UQ Brisbane City | BVN with Architectus Conrad Gargett

The UQ Brisbane City establishes a distinctive, state of the art learning environment through the adaptive reuse of the iconic, state heritage listed Queensland National Bank and its 2008 tower extension. The reimagining of these two parts provides new environments for alumni of the University of Queensland, alongside postgraduate students within the Architecture and Business Schools.

The project sought to honour and highlight the innate gravitas and permanence of the Queensland National Bank, whilst establishing a new layer of character and identity for the University. This is achieved through a series of contemporary, floor based architectural insertions that are rooted in function and delight. The outcome is a highly functional, top tier educational facility that demonstrates how heritage sites can be respectfully adapted for modern use, while still celebrating and preserving their historical significance.

Verandah Terraces | Phorm architecture + design

Verandah Terraces is a residential building intended specifically to reflect upon Brisbane’s identity, a bridge between its past and future. Verandahs are a specific cultural territory which we, as a Practice, advocate as the appropriate ‘platform for living’ in our Subtropical City.

Verandahs were the local adaptations, introduced to temper the climate and protect the Georgian core of early colonial buildings. Verandahs are now appreciated as liminal spaces, mediating the contrasting conditions of exterior and interior, their interface with the elements creating a poetic and particular experience of place.

Our strategy has been to utilise the existing internal rooms of the cottage as the required ‘interiors’ to the brief and introduce a counterpoint of open living platforms or ‘terraces’ to the Site. There is an immediacy to the structural legibility of the recycled hardwood timber frame and expressed tectonics. A build that demonstrates and celebrates its own making and crafting.

Warwick Brick House | Marc & Co

Warwick Brick House a multi-generational house on a steep site. Daily living spaces and gardens are located on the roof, offering privacy, views and moments of tranquility and joy.

The playful composition of the façade, with its slender brick piers, oversized reveals and corbel detailing, adds depth and decorative relief to the building whilst acknowledging a history of brick–making in Warwick.

Yarralumla House | Jean Architects

Step into a residential endeavor that combines timeless charm with contemporary allure. Tucked away in the cul–de–sac of Yarralumla, this residence captures the spirit of Mid–century design while seamlessly integrating indoor and outdoor living.

Central to the architectural vision is a transformative concept: establishing a harmonious connection between the living spaces and the backyard. This vision materialises through the implementation of a split–level design, guiding occupants from the existing house to the garden level.

The dwelling undergoes a metamorphosis, guided by two distinct design narratives. The original segment pays homage to the enigmatic allure of the night, embracing a dark and moody aesthetic. In contrast, the newly added section, strategically oriented towards the backyard, blossoms into a lively celebration of light and colour.

Wangaratta District Specialist School | Sibling Architecture

Wangaratta District Specialist School caters to students who have clinically diagnosed physical and intellectual disabilities. The new building provides spaces for students to develop skills that encourage independent living. Sensory design devices are employed including colour, tactility, and atmosphere. Such devices are an integral part of the pedagogical experience. These are manifested in several sensory considered spaces, spaces for quiet, spaces for wonder and spaces for respite. Classrooms are designed with intimate learning in mind, with each classroom having its own breakout space and outdoor zone. Colour is used throughout the design to create identity and familiarity for students. With each function of the school assigned a unique identity. The school provides students with space to build skills that encourage independent living, beyond the school years.

White House | Spaceagency

White–House explores the enduring image and value of the ‘white painted timber cottage’ and seeks to construct a contemporary interpretation that riffs on the detail, material and cultural associations.

The Carnac St precinct, South Fremantle, is typified by the collective aesthetic of small timber and iron workers cottages that characterise the streetscape.

The existing weatherboard cottage, C1899, registered on the Municipal Heritage List for contribution to the streetscape. The verandah and front two rooms of the cottage are retained and restored, presenting as foreground to the streetscape with the rear extension set well back.

The north aspect is welcomed into indoor outdoor/living areas, extending the sense of space and easy connection to the garden, alfresco terrace and swimming pool, generous and flexible spaces that can evolve with the family as their needs change.

The project emphasises preservation, functionality, and sustainable design that contribute to the legacy of the site.

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.

Van Wyk Residence | Klopper & Davis Architects

Located on the family-friendly Griver St, Van Wyk Residence is a two-storey home for a young couple and their children. It features a simple, yet site-sensitive design nestled amongst the mature Peppermint trees & wide, grassy verges of Cottesloe. The home is a light drenched sanctuary, a space where family connect, where long lunches spill out into the garden, where the kids play, mess and create. Inspired by memories of white-washed barns in the South African winelands, a white, two-storey brick gable runs East/West along the southern boundary containing the majority of the accommodation, with a secondary dark single-storey pavilion sitting along the north. Between, a glass box connection divides the outdoor areas in two; a generous backyard & alfresco to the rear and a lush, pool deck to the street.

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.

550 Spencer Street – Catching the Sun | Kennon

550 Spencer Street is the first building in Australia to produce energy from its own façade.

Remediating a contaminated former petrol station the new formal composition references the post war modernist commercial architecture in Melbourne wrapped in an Australian first highly technical façade system, 550 Spencer Street is a striking contemporary architecture founded on performative principals controlled with a restrained elegance.
Product innovation is a significant contributor to 550 Spencer and contribution to our building industry. An idea that was developed and processed through an arduous assessment criterion to be deemed fit for purpose to the Australian Code of Construction is now available to the industry wide.

Sensitively addressing the residential interfaces and the existing high street context of Spencer Street, 550 Spencer Street contributes to an exciting emerging mixed use precinct on the city fringe through a dynamic façade considered pedestrian experience.