Warmer weather, longer days. We’re at the business end of the year, my friends. You know what that means? Stacks (and stacks) of news. Let’s recap the month that was with ten essential pieces.
FMSA relaunches as Foreground Architecture
FMSA Architecture has undergone a rebrand following nearly half a century in practice, with the esteemed Melbourne studio now known as Foreground Architecture.
The practice relaunched officially at its new Carlton office last week, located at the former Carlton United Brewery Counting House. Foreground is renowned for its work across a number of sectors, including the Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre, a net-zero certified training facility in Narre Warren, Victoria, as well as the Victoria Police Academy in Glen Waverley, and the award-winning Marjorie Oke social housing apartments development in Melbourne.
Find out about the rebrand here.
Scott Carver named finalists at WAF awards
Scott Carver’s work in designing the Australian War Memorial’s New Southern Entrance has seen the practice shortlisted at the 2022 World Architecture Festival.
The project was shortlisted in the Future Project: Culture category last month. Scott Carver heads to Lisbon, Portugal as the only Australian practice to be shortlisted for the awards.
Info on both the project and the awards can be found here.
ACCC to sue ARM Architecture over alleged bid rigging for Darwin project
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) says that last week it began legal proceedings against ARM Architecture, claiming the practice alleged to have rigged bids for a project at Charles Darwin University’s Darwin campus.
The Commission says it believes ARM and its former Managing Director Anthony Allen emailed eight rival architecture firms telling them not to bid for the second tender phase of the university’s new Education and Community Precinct. ARM was awarded the construct for the first phase of the project in 2019.
The corruption watchdog’s case against the practice can be found here.
Hames Sharley to revive Perth cultural hub
The redevelopment of six lots located on Perth’s Barrack Street have been approved by the city’s Development Assessment Panel, with Hames Sharley’s mixed-use project to reinvigorate Perth’s east end and bring art and culture back to the CBD.
Have a look at the firm’s plans here.
Woods Bagot reimagines Sydney's InterContinental hotel with unique makeover
Woods Bagot has transformed InterContinental Sydney in a top-to-bottom $120 million project redesign of the five-star hotel and icon of Sydney’s CBD northern edge.
The key was to integrate and enhance the old and new elements of InterContinental Sydney, which blends the three-level Treasury Building, built in 1851, and a 32-level tower completed in 1985.
Find out about the entire approach here.
Work on 1000-residence precinct begins at former-CSIRO site in Melbourne
One of the most significant urban renewal projects in Melbourne’s Bayside area has officially begun at the former-CSIRO site in Highett.
Located on Graham Road and spanning 9.63-hectares, the site is set to be transformed into a $500 million plus mixed-use project by developer Sunkin Property Group.
The site’s transformation can be read about here.
Land use planning alternative key to urban growth of SEQ, says expert
Currently experiencing a revitalisation, south-east Queensland is the subject of intense urban development. With a number of Australians relocating to the sunshine state, it is imperative the unique characteristics of the region remain intact.
Hatch RobertsDay’s Queensland Urban Solutions Principal, Lurian Iacob, believes south-east Queensland’s unique sense of place is under threat due to population growth and urban development. Iacob believes both the 2032 Olympics and steady population increases will threaten the existing urban fabric of south-east QLD if developers and architects aren’t mindful.
Preserving the built fabric of SEQ is key. Find out more here.
Brisbane’s m3architecture gives Gabba project some food for thought
Brisbane’s m3architecture has floated an idea to refurbish the Gabba in preparation for the 2032 Brisbane Summer Olympics.
The QLD Government is preparing to demolish the stadium, with m3architecture planning to utilise the iconic ground as a warm-up facility and creating a new stadium on the adjacent site currently utilised by the Cross Rail River project.
Read about the alternative proposal here.
Celebrating 100 years of Bowral Bricks
Bricks have been shaping our architecture, cities and lives for more than ten thousand years. Paralleling our evolution, we have seen the brick transform from a simple building block to a dynamic resource that can be used to create masterpieces of architectural whimsy, delight, protection and status.
With the oldest dating back to 8,300BC, these colossal Jordan bricks, resembling a contemporary loaf of bread, were shaped from a mix of dirt, clay and water, sun dried and joined with a similar mix.
Read our feature about one of Australia’s biggest building institutions here.
Victoria Park masterplan brings green oasis to Brisbane’s heart
Brisbane City Council’s vision for Victoria Park aims to provide the community with not only an amenity-filled park, but a new set of lungs.
Tree space will be increased by 50 percent as part of the park’s transformation, along with a treehouse holding views of the city, ropes courses, edible and specialty gardens, 18 kilometres of pathways, Indigenous history installations and water play areas. Two pedestrian and cycling bridges have also been slated for the development.
The transformation of the park can be read about here.
