will realise the university’s aspiration to advance health by working in partnership with leading healthcare institutions.
“Healthcare is ripe for transformation,” Perkovic said, “through our dynamic collaborations with government, industry and leading academia, we will catalyse and drive breakthrough innovations and address our future healthcare needs.”
Plenary Group managing director Sergio Calcarao said they are proud to deliver a project that combines Plenary’s experience in facilitating life science projects and precincts with UNSW’s expertise in health research and education.
“Our experience in delivering on the promise of complex projects here and abroad makes us ideally placed to deliver on the university’s vision,” Mr Calcarao said.
Construction is due to be completed in 2025. More
Australian designers, studios and collectives can now register their interest for the eighth iteration of Melbourne Design Week, taking place from 23 May to 2 June, 2024.
Makers and creators have been invited to submit their innovative and ground-breaking ideas for events, talks, exhibitions, workshops and for the festival’s state-wide satellite program.
Delivered by the National Gallery of Victoria, the annual 11-day festival is a significant platform for emerging and established designers, educators, enthusiasts, thinkers and businesses to share inventive ideas, showcase projects and connect with those in the industry.
The festival will once again call on creatives to “design the world they want”, with the theme for 2024 focusing on three key design pillars: ecology, ethics and energy.
Director of NGV Tony Ellwood encouraged innovators to get involved in the free event.
“If you have a story to tell, new work to unveil, an idea to discuss, an issue to debate – Melbourne Design Week is made for you,” Ellwood said.
“At its heart, Melbourne Design Week is a festival of ideas, which is why we’ve made it completely free for anyone from our rich and diverse design community to present bold new events in 2024. The success of Melbourne Design Week is due in no small part to the enthusiastic engagement and participation from the design sector – and we can’t wait to share your achievements in 2024.”
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Design House by Oigall Projects. Image:
Annika Kafcaloudis
Accounting for approximately 90 per cent of the festival’s programming, the state-wide satellite program will host events in studios, retail spaces, universities, galleries, gardens and public spaces in Victoria.
Highlights of the 2023 satellite program included Hard, an exhibition showcasing queer creatives from Australia; Im-Permanent, a mycelium exhibition developed through a collaboration between RMIT University academics from an industrial design program and creatives and strategists from social impact agency Ellis Jones; and a joint project between Tait, Agency and Numbulwar Numburindi Arts, involving a reimagining Tait’s Tidal chair using discarded ghost fishing nets that have washed up on the shores of the remote Numbulwar community.
Expressions of interest for the Melbourne Design Week are open until Thursday, 23 November, 2023.
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Monolithic by Two Lines Studio. Image:
Monolithic Craft
Coinciding with Melbourne Design Week is the ten-year anniversary of the Melbourne Art Book Fair, which will be held across the same dates, between Thursday, 23 May and Sunday, 2 June, 2024.
Expressions of interest for the fair are also open, with the event showcasing the work of artists, publishers and designers in bookshops, galleries, libraries, community centres, and public gardens across Victoria.
The first weekend of the Melbourne Art Book Fair will feature the popular stallholder fair in NGV’s Great Hall, giving visitors the opportunity to explore and purchase unique printed materials from outstanding local and international publishers and designers.
Melbourne Design Week is an initiative of the Victorian government, delivered through their Creative Victoria program.
Since its inception, the program has grown in scope and popularity from just under 100 programs in 2017 to over 350 in 2023. More than 70,000 people attended the 2023 festival making it a highly acclaimed national design event. More
The $154.7 million redevelopment of the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) Ground, designed by Cox Architecture and Plan E, is one step closer to taking shape following endorsement from the Board of WA Cricket.
The ground, which was last redeveloped in 2002, will reduce its capacity from 20,000 to 10,000.
Plans show a new pavilion at the northern end of the ground, a community resort-style six-lane 50-metre pool on the outer rim of the field, a 25-metre indoor learn to swim pool, tiered seating and shaded open grass spaces.
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$154.7 million redevelopment of the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) Ground has been endorsed. Image:
Cox Architecture
Offering a suite amenities for community use year-round, the complex will house a public health and fitness facility with a sports medicine and rehabilitation centre, high performance cricket centre with 10-lane indoor cricket centre, childcare and creche provisions, a museum, café and function centre, as well as accesible features, such as sensory rooms and an all-abilities playground.
The multi-sports arena will have the ability to be transformed into a live entertainment and performance venue.
Constructon is underway with two stands, the Inverarity and Prindiville, which were demolished to make room for the pavilion. The indoor centre was demolished in early 2023, the light towers refurbished and the oval increased in length to facilitate the return of football at the venue. The Lillee-Marsh Stand, Players’ Pavilion and South West Pavilion will be retained.
The vision behind the design is to provide a multi-use, inclusive community and high performance sporting space with wide-reaching social and health benefits to the East Perth region. The museum’s revitalization will seek to reflect the history of the ground by honouring the sport, sporting legends and the traditional owners of the land on which the arena sits.
A First Nations narrative will also be integrated into the design of the project.
The project is a key part of the Perth City Deal, a tripartite funding arrangement between the federal and state governments and the City of Perth. In April 2023, the WA government announced it would provide an additional $32.2 million in funding on top of the $30 million it had already committed to. Total funding for the WACA Ground Improvement Project is $107.2 million, with the Australian government, WA government, WA Cricket Foundation, and Cricket Australia all contributing to the project. A further $47.5 million has been allocated to the development of hte aquatic facility.
The Ground Improvement Project is expected to be completed by September 2024. More
Global design blog Dezeen has announced the longlist for its 2023 awards, with more than 200 projects making the cut across 13 architecture categories and 150 projects in nine interior categories. Australian projects fared particularly well in the residential categories with projects from Melbourne among the top seven locations in the longlist. The longlisted Australian […] More
When Corporate Culture founder and CEO Richard Munao rang Mark Tuckey in March this year, it was to help a friend of his business acquire a timber dining table. Little did he know that this casual phone call would lead to an acquisition of his own, and one on a very different scale.
During the call, Tuckey confided that after several decades at the helm of his eponymous timber furniture business, and various ups and downs that life had thrown his way, he was ready for a change. Knowing the strength of the Mark Tuckey brand and the quality of its product, and mindful of the importance of preserving local design and manufacturing, Munao started thinking.
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The existing Mark Tuckey workshop and showroom in the inner-Melbourne suburb of Thornbury will remain at the core of the business. Image: Supplied
“Two days later, I rang him back and said, ‘Mark, if you don’t mind sharing the numbers with me, I’ll have a look at it’,” he recalls. “I went out to the factory, met the team and could see that they know very well how to make beautiful product. But I wanted to be sure that we could add value to the Mark Tuckey business, and I felt that we could, particularly through our strength in sales and marketing.”
Less than six months after that initial conversation, the deal was finalised, with the official change of ownership on 1 September. Mark Tuckey is now part of the group that includes Cult Design’s operations in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, Hay Shops in Sydney and Melbourne, the Cultivated product-stewardship program and the Nau design brand.
Munao’s focus on sales and marketing points to an opportunity for Mark Tuckey to become more active in the commercial furniture sector. But he also flags efficiencies through vertical integration (“making great value products that last a lifetime and taking them to market at a more affordable price”) and bringing the Mark Tuckey team’s manufacturing capabilities to the Nau range (“getting our design network to use that expertise and potentially give it a bit of a fresh look as well”) as benefits that convinced him that the acquisition made sense.
“I’m not taking up something that I need to completely change,” Munao says. “I’m taking on something that hopefully, with an injection of new energy and direction into the future, will turn into an even greater business.”
You can read more about the acquisition at the Cult Design website. More
