Architecture

Renewal SA has unveiled its vision to transform the former Adelaide Bus Station into a mixed-use precinct with affordable housing designed by Woods Bagot.
To be named Tapangka, which means “the experience of journey” in Kaurna, the precinct is being marketed as “a journey of reconciliation, a journey of home ownership, a journey towards sustainability and a journey of collaboration between the city and the state to achieve the best outcomes for the community.”
Renewal SA will purchase the site in order to redevelop it into what its hopes will become the first carbon neutral precinct in Adelaide CBD.
The precinct will comprise two mixed-use towers and a central civic building. It will accommodate 392 apartments, 137 of which will be classified as affordable housing. There will be 85 rental units and 51 for-sale units.
The precinct will also include a 208-room hotel and a series of laneways, which will be populated with food and beverage venues.

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The proposed Tapangka precinct designed by Woods Bagot. Image:

Courtesy Renewal SA

“Adelaide is ready for a bold new approach to city living,” said Woods Bagot principal Alex Hall. “Our design for Tapangka reflects this and puts human experience at the heart of the built environment.”
South Australian minister for housing and urban development Nick Champion said, “This city-defining project, driven by affordable housing, will open the door to inner-city living for South Australians who find themselves locked out of a market under significant pressure.
“We are bringing the Build-to-Rent model into the CBD for the first time, providing another way to help address housing shortages and ease the rental squeeze.”
Renewal SA was chosen by the City of Adelaide to develop the site, which the council will retain until 2025 as an on site car park during the redevelopment of the nearby Adelaide Central Market, also designed by Woods Bagot.
“The State Government’s proposal will help accelerate investment and growth within our city,” said lord mayor Jane Lomax-Smith. “Adelaide needs more affordable housing, so I’m pleased this plan includes 35 percent affordable housing, more than double the 15 percent requirement – as well as build-to-rent apartments and an opportunity for investment in community space.
“There will also be space for retail and hospitality outlets, and a mixed-use development, which will no doubt enhance and support the much-loved Market District.”
Construction is expected to begin in 2026 with completion anticipated in 2029. More

The Land and Environment Court of New South Wales (NSWLEC) has quashed a developer’s bid to demolish the first commercial skyscraper in North Sydney.
In 2020, developer Investa Property Group submitted an application to North Sydney Council to demolish the former MLC building, which was designed by Bates Smart and McCutcheon, and replace it with a new office tower designed by Bates Smart.
The council refused to grant permission, and the developer appealed to NSWLEC to overturn North Sydney Council’s decision.
The court ultimately dismissed the appeal and upheld the council’s refusal.
In its decision, the court determined that “the complete demolition of the MLC will have significant, irreversible heritage impacts.”
The former North Sydney MLC building, completed in 1956, was the first high-rise office block in North Sydney and the largest building of its type in Australia at the time of its construction. It is listed as an item of local heritage.
In 2021, NSW arts minister Don Harwin directed the item be listed on the state’s heritage register on the recommendation of the Heritage Council; however, in 2022, NSWLEC ordered the NSW Heritage Council to remove the listing because the minister had failed to “consider mandatory considerations under the Heritage Act.”

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Proposed North Sydney tower designed by Bates Smart. Image: Supplied

Nonetheless, in determining the development application, the court acknowledged that “there is almost unanimity within the professions of architecture and heritage historians that the MLC is of State, if not national, heritage significance.”
“The MLC ‘skyscraper’ (MLC), when erected in 1957 and viewed from the same perspective, dominated the North Sydney skyline and boldly declared modernist planning daring use of materials and technology as well as function-over-fussy-ornamentation. It was a contemporary architectural statement described at the time as ‘a glossy beacon of modernity,’” the court found.
The developer argued that “the existing building has reached the end of its design life. As such, it submits that the public interest in developing the site and the financial burden of refurbishing the building, either in whole or part, mean that it is ‘not reasonable to conserve’ the heritage item,” the judgement stated.
“The applicant claims that no rational user of land is likely to refurbish the building, with the consequence that the building will be land banked – to degrade progressively at increasing levels of vacancy on this strategically crucial site in North Sydney’s CBD.”
However, NSWLEC senior commissioner Dixon SC found that “the applicant is unable to demonstrate that there is no acceptable alternative to demolition.”
“Without a proper analysis of the adaptive reuse of the MLC based on the principles in the Burra Charter, or a heritage scope of works, I do not accept that the applicant has satisfactorily demonstrated the alternative options to demolition. The applicant has not provided reasons objectively assessed, as to why the refurbishment option is not acceptable,” the decision said. More

The Tasmanian government has released preliminary documents in its plans to create an arts, entertainment and sporting precinct at Macquarie Point in Hobart.
In April 2023, the federal government announced it would contribute $240 million towards the project, which will transform the last remaining waterfront and urban development site in Hobart.
The Tasmanian government will develop a refreshed precinct plan for the area, which spans from Macquarie Point to crown land at Regatta Point.
A multipurpose, 23,000-seat stadium will be the centrepiece of the project. It will have the capacity to host a range of activities such as major concerts, conferences, exhibitions and sporting events.
“The Urban Renewal project has a multipurpose stadium at its core, which will inspire economic activity around it and strengthen our economy for decades to come,” said Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff.
The project will include a focus on transport connections, housing and upgrade to Hobart port.
Regatta Point will be developed through a public-private partnership and include affordable homes and housing for critical workers and veterans.
“This exciting precinct plan will provide real affordable housing for Tasmanians, real jobs and new transport solutions,” said prime minister Anthony Albanese.
“This sets up Macquarie Point as the future jewel in the crown for Hobart. A place where people can live, work and come together.”
Documents released by the Tasmanian government include a business case for the project, as well as a site selection report produced by MCS Management and Consulting in conjunction with Philip Leighton Architects and an initial stadium views analysis undertaken by Liminal Architecture.
An architect has not been appointed for the design of the stadium. The design process will begin after consultation with key stakeholders has concluded.
The total funding requirement for the urban renewal project is $715 million. The Tasmanian government has committed $375 million, the AFL will contribute $15 million, and the remaining $85 million will be funded through borrowings. More

The first building at Flinders University’s proposed Flinders Village site has topped out.
The $280 million Health and Medical Research Building (HMRB), designed by Architectus, will be the centrepiece and flagship building of the Flinders Village development at the university’s Bedford Park campus on Adelaide’s southern outskirts.
The building is located adjacent to Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders Private Hospital and will accommodate staff and researchers of the colleges of medicine, public health, nursing and health sciences.
“Housing more than 600 basic, clinical and allied health research scientists together with data scientists and digital health experts, the 10-storey HMRB with its amazing state-of-the-art facilities provides exciting new collaborative research opportunities that will help us to make a difference to the health and wellbeing of people everywhere,” said professor and Matthew Flinders Fellow Claire Roberts.

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Flinders University Health and Medical Research Building by Architectus. Image: Architectus

Informed by the university’s Cultural Narrative and Indigenous Art Advisory Panel, the design’s colours reference the natural pigments of the Kaurna Yarta coastline.
The ochre-coloured facade will also draw attention to significant Indigenous landmarks.
The building has been designed to integrate with surrounding landscape. Bush medicine plants are part of an Indigenous garden with landscaping that extends to the rest of the campus, the adjacent hospital and railway station.
“This project has been a benchmark in collaboration. Our national team of experts has engaged the community in hundreds of workshops, particularly with First Nations elders, to design a hub for innovation inspired by its place on Rainbow Country,” said Architectus principal Andrew Schunke.
Flinders University’s vice-chancellor said the HMRB is a “$280 million gift to the people of South Australia.”
South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas said, “Flinders’ Health and Medical Research Building will utterly transform the south and this biomedical precinct.”
The building is due to open in 2024. More

The Australian Institute of Architects has called on the federal government to prioritize funds for housing First Nations communities and improving buildings’ energy efficiency in the 2023 budget, which will be delivered on 9 May. The Institute made a pre-budget submission to Treasury that included a number of recommendations, including allocating $4 billion over four […] More

Sustainability Victoria is inviting architects and designers to submit to the 2023 Premier’s Sustainability Awards. The more than 20-year-old awards program celebrates advancements and achievements in sustainability across six categories aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including Sustainable Places and Destinations and Thriving Environments. Two awards will be presented in each category: a […] More

Researchers are inviting architectural workers to participate in a second survey about the impact of workplace culture and professional identity on wellbeing. The landmark Wellbeing of Architects survey was first conducted in 2021 and had more than 2,000 participants, the majority of whom were registered architects or undertaking registration. The results of the first survey […] More

Archisource has announced the winners of its 2022 Drawing of the Year contest. Yichen Sheng of Melbourne School of Design received the Architectural Award 2022 for a drawing, Vessel of Machine. The judges lauded the mix of traditional drawing methods and creative flair, as well as the selective use of colour. “The strong composition and […] More