It’s probably past the point of saying this, but a happy new year to all of you. Thank you for joining us in 2023, where design news continues to evolve at a similar rate to new developments throughout the built environment.
To kick things off, we thought we’d give you a quick recap of everything that’s happened since we got back from holidays. Here’s our Top 10 news pieces from the month of January.
NSW Labor outlines plan to combat social housing crisis
NSW Labor has pledged its commitment to driving down social housing waitlists in the state as part of its election campaign.
Sitting at over 50,000, Labor plans to alleviate waitlist issues through the creation of a new agency, Homes NSW, which will consolidate the Land and Housing Corporation, Aboriginal Housing Office and DCJ Housing into one entity.
Read more about the ambitious plan here.
WA Government axe decade-long urban sprawl assessment
The Western Australian Government has shelved a multi-million dollar plan designed to protect Perth’s bushland from urban sprawl, which has been in the making since 2011.
The Strategic Assessment of the Perth and Peel Regions (SAPPR) was established in 2011 due to concerns around land clearing the year previous. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) claimed at the time approximately 10 stadiums’ worth of bushland was being cleared a week across the region in 2010, with high-density housing floated as a solution.
Read more into why the McGowan Government has put this one on the backburner.
A look at three new NSW Government healthcare projects
The NSW Government’s multi billion dollar investment into health and hospitals to 2025-26 has seen an unprecedented number of developments and redevelopments come about in both metropolitan and regional areas.
We provide an update here regarding three hospitals in New South Wales currently under construction: Nepean, Shellharbour and Rouse Hill.
Next stage of FK-designed winery given go ahead
Levantine Hill Estate has been given the all clear to construct a $20 million hotel designed by Fender Katsalidis.
The approval by local Council will see the creation of a 33-key hotel which will complement the Levantine Hill Estate. Delivered in stages, the first phase of the accommodation will intertwine with the FK-designed cellar door and wine production facility, which holds expansive function space.
Read up on the project here.
Meet Cameron Bruhn, new CEO of the Australian Institute of Architects
The Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) has appointed Dr Cameron Bruhn as its new CEO.
An experienced advocate for the profession, Dr Bruhn will succeed interim CEO, Barry Whitmore, and assume responsibilities on 11 April 2023.
Find out more about the Institute’s new CEO here.
SA’s first Indigenous cultural centre on hold
Significant construction cost increases to make Adelaide’s Tarrkarri – Centre for First Nations Cultures a reality have seen the South Australian Government launch a review of the Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Woods Bagot-designed project.
Located on the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site, the project has been in the works since 2018. The space will showcase the past, present and future of Aboriginal cultures while supporting contemporary art practices and events across disciplines. $200 million was allocated towards the project from both state and federal governments in 2020, but total cost is now estimated at around $250 million.
Read more as to why it's been put on hold here.
HDR’s 7 megatrends that will define city-shaping in 2023
The building sector accounts for more than 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and over the next 30 years it’s estimated that another 232 billion square metres of buildings will be constructed.
This trajectory, coupled with visible climate change impacts such as bushfires and floods, has set the stage for a new era of sustainability for the architecture sector – one that looks towards truly regenerative design and reconnects humans and nature through the continuous renewal of evolving socio-ecological systems.
Read more about HDR’s megatrends here.
AIA unveils 2023 National and Chapter Councillors
The Australian Institute of Architects has confirmed its new National Councillors for 2023.
The Councillors have been nationally elected, and will represent the whole membership on the National Council. Two nationally elected Councillors are appointed to the National Council each year, and sit on the Council for a term of three years.
Find out the full list of Councillors here.
Planning is up in the air, needs to be grounded – City of Sydney on Central Station renewal
The NSW Government’s ambitious plans for the renewal of up to 24 hectares of land in and around Sydney’s Central Station have received objections from the City of Sydney, with the Council red-flagging several aspects of the proposal.
The multi-billion-dollar Central Precinct renewal plans aim to revitalise Central Station and surrounding areas by transforming this underutilised part of Sydney into an exciting new place for business and the community. The proposal envisions a vibrant precinct that unites a world-class interchange with innovative and diverse businesses and high-quality public spaces.
Read about local Council’s opposition to the plans here.
HIA issue recommendations ahead of federal budget
The Housing Industry Association (HIA) has released its Federal pre-budget submission, which set out a range of funding and policy commitments aimed at improving housing supply and affordability.
The Association believes that while one million homes in the pipeline over the next five years will address supply levels, the new homes will not address long-term undersupply.
Read about the Association’s recommendations here.
