Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2019 i Architecture Australia

Regional Australia is still Australia’s beating heart, vital to the fabric of who we are. Its cities, towns and vast landscapes inform our nation’s lore and its sacred dreaming. From the sandy, rugged reaches of our coastline to the deep red centre, there is a move toward embracing innovative, sustainable and beautiful architecture. Once seen as the domain of the major cities, architecture is germinating with force, its appreciation and application spreading to our most remote locations. Increasingly, regional Australia is becoming home to some of Australia’s best contemporary architecture practice. This issue of Architecture Australia celebrates the richness and diversity of architect-designed buildings and precincts emerging all over regional Australia. The projects within speak of place, exhibit an acute sense of community and reflect different visions of Australia and its seemingly endless space. They also exemplify the…

Location Northcliffe, WA Local Government Area Manjimup Region type Heartland region Aboriginal nation Noongar, Pibelmen peoples Distance to nearest state/territory capital 299 km (Perth, WA) Population 2016 census 300 2011 census 282 growth 2011–16* +6.4% *national average +8.8% Top employment sectors (2016 census) 24.7% Dairy cattle farming 6.8% Secondary education 5.5% Concreting services 5.5% Nature reserves and conservation parks operation Seven kilometres east of Northcliffe, a small town in the lower south-west of Western Australia, is the recently completed Bannister Downs Dairy Creamery designed by Bosske Architecture. A place with tall trees and high rainfall, this was one of the first areas to be opened to dairy farming in Western Australia, through post-World War I government Group Settlement Schemes in which British would-be farmer immigrants received dairy cows as incentive for clearing land. The Daubney family are third-generation Northcliffe…

Across Australia, transformative regional initiatives are being developed through collaborative strategic thinking that involves different levels of government and leadership from local councils and the community. Connectivity between regions is being defined in different ways, fostering collaboration to create productive futures. In New South Wales seven regional cities have joined together to form Evocities to “change perceptions of life in a regional city” and promote the cities’ “lower cost of living, strong career and business opportunities and enhanced lifestyle.” Launched in 2010 and sponsored by Qantas Link and the NSW state government, Evocities aims to encourage people to live, work and invest in Albury, Armidale, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange, Tamworth and Wagga Wagga. Essentially a marketing campaign, this bottom-up initiative implemented locally joins geographically disconnected and diverse towns and cities, building a collective profile that can promote life beyond the metropolitan…

Location Newcastle, NSW Local Government Area Newcastle Region type Regional city Aboriginal custodians Awabakal and Worimi peoples Distance to nearest state/territory capital 117km (Sydney, NSW) Population 2016 census 322,278 2011 census 308,308 growth 2011–16* +4.5% *national average +8.8% Top employment sectors (2016 census) 5.5% Hospitals 2.9% Other social assistance services 2.4% Cafes and restaurants The renaissance of the port city of Newcastle in New South Wales began in 2008 when Marcus Westbury established the social enterprise Renew Newcastle. This urban renewal initiative enabled artists and others to use empty commercial spaces, many of them vacant following the downturn caused by the closure of the BHP steelworks in 1999. Renew Newcastle transformed the former industrial city’s central shopping district, with a 2011 economic analysis finding that the project had generated a 10:1 return on investment for the local community.1 The…

The health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people compared to that of non-Indigenous Australians is one of the more disturbing and enduring measures of inequality in Australia. Compared to those in urban centres, measures of Indigenous health decline in remote and very remote regions, where access to health services is more haphazard and factors that determine health – housing, education, unemployment and poverty – vary with place. The most recent “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework Report” to address the gap in Indigenous health identifies a need for readily accessible, culturally supportive healthcare services, but the design of hospitals and clinics is ignored in this otherwise comprehensive set of recommendations.1 By comparison, we recognize that culturally appropriate design matters in Indigenous housing and that sociocultural imperatives should influence prison and courthouse architecture. Given accepted practice in these building types, can healthcare…

In 2009, for the first time in the history of human civilization, more people inhabited cities than rural settings.1 In Australia, this was the case even earlier. In 2006 more than two-thirds of Australians lived in major cities2 and presently, Australia is considered one of the most urbanized nations on the planet with approximately 86 percent of the 2018 population living in urban areas.3 With this intense growth in our cities, most Australian architects – most architects globally, for that matter – are concerned with the rise of the city. Increases in the population, area and density of urban centres are driving economic growth, development and opportunities for architects and the construction sector. Teaching in architecture schools reflects this professional emphasis, with curriculums that focus considerable energy and attention on the role of architecture…

The November/December 2018 issue of Architecture Australia was Cameron Bruhn’s last as Architecture Media’s editorial director. We wish him all the best for his future endeavours as dean and head of the School of Architecture at the University of Queensland and thank him for his significant contribution to Australia’s architecture and design culture. Cameron joined Architecture Media in 2003 as a writer and editor, assuming the position of editorial director in 2009. In this role he made a major contribution to developing Architecture Australia and the company’s other magazine and content website portfolios. In more recent years, he also helped shape the Design Speaks events stream through a clever choice of topics and an informed selection of local and international speakers. We will miss Cameron’s extensive knowledge, thoughtful leadership, endless ideas, generosity and playful…

Different models of regional architectural practice can be found across Australia, from small, locally embedded firms to larger urban offices that specialize in regional projects, working with or without local partners. Collaboration between regional and urban practices combines local knowledge with diverse skills and experience, enabling smaller local practices to be involved in larger public realm projects. The knowledge sharing and upskilling realized by joint ventures and other modes of collaboration streamline the practicalities of compiling submissions, improve documentation capability and management structures and capitalize on past experiences of dealing with diverse user groups and clients, particularly local councils, state governments and universities. The nuanced understanding possessed by local practices provides insight into a diverse range of issues, from the practicalities of materials and trades supply to the particularities of culture, character and context. Ironically, one of Australia’s most…

Location Morwell, Vic Local Government Area Latrobe Region type Regional city Aboriginal nation Gunaikurnai, Braiakaulung people Distance to nearest state/territory capital 135km (Melbourne, Vic) Population 2016 census 13,540 2011 census 13,691 growth 2011–16* -1.1% *national average +8.8% Top employment sectors (2016 census) 4.2% Hospitals 3.9% Supermarket and grocery stores 3.5% Takeaway food services 3.5% Fossil fuel electricity generation The local government area of Latrobe in eastern Victoria encompasses four urban areas: Morwell, Moe, Traralgon and Churchill. Industry in the region was driven by coal-powered electricity generation, particularly at the Hazelwood power station, which was commissioned in the 1960s. The Latrobe Regional Gallery was established in Morwell in 1971 at the height of the region’s prosperity, but the restructuring and gradual privatization of the State Electricity Commission in the 1990s led to job losses and a subsequent decline in the region’s population. In 2016,…

Location Roseworthy, SA Local Government Area Light Region type Connected lifestyle area Aboriginal traditional owners Kaurna peoples Distance to nearest state/territory capital 46 km (Adelaide, SA) Population 2016 census 948 2011 census 664 growth 2011–16* +42.8%+ *national average +8.8% + Roseworthy boundary has changed between censuses Top employment sectors (2016 census) 4% Supermarket and grocery stores 3.3% Hospitals 2.8% Primary education 2.6% Road freight transport In South Australia, the name Roseworthy has long been associated with agricultural research. Located forty-six kilometres north of Adelaide with a population of close to one thousand, the town has been home to Roseworthy Agricultural College since 1883. Now a campus of the University of Adelaide, the site continues to advance research and education in agriculture. This heritage forms the foundation for Australian Grain Technologies (AGT). Established in 2002 as a joint venture linking the…

Understanding the particularities of regions draws into focus issues of spatial, financial, social and cultural equity, which Judith Brett argues were at the foundation of the formation of the federation of Australia.1 The diversity of regional towns and cities that are spread across a large geographic area presents social, cultural and economic challenges as well as opportunities. The combination of small populations and disconnection from major centres creates issues for the provision of services, particularly health and education. At a financial level, municipalities with small populations generate a modest rate base that needs to cover a range of services. Major infrastructure projects can provide a boon to regional areas, with funding from state and federal governments facilitating projects that could not be funded locally. But as Paul Collits argues, although these projects may provide services…

Location Hobart, Tas Local Government Area Hobart Region type Regional city Aboriginal clan Mouheneenner peoples Distance to nearest state/territory capital N/A Population 2016 census 178,009 2011 census 170,975 growth 2011–16* +4.1% *national average +8.8% Top employment sectors (2016 census) 4.2% Hospitals 4.1% State government administration 3.2% Cafes and restaurants 2.8% Central government administration Hobart, Tasmania is one of Australia’s most rapidly changing regional cities, where increased external investment is presenting both challenges and opportunities. In parallel, a new statewide planning scheme has changed the goalposts for development. Intended to simplify the complexities of thirty different planning schemes, the Tasmanian Planning Scheme (TPS) has universal State Planning Provisions and Local Provision Schedules (LPSs). However, the TPS allows for projects of state significance to potentially override the LPS, raising concerns that development driven by financial imperatives might…

Location Barcaldine, Qld Local Government Area Barcaldine Region type Heartland region Aboriginal traditional owners Iningai language group Distance to nearest state/territory capital 887km (Brisbane, Qld) Population 2016 census 1,287 2011 census 1,316 growth 2011–16* -2.2% *national average +8.8% Top employment sectors (2016 census) 8.1% Hospitals 5.1% Local government administration 4.9% State government administration 4.9% Primary and secondary education Heartland regions make up the majority of the municipalities of Australia and as such are core to the country’s identity and heritage. In these areas, connecting with context, personal commitment and community engagement are key. Understanding the history of a place can provide possibilities for the future. In Barcaldine in central Queensland, the council and the community have recognized the importance of engaging with the hundreds of thousands of visitors who travel along the state’s…

Location Lismore, NSW Local Government Area Lismore Region type Regional city Aboriginal nation Bundjalung, Widjabul people Distance to nearest state/territory capital 152 km (Brisbane, Qld) Population 2016 census 27,569 2011 census 27,474 growth 2011–16* +0.3% *national average +8.8% Top employment sectors (2016 census) 6.3% Hospitals 3.8% Other social assistance services 3.4% Aged care residential services 3.4% Supermarket and grocery services Arriving at the street address of the Lismore Regional Gallery, I am met by a carpark at what feels like the building’s back door. A low-slung agricultural roof is festooned with solar panels, while underneath it a couple of people move through a yoga routine, undisturbed by my presence. On approaching the entry, however, I am given a clear axial view through the building, which suggests a public path that connects to a grassed…