Wallabies Watch | StudioMODA
Wallabies Watch whispers its presence, a subtle surrender to the landscape’s embrace. The project’s reductive approach creates a serene and tranquil atmosphere, allowing nature to take center stage. The exterior’s dark, moody presence synchronizes with the shadows of the trees, while the interior’s neutral backdrop emphasizes the lightness of being. The result is a symphony of contrasts, where the made and found converge in harmony. Wallabies Watch is a fleeting testament to the beauty of restraint, a haven for those seeking refuge from the tangible world. By stripping away the unnecessary, the project reveals its beauty, beckoning occupants to surrender to the tranquillity of the surroundings.
Tasman Gallery | Benn + Penna
Hybrid space blends work and lifestyle – a workplace in a gallery
Tasman Gallery by Benn + Penna demonstrates how spatial and material design can improve wellbeing and stimulate cross-pollination of ideas.
The concrete and steel shell of a prefabricated storage shed in the Byron Bay Arts and Industry Estate is transformed into a hybrid workspace and gallery, embracing the zeitgeist of the post-covid era.
With overlapping activities and requirements, a minimalist design rationalises elements with different scales and atmospheres within the one box.
From drama – the mezzanine wraps the void, like a stage, with a stainless steel curtain. To dynamism – the strong sculptural staircase sweeps up sight lines across the levels, evoking movement, and acts as a catalyst for workplace interaction. To softness – diffuse light, gentle acoustics, intimate scaled spaces.
Calm, constrained and considered zones, a minimal material palette, with a modest, timeless design – an incubator for the local creative community.
Macarthur Street Amenities Pavilion | Searle x Waldron Architecture
Village21 Preston Pilot | NH Architecture
39% of young people leaving care become homeless in the first year after they turn 18. Village 21 is designed to interrupt this cycle by providing young people with stable accommodation and support for up to three years. This pilot project located in Preston was delivered through a partnership between Kids Under Cover and Anglicare Victoria.
The architectural solution is modular and highly replicable, designed so it can be easily delivered to suit the diverse needs of a range of priority groups, such as young Aboriginal people. The site is arranged as a series of monopitched houses orientated to resemble a village with communal spaces at the centre.
Solid timber details highlight the openings and provide amenity through seating, canopies and privacy screening. These elements add warmth, and human scale, balancing privacy, daylight penetration, and possibilities for social interactions, whilst outlining the thresholds between the public and private spaces.
SVSS – Amenities Block | pentArchi
The Samford Valley Steiner School Amenities Block is a demonstration that even a small project can make a big difference in shifting social socially perceptions which will enable greater sustainable goals and targets to be reached.
Providing the school campus with a typical composting amenities block was part of the sustainable design – Masterplan strategy by pentArchi for reducing water consumption and not exacerbating the existing onsite septic system which was already overloaded.
The school campus has no town water and relies on rain water harvesting with H2O stored in tanks for all the water usage of the school.
The findings of an audit on water consumption at the school campus established that WC flushing was one of the biggest single identified causes of water consumption.
Traditional WC’s not only waste a lot of water every day, additionally WC would have required relocation and provision for new onsite treatment plant with large effluent treatment area taking away precious play area for pupils.
The Steiner School is s a client who is willing to outlay the additional finance required, when it comes to specification and long-term vision of any design alternatives that offers sustainable solution.
Composting toilets eliminate the need for flush toilets, this significantly reducing water use and allows for the recycling of valuable plant nutrients to go back into the environment.
From an educational perspective, it was imperative decision for the school ethos to enhance public perception on waterless toilets.
In the past, composting WC’s may have been perceived socially to be old fashioned, ‘smelly’ and not appropriate for a school environment.
The design provides an excellent solution which facilitates pupils’ supervision, is easily cleaned and the chosen composting system is accessible and maintainable at low cost over a long period of times.
The design of the Samford Steiner School compost Amenities will increase sustainability in school campus and community at large in the following ways:
The waterless WC will drastically decrease the water consumption in the school which has no reticulated town water.
The waterless WC will not affect the existing on-site wastewater treatment infrastructure which is at maximum capacity.
The facility produces a dried usable by product top-soil like humus that does not need to be transported off site and when cured can be used as compost garden in beds and enrich topsoil.
The composting facility will make pupils aware of the efforts required for recycling including the constant monitoring of composting processes
Last and most importantly the high standard quality of the design will start to change the perception of pupils using waterless toilets and more importantly of taking responsibility of our own waste product.
Clever choice of materials and simple design reduced the total embodied carbon of the project and the overall energy consumption and water consumption is a fraction compared to similar conventional toilet blocks in other schools.
The Waterless amenities design was congruent with the underling sustainable principles of the school and thus provided appropriate solution.
Aidan’s Place | Blight Rayner Architecture
Aidan’s Place is a transformation of a previously dour and unwelcoming undercroft of an existing school building into what has become the fulcrum of social life on the St Aidan’s campus. It has been achieved by a combination of careful reduction and insertion of elements that enable multiple types of social interaction. In particular, the accentuation of the three dimensionality of the existing waffle ceiling and the extension of it in a series of abstract elements including skylights has dramatised and animated what had before been oppressive. The spaces are all naturally ventilated and openable, facilitating connectivity to the public street and into the campus, and welcoming wider community engagement.
CHAC Library Refurbishment | Reddog Architects in association with Blueline Architecture
Renovation of the Primary Library stemmed from the recognition of the need to update the library to better to cater to the changing needs of the primary school aged children.
The architectural narrative unfolds as the interior space was meticulously crafted to accommodate the diverse learning modalities of the children. A nuanced interplay of changes in levels and ceiling treatments not only defines the spatial configuration but also serves as a dynamic canvas for a variety of environments, fostering both quiet individual study and vibrant group gatherings. This intentional orchestration not only addresses functional needs but also speaks to the multifaceted nature of educational spaces.
The transition from interior to exterior spaces is a hallmark of the design, allowing children movement between inside and outside. Plywood as a primary material transcends utilitarian considerations; becoming a design element that interconnects bookshelves, seating, drawers, and ceiling panels.
Mari-Mari-Ba – Bushland Communal Hub | Deicke Richards
The Bushland Communal Hub is an important adjunct to our redevelopment of Mari-Mari-Ba, the former Joyce Wilding Hostel.
The site has served as a refuge for vulnerable First Nations women and children since the 1970s. The new development provides 33 residential units within a series of two storey buildings wrapped around a central landscaped courtyard.
The Bushland Communal Hub is located at the rear of the site and provides a setting for shared activities, meals, cultural ceremonies, or a space for reflection within the landscape.
The Bushland Communal Hub site is nestled directly adjacent to bushland and features large open spaces and smaller intimate spaces to provide flexible use of the space.
It was envisaged that the Bushland Communal Hub would encourage and assist First Nations residents to be deepen their connection to Country and to have access to the adjacent bushland.
Quincy’s Renovation | Base Architecture
In its original form, the Quincy’s building was once home to the local Commonwealth Bank. Witnessing many changes throughout its lifespan and playing host to a number of different commercial ventures, the building has developed to become a landmark within the social fabric of the suburb. When the post office tenancy became available in 2022 the pipedream of expanding Quincy’s became a sudden reality, and another journey of transformation began for the building.
The renovation and extension were undertaken on a strict budget and short timeframe, showing the richness and power of everyday materials when detailed conscientiously.
Shed for Propagation | Marc & Co
The clients love for gardening extends to propagation. The small triangular site was selected as a way of resolving a kink in the formal geometry of the Paul Bangay designed garden. The propagation shed becomes part of the system of hedges using a timber screen for planting, so it merges into the hedges. Inside a green marble is for garden work or a cup of tea. The shed goes beyond propagation to become a place of beauty, hope and joy.
