ArchitectureAu

11/09/2024

Cleverly negotiating its suburban context, the first phase of a long-term masterplan for a community-led primary school in Hobart supports its educational philosophy and makes all spaces into learning spaces.

09/09/2024

The design by Breathe invites audiences to rethink homebuilding in Australia, championing small-scale, community-minded and environmentally conscious outcomes.

The design by Breathe invites audiences to rethink homebuilding in Australia, championing sustainable, small-scale outcomes.

08/09/2024

In an industrial estate in Currumbin, five assorted warehouse buildings have been unified into a “carefully choreographed composition” that is resilient enough for its flood-prone site yet comfortable enough to offer tenants a sense of domesticity.

In a Currumbin industrial estate, five warehouse buildings have been unified into a “carefully choreographed composition.”

04/09/2024

A post-occupancy evaluation of a Melbourne housing project designed for people with limited mobility shines light on residents' sentiments.

02/09/2024

Designed according to principles developed to dispel feelings of fear, a restrained, child-centred facility in suburban Melbourne seeks to support children recovering from trauma, and their families.

30/08/2024

The September/October issue of Architecture Australia is out now! Head to the link in bio to subscribe and pick up your copy.⁠
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As extreme weather events and changing climates become Australian (and global) norms, how should we as architects design for climate resilience – and what are we already doing? In this issue, we explore these questions in our dossier themed “Seasons and Cycles”, which includes built environment professionals’ diverse experiences and insights around climate-resilient design.⁠
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Alongside these discussions, are a collection of projects across Australia that, in their own way, address climate-related resilience. The Warehouses by .ar.office on Yugambeh Country in Currumbin demonstrates that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to sustainability; writer John de Manincor says that “quality, longevity and resilience have vital voices in this conversation”.⁠
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On Bunrunong Country in Cowes, the Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre by incorporates Passivhaus standards for energy efficiency – and is one of the nation’s largest public projects to do so. Up north on Bindal and Wulgurukaba Country in Townsville, James Cook University’s Engineering and Innovation Place by in association with and pairs state-of-the-art technology with climate-specific design to create a future-focused building “that demonstrates ways of addressing the unique climate through innovative and memorable spaces,” Helen Norrie writes. Through these projects and the dossier, we hope designers find many opportunities and tools for adaptation and resilience in the built environment.⁠
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Finally, we share two heartfelt thank-yous: to Justine Clark for not only contributing to the collation of this dossier but also stepping in as Architecture Australia’s editor-at-large for the past 6 months; and to outgoing managing editor Nicci Dodanwela for her guidance, expertise and kindness. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours.⁠
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– and .birks⁠
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Cover: Berninneit Cultural and Community Centre by ⁠
Photography by ⁠
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29/08/2024

The winner of a design competition, which tasked architects with reimagining the southern portion of the historic Pentridge Village precinct in Melbourne, has been announced.

27/08/2024

Design renders for the new $1.2 billion Bundaberg Hospital in Queensland have been released.

27/08/2024

The Woods Bagot-designed Melbourne Quarter Tower has opened, marking the completion of the third and final commercial tower in the Melbourne Quarter precinct.

27/08/2024

By working in a place for an extended period, engaging with its people and understanding its history, an architect can play a pivotal role in community-building, as Dunn Hillam has done through various projects in the remote New South Wales town of Cobar.

20/08/2024

Despite changing demographics, the spatial experience of the modern gym is still one of tense ultra-masculinism – and it’s extending a health gap. But gyms of the ancient world used architecture to dignify a vast variety of activities and personalities. What can we learn from the past?

Despite changing demographics, the spatial experience of the modern gym is still one of tense ultra-masculinism - and it's extending a health gap. But gyms of the ancient world used architecture to dignify a vast variety of activities and personalities. What can we learn from the past?

19/08/2024

A collaborative design alliance has unveiled a speculative proposal that reimagines Brisbane's Northshore as a lively new precinct that accommodates housing, recreation and a sports and entertainment stadium for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

15/08/2024

A design excellence competition for a mixed-used apartment building has been won by a scheme that embraces a material palette inspired by the angophora tree, which the building will eventually envelop.

Carter Williamson Architects with Land and Form have won a design excellence competition for a mixed-used apartment building in Sydney. The successful scheme has embraced a material palette inspired by the angophora tree that the building will eventually envelop.

13/08/2024

The Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence on Yorta Yorta Country in Shepparton has opened with a ceremony embracing the education, sport and public gathering space as a significant hub for learning, community engagement and cultural pride.

13/08/2024

Chance encounters, research, practical collaborations and committed designers have all been part of the realisation of two prototype houses designed to nurture women and children’s wellbeing and recovery from homelessness.

12/08/2024

A new boutique hotel with an industrial-inspired exterior wrapped in weathered steel has opened in Fitzroy, Melbourne.

12/08/2024

A new library at the heart of a regional Victorian town is a delightful building, which reflects its landscape and embeds First People’s cultural narratives – but its primary success lies outside its walls, in its engagement with the broader context.

12/08/2024

Hobart City Council has unanimously approved a development proposal to establish a 12-storey office building in Liverpool Street and a “pocket park” for public use.

01/08/2024

A design team led by Billard Leece Partnership has unveiled its initial concept designs for the new Queensland Cancer Centre in Brisbane, a healthcare facility where individuals can access critical cancer treatments and care.

30/07/2024

In a remote town in central-west New South Wales, the design team and the community have overcome the tyranny of distance, working together for five years to realise their ambition for a modest but elegant and invaluable facility.

29/07/2024

From the archives: As the 2024 Paris Olympic Games begin, we look back at a role architecture once played in the Olympic movement, that is now largely forgotten.

As the 2016 Rio Olympic Games concludes, we look back at a role architecture once played in the Olympic movement, that is now largely forgotten.

29/07/2024

A design scheme featuring six buildings, an outdoor plaza and a public marketplace has emerged as the winner of a design excellence competition, with the proposal now set to be built in Sydney's Five Dock.

25/07/2024

Reflecting its surrounds on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, a house built almost entirely from terracotta is a portrait of the architect’s passionate pursuit of architectural experimentation and collaborative making.

23/07/2024

In architecture, the American influence, although immense, has been largely baleful, regimenting us, separating us from nature (including human nature) and depriving us of dignity and freedom, argues Elizabeth Farrelly.

22/07/2024

The site of the 135-year-old Robur Tea House building in Melbourne's Southbank is one step closer to being redeveloped into a mixed-use precinct after Heritage Victoria granted a permit for seven interconnected buildings on the site.

18/07/2024

The City of Perth has unveiled concept designs for a waterfront precinct on Perth’s Swan river that will transform the area into a “world-class city park.”

16/07/2024

In a green pocket just west of Perth’s CBD, a team of designers has worked together on a for-profit, developer-led project driven by a desire to reconnect buildings, their landscapes and their occupants.

15/07/2024

The City of Gold Coast has released early designs for a new Lyric Theatre in the Home of the Arts (HOTA) precinct.

11/07/2024

The Australian Institute of Architects has revealed the shortlist for the 2024 National Architecture Awards.

11/07/2024

The July/August issue of Architecture Australia is out now! Head to the link in bio to subscribe and pick up your copy.⁠

From our bird’s-eye view of Australian architecture, a growing social and environmental conscience is clearly evident. Architecture Media’s initiation of the ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact aims to recognise this work across the industry and beyond. The (joint) winner of the inaugural award, in 2023, was .agency for its work alongside the Anindilyakwa community on the Groote Archipelago Housing Programme. So, when we decided to theme an issue of Architecture Australia on the many ways that architects can have social impact, we invited .agency co-founders, Emma Williamson and Kieran Wong, to be our guest editors.

We wanted to explore architecture’s role in projects that create a ripple effect that is felt beyond the built form. But coming up with a definition of “social impact” proved difficult. We knew that to have value, a project did not need to have an explicitly “social” agenda. In regional Victoria, the Boronggook Drysdale Library by and is a “delightful” building – but, according to reviewer Tania Davidge, it truly leverages its social impact by engaging with the broader context and “helping to make sense of the town’s urban fabric.” This issue includes several regional and remote projects. Although distance increases the architectural challenges (see Ashley Dunn and Lee Hillam’s review of Murrin Bridge Preschool Community Hub), it also amplifies the potential impact of good design. Other ways to heighten a project’s impact include engaging a diverse team of people passionate about a particular social concern (Isabel and Elsie, designed by with , is a case in point); and involving the users in the design (as and did for Boobook Narrkwarren Nagarra-jarra-noun).

We were excited to revisit St Alban’s Housing by with which we reviewed when it was completed in 2022. Since then, a post-occupancy evaluation has been undertaken and the results are revealing. We’re hoping to see more of this important mode of research in the future.

This issue demonstrates that social value can be incorporated into design from the time of briefing, and throughout the entire process. In the UK, the Social Value Act already compels architects to consider the social value of their work. Flora Samuel believes that this offers major opportunities for architects, especially if they take advantage of new tools – such as AI and deep data – to capture social impact. It was energising to work with Kieran and Emma – even as Emma was appointed to the role of government architect for Western Australia while on the job! We thank them for their valuable insights.

Alongside these discussions, we celebrate the winners and commended projects in the 2024 ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact. This year, the jury was delighted to see work that might serve as replicable models within various design sectors. For example, in the winning project, Wangaratta District Specialist School by , “the existing school typology has been rethought through the lens of a particular social group, informing better design for all schools and opening up the possibility of reinventing the educational architecture typology.” Congratulations to all those recognised in this year’s award!

– , .birks and

Cover: Wangaratta District Specialist School by
Photography by
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🔗 Head to https://architecturemedia.com/store/product/architecture-australia-subscription/ to pick up your copy.