Three City of Sydney projects have been selected to feature as part of the Australian contingent at the world’s top architecture showcase. Waterloo Youth and Community Services, Prince Alfred Park and Pool, and the Glebe foreshore walk will show in the Australian Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale as part of the exhibit titled Repair. The biannual global event attracts the world’s best architectural minds and provides an opportunity for architects and designers to showcase new projects. Australia has one of only 30 permanent pavilions for the display of new national works. Opened by Cate Blanchett ahead of the 2015 Art Biennale, the award-winning Australian Pavilion is the only 21st century building in Venice. Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the fact that of 15 projects selected from around Australia, from more than 150 applications, the committee chose three ... more

It is imperative that progressive companies – those chasing added productivity and returns while attracting the most talented staff – look to the future when designing workplaces, in order to reflect the needs of a constantly changing workforce. Nick Travers, co-founder and director at Technē Architecture and Interior Design, says a modern office is now a key part of every competitive company’s offering. “Quality workplace design is now a non-negotiable. To attract new talent, any business needs to ensure its offices are a place that empowers workers and creates a sense of personality that reflects company philosophy,” Travers says. “Workplaces of the future will have to satisfy the increasing need for spaces that encourage wellness and innovation, as well as changing work styles. Because the modern worker is mobile rather than confined to their desk, design plays a... more

Builders and specifiers looking to construct buildings that boost worker productivity should consider using more of one of the world’s oldest and most sustainable materials in their office fit-outs: wood. That’s the takeout from world-first research by strategic market research firm Pollinate and the University of Canberra. Based on a survey of 1000 indoor Australian workers, the research provides fresh evidence to underpin the business case for biophilia – the principle that exposure to nature increases human wellbeing. The study paints a bleak picture of workers’ current access to nature at work with less than half (47%) enjoying access to natural light, only two in five (38%) being able to see indoor plants, a quarter (26%) unable to see any natural looking wooden surfaces and almost half (46%) spending less than an hour outdoors on work days. The study found that ... more

The landmark XLam manufacturing plant for Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) at Wodonga is now underway and has commenced supply of prefabricated CLT panels to building construction projects around the country. XLam’s Head of Design, Nick Hewson, who will be participating at Frame 2018, said projects were at various stages. “There are a lot of smaller projects initially as the factory cuts its teeth, then we will move into larger multi-residential and commercial jobs in the next three to four months. A couple of big construction projects are looking very favourable at the moment,” he said. “We are carefully planning our first few projects as the plant finds its feet and will progressively increase our capacity through additional shifts over time. There is plenty of opportunity for people with projects to come to us between now and the end of the year.” Mr Hewson said CLT was... more

The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) has welcomed Infrastructure Australia’s (IA) updated Infrastructure Priority List, but cautioned that a unifying and overarching narrative is still absent from Australia’s long-term national strategic planning framework. It’s self-evident Australian governments need to invest in big-ticket infrastructure projects, PIA’s Chief Policy Officer, Rolf Fenner said. However, the decision-making around these projects has to be both coordinated and integrated. “How does IA’s proposed list of priority projects complement the equivalent lists produced by state and territory governments infrastructure bodies?” he asked. “And do the projects themselves seek to help implement state and local strategic planning initiatives. “The elephant in the room is the continued lack of national strategic planning by the Commonwealth in articulati... more

“If we do things right, we will be the natural home of low-cost energy,” Professor Ross Garnaut told the crowd at the recent Green Cities conference in Melbourne. Garnaut, a name synonymous with climate change policy, set the tone for two days in which the industry’s sights were firmly fixed on the horizon – and on a future where technology, policy and people power can combine to energise communities. Lendlease’s Kylie Rampa, Frasers Property Australia’s Rod Fehring and Multiplex’s John Flecker turned on the ignition with a discussion about the trends and technologies driving the property industry and reshaping sustainability. Surging energy prices, skyrocketing housing costs, the backlash against a Big Australia, autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence were all on the agenda. “No one can entirely plan for this future – because no one can keep up. But h... more

Celebrated Australian architect and designer of the original UniSA City West campus, Guy Maron, will be made a fellow of the University of South Australia during UniSA’s April graduations. The award acknowledges his significant career contribution to Australian architecture, his innovation and his major role in the foundation of UniSA’s City West campus. UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd says Maron’s design for City West, selected in a national competition, was quite revolutionary for its time. “What is impressive about his work, is his capacity to capture the spirit of the place and space he is working in and deliver buildings that function as they should, whether that be the inspiring Botanic Gardens Bicentennial Conservatory or the egalitarian, energy-efficient teaching spaces that made up the original footprint of City West,” Prof Lloyd says. “Guy’... more