National
The RAIA has released a new ‘plain English’ building contract, CIC-1, for national use and is lobbying for an all-states Architects Act • To boost membership, the Institute has welcomed the Student Organisation Network for Architecture (SONA) as a new division, has proposed a category for practices, and will consider a staff proposal to bring on board unregistered practitioners • The RAIA national council has postponed approving the already published new Coat of Arms designed by Michael Bryce • After voting against a move from Victoria’s Jamie Learmonth to have Chapter past-presidents issued with medals, the council agreed to send PPs lapel badges • Industry Minister John Moore has set up the National Building and Construction Committee (NatBACC) to advise him after the end of the Australian Construction Industry Council. On board are architects John Castles , RAIA, and Robert Peck , chair of the Australian Construction Industry Forum.
New South Wales
left: Technical innovation: a carbon fibre stacking chair by Sydney’s Bang Design for Talon, at Anibou.
Although Peddle Thorp ’s plans for the Walsh Bay finger wharves have not been released, the NSW government now appears satisfied with the concept against objections from the National Trust . A six-star Aman resort, likely to be designed by Kerry Hill in Singapore, is being discussed • Interest groups have been wrangling over envelope concepts from the Government Architect to expand the Conservatorium of Music’s Francis Greenway -designed headquarters in the botanic gardens on Macquarie Street. It appears that post-war accretions north of the building will be demolished, new facilities buried under grass terraces to the east, a glass canopy built on the south side and new buildings set beside a large plaza facing west to Macquarie Street. European architects Philippe Robert and Renzo Piano advised GA Chris Johnson on the proposals at different stages of revision. Local architects are being considered to develop the scheme when all parties are satisifed • Meriton Apartments , much maligned for the aesthetics of its low-budget high-rises mushrooming across Sydney, has now earned kudos for organising an RAIA-approved ideas competition ($80,000 in prizes) to redevelop the old ACI site on South Dowling Street as a housing precinct. Entries close December 1 • The NSW Heritage Office has published an inventory of heritage-protected structures on its website: www.heritage.nsw.gov.au • A new Qantas domestic terminal, designed by Hassell , has opened at Sydney airport • Urban Affairs and Planning Minister Craig Knowles has taken from local councils the power to approve large redevelopments of the Bondi Junction Plaza and the Honeysuckle foreshore site in Newcastle • South Coast architect Clinton Murray is fighting plans to “wreck” Robin Boyd ’s seminal Black Dolphin Motel in Merimbula • High-flying citizens—including Rod McGeoch , Leo Schofield , CRI’s Peter Wills and Katie Leahy —have formed The Committee for Sydney to advance culture and public-space aesthetics. Despite assurances that the group is “non-political”, there has been speculation that it will support McGeoch to lead a new conservative ticket at the 1999 city council elections. In recent ‘vision statements’, McGeoch and Schofield criticised the council’s performance on urban design and called on prosperous citizens to give more generously to culture groups and charities • The University of NSW’s Faculty of Planning, Design and Construction has moved into a new building designed by Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp . Administration has been revised by Dean Chung Tong Wu to replace existing discipline-based schools with three cross-discipline departments for undergraduate degrees, post-graduate courses and research • Architect Ian Evans has launched an online directory of house restoration information: www.oldhouses.com.au • Sydney’s Bang Design have conceived what is thought to be the world’s first carbon fibre stacking chair. Moulded in Malaysia, the Talon chair is being sold here at Anibou and will be launched in Europe • Crawford Partners are extending the Sydney Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour • The Star City casino-entertainment complex, designed by Cox-Hillier , will open at Darling Harbour in November. The obsolete temporary casino on Pyrmont Wharves 12 and 13 will be replaced by apartments and a hotel-retail complex—being offered to developers by the City West Development Corporation • The masterplan for Green Square, a new South Sydney suburb for 25,000 residents and 15,000 workers to replace abandoned industrial tracts, has been released for comment. The design is by Frank Stanisic and Nick Turner with Hassell • At East Circular Quay, scaffolding has been removed from the apartment tower under construction—prompting another flood of anger about its bulk, look and siting beside the Opera House. However, plans for a Peninsula Hotel on an adjacent site have been abandoned by the owners—leaving them with two unresolved approvals (hotel and apartments). Developer David Brice ’s alternative idea for the peninsula has been defeated by the Royal Automobile Club; owners of a vital site • A comprehensive scheme for the Quay’s central zone, involving removal of the Cahill Expressway and creating a square to the water, has been released by Hassell ’s Ken Maher , Tony Caro and UTS’s Winston Barnett . A government plan, retaining the Cahill and including revisions to the passenger terminal, has gone to Cabinet • London’s Norman Foster and Hassell have been appointed by the BT Office Trust to design a landmark on the corner of Macquarie, Hunter and Phillip Streets, near the Renzo Piano towers • Tokyo’s Kezuyo Seijima , winner of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s cinematheque, has teamed up with Allen Jack + Cottier • Architect Peter Lonergan has been documenting Sulman-winning buildings for a proposal to the Heritage Council to have them protected by permanent conservation orders • Byron Bay council has frozen development applications because its sewage plant can’t cope • The body corporate of Harry Seidler ’s Blues Point Tower is selling the rooftop laundry for a penthouse • In recent speeches at different events, former Prime Minister Paul Keating criticised many aspects of Sydney’s urban planning; Melburnian John Denton reckoned that architecture was commissioned via processes more quality-conscious in Victoria than NSW, and Harry Seidler announced—in a context which seemed intended to slur Elizabeth Farrelly of The Sydney Morning Herald —that “there is absolutely no architectural criticism in Australia.” His notion of ‘criticism’ was not clarified.
Australian Capital Territory
In a Canberra Times poll of public reaction to the 79 Kingston foreshore competition entries, a co-winning scheme by The Expert Client won 30 percent of votes, easily topping the other annointed design by MCC Joint Ventures • A $3 million Islamic culture centre is to be built at Tuggeranong. The courtyard scheme is by Shamsul Huda • ACT residents are worried that a Jackson-Swayn scheme to “consolidate” three buildings at the Canberra Centre represents a retail expansion likely to harm suburban shops • The Federal Golf Club has released four hectares of land for housing drawn by Bligh Voller Nield • After the fatal implosion of Canberra’s old hospital, an American expert has claimed that Controlled Blasting Services used “too much energy” and “allowed spectators too close“ • The ACT RAIA ’s 25-Year Awards were this year given to the Northside Infant School by Yuncken Freeman (Roy Simpson) , Norwood Park Crematorium by Roseman Hastings & Sorel , and the Dalton residence by MJ Morris .
Victoria
Expatriate entertainer Barrie Humphries has stepped up his criticism of the winning design for Federation Square—and Melbourne’s CBD generally. He has suggested that Victorians should not allow Premier Jeff Kennett to push them around—and his statements have been backed by Planning Minister Rob Maclellan . Meanwhile, support for the Fed Square scheme, by Lab Architecture Studio with Bates Smart , has come from Les Perrott , architect of the demolished Gas and Fuel Towers • City of Melbourne projects director Rob Adams has noted that another major above-rail site—beside Federation Square—will be released for tenders soon • The first project of the Docklands redevelopment, a “working” stadium with retail, function and gaming facilities, has been awarded to the Baulderstone Hornibrook/KPMG consortium, with architects Daryl Jackson and Bligh Lobb • Melbourne University academics refused to talk to the media after the university declined to back architecture lecturer Dr Miles Lewis in a defamation action brought by Crown Casino’s Lloyd Williams • Daylesford architect Helen Bernard is designing rural houses made of strawbales and says “the thick walls with deep window sills and seats strike a very powerful chord with people” • The dangers of government cost-cutting have been highlighted by the Office of Housing ’s cancellation of four contracts with a builder found to be incompetent on projects tendered at much lower prices than estimated • Southbank remains a favourite precinct for new apartments • Lord Mayor Ivan Deveson has launched the Business 3000 program to encourage small companies to take space in older city blocks—with grants of up to $50,000 offered • Port Melbourne’s gasworks site is being developed for housing by the Urban Land Authority • Architectural fees in Melbourne are now 30 percent lower than those in Sydney, claims Peddle Thorp ’s design director, Peter Brook . He blames a state government lowest-tender policy • The City of Melbourne has emphasised environmental design in its City Plan 97, which includes solar-powered street lighting and parking ticket dispensers • Builder Bruno Grollo ’s proposal for a 560 metre-high commercial tower, potentially the world’s tallest building, has been shortlisted for study by the Docklands Authority. Although it has been reported in Sydney that Harry Seidler is still working on the scheme, the design published in Melbourne is Denton Corker Marshall ’s silver version • Retail architects B+N have been sketching a revamp of the tired Southgate shopping centre to help it compete with the Crown complex • The entry blade proposed by DCM for the Museum of Victoria will be snipped by one metre to reduce its interrruption of views to the neighbouring Royal Exhibition Building.
South Australia
David Jones’ Capital City mixed-use development of its John Martins department store has not gained expected financial support but the company is still going for a DA • Premier John Olsen has blamed “the heritage agenda” for laggardly development • The SA government has abolished the MFP but senior executives are being transferred to a new organisation to drive city developments • Andrew Vorrasi is the new manager of Archicentre • Adelaide City Council has frozen its rates for commercial buildings until 2003; a move to encourage revamping.
Queensland
left: DCM overhaul of Brisbane’s Southbank, supervised by John Simpson for the state government.
Government and industry groups have formed Construction Queensland to plan how to reinvigorate the state’s flagging development scene. The RAIA’s Mark Tucker-Evans represents architecture • Three QUT students— Glen Jones , Teo Cavalio and Greg Everding —have won an international student competition, held in Korea, for their solar design of a train station • Arkhe Field and Buchanan Veal are designing a multimedia art museum at Ipswich • After a recent world trip, Brisbane Mayor Jim Soorley is promoting a horse-riding park on the old Roma Street railyards. But the Property Council of Australia believes the site should have a super-stadium. Brisbane City Council prefers to see a new stadium at the Royal National Association showgrounds while the government is contributing more than $60 million to upgrade Lang Park to Olympic soccer standards • Brisbane’s Courier Mail has published a swag of complaints about Donald Spencer , who has been twice convicted on Architects Act offences since his second deregistration for misconduct in 1995 • John Simpson is Queensland Architect of the Year. His key current task is to shepherd on behalf of the government Denton Corker Marshall’s revised masterplan for Southbank: a $67 million project.
Tasmania
Developer/architect John Lewis is planning to convert the former grain silos at Sullivans Cove into apartments, employing architect Robert Morris-Nunn . He is also continuing with Heffernan Button Voss (formerly Eastman Heffernan Walch & Button ) on refurbishing the Elizabeth Street Pier • HBV are also architects for the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Centre soon to open at Salamanca Quarry • A $150 million cruise liner terminal and hotel is planned for Hobart by Oceanport • The Hobart Aquatic Centre has opened on Queens Domain: architects were Blythe Yeung • The state’s new Heritage Act is expected to list 5000 properties • Dr Jianfei Zhu, Asia history and theory specialist at the University of Tasmania, was Australia’s sole speaker at an exclusive conference of Asian architects in Beijing.
Western Australia
First lots have been auctioned for an “urban village” on 80 hectares of industrial land at Subiaco. Expressions have also been called to develop the Station Square retail/office precinct • Lord Mayor Peter Nattrass has released a strategy to beautify Perth’s public places • DA applicants can now dial up the home page of the Planning Ministry to track progress of their application • Perth citizens are snapping up East Perth housing • The WA Planning Commission has rejected plans for a resort to replace the 1937 Raffles Hotel in Applecross • Aboriginal residents at Bardi, north of Broome, have complained that 28 ATSIC-funded rammed earth houses now being built for them are already falling apart. Stirling Architects have been terminated from their contract • Curtin graduate Aviva Silbert has won the design of a library for the Institute of Archeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Mt Scopus • A Perth magistrate has dismissed an assault charge against architect Louise St John Kennedy, arising from a row with a neighbour over tradesmen’s vehicles in the driveway.
International
Aldo Rossi has died, age 66, in a road accident in Milan • This year’s Pritzker Prize was won by Norway’s Sverre Fehn • The Prince of Wales Institute of Architecture is suffering from low school enrolments • Frank Gehry’s titanium-clad Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, has opened.
