The Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) today announced 12 outstanding Australian buildings to feature in the Australian Pavilion at the 10th Venice Architecture Biennale from 10 September to 19 November 2006.
“From industrial woolsheds to shipwreck lookouts, from riverside apartments to rural art spaces, the buildings are of different scales, types and uses,” said Melbourne-based architects and academics Shane Murray and Nigel Bertram, the Australian Pavilion’s Creative Directors. “They were selected to highlight eight different aspects of our contemporary urban landscape and demonstrate creative architectural responses to Australian conditions.”
Carey Lyon, RAIA National President, added: “The 2006 exhibition, Micro-macro city, is only the third time Australia has been represented at the Venice Architecture Biennale. The RAIA is pleased to commit to showcase Australian architecture at the Architecture Biennale again in 2008 and 2010.”
Snapshots of the contemporary Australian urban condition will be exhibited through the following eight themes and 12 projects:
1. The reinvention and post-industrial diversification of rural towns is shown in the theme Shrinkage and the International Art Space Kellerberrin, in the wheat belt of Western Australia (Donaldson & Warn Architects).
2. Diversity amidst homogeneity in the suburbs is explored through the section Expansion together with three houses: Poll House (Gary Marinko Architects) and Wherehouse (Simon Anderson) both in Perth, Western Australia and D House in New Farm, Brisbane, QLD (Donovan Hill).
3. New industry, residential development and existing farms compete for the same space in the subject Interface presented together with Deepwater Woolshed, Wagga Wagga, NSW (Stutchbury & Pape).
4. The reoccupation of redundant industrial and commercial precincts with a mixture of uses and their subsequent interactions are explored in Overlap and the Kaurna Building, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA (John Wardle Architects + Hassell).
5. The Micro/Health Laboratory, University of Queensland Gatton Campus, Gatton, QLD (m3architecture) is an example of a new development targeting previously ignored spaces in the theme Absorption which considers the growing role of regional centres.
6. The Marion Cultural Centre, Marion, SA (Ashton Raggatt McDougall + Phillips/Pilkington Architects) is presented with Exchange, which looks at the suburban shopping centre car-park as a location of social, communal and cultural exchange.
7.Two recent projects from Sydney Olympic Park NSW: Brickpit Ring (Durbach Block Architects) and Shipwreck Lookout (Neeson Murcutt Architects), are presented in the category Re-use. The Olympic site was an ex-industrial precinct, transformed as special event entertainment space and is currently undergoing a third wave of regeneration as a recreational precinct linked to the everyday life of Sydney.
8.In Oversupply success breeds success as one type of development attracts similar occupations resulting in an intense relationship as seen in the QV2 apartments, Melbourne, VIC (McBride Charles Ryan + NH Architecture) and Riparian Plaza, Brisbane, QLD (Harry Seidler and Associates).
“Our exhibition will focus on the specific attributes of the Australian urban environment, within the broader Biennale theme of ‘Cities. Architecture and society’,” the Creative Directors said. “We hope to generate a more sophisticated understanding of Australian architecture internationally and to offer an opportunity for Australians to appreciate the potential of our everyday urban environments.”
The Pavilion will feature specially commissioned photographs by Australian photographers Max Creasy, Paul Knight, Matthew Sleeth and Selina Ou, with videos of people interacting with their environments by Richard Raber, Naomi Bishops, Danius Kesminas, Ronnie van Hout and Anna Jeffries and sound-recordings by Nicholas Murray.
Dr Shane Murray is a practising architect and Associate Professor at RMIT University. Nigel Bertram is a director of NMBW Architecture Studio and Senior Lecturer in Architecture at RMIT University.
The Architecture Biennale was inaugurated in 1980 and is now held every two years. Thousands of the world’s leading architects and media attend the professional preview and more than 115,000 people visit the three-month exhibition.
Australia's attendance at the Venice Architecture Biennale is an initiative of the RAIA. The RAIA thanks the following sponsors - The Victorian Government, BASSETT, Zip Industries, RMIT University, Architecture Media, Architecture Australia, Café Di Stasio - and gratefully acknowledges the large number of Australian practices sponsoring the event through Network Venice and the support of the Australia Council for the Arts for the use of the Pavilion for this exhibition.
For interviews, images and media enquiries:
Jane Silversmith, Publicist, +61 2 9215 9099, +61 2 408 029 118 j.silversmith@ozco.gov.au
RAIA National Media/PR Advisor Trish Croaker 0408 756 163;
|
