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In the post-pandemic workforce, compressed staff numbers and flexible work arrangements have seen commercial vacancies continue to rise in cities the world over.
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John McAslan believes well-designed transport hubs are not only about improving traveller experience but also play a critical role in shaping cities.
The re-working of the Australian War Memorial (aka Museum) continues apace. As director, former Liberal leader Brendan Nelson gathered up half a billion dollars from his right-wing mates to demolish the DCM hall, desecrate the front, and extend the sacred into the profane.
“If you choose to fail us, we will never forgive you,” were eleven words expertly aimed at the neck of the world by a 16-year-old Greta Thunberg in 2019. Galvanised and tenacious, a swarm of estimated 4 million people worldwide hit the pavement on what would become the largest climate strike in history – 1.4 million were school-aged children.
I’ve been thinking about the Radburn design ideas recently. In Radburn suburbia the ‘fronts’ of all houses face onto public gardens, with paths that lead to village centres; cars are on the other side, or ‘rear’, in cul-de-sacs. It is intended to separate the cars, and their ‘dangers’ from the communal outdoor living and play spaces. The urban design takes its name from the suburb in New Jersey USA where this radical rethinking of suburbia first took place.
The Museum of Sydney has a new exhibition celebrating 50 years since the opening of the Sydney Opera House. Although concentrating on 50 years of performances (costumes / posters / sets) it has number of well-curated items and displays of great interest to architects.
Margot Robbie stars as Barbie in a new movie. Her house (Barbie’s not Margot’s), high in the Malibu hills, has pink flourishes. But wait there’s more. When Hollywood’s over-the-top marketing machine gets into promotional gear the house goes completely bonkers pink.
Safe Work Australia is currently considering a ban on engineered stone following a meeting with Australia’s Work Health and Safety (WHS) ministers in late February as well as a public consultation on the proposed ban, which concluded in May. The report, which will be released in August this year, is expected to set silica content levels for engineered stone as well as introduce a licensing scheme.
The 10% inspiration / inspiring clients / challenging briefs (they’re related) / yellow trace truth / being on site, any site / structural engineers / my open-ended architectural education / architectural teaching / giving lectures to the young and enthusiastic / L+E court hearings we win, 25 off / ticking off invoices.
How can timber construction be sustainable when you have to cut down trees to source the material?
Last week, I examined the housing crisis in under 500 words. And what a mess it is, intractable and going backwards; each year we build less than the rising demand; any attempt to quickly solve it, by ramping up construction, is thwarted by the years it takes to develop housing schemes.
Recall that the Teal federal member for Wentworth (capturing Sydney’s wealthy eastern suburbs), Allegra Spender, penned two articles last year demanding a big lift in immigration, while also contradictorily demanding lower carbon emissions (see here and here):
