Latest news with #AustralianInstituteofArchitects
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
The photo album that saved a family-built home from demolition
With a stream running through its undercroft, mould living its best life, and its verandahs barely hanging on, a mid-century modern home on a steep and difficult block overlooking Balmoral Beach was destined for demolition. But the Mosman home now known as Cloaked House was more than its walls and beams. It was, to paraphrase the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, a home built with love, dreams and sweat, by Leonard Early Crawford and his family, including teenage son John, in 1964. That became clear when John came knocking on the door to show the new owners a family album of the Crawford family building it 60 years ago. It shows John and his late mum Dorothy helping his dad, an engineer who built the house from inexpensive Besser blocks left over from a hospital. That visit saved the home. Architect Jennifer McMaster, a founder of TRIAS, said it had seemed beyond saving but seeing the Crawfords' photos made them change their minds. 'It showed us the love and care and dignity of this old building,' she said. That prompted a 'radical renovation' by TRIAS that won Houses magazine's award for residential alterations and additions for a home bigger than 200 square metres earlier this month, and two awards in this year's NSW Institute of Architects Awards, including for alterations and additions. It is shortlisted for the Australian Institute of Architects national awards. TRIAS deserved quiet applause for its subtle yet profound act of retention, said the AIA jury. 'Rather than erasing the past, the design embraces it, retaining the original structure and cloaking it in a new skin that whispers of modernity while treading lightly on the earth.' The jury for the Houses award said the home may read like a new build, but the valuable structural layers beneath were existing. Cutting into the existing floor plate had created a new internal courtyard that improved access to light, air and aspect. The home also won a NSW Architecture award for sustainability. McMaster and the owners, name withheld, decided to keep the original Besser block walls but cover them with a more sustainable and waterproof cloak of timber.
The Age
4 days ago
- General
- The Age
The photo album that saved a family-built home from demolition
With a stream running through its undercroft, mould living its best life, and its verandahs barely hanging on, a mid-century modern home on a steep and difficult block overlooking Balmoral Beach was destined for demolition. But the Mosman home now known as Cloaked House was more than its walls and beams. It was, to paraphrase the poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, a home built with love, dreams and sweat, by Leonard Early Crawford and his family, including teenage son John, in 1964. That became clear when John came knocking on the door to show the new owners a family album of the Crawford family building it 60 years ago. It shows John and his late mum Dorothy helping his dad, an engineer who built the house from inexpensive Besser blocks left over from a hospital. That visit saved the home. Architect Jennifer McMaster, a founder of TRIAS, said it had seemed beyond saving but seeing the Crawfords' photos made them change their minds. 'It showed us the love and care and dignity of this old building,' she said. That prompted a 'radical renovation' by TRIAS that won Houses magazine's award for residential alterations and additions for a home bigger than 200 square metres earlier this month, and two awards in this year's NSW Institute of Architects Awards, including for alterations and additions. It is shortlisted for the Australian Institute of Architects national awards. TRIAS deserved quiet applause for its subtle yet profound act of retention, said the AIA jury. 'Rather than erasing the past, the design embraces it, retaining the original structure and cloaking it in a new skin that whispers of modernity while treading lightly on the earth.' The jury for the Houses award said the home may read like a new build, but the valuable structural layers beneath were existing. Cutting into the existing floor plate had created a new internal courtyard that improved access to light, air and aspect. The home also won a NSW Architecture award for sustainability. McMaster and the owners, name withheld, decided to keep the original Besser block walls but cover them with a more sustainable and waterproof cloak of timber.
Observer
15-07-2025
- General
- Observer
Oman Across Ages Museum wins award
MANAH: Oman Across Ages Museum in the Wilayat of Manah, Al Dakhiliyah Governorate, has won the 2025 International Chapter Award for Public Architecture. The award was conferred on the museum by the Australian Institute of Architects. The museum merited the award for its prominence in the segment of international projects. The award was announced at the Australian Pavilion at Osaka Expo 2025 in Japan. Oman Across Ages Museum had been designed by the "COX Architecture" Australian firm. This award caps the museum's success story as an architectural project that embodies environmental and cultural values, while at the same time maintaining the spirit of innovation in global architecture. The head of the jury that adjudicated the rankings said that the entries submitted this year highlighted diversity in terms of geographical, cultural and environmental challenges addressed by the winning designs. He explained that the winning designs responded to the aforementioned challenges through their high quality of materials, precision in detail and harmony with their physical entourage. — ONA
News.com.au
27-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
New and updated Queensland icons stun at state's largest architects awards show
An outdated hospital and an old heritage pub have received updates stunning enough to sweep Queensland's biggest architect awards show this year. The Australian Institute of Architects Queensland Awards took place on Thursday night, celebrating standout residential, commercial and public projects build across the entire state. Co-chair of the Institute's Queensland chapter, Jonathan Goh, said the awards showcased a wide range of state architects 'punching at an international level', especially in Queensland's regional areas. 'Sometimes architects and projects in the regions are just sort of quite far away, and we tend to be Brisbane centric – but in the regions there's some excellent work happening,' he said. 'There's an appreciation of history, the stories that buildings hold … architects are trying to engage more with the story of older buildings.' As part of the Caboolture Hospital Redevelopment project, development company Jacobs designed the Caboolture Hospital Clinical Services Building, winning them two of the night's biggest prizes. With a design created in heavy consultation with First Nations people, the jury calling the final product an 'integration of community, culture and clinical health services'. 'They've done a really good job breaking down things that are often big and intimidating, and just breaking them down to feel more approachable and welcoming,' Mr Goh said. ANZ Health Section Lead Megan Reading said her team was 'incredibly proud' to have created the building in an area that had reached capacity for its current patients. 'We actually delivered the design during Covid,' she said. 'It was a very challenging project, but truly worth the effort.' 'There are really big signposts to say First Nations people are welcome in the hospital – we worked really hard to have a design that welcomed them and helped reduce their fears to accessing health.' The hospital is now open for patients, and now features an emergency department nearly four times larger than its previous design – along with more enclosed bedroom spaces and nature-filled courtyards on the ground level. 'Hospitals are all about people, and delivering care and connection to people,' Ms Reading said. The heritage-listed Joe's Waterhole, located in Eumundi, received two awards on the night after its transformation into Matso's Sunshine Coast Brewery. The new brewery, restaurant and beer garden was designed by Five Mile Radius and Knight Wilson Architects, represented one of several regional projects Mr Goh praised on the night. When awarding this project, the jury praised it as a 'respectful execution of a substantial renovation to a heritage building' that created 'a space that now attracts an all-ages clientele, resulting in a deservedly popular destination'. But the biggest award on the night went to one of Queensland's largest projects: the Kangaroo Point Bridge, which received the Queensland Architecture Medallion for 2025. The huge 460 metre structure, linking Kangaroo Point with the CBD, was designed by Blight Rayner Architecture in collaboration with Dissing + Weitling Concept, and had Brisbane City Council, Arup and COX Architecture working on the reference design. 'In some ways it's totally transformed the way you can understand Brisbane,' Mr Goh said, highlighting the design's innovative methods of keeping slim and sleek. The jury, meanwhile, praised the project for showing 'how investment in key public infrastructure can enhance mobility and liveability'. Other winners across the night included St Marcellin Centre at Marist College Primary School, which won the People's Choice Prize and an award for educational architecture. The jury hailed the design, made by Phorm architecture + design, as a benchmark for standards within contemporary architecture, as well as 'a physical and visual bridge' between both school and sports. Another award winner for educational architecture was the Cathedral School Sports Precinct, which won the Regional Project of the Year Prize. The work covered eight multipurpose hardcourts out in Townsvile, with two of them covered by a roofed structure with wide openings on its sides. Described as a responsible gathering space for the community, the judges of the awards called the work an 'unabashedly monumental structure for the school campus'. 'It's just great seeing a regional architect do work at that level; it could fit in Brisbane and punch at the same level,' Mr Goh said. Meanwhile, the James Cook University Engineering & Innovation Place took home the Jennifer Taylor Award for Educational Architecture, the GHM Addison Award for Interior Architecture and Harry Marks Award for Sustainable Architecture. The Douglas-based site was designed by KIRK with i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects. It won many of its accolades for a design praised as 'driven by a response to site and climate', making a 'spectacular' location and a benchmark project for education design in tropical regions. Many residential projects won accolades on the night, but only three won named awards: Mapleton House by Atelier Chen Hung, Niwa House by John Ellway and Four Dwellings on 800m2 by Clare Design. Mr Goh called Four Dwellings a visually creative and clever solution to the country's current housing shortage. 'A lot of modular housing looks a bit pedestrian, but this one was … quite beautiful,' he said. 'It's just a clever example of trying to fit more within an existing suburban block, and just trying to raise the density there … without feeling all cramped in.' Finally, associate director of Urbis Dr Kali Marnarne won the Queensland Emerging Architect Prize for her research and community involvement. See the list of winners here: Winning Projects – Queensland Architecture Medallion: Kangaroo Point Bridge (Blight Rayner Architecture, Dissing + Weitling, Brisbane City Council, Arup and COX Architecture) – People's Choice Prize: St Marcellin Centre (Phorm architecture + design) – Social Impact Prize: Caboolture Hospital Clinical Services Building (Jacobs) – Regional Project of the Year Prize: Cathedral School Sports Precinct (Stephen de Jersey Architect) – Enduring Architecture Award: Bethany Home for the Aged (Goodsir Baker Wild) – EmAGN Project Award: Matso's Sunshine Coast Brewery (Five Mile Radius and Knight Wilson Architects) – Art & Architecture Prize: Sun Stadium (Amrita Hepi, Jazz Money, Dialogue Office, Five Mile Radius and Sibling Architecture) Named Awards – The FDG Stanley Award for Public Architecture: Caboolture Hospital Clinical Services Building (Jacobs) – The Jennifer Taylor Award for Educational Architecture: James Cook University Engineering & Innovation Place (KIRK, i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects) The Robin Dods Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New): Mapleton House (Atelier Chen Hung) – The Elina Mottram Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions): Niwa House (John Ellway) – The Jobs & Froud Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing: Four Dwellings on 800m2 (Clare Design) – The Beatrice Hutton Award for Commercial Architecture; Piccadilly, 340 Queen Street (Blight Rayner Architecture) – The Don Roderick Award for Heritage: Mulgrave Gallery (TPG Architects) – The GHM Addison Award for Interior Architecture: James Cook University Engineering & Innovation Place (KIRK, i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects) – The Karl Langer Award for Urban Design: Kangaroo Point Bridge (Blight Rayner Architecture, Dissing + Weitling, Brisbane City Council, Arup and COX Architecture) – The Hayes & Scott Award for Small Project Architecture: Sun Stadium (Amrita Hepi with Jazz Money, Dialogue Office, Five Mile Radius and Sibling Architecture) – The Harry Marks Award for Sustainable Architecture: James Cook University Engineering & Innovation Place (KIRK, i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects)
The Advertiser
17-06-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Why the country's top architect has regional Australia on his watch list
When Adam Haddow was selected as national president of the Australian Institute of Architects, he had a few things on his agenda; densification, regional living, and keeping the country stylish while doing it. While today he splits his time between Sydney and Newcastle as the director of architecture at leading firm SJB, his eyes are drawn to the details of our regional cities. It started when he was young, growing up just outside Ararat in regional Victoria. "Fabulously, none of the town was demolished as a result of modernism, because it was poor," he said. "A lot of wealthy cities demolished their cores because they replaced older buildings with new ones. In lots of regional cities, that didn't happen because the money wasn't there." A few decades on, regional areas are seeing greater housing density, about 20 years after their major city counterparts, Haddow says. "Fantastically, for those centres, we are more mature now about thinking about what density means, and what good density is. "Getting more people in one place is one thing, but getting more people in one place with a high level of amenity and good health and wellbeing is really important," he says. Canberra and Newcastle, for example, have been able to approach higher density living with the lessons learnt from earlier development in Sydney and Melbourne. He said some of the mistakes made around apartment or higher density living were over simple design elements. This included getting the placement and mechanics around rubbish collection areas correct. Then there were simple issues such as making sure "the sense of entry is grand and welcoming" and that there is "a level of security to homes" in a new development. There's an excitement in his voice as we talk about design while in a showroom for Haddow's Botanical apartments in the Canberra suburb of Turner. A woman interrupts us to complement the size of the spacious bathroom that leads directly to the walk-in wardrobe. It's an example of a thoughtful design process. "We don't want lazy design," Haddow tells me. "We say that when a design has wasted space." Under Haddow's leadership, increasing numbers of architects are making the move to regional Australia. "The nice thing about regional Australia is that ... the cities are all quite different," Haddow says. "You've got Ballarat, Newcastle, Canberra - the architectural spirit really comes from the place itself. "What you need to do is work out what to keep and what not to keep; what gives character and scale, and what is not that interesting. "We like to talk about beauty, delight and joy. They're the three words that aren't used enough in architecture." And as more Australians moved to town centres, apartment design was needed to accommodate living closer together. Haddow's team at architecture and design firm SJB has worked out the correct height for balconies, for example, to let sun in while keeping peepers out. "We talk about the nude factor. Can you be nude in your apartment?" he says. Large outside spaces were also becoming a coveted asset. That included bigger balconies, good ground-level communal spaces and established trees. "The days of concreted courtyards are over," Haddow says. "People want good green space in cities where they can walk to the biggest pantry they've ever had in their lives - the shops down the road." The key to delivering that is good zoning, he says. "You don't want pancakes," Haddow says, referring to towns where all buildings were the same height, giving a flat appearance. "When you get pancakes, there's nothing interesting to look at in the skyline." He's slowly tracing an imaginary skyline with his hands, undulating roofs and walkways appearing in my mind as he speaks. Ultimately, Haddow told me, he hopes to see design in regional Australia thought of on a macro level, allowing town centres and streetscapes to land in new eras while keeping the charm of the places we all call home. When Adam Haddow was selected as national president of the Australian Institute of Architects, he had a few things on his agenda; densification, regional living, and keeping the country stylish while doing it. While today he splits his time between Sydney and Newcastle as the director of architecture at leading firm SJB, his eyes are drawn to the details of our regional cities. It started when he was young, growing up just outside Ararat in regional Victoria. "Fabulously, none of the town was demolished as a result of modernism, because it was poor," he said. "A lot of wealthy cities demolished their cores because they replaced older buildings with new ones. In lots of regional cities, that didn't happen because the money wasn't there." A few decades on, regional areas are seeing greater housing density, about 20 years after their major city counterparts, Haddow says. "Fantastically, for those centres, we are more mature now about thinking about what density means, and what good density is. "Getting more people in one place is one thing, but getting more people in one place with a high level of amenity and good health and wellbeing is really important," he says. Canberra and Newcastle, for example, have been able to approach higher density living with the lessons learnt from earlier development in Sydney and Melbourne. He said some of the mistakes made around apartment or higher density living were over simple design elements. This included getting the placement and mechanics around rubbish collection areas correct. Then there were simple issues such as making sure "the sense of entry is grand and welcoming" and that there is "a level of security to homes" in a new development. There's an excitement in his voice as we talk about design while in a showroom for Haddow's Botanical apartments in the Canberra suburb of Turner. A woman interrupts us to complement the size of the spacious bathroom that leads directly to the walk-in wardrobe. It's an example of a thoughtful design process. "We don't want lazy design," Haddow tells me. "We say that when a design has wasted space." Under Haddow's leadership, increasing numbers of architects are making the move to regional Australia. "The nice thing about regional Australia is that ... the cities are all quite different," Haddow says. "You've got Ballarat, Newcastle, Canberra - the architectural spirit really comes from the place itself. "What you need to do is work out what to keep and what not to keep; what gives character and scale, and what is not that interesting. "We like to talk about beauty, delight and joy. They're the three words that aren't used enough in architecture." And as more Australians moved to town centres, apartment design was needed to accommodate living closer together. Haddow's team at architecture and design firm SJB has worked out the correct height for balconies, for example, to let sun in while keeping peepers out. "We talk about the nude factor. Can you be nude in your apartment?" he says. Large outside spaces were also becoming a coveted asset. That included bigger balconies, good ground-level communal spaces and established trees. "The days of concreted courtyards are over," Haddow says. "People want good green space in cities where they can walk to the biggest pantry they've ever had in their lives - the shops down the road." The key to delivering that is good zoning, he says. "You don't want pancakes," Haddow says, referring to towns where all buildings were the same height, giving a flat appearance. "When you get pancakes, there's nothing interesting to look at in the skyline." He's slowly tracing an imaginary skyline with his hands, undulating roofs and walkways appearing in my mind as he speaks. Ultimately, Haddow told me, he hopes to see design in regional Australia thought of on a macro level, allowing town centres and streetscapes to land in new eras while keeping the charm of the places we all call home. When Adam Haddow was selected as national president of the Australian Institute of Architects, he had a few things on his agenda; densification, regional living, and keeping the country stylish while doing it. While today he splits his time between Sydney and Newcastle as the director of architecture at leading firm SJB, his eyes are drawn to the details of our regional cities. It started when he was young, growing up just outside Ararat in regional Victoria. "Fabulously, none of the town was demolished as a result of modernism, because it was poor," he said. "A lot of wealthy cities demolished their cores because they replaced older buildings with new ones. In lots of regional cities, that didn't happen because the money wasn't there." A few decades on, regional areas are seeing greater housing density, about 20 years after their major city counterparts, Haddow says. "Fantastically, for those centres, we are more mature now about thinking about what density means, and what good density is. "Getting more people in one place is one thing, but getting more people in one place with a high level of amenity and good health and wellbeing is really important," he says. Canberra and Newcastle, for example, have been able to approach higher density living with the lessons learnt from earlier development in Sydney and Melbourne. He said some of the mistakes made around apartment or higher density living were over simple design elements. This included getting the placement and mechanics around rubbish collection areas correct. Then there were simple issues such as making sure "the sense of entry is grand and welcoming" and that there is "a level of security to homes" in a new development. There's an excitement in his voice as we talk about design while in a showroom for Haddow's Botanical apartments in the Canberra suburb of Turner. A woman interrupts us to complement the size of the spacious bathroom that leads directly to the walk-in wardrobe. It's an example of a thoughtful design process. "We don't want lazy design," Haddow tells me. "We say that when a design has wasted space." Under Haddow's leadership, increasing numbers of architects are making the move to regional Australia. "The nice thing about regional Australia is that ... the cities are all quite different," Haddow says. "You've got Ballarat, Newcastle, Canberra - the architectural spirit really comes from the place itself. "What you need to do is work out what to keep and what not to keep; what gives character and scale, and what is not that interesting. "We like to talk about beauty, delight and joy. They're the three words that aren't used enough in architecture." And as more Australians moved to town centres, apartment design was needed to accommodate living closer together. Haddow's team at architecture and design firm SJB has worked out the correct height for balconies, for example, to let sun in while keeping peepers out. "We talk about the nude factor. Can you be nude in your apartment?" he says. Large outside spaces were also becoming a coveted asset. That included bigger balconies, good ground-level communal spaces and established trees. "The days of concreted courtyards are over," Haddow says. "People want good green space in cities where they can walk to the biggest pantry they've ever had in their lives - the shops down the road." The key to delivering that is good zoning, he says. "You don't want pancakes," Haddow says, referring to towns where all buildings were the same height, giving a flat appearance. "When you get pancakes, there's nothing interesting to look at in the skyline." He's slowly tracing an imaginary skyline with his hands, undulating roofs and walkways appearing in my mind as he speaks. Ultimately, Haddow told me, he hopes to see design in regional Australia thought of on a macro level, allowing town centres and streetscapes to land in new eras while keeping the charm of the places we all call home. When Adam Haddow was selected as national president of the Australian Institute of Architects, he had a few things on his agenda; densification, regional living, and keeping the country stylish while doing it. While today he splits his time between Sydney and Newcastle as the director of architecture at leading firm SJB, his eyes are drawn to the details of our regional cities. It started when he was young, growing up just outside Ararat in regional Victoria. "Fabulously, none of the town was demolished as a result of modernism, because it was poor," he said. "A lot of wealthy cities demolished their cores because they replaced older buildings with new ones. In lots of regional cities, that didn't happen because the money wasn't there." A few decades on, regional areas are seeing greater housing density, about 20 years after their major city counterparts, Haddow says. "Fantastically, for those centres, we are more mature now about thinking about what density means, and what good density is. "Getting more people in one place is one thing, but getting more people in one place with a high level of amenity and good health and wellbeing is really important," he says. Canberra and Newcastle, for example, have been able to approach higher density living with the lessons learnt from earlier development in Sydney and Melbourne. He said some of the mistakes made around apartment or higher density living were over simple design elements. This included getting the placement and mechanics around rubbish collection areas correct. Then there were simple issues such as making sure "the sense of entry is grand and welcoming" and that there is "a level of security to homes" in a new development. There's an excitement in his voice as we talk about design while in a showroom for Haddow's Botanical apartments in the Canberra suburb of Turner. A woman interrupts us to complement the size of the spacious bathroom that leads directly to the walk-in wardrobe. It's an example of a thoughtful design process. "We don't want lazy design," Haddow tells me. "We say that when a design has wasted space." Under Haddow's leadership, increasing numbers of architects are making the move to regional Australia. "The nice thing about regional Australia is that ... the cities are all quite different," Haddow says. "You've got Ballarat, Newcastle, Canberra - the architectural spirit really comes from the place itself. "What you need to do is work out what to keep and what not to keep; what gives character and scale, and what is not that interesting. "We like to talk about beauty, delight and joy. They're the three words that aren't used enough in architecture." And as more Australians moved to town centres, apartment design was needed to accommodate living closer together. Haddow's team at architecture and design firm SJB has worked out the correct height for balconies, for example, to let sun in while keeping peepers out. "We talk about the nude factor. Can you be nude in your apartment?" he says. Large outside spaces were also becoming a coveted asset. That included bigger balconies, good ground-level communal spaces and established trees. "The days of concreted courtyards are over," Haddow says. "People want good green space in cities where they can walk to the biggest pantry they've ever had in their lives - the shops down the road." The key to delivering that is good zoning, he says. "You don't want pancakes," Haddow says, referring to towns where all buildings were the same height, giving a flat appearance. "When you get pancakes, there's nothing interesting to look at in the skyline." He's slowly tracing an imaginary skyline with his hands, undulating roofs and walkways appearing in my mind as he speaks. Ultimately, Haddow told me, he hopes to see design in regional Australia thought of on a macro level, allowing town centres and streetscapes to land in new eras while keeping the charm of the places we all call home.
