The official publication of the Australian Institute of Architects Western Australian Chapter. In print since 1939, The Architect showcases residential and commercial projects, presenting the work of leading WA architects, photographed by some of our best photographers. Covering a broad range of projects and issues over the past nine decades, its purpose is to advocate on behalf of the architecture profession and the community to improve the quality of the built environment.
Standing proudly on Ballardong Nyoongar land, Iredale Pedersen Hook’s Bilya Koort Boodja (meaning “river, heart, land”) recognises the importance of country while acknowledging that this recognition has not always been given.
The University of Western Australia’s Bilya Marlee designed by Kerry Hill Architects has been purpose-built to house a School of Indigenous Studies. It is also home to the university’s Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health and the POCHE Centre for Indigenous Health.
The iconic Parmelia Hilton hotel has undergone a series of minor renovations since its opening in the 1960s. However, in late 2017 COX Architecture, along with their client, Hawaiian, considered how the hotel could be re-imagined – both physically and more broadly in the contemporary urban fabric in which it is located.
Standing proudly on Ballardong Nyoongar land, Iredale Pedersen Hook’s Bilya Koort Boodja (meaning “river, heart, land”) recognises the importance of country while acknowledging that this recognition has not always been given.
The University of Western Australia’s Bilya Marlee designed by Kerry Hill Architects has been purpose-built to house a School of Indigenous Studies. It is also home to the university’s Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health and the POCHE Centre for Indigenous Health.
The iconic Parmelia Hilton hotel has undergone a series of minor renovations since its opening in the 1960s. However, in late 2017 COX Architecture, along with their client, Hawaiian, considered how the hotel could be re-imagined – both physically and more broadly in the contemporary urban fabric in which it is located.
Through the eyes of a child, one could believe that the Kids’ Bridge (Koolangka Bridge) – funded by Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation and original design by Fratelle+BEaM – is a twisting rainbow coloured serpent disappearing into the trees of King’s Park. Despite undergoing several design iterations, industry and market fluctuations, this fundamental idea was a constant for architect and Fratelle Director Kylee Schoonens.
Through a series of projects in the arid environment of Western Australia, predominantly built for Aboriginal communities, Kaunitz and Yeung Architecture has proposed a different approach to working with the beautiful, yet harsh, desert environment. Designing with, not for, remote Aboriginal communities, Kaunitz and Yeung are changing the narrative of remote regional architecture – creating a new vernacular for Australian desert architecture.
Our spatial experience of architecture is not simply shaped by the physical reality that buildings impart on us but also by the past experiences we bring to them. This is why our own memories play such a significant role in predetermining our innate sense of wellbeing and comfort in a new place. The aged-care spaces of Karingal Green by Hassell epitomise this understanding.
One of the key aspects of elevating the conversation from sustainability to climate change is to shift the thinking from what is feasible to what is necessary to avoid catastrophic changes to the environment.
Just north of the Fremantle markets sits the Warders Hotel, guarded by the shadow of the prison after which its image was shaped. As a national heritage-listed building, the project brief tied in very well with architect Matthew Crawford’s view that heritage should be adaptively reused, not changed.
Sustainability was central in this unique collaboration between architect and client, with the owners keen to create a home offering year-round comfort without air-conditioning and to supplement electrical power with photovoltaic panels.
spaceagency approaches each project with a rigour and attention to detail that allows it to deliver projects instilled with a sense of history, currency and longevity.
This alteration and addition project by Matt Delroy-Carr is a great example of how clever architecture can achieve significant improvements to spatial quality through relatively minor interventions – with a modest budget.
The Marina East apartments by Hames Sharley are not just on the waterfront, but bound by water on three sides. The unique design, comprised of three individual buildings, responds to this rare site.
Impeccably renovated by Fremantle architecture practice spaceagency, North Fremantle’s Garden House is a purposeful arrangement of spaces creating a playful and textured home with a strong focus on the outdoors.
The Rocks Laneway by Taylor Robinson Chaney Broderick Architects successfully stitches together disparate parts of the town with a procession of overlapping and varied community spaces – providing a new emphasis for the centre of the City of Greater Geraldton.
An ode to the harmony of individual and collective life, Glyde Street promotes an understated and sustainable yet comfortable way of living. The project challenges preconceptions about multi-residential housing in the diverse built landscape of the locale and suggests a contemporary rethink of the future of the typology in Mosman Park, WA.
Located on a narrow, east-west oriented block in a heritage precinct, East Fremantle House by Nic Brunsdon is a respectful and intelligent addition to an old workers cottage that is typical of the area.
The opportunity to undertake something different and showcase how a suburban subdivision can be designed with architectural integrity and flair, combined with sensitivity for the natural landscape, was too good to pass up for architect Meaghan White and husband, town planner Deon White.
Nestled among the mature trees of suburban East Perth, and in keeping with the existing local area, Emmanuel Community House by Lanigan Architects is designed and built to the ‘Liveable Housing Australia’ platinum standard for accessiblilty and provides a community care-based model for people with varying needs.
Working with Passivhaus principles and cost-effective and sustainable construction, architect Michelle Blakeley explains her My Home project. Architect Peter Lee discusses Foundation Housing and the importance of quality design on people’s wellbeing. Part of The Architect WA Homes Edition’s focus on affordable housing.
For Klopper and Davis Architects director Sam Klopper, the orientation and topography of the North Street Swanbourne block made it the perfect site for a family home.
What role can architects have in this space? How do we leverage our skills? Advocating for an effective housing system that is culturally responsive and suited to climate.
While the inner Perth suburb of Mount Lawley might be better known for its prevalence of Federation style homes, Filter House by Andrew Hagemann Architecture is located within a small pocket of post-war Mediterranean influenced architecture. Putting aside stylistic elements, it was the climatic advantages of the latter, with characteristically high ceilings, light coloured external walls and shaded frontages, that the clients were keen to see in their new house.
CO-architecture is a web-based platform for Architects, Engineers and Consultants (AEC) to help people find work or talent – building a reliable network and community of on-demand talent, without geographical boundaries.
Housed in a cultural cornerstone, Benson Studio were approached by the new owners to increase the diversity of offering in Subiaco and to be part of its evolution.
As beautiful as it is harsh, the Pilbara is a striking land of colours, textures and contrasts. The Wickham Community Hub, designed by Gresley Abas, is a deliberate response to this rugged landscape.
In its unwavering commitment to maximising impact beyond its inherent function, the Curtin Bicycle Hub designed by Place Laboratory and Coniglio Ainsworth Architects, in conjunction with Curtin University, delivers in spades.
Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on email Drying wheat, luminous yellow canola fields and sheep herds scattered amongst a landscape of ancient granite boulders and
