Woods Bagot has won a design competition for Parramatta’s iconic mixed-use building at 8 Phillip Street. The 54-storey structure will include 35 levels of apartments, a proposed five-star hotel, rooftop bar and will integrate with the existing Heritage St Andrew’s Church and St Andrew’s Hall.
In a call-to-arms, the grass roots oriented development group is asking for letters of support for its third project to be sent to the government.
"From the outside, the building presents as a translucent box that entices the visitor toward it. On arrival, a glint of green slices through the form, providing a tantalising hint of the splendour of plants within." Sydney-based studio CHROFI has won a competition to design the new conservatory for the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
AR147 is now available, featuring an interview with Ken Shuttleworth, a look at the challenges and pitfalls of starting your own practice, a debate on whether project managers and architects can ever be friends, and an architect with an extraordinary passion for recycled materials.
Danielle is a current student of the 300-point Master of Architecture program, which is for students who studied a prior degree outside the built environment disciplines (career changers), at Melbourne School of Design (MSD).
Penny Craswell dives into the gender imbalance in architecture and explores the ways it can be overcome.
Dr. Caroline Vains, lecturer and project leader, discusses the Guesthouse – a student project that works to highlight the migrant experience while creating a place of welcome, developed in collaboration with the local migrant community and Christof Mayer of raumlabor.berlin.
Watch Larisa Moran in conversation with AR as she discusses some of the challenges that arise when working across multiple offices and time zones.
This year's Designbuild featured a new and intriguing component – the Incubator competition. Entrants were invited to submit applications for their innovative and exciting products. AR showcases the winners who were of particular interest to the architecture industry.
"We have a travelling studio. So the students go overseas and work – from the Galapagos Islands to places in South America. It’s a real opportunity for students to experience what it's like to work in another culture and have to produce design in that context." Dr Karen Burns, senior lecturer in Architectural Design at MSD, discusses the school's architecture course.
“We’re excited to be launching one of the most progressive, socially oriented, community driven housing projects that Australia has ever seen, at a time when new options in affordable housing have never been more vital,” says architect Alexander Symes. The Big World Homes can be built in days using only a hammer and a drill.
The school's design, by Woods Bagot, follows a model that prioritises natural light, flexible furniture, technology-enabled teaching, and learning spaces for task-based, student-centred flexible learning.
“MPavilion is a space for the people of Melbourne to gather, talk, think and to reflect," said Indian architect Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai's design, at the official opening of the 2016 MPavilion this week.
"I wanted to create something that uses tulipwood CLT in its largest format possible." The AHEC has collaborated with Alison Brooks Architects, Arup and the London Design Festival to present a giant, cross-laminated tulipwood structure that showcases the true strengths of timber.
"I feel like our best ideas often come from a slightly whimsical yet critical analysis of a situation," says Brad Wray of Branch Studio Architects, one of the practices in the running to take out Zenith’s Emerging Designer category at IDEA 2016.
"Our interest in Kevin Borland’s architectural approach took expression in our work via a lens of interpretation and transformation," says Melbourne-based practice Mihaly Slocombe, discussing their Chamfer House project – a 'sensitive infiltration' of a 1970s Kevin Borland design.
Warwick Mihaly and Erica Slocombe began their practice at the same time as starting a family in the wake of the GFC. Sandra Tan speaks to the partners in life and work for AR, and discovers their true passion for place and craft.
"Nothing can replace work experience. It will make everything in your course more relevant." Danielle Savio graduated from the Master of Architecture in 2010, and now works at Brookfield Multiplex while running a blog for women in the built environment. She offers her advice for those coming up in the field.
“There’s something fascinating about being part of something that’s physically built. And you can touch and feel when the end product is complete. There’s a buzz that you can get out of that that you can’t get in many other industries.” Larisa Moran is chief operating officer at Woods Bagot, and discusses her role with AR.
"Each project has the capacity to take us somewhere quite different," says Georgina Wilson, of GW Architect. The small Sydney-based practice is shortlisted in Zenith‘s Emerging Designer category at this year's IDEA.
"Ignore the grades. Focus on the work instead. Read broadly and proficiently. Take ownership." Elliot Summers graduated from the Master of Landscape Architecture in 2012, and then co-founded Polygon Landscape Architecture. He offers his advice for those coming up in the field.
The project will involve a reskinned façade, a new eastern annex, new food and beverage outlets, upgraded bathroom facilities, increased disability access, and back-of-house improvements which will allow bigger and better shows to come to the arena.
The building housing Mirvac and Ernst & Young’s (EY) new Sydney headquarters was constructed to embrace industry-leading design, technology and sustainability features. So what does it take to be part of the new breed of smart buildings in Australia?