Wilga | Archbuild

Wilga harmoniously nestles within the embrace of nature, adorned with protected Sydney Blue Gumtrees. Confronted by dual challenges of safeguarding these giants and accommodating an old sewer main, the architect orchestrated a symphony of collaboration. This choreography involved structural and hydraulic engineers, Sydney Water Authority, and trusted consultants. The design seamlessly incorporates functionality and aesthetics while prioritizing the preservation of the native flora. Wilga is a haven that exudes a meditative ambiance, intertwining luxurious living with the serene presence of the Blue Gumtrees. This architectural gem not only enhances the client’s daily life but stands as a sustainable marvel, symbolizing a holistic approach to design, environment, and preservation.

Good Samaritan College, Polding Place | Speculative Architecture and Brammer Architects, architects in association

With a focus upon student wellbeing and community engagement, Polding Place at Good Samaritan College Toowoomba contains classrooms, Food Technology teaching spaces with a commercial kitchen, Cafe, and a Design Technology workshop. Each space is naturally ventilated with good access to breezes and controlled daylight. Outdoor learning spaces are located adjacent to traditional teaching spaces and are flexible for social activities. Materials and niches have been selected that are robust, with low maintenance, while providing continuity with the existing campus buildings to reinforce the identity and history of the College.

The main social space of the College is revitalised by the new building framing, and providing an active social edge to, a central courtyard. Integrated planting, through vines and shade trees, mediate the outdoor spaces to provide cool and social landscapes to be enjoyed.

The Warehouses | J.AR OFFICE

The Warehouses reformulates the light industrial building, guided by civic ambitions and an aspiration to persist for generations. The precinct materialises from a selective edit and unification of five existing structures, defined by a new humancentric internal street.

The resulting building was driven by the client’s desire to produce a socially conscious precinct that ultimately asked, ‘How can a commercial building adapt to evolving community needs?’

The project addresses a typology often on the periphery of architectural consideration; demonstrating the importance of providing space for public life to occur, even in the most unlikely of places a shed.

Wattlebird House | Scott Flett Architecture Workshop

The Wattle Bird House is inspirational in its design and construction. It is planned to be an intergenerational, sustainable, and comfortable home for the owners and their extended family. The house is thermally efficient, packed with technology, connected to place, and the build is a showcase of the local construction industry. Construction wise it delights with purposely atypical approaches to typical solutions and layers of detail upon every turn. It delights and demands attention. The house showcases construction as a creative activity. The care, labour and skill in the Wattle Bird House is inspirational.

Vijayasekaran Residence | Klopper & Davis Architects

Framed by undulating hills and nestled amongst the Australian flora of Eagle Bay, Vijayasekaran Residence emerges as an architectural testament to serene coastal living. The project is an ode to tranquility, privacy, and resilience, fostering a seamless transition between the home’s interior spaces and the natural environment. The design preserves the large, sloping site’s inherent beauty, imparting the clients with a living experience that is sheltered, yet expansively open to the elements.

Well-Connected | Enfold with Allan Spira, Architect

Guided by social and sustainable values, Well–Connected is an exemplary demonstration in the careful integration of new areas and refinement of existing spaces to deliver a greatly improved, yet modest home which significantly enhances the quality of life for its young family within.

Newly defined spaces serve as hubs for social interaction, enriching the lives of the owners as they occupy different areas of the home. The incorporation of passive design principles and attention to detail enhances thermal efficiency and elevates comfort levels well beyond standard requirements.

Values of sustainability and social connection are prioritised, while moments of architectural delight provide further validity to the investment of this project. Well–Connected stands as a testament to the possibilities of sustainable and social values led design – promising years of enjoyment and fulfillment for its occupants ahead.

Un Peu Perrault | MyMyMy Architecture

**Un Peu Perrault is a Testament to Light Touch Architectural Transformation**

Un Peu Perrault, by MyMyMy Architecture, stands as a testament to the transformative power of sensitive light touch architecture to enhance family connections and elevate daily life. Carefully balancing preservation of the original building fabric with the integration of a bright, inviting extension, the project caters to the evolving needs of the family.

Seamlessly blending innovation with functionality, MyMyMy Architecture’s design fosters moments of tranquillity and familial joy through meticulous attention to detail. Key features include a zigzag folded and perforated steel screen, which redefines street presence, and strategic apertures that infuse interiors with warmth.

This new addition by MyMyMy Architecture is an exercise in restraint. Un Peu Perrault serves as a symbol of architectural metamorphosis, seamlessly melding interior comfort with exterior aesthetics.

Un Peu Perrault is situated in Downer, ACT, on the land of the Ngunnawal people.

TL Robertson Library Refurbishment | Hames Sharley and Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects in Association

Originally constructed in 1972, the brutalist TL Robertson Library is Curtin University’s largest and most historic building. Its refurbishment sought to redefine the purpose of the campus library, shifting away from preserving books towards prioritising social connection and a sense of community.

The library’s collection of books was consolidated and relocated to a high-density compactus system, freeing up space to accommodate a spectrum of learning settings; from social learning on the lower floors to silent study areas on the upper floors. The relocation of services enabled the addition of a new seventh level, with an event space that allows the library to host functions with up to 200 guests.

The previously enclosed building has been redefined to enhance its permeability and accessibility, with more legible entries, open floor plates and light-filled spaces, positioning the library as a beacon at the heart of the campus.

Sweetwater House | Christopher Botterill and Jackson Clements Burrows Architects

Located in Frankston South on Bunurong Country and backing onto Narringalling (Sweetwater Creek), Sweetwater House provides flexibility and sanctuary for our family of four. Designed and built during Melbourne’s Covid lockdowns, the home reflects an inventive response to low–cost, multi–generational living while telling a story of personal and ecological renewal.
Drawing on knowledge and experience gleaned from previous mass–timber projects, the home was constructed using a prefabricated construction methodology.
Our ambition was to create a materially honest and highly sustainable home. We developed a plan arrangement that could adapt to the changing needs of two teenage children and allow for multi–generational living. The gravitational heart is an open plan living room and kitchen overlooking the creek. Encircled by tree ferns and eucalypts, the home’s warm timber palette nurtures a sense of welcome and calm.

Suite Shed | alsoCAN

We retain traditional facades and streetscapes, but what about backyards?

The existing building had been a sleep–out in a working backyard dotted with fruit trees. We wanted to keep this quality and this purpose.

From the outside, the result retains the same profile. Nearly all the existing structure has been kept, but now insulated and wrapped so its waterproof and warm. From the inside all the studwork, cladding and roofing remain, so it looks just like it did before with new fittings.

The new building adds no new floor area. However, we now have a larger bedroom, a refitted bathroom and a large space for living.

A critical part of the design was to make the building fully accessible. There are handrails around the outside of the rooms with sensor–activated lighting, along with more generally accessible aspects such as wheelchair–accessible benchtops, rails, a shower seat and talking kitchen appliances.