We’re well and truly back into the swing of things, and the news is certainly a reflection of that. Here, we recap the shortest month of the year. Research findings, timely medical facilities and housing organisations top the list of our Top 10 Articles for February.
It’s official: Australian homes rank the largest on average in the world
The size of Australian homes has come under the microscope in recent years, but a recent Buildworld study indicates just how large our residential spaces are.
Canberra was recorded as having the largest homes of any capital city in the world, at an average of 256.3 sqm, while Australian and American homes are ranked as the largest on a countrywide scale. The study indicates that larger homes are more difficult to heat, cool and maintain, ultimately driving up emissions.
Read more about the study here.
Architects with Pride events to celebrate built environment LGBTQI+ community
Sydney’s World Pride and Mardi Gras festivals will this year see the introduction of Architects with Pride, which seeks to bring together LGBTQI+ communities within the built environment industry to celebrate gay pride.
A number of events will be held between 16-25 February, with Architects with Pride sponsored by SJB, Carter Williamson, Studio Heim, BVN, Bates Smart, DKO, COX, Turner, Grimshaw, DesignInc, Peddle Thorp, Geyer, Hassell, EmAGN, Dulux, Bespoke Careers, Australian Institute of Architects.
The entire awards program can be found here.
Clinical services building opens at redeveloped NSW hospital
The NSW Government has cut the ribbon on the Billard Leece Partnership-designed clinical services building at Campbelltown Hospital, the centrepiece of the hospital’s second stage of redevelopment.
Premier Dominic Perrottet and Health Minister Brad Hazzard were on hand to officially open the building. A new maternity unit, increased medical and surgical services, expanded children’s services and integrated mental health services include the list of new facilities housed within the building.
Read about the groundbreaking project here.
Conrad Gargett + Wardle design Australia’s first ever Heart Hospital
The Victorian Heart Hospital, designed by Conrad Gargett + Wardle, has officially opened in Clayton, Victoria. The first of its kind in both Australia and the southern hemisphere, the facility is the contemporary benchmark in cardiac hospital design.
The $564 million project will be operated by Monash Health. Comprising 196 beds along with seven catheterization laboratories, an entire floor will be dedicated to research conducted by Monash University and the independent Monash Cardiovascular Research Centre.
Here’s another world-class medical facility for you to read about.
Celebrating Denton Corker Marshall – 50 years in practice
2023 celebrates Denton Corker Marshall’s 50th year of transformative and thought-provoking design. The impressive milestone was celebrated at the Melbourne Museum, one of the firm’s most notable civic projects, on Thursday 16 February, 2023.
Founded in 1972, by John Denton, Bill Corker and Barrie Marshall, the Melbourne based practice gained early prominence in 1976, after winning the design competition for the Melbourne City Square with an ultramodern scheme of contemporary 1970s urbanism.
Read more about the history of the practice here.
World-first carbon concrete building takes a big step towards future-proof construction
CUBE, the world’s first carbon concrete building has been completed at the Technical University of Dresden (TU Dresden) in Germany, breaking new ground for a future-proof construction industry.
Based on a conceptual design by Henn Architecture, the 243-square-metre building is centrally located on Fritz-Foerster-Platz, at the heart of the university campus, and houses a laboratory and event spaces.
Read about the innovative piece of architecture here.
Disability housing project provides MTA for NDIS participants
Private equity firm Jameson TTB and ANZ have commissioned Ellis Group Architects to design a $17 million disability housing project located in Melbourne’s south east.
The four-storey complex will provide medium-term accommodation for NDIS participants while they wait for a permanent home to become available, as well as specialist disability accommodation which caters to those with extreme functional impairment or very high support needs.
This wonderful project can be read about here.
Barcaldine's unlikely path to becoming a tourism juggernaut
Barcaldine’s Tree of Knowledge is synonymous with history and hard yakka. Known as the site of the 1891 sheep shearer’s strike and the first reading of the Labour Party manifesto in 1892, its history and heritage is engraved within Australia’s history, with its influence still felt today.
Its poisoning led to a town’s rise as a tourist attraction, which saw a multitude of bold and unorthodox calls made to create an unlikely destination way out west where the rain don’t fall.
Read more about the town and its masterplan here.
Central Sydney hotel repurposed as temporary accommodation for those in need
Property developer pairing TOGA Group and Dexus have formed a triumvirate with tech giant Atlassian to create The Central Project, which will provide short-term accommodation for at-risk youth and refugees.
Located alongside the future Atlassian Central building in Sydney, The Central Project building is the site of the former TFE Adina Apartment Hotel. Central Project will house up to 50 people while transitioning to permanent accommodation.
The project can be read about here.
Inside the agency crafting Sydney’s third CBD
City-shaping projects are a cornerstone of architectural design, but shaping a city is an entirely different ball game.
In our own backyard, the Western Parkland City Authority (WPCA) is tasked with creating Sydney’s third city, the parklands city. Bradfield and the entirety of the parklands city will be a hub for manufacturing and innovation, throwing away conceived notions on how cities are typically created to redefine urban design.
Read about the government agency and its bid to shape Sydney’s third CBD here.
