Indholdsfortegnelse for January 2022 i Architecture Australia

How often, over the past 18 months, have you been asked how the design of the built environment will be affected by the pandemic? Or what the pandemic’s reach will be over a perceived new livability and workplace norm? History shows that in times of crisis or uncertainty, architecture returns to first principles: ventilation, sunshine, fresh air, movement, nature and space. In many respects, therefore, our response to the pandemic is the essence of biophilic design, albeit with the addition of the now-mandatory screen. It will be interesting to see whether policymakers respond to a preference for the backyard over the balcony as the flight to the regions intensifies in the current re-evaluation of the way we live. Part of the Institute’s agenda this year was to establish a social…

The University of Melbourne’s innovation precinct, Melbourne Connect, opened its doors in early 2021. Located on the unceded ancestral lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, the new complex aims to bring together research, industry, government and community through a series of three interconnected buildings clustered around a central courtyard, Womin-djerring (“come together”). The precinct’s largest tower, which brackets the Grattan Street and Swanston Street corner of the site, houses the Science Gallery Melbourne (part of the Global Science Gallery Network) and the Telstra Creator Space (an accessible fabrication lab) at ground level. The upper floors are occupied by the university’s Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology offices and hubs, research centres and labs, and also provides spaces for startups and industry partners. To the north, beside the…

Our architecture has always been concerned with sustainability. Working as students in the late 1970s in Gabriel Poole’s office set us on track exploring the best ways to enjoy living in our South East Queensland setting. The work gave us a deep understanding of passive solar design principles through observation and experience. Growing our practice in a region meant graduating from house extensions to houses, to small local public buildings. And being in Queensland meant using lightweight construction methods predominantly. Generally, the public buildings could be designed to perform well with natural light, natural ventilation, good shading and integration of landscape. Any added mechanical heating or cooling was only needed to temper extremes. In the 1990s, Richard Hyde (then at the University of Queensland, now a professor of architectural science…

Rory Hyde: How did you first get involved in designing for space? Xavier De Kestelier: Going right back, my dad took me to an exhibition on space, in Brussels, when I was about 12 years old. It was the end of the Cold War and there was a bit of one-upmanship going on between the Americans and the Russians. The Americans brought a big blow-up space shuttle, but the Russians brought the training module for the Mir space station – the real thing. And you could go inside it. I saw where the buttons were, where the wires were, where the astronauts were eating, where they were working. And when I got home, the first thing I did was start drawing spaceships. My mum found the drawing the other day!…

Jury chair overview We urgently need to address climate change, individually and collectively, and at all scales; to be effective, big ideas require thousands of smaller acts. This year’s jury for the AA Prize for Unbuilt Work was impressed by the range of proposals that sought to confront our environmental challenges in creative and compelling ways. The joint winners – Native Networks by Layla Stanley and Gas Stack by Simulaa with Finding Infinity – both present as provocations that promote urban transformations. Native Networks is at the big-picture, strategic end of the spectrum while Gas Stack slots into the macro plan as a smaller-scale experiment that suggests incremental change. The Native Networks proposal – to create a long, uninterrupted habitat link between the established green spaces in Sydney’s CBD –…

Jury citation: Puzzling Evidence is an aptly titled devotion to the ordinary and disregarded architecture of everyday life. Through an exquisite filmic narrative, it tells the story of four (apparently) public buildings in the outer Melbourne suburb of Dandenong – and provides us with an alternate reading of architectural representation in contemporary culture. From the service station to the post office, the data centre to the assembly hall, the project holds up a mirror to what we might traditionally call public space, reflecting back something far stranger. Investing the ordinary with the extraordinary, it provides a thoughtful yet humorous elegy on the unappreciated banality of suburban form. Architect’s description: This project is not a discrete building but a suite of outcomes captured in a video format. The intent is to…

Historically, the focus of architectural critique has tended to be single buildings by individual architects. But, what happens when we interrogate the work of a group of architects working collectively? In this issue of Architecture Australia, we have curated a series of projects that explore the value of design collaboration. Some demonstrate the work of several architects working together on a single project; others constitute a series of buildings on a site, designed by different practices simultaneously; and still others show how contemporary architects can respond to the work of their predecessors, recent or historic. In each case, the project’s sum is greater than its parts and contributes to a rich layering of urban fabric. Although not a new approach, collaborative design is gaining momentum – and teams are often…

The complex nature of today’s challenges – environmental, social and economic – calls for an integrated, multidisciplinary and comprehensive approach to the process of spatial design, at all scales. In this dossier, we hear about practices in which architects and others are working together to gain a more diverse perspective. Through partnerships with cultural consultants, environmental engineers, data analysts and technologists, these practices are generating better designs and expanding business opportunities, both on Earth and further afield.…

Proportion, composition, light and shadow are elements of both art and architecture that are critiqued and refined through process and practise. Given these common elements, the ongoing crossover between art and architecture is no surprise – whether it be artists practising in architecture, such as Michelangelo or Ai Weiwei; architects creating art, such as Le Corbusier or Zaha Hadid; or architects collaborating with artists to create unique architectural expressions. In Australia, there is a growing interest in this collaborative movement, particularly between architects and First Nations artists. Projects such as George Street Plaza by Adjaye Associates and Daniel Boyd (see Perspective, page 10), In Absence by Yhonnie Scarce and Edition Office and, although unsuccessful in competition, Powerhouse Parramatta by Chrofi Architects and Reko Rennie represent project teams containing both architects…

Jury citation: Crying Room is a machine with a social conscience. Seated at the centre of the space, an occupant slices onions using a series of guillotines suspended from the roof. The onions are used to make a soup that provides sustenance to, and acts as a restorative for, the local community. Satisfaction for the occupant comes through the cathartic act of crying, achieved with the help of not only the onions, but also the proffered bottle of whiskey and packet of cigarettes. The jury was impressed by the surreal and humorous nature of the proposal, as well as the beautifully executed, finely detailed drawings. The proposal’s social agenda makes it a successful antidote for our troubling times. Architect’s description: “Those who do not weep, do not see.” —Victor Hugo,…

Jury citation: Sydney is a city built on sandstone. Many of its grand civic buildings are constructed from this material, and recent projects – such as the sandstone foreshore at Barangaroo – have reminded Sydneysiders of the material richness that exists beneath their city. Sand Castles reconfigures the park fronting the city’s Central Station to reveal the sandstone lying immediately underground. This cut stone is ramped and connected to a new subterranean park located below street level. The excavated stone is used to create a triple-height colonnade or belvedere that wraps around the remaining three sides of the park and links back to Central Station. This is an ambitious and bold proposition deployed to provide human-scale spaces that celebrate the geological origins not only of Central Station but of Sydney…

In recent years, an increasing number of architectural projects have demonstrated the immense value of working collaboratively. Large-scale architectural competitions often require participants to comprise a team, sometimes multidisciplinary, and many private clients also recognize the benefit of bringing together the complementary skills offered by different practices. Here, we present a series of recent and yet-to-be-completed projects that illustrate this approach to working together. While the collaboration types are diverse, collectively they promote varied design practice and the act of pausing to reflect on our own approach to design. In-house conversation and critique have always been part of a good design process, but broadening this dialogue to include different practices, consultants or disciplines can have an impact far beyond the built work itself, such as increased cultural understanding or technological…

Georgia Birks: Can you tell me a bit about how you ended up working together? Troy Casey: Coincidence, actually! We’re currently collaborating on a number of projects, but we first crossed paths when Blaklash was engaged by an architectural practice to come on board as the Indigenous design or community consultant. I believe Kieran was on another submission for the same project and got poached. Kieran Wong: Yes, The Fulcrum Agency was brought in on another team on that same project. We were all shortlisted and interviewed, and the client thought there would be a benefit in partnering us [Blaklash and The Fulcrum Agency]. So, it was an arranged marriage! TC: Complementary skillsets, right? At Blaklash Creative, we’re not trained architects, but we understand the public realm and the translation…

Anthony Burke: I know that BVN has been doing some really interesting work in the research space with different partners. Can you tell me a little bit about that? Ninotschka Titchkosky: Yes, we’ve done two interesting research projects, one with the University of Sydney and one with UTS. Both were focused around robotic and digital fabrication. We wanted to look at how we solve some real-world problems using advanced technologies. Importantly, both of them were set up in a collaborative research environment, rather than buying the services of experts in a particular field. This enables the team to work as a combined project team – it’s mutually beneficial for both parties to work in that way, learning from each other. Together, you combine your capabilities, meaning that you can achieve…

Architect’s description: House 186.3 addresses key aspects of sustainability, affordability, density, size, heritage and community within future aspirations for Australian housing and communities. The project is in Dudley, New South Wales, where existing miners’ cottages are being demolished and replaced with unsuitable and excessive new builds. Australian houses are among the largest in the world, averaging 186.3 square metres, with new builds averaging 235.8 square metres. The concept came from a desire to save these condemned, vernacular structures while reconfiguring them to connect with place, community and environment. Our approach promotes the idea that sustainability should not be special or luxurious; instead, we use straightforward and attainable solutions that can be applied across all development types. Four key concepts lead our strategic response: 1. The house of the future is…

For a gallery of the shortlisted projects, go to: aaunbuilt.com.au/gallery…