Latest news with #AustralianInstituteofArchitects
The Age
2 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Foyer fights: How top-tier towers are trying to get you back – or keep you
Foyers in top-tier office towers are getting million-dollar facelifts as landlords focus efforts on keeping workers in their buildings or luring them back from remote work locations. The ground floor entrances of skyscraper towers in Sydney and Melbourne are being remodelled with hotel-style concierge desks, restaurants, cafés and uber-cool lounge settings, a trend driven by landlords vying to retain key tenants and stubbornly high office vacancy rates in both cities. The Property Council of Australia's last January survey of Sydney and Melbourne CBDs shows office vacancy rates were at 12.8 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively. The high rates plaguing some office towers are a legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic, when leasing activity slowed dramatically as workers stayed at home. After COVID, as economic activity picked up, the slump in rents encouraged companies to negotiate new leases, moving up the property ladder into better digs in a more desirable location. 'It's very much a buyer's market,' said Elizabeth Carpenter, the NSW chapter president of the Australian Institute of Architects and a managing principal of architecture firm FJC Studio. 'Owners are trying to keep their big tenants.' 'They're not building big towers at the moment. It's highly competitive out there. You can get some very good rates for rents, so they [landlords] have to work out how to attract people,' she said. 'It's about making people's lives easier when they're in the building, and also making it easier for them to connect.' Bronwyn McColl, a principal at Woods Bagot Property giant Mirvac has just finished a $25 million lavish reboot of the lobby, facade and end-of-trip facilities at 55 Collins Street, one of two towers it manages in Melbourne's Collins Place. Architecture firms Grimshaw and Norman Disney & Young installed elegant wood-toned finishes and tied in the new foyer's design to its twin tower at 35 Collins Street, which was refurbished five years ago when the popular Dame eatery was added.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Foyer fights: How top-tier towers are trying to get you back – or keep you
Foyers in top-tier office towers are getting million-dollar facelifts as landlords focus efforts on keeping workers in their buildings or luring them back from remote work locations. The ground floor entrances of skyscraper towers in Sydney and Melbourne are being remodelled with hotel-style concierge desks, restaurants, cafés and uber-cool lounge settings, a trend driven by landlords vying to retain key tenants and stubbornly high office vacancy rates in both cities. The Property Council of Australia's last January survey of Sydney and Melbourne CBDs shows office vacancy rates were at 12.8 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively. The high rates plaguing some office towers are a legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic, when leasing activity slowed dramatically as workers stayed at home. After COVID, as economic activity picked up, the slump in rents encouraged companies to negotiate new leases, moving up the property ladder into better digs in a more desirable location. 'It's very much a buyer's market,' said Elizabeth Carpenter, the NSW chapter president of the Australian Institute of Architects and a managing principal of architecture firm FJC Studio. 'Owners are trying to keep their big tenants.' 'They're not building big towers at the moment. It's highly competitive out there. You can get some very good rates for rents, so they [landlords] have to work out how to attract people,' she said. 'It's about making people's lives easier when they're in the building, and also making it easier for them to connect.' Bronwyn McColl, a principal at Woods Bagot Property giant Mirvac has just finished a $25 million lavish reboot of the lobby, facade and end-of-trip facilities at 55 Collins Street, one of two towers it manages in Melbourne's Collins Place. Architecture firms Grimshaw and Norman Disney & Young installed elegant wood-toned finishes and tied in the new foyer's design to its twin tower at 35 Collins Street, which was refurbished five years ago when the popular Dame eatery was added.
West Australian
30-05-2025
- General
- West Australian
Middleton Beach foreshore designers earn award of excellence from Australian Institute of Architects
Marrying natural beauty with pragmatic place making has earned the designers of the Middleton Beach Foreshore an award of excellence from the WA Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects. The project, designed by the City of Albany and See Design, was successful in the civic landscape category and honoured at a ceremony held at the Royal Perth Yacht Club on Friday. 'Binalup / Middleton Beach is one of Western Australia's most iconic and cherished coastal destinations, and this award is a testament to what's possible when good design is grounded in community, culture and care for the environment,' Mayor Greg Stocks said. 'The Foreshore Enhancement Project has transformed Binalup into a more resilient, functional and beautiful public space, and we're proud to have worked in close partnership with See Design Studio to design and deliver it. 'To receive this recognition from the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects reinforces how important this project is — not just for Albany, but as an example of civic landscape done well.' See Design director Eoin Gladish said the project had a personal significance for him. 'I have wonderful childhood memories of Middleton Beach and I relished the opportunity to create a design to reinvigorate this cherished coastline,' he said. 'First and foremost, we design for people. 'It's really exciting to see the local community embracing and engaging with the waterfront — whether they're cycling, walking, exercising, picnicking or just relaxing. 'That's my greatest reward.' The Middleton Beach foreshore was praised for the designers' selection of materials and their response to erosion of the coastline. 'The design leverages the site's natural beauty and applies a restrained, elegant material palette to shape a series of multifunctional public spaces that improve beach access and amenity,' the jury said. It was also applauded for the way it recognised the area's cultural significance to the Menang Noongar people. 'The project respects its deep history while supporting Middleton Beach as a shared and enduring public space,' the jury said. The foreshore also received a regional achievement award. The design incorporated a buried seawall to protect against erosion and featured upgraded pathways, seating and gathering spaces. 'Middleton Beach foreshore is one of Albany's most cherished coastal destinations, valued for its community, cultural, and environmental significance,' the jury said. 'The renewal enhances public access, coastal protection, and ecological resilience while preserving its role as a gathering place.' Other winners on the night were Bunbury's Maidens Reserve which took home the most prestigious award, the WA Medal. Perth's Oval at Subi East earned an award of excellence in the category of cultural heritage as well as two landscape architecture awards in the civic landscape, and parks and open spaces sections.
