A 1990s addition has been retained and its openings to the garden enlarged. Artwork: James McGrath.
Projects | Rachel Hurst | 17 Nov 2023

Armadale House by Neeson Murcutt Neille

This resourceful alteration forgoes the temptation to build anew, instead recalibrating a Victorian home and its 1990s addition to suit contemporary family life.

In the design of the public realm and landscape, by Aspect Studios with Glas Urban, the original course of Bouverie Creek is traced across the surface of the site, making natural systems visible in urbanized Carlton.
Projects | Rachel Hurst | 8 Jun 2023

University of Melbourne Student Precinct Project by Lyons et al

In an ambitious act of co-creation, a diverse group of practices has listened to more than 20,000 students and staff to design a student precinct that encourages connections – between people, disciplines, past and present, inside and out.

The farmhouse’s external form remains faithful to the building language of rural structures.
Projects | Rachel Hurst | 6 Dec 2022

Bass Coast Farmhouse by John Wardle Architects

Composed and confident, this new residence by John Wardle Architects in regional Victoria distils the fundamentals of the rural farmhouse into a richly detailed home.

New elements serve multiple functions, such as a lower bench in the kitchen, designed for kneading. Artwork: Anne Roussac-Hoyne.
Projects | Rachel Hurst | 26 Aug 2022

Gastronomic palette: Hermon

Delicious colours and carved layers are the garnish to this practical reinvention of an Edwardian villa and its 1990s addition, which lets the family have their cake – and eat it, too.

A long skylight in the dining space illuminates the restored brickwork to dramatic effect.
Projects | Rachel Hurst | 22 Jul 2022

Eastham Street by Muir

A modest alteration to a heritage home in Melbourne’s inner north deftly handles a tight corner site, carving out space for sublime inhabitation and presenting a mass of trellised greenery to the street.

The development’s large setbacks leave space for canopy trees to mature, with each apartment benefiting from their shade and visual appeal.
Projects | Rachel Hurst | 28 Apr 2022

‘Dignity-enabling’: St Albans Housing

NMBW Architecture Studio and MADA rethink the design of accessible, affordable housing and create an apartment block in outer Melbourne and a new model for ageing in place.

Nostalgia might not be what it used to be
Discussion | Rachel Hurst | 4 Apr 2022

Nostalgia might not be what it used to be

Rachel Hurst reviews the Australian Institute of Architects Lost Opportunities symposium and finds it focused predominantly on architectural space and form. But, she asks, what of the lost opportunities for architecture itself?

Restrained terrazzo panels in alabaster and French navy are the only clues that the old dry cleaner’s shop has found a new purpose.
Projects | Rachel Hurst | 9 Mar 2021

The making of an institution: Leigh Street Wine Room

With this compact and narrow wine bar and store in the heart of Adelaide, Studio Gram has paid homage to the classic wine bars of Europe.

A sepia photo of residents performing a play in 1913 (a provocative “paean to female agency”) becomes a frieze for the body of the Sibyl Centre.
Projects | Rachel Hurst | 22 Jun 2020

‘Looking backwards to look forwards’: Sibyl Centre

Stories dating back more than a century infuse this addition to the first university college for women in Australia.

The venue is surrounded by stone, concrete and greenery, and this is reflected in the material palette.
Projects | Rachel Hurst | 18 Jun 2020

A hidden secret: Part Time Lover

This light, timber pavilion in Adelaide by Sans-Arc Studio houses an all-day diner. Surrounded by some of the city’s most significant buildings, Part Time Lover both acknowledges and resists its location.