Architecture

The Alastair Swayn Foundation has announced it is now accepting applications for its 2024 round one grants program, with successful applicants to be awarded funding for commencing design-related research.
The 2024 round one grants program opened on 1 March with two funding streams available: Design Thinking Grants and Design Strategy Grants. Individuals, groups and organizations can apply for either of the two streams until 12 April.
The Design Thinking Grants provide $5,000 to successful candidates to undertake a research project in architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design, heritage preservation and restoration, adaptive re-use of architecture or product design and designing for accessibility. The Design Strategy Grants will allocate $10,000 to successful applicants to conduct research on significant challenges within the fields of architecture and design in Australia.
The 2023 round two grant recipients have been revealed alongside the announcement that the 2024 round one program has opened for submissions. The categories for the 2023 round two program included Design Strategy, Design Thinking, an $8,000-$10,000 Design Audio grant and an International grant of up to $15,000.
The 2023 category winners are:
Design Strategy
Tom Alves – Social Housing as a Site for Design Leadership and Innovation
Heliotope (Jane Caught) – Glass in the Anthropocene
Luka Enstrom and Brooke Jackson – Home Office – Feasibility of Housing in Vacant Commercial Office Buildings of Sydney
University of Canberra (Mike Louw, Sally Farrah, Max Maxwell, Sam Tomkins) – Second Ski
Deakin University (Akari Nakai Kidd) – A Home, Not Housing: Empowering Women Through Co-design of a Good-Home Design Blueprint
Design Thinking
Melanie Mury (Mury Architects) – Girl Power: Design Solutions for an Equitable and Inclusive Future for Females in Sport
University of Sydney (Laura Goh) – Shared and sustainable future communities: removing regulatory barriers to innovative cohousing design in the Australian Capital Territory
Design Audio
Parlour (Justine Clark and Alison McFadye) – Parlour Pod – Summer Listening 2024
Susty Spec (Isabella Peppard) – Upfront: Conversations in Carbon
Open House Melbourne (Tania Davidge) – City and Regional Catalysts
Cottage Industries (Cristina Garduño Freeman, Vicki Leibowitz, Antonia Fredman, Nicholas Searle) – Not to Scale
RMIT (Adele Varcoe) – Feeling Fashion
International
Office (Simon Robinson) – Retain, Repair, Reinvest: An International Study of Exemplary Public Housing Tower Refurbishment Projects More

Caesarstone Porcelain, unveiled in 2022 with a total of 17 designs, is releasing a further eight surfaces this March 2024. The new finishes include Mosstone, which resembles a mottled layer of mosses with subtle veins in muted sage and deep green; Smokestone features a midnight-black base and lightning-like streaks in chalk-white; Libretta has a warm-white […] More

A collection of design events to stir the imagination, provide a source of inspiration and present a new perspective.
Micro: Exploring the big ideas behind small spaces
Presented by the Regional Architecture Association (RAA), this event explores the big ideas behind small spaces and practices, providing an opportunity for attendees to marvel at architecturally designed homes and hospitality venues in New South Wales’ Mudgee region. The program features a visit to Glenn Murcutt’s most recent small project, as well as Gawthorne’s Hut and Rosby Wines – both designed by Cameron Anderson Architects. Micro will be held from 14 March until 16 March. An additional online event will be held on 6 March, featuring architects who will discuss the successes and challenges of designing modular and tiny homes.
Heide Modern: A Space Between

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John reading the newspaper, Heide Modern, c. 1975, photographer unknown. Image:

Courtesy of Heide Museum of Modern Art Archive, Melbourne

In 1981, Heide Museum of Modern Art in Melbourne, once a residence, opened its doors to the public for the display of art. Curated by Chloe Jones and Laura Lantieri, Heide Modern: A Space Between examines the concept of home as a place where conversations, leisure, labour, intimate relationships, as well as values and beliefs cohabitate. The works presented consider how architecture shapes lived experience, while simultaneously reflecting on notions of memory and domestic life. The display also examines the intersection of private and public life, with reference to the building’s transition from a residence to a museum. This exhibition will run between 20 February and 14 July.
Perth Design Week

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Clifton and Central by MJA Studio with CAPA Studio. Image:

Jack Lovel

Perth Design Week returns to celebrate and spark fresh conversations about architecture, houses, interiors and object and furniture design. The week-long event, held between 14 and 21 March, provides a platform for both emerging and established designers to present their works, persepectives and experiences. Residential program highlights include a discussion titled Mainstreaming Environmentally Sustainable Design in WA; an architecture photography workshop with photographer Frans Parthesius; an exhibition called WA Homes – S, M, L will explore housing diversity in Western Australia, and a Home Inspiration Marathon that will feature award-winning architects who will present on the topic of sustainable home design.
What Makes Architecture

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Peter Maddison is set to present at Melbourne’s Justin Art House Museum in March 2024. Image: Supplied

In this discussion, architect and former host of Grand Designs Australia, Peter Maddison, will explore how designers can give higher meaning to buildings through materiality, form making and the configuration of building fabric. In addition to hosting the beloved television series for more than a decade, Maddison has been involved with hundreds of projects and has acquired several esteemed architecture awards. He is the current ambassador for Architects Without Frontiers, as well as the Melbourne Open House program. Join him at Melbourne’s Justin Art House Museum on 26 March for an insightful discussion. More

Concept designs for the new $35 million Heights Technical College in Adelaide have been released, with the college to provide years 10-12 students with vocational education. The proposed college will be constructed on the Heights School campus on Brunel Drive in Modbury Heights, however, the school and college will operate as separate entities. The proposed […] More

The City of Darwin has announced plans to revamp Smith Street in Darwin’s CBD, aiming to create a greener and more dynamic pedestrian hub. The council has selected GHD to carry out the concept design for the Smith Street Streetscape project. The desired outcomes of the project would see more greenery and shade introduced, improved […] More

A state significant development application proposing that a 45-storey, mixed use tower be established in central Sydney has been approved. The high-rise, to be known as Toga Central, will house a ten-floor hotel with a pool and day spa amenities, 22 levels of commercial space, parking for 106 vehicles and retail and dining tenancies on […] More

Acoufelt, an acoustic solutions specialist, has launched a new digital suite providing design professionals and clients with immersive tools to experiment with and envision Acoufelt products in a space. The Ammersion suite has two offerings – the Ammersion AR Visualiser and the Ammersion Virtual Showroom. The Ammersion AR Visualiser uses augmented reality technology to imagine […] More

A $100 million mixed-use building comprising 219 build-to-rent residences in Boorloo/Perth has been given the tick of approval by federal and state governments.
Both governments have committed funding for the establishment of the building at 195 Pier Street, with the federal government allocating $88.6 million and the WA government contributing more than $40.6 million.
The proposal, designed by Hassell and Plan E Landscape Architects, features mixed housing options across 29 storeys. Thirty percent of residences (66 apartments) will be made available to social housing tenants and 20 percent (44 apartments) to affordable housing tenants. The remaining dwellings will operate as market rate build-to-rent dwellings and specialist disability accommodation.

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The building will accommodate a landscaped podium on level seven, containing several communal offerings, such as a shared kitchen, workshop, laundry and outdoor area. Image:

Hassell and Plan E Landscape Architects

The design team has adopted a “blind tenure model” in its design of each apartment, ensuring that every residence is created to the same specifications, in a move that aims to remove visible distinctions between different housing types. The high-rise features an activated ground floor with flexible co-working spaces, a corner food and beverage tenancy and an office space. The building will also accommodate a landscaped podium on level seven, containing several communal offerings, such as a shared kitchen, workshop, laundry and outdoor area.
Alex Jones, a senior associate at Hassell, said the building has been designed to reflect the location’s historical connection to print media. The Government Print Hall once operated on Pier Street, while the nearby Stirling Street was the site where many esteemed newspapers such as The West Australian, The Sunday Times and The Australian, were printed. These references can be seen in the east and west elevations – which mimic book and newspaper covers – and a spine that expands the entire height of the tower.
“The design captures the printing past of the area. It builds upon the great connections the building has to the city and surrounds to create a vibrant and inclusive urban community. Here, residents can feel supported and safe, embrace the opportunities provided, and, most importantly, have a place to call home,” said Jones.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the project “ticks all the boxes” in its effort to provide more “safe and affordable” housing options. “It will mean key workers can live and work in the same community and provide new homes to Western Australians in need, including older women at risk of homelessness,” the prime minister said.
Construction will commence in mid-2024, with the project expected to be complete in 2026. More