Discussion

Andy Fergus and Felicity Stewart asked urban practitioners with a seat at the decision-making table to reflect on their diverse agendas and the techniques they employ to influence the shaping of our built environment.

This month, Elizabeth Farrelly, ponders the aesthetic of Christmas, its disconnection from meaning and what that says about the environment we make for ourselves.

University of Melbourne’s associate professor of urban geography, Ilan Wiesel, and professor of social epidemiology, Rebecca Bentley, explore the concept of designing for dignity in delivering accessible buildings, and question whether the current standards should be improved.

Internationally recognized John Andrews had a significant impact on architecture and design in Australia. In this account of Andrews’s career, Paul Walker and other contributors consider his legacy of pragmatism, environmentalism and advocacy; Michael Keniger reviews.

In her A. S. Hook Address, Kerstin Thompson, reflects on the foundations of her work and practice, including the value of the go-between, the importance of clarity of intent, and the celebration of “why here is not the same as there.”

Julian Raxworthy considers the evolution of the Australian university upon reviewing Campus: Building Modern Australian Universities, edited by Andrew Saniga and Robert Freestone.

Design writer Heidi Dokulil has released a new book called Sydney Brutalism.

In setting the intellectual direction for the profession, the 2023 Australian Architecture Conference explored conversations about culture and science, Country and building, land and possession, permanence and destruction, writes Andrew Broffman.

In this month’s column Elizabeth Farrelly laments the gentrification and homogenization of our cities. A city’s subcultures depend on cracks and crevices – architectural looseness – and without such eccentricities, the city remains dismal and soulless.

The construction industry is geared towards constructing new buildings, however retrofitting rather than demolishing existing buildings would drastically reduce the economic and environmental price we are currently paying.

The Sydney Opera House story is wrapped in wonder, myth and drama. The Concept, Innovation, Renewal symposium explore the past, present and future of this “masterpiece of 20th century architecture.”

In exploring the effectiveness and impact of architecture, Sarah Lebner suggests that it’s time to move beyond self-limiting fears and default modes of practice and embrace more efficient, innovative and joyful ways of running architecture businesses.

With requests for yarning circles becoming increasingly commonplace in design briefs, Carroll Go-Sam suggests how this element might be more meaningfully and creatively incorporated.

Edited by Esther Charlesworth and John Fien, Design for Fragility shares stories of architects working in the rapidly growing field of humanitarian architecture, while reviewer Kali Marnane reminds us of the need for new models of education to teach the skills this field requires.

Christine Phillips considers the masterplan for the former mining town of Jabiru in the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, where Traditional Custodians driving the design process.

How can governments regulate and codify “beauty” in the built environment? University of Birmingham associate professor Gethin Davison says the answer lies in Sydney.

The Australian Institute of Architects has retroactively amended 2003 Gold Medal, originally awarded to Peter Corrigan, to include Maggie Edmond. Vanessa Bird reflects on the Institute’s efforts to recognise Maggie.

The 2023 Health Care / Health Design forum explored the role of empathy in healthcare design, which can empower patients and staff in decision-making, reduce stress levels and provide tailored care journeys.

The Robin Boyd Foundation’s Affordable Housing Matters forum looked to inspire new solutions and advocate for a coordinated effort across disciplines to address the current housing crisis.

Kirsty Volz and Susan Holden ask: how can architects leverage their value and impact through positions in government?

Elizabeth Farrelly explores the reasons why the once reeking slum of inner-Sydney Surry Hills is now seen as a blueprint for the future in tackling the housing crisis.

The Government Architects Network of Australia is a vital means of support and exchange across the country. Here, they discuss resourcing, value measurement, public sector career path options and other pertinent issues.

The Sydney Opera House celebrates its 50th anniversary on 20 October 2023. We look back at some of the key moments that defined “the eighth wonder of the world.”

Urban designer and architect Katherine Sundermann and urban strategist Michelle Tabet explore the vital but often-overlooked skills and perspectives of those delivering the “pieces of city” where everyone wants to be.

The Flemish Government Architect’s Open Call procurement method has contributed to overturning Belgium’s reputation for ugliness. Susan Holden finds out what Australian can learn from this program.

Design review panels can be important mechanisms to improve the quality of our built environment. Three experienced practitioners present case studies that demonstrate the valuable contributions that these panels can make.

In her first column for ArchitectureAU, Sarah Lebner reflects on her meeting with Finnish studio Collaboratorio, where she found a couple of enterprising architects who are building their practice “as a machine for making it happen.”

An exhibition exploring the impact of extractive industries highlights the complex and interconnected relationships between economy, infrastructure, community and ecology.

A new book from Vokes and Peters is an ode to the intimacy of the house and an opportunity to glimpse into the practice’s vast repertoire.

The Architecture Symposium: Acts of Generosity explored how designers are developing ways of working that support community and society, deliver public benefit and place people first.

Far from a symbol of egalitarianism, the roundabout is neoliberalism in action, argues Elizabeth Farrelly. For the old, the weak, the slow and the timid, it’s rampant social Darwinism.

An exhibition of the work of French Pritzker Prize laureates Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal offers many lessons for urban housing and the value of spatial and material politics of everyday life.

An exhibition at the State Library of Queensland explores the value of genuinely fit-for-purpose design that connects architecture, people, place and ecology.

As we increasingly recognize the incompatibility of buildings and ecological integrity, Kerstin Thompson’s work offers “deeply convincing guidance” in how we might create physical forms that participate in their sites’ ecosystems.

All Kerstin Thompson Architects’ designs offer a new combination of references, with a remarkable sense of encounter in the moment, and with surprise, delight and a sense of unexpected value.

Part science-fiction, part “story-telling through space,” architect Liam Young’s cinematic works embody of the “dark matter” action required for us to tackle urgent planetary challenges.

A layered approach enables Kerstin Thompson Architects’ designs to recognize existing buildings and landscapes, bring in First Nations histories and stories, and operate in a more sustainable manner.

Jennifer McMaster reflects on the “messy magic” of Sydney Opera House’s Multidisciplinary Australian-Danish Exchange, and the legacies it has left her.

Metrics of density can be inaccurate, biased or confusing. Researchers Elek Pafka and Merrick Morley argue, “We need a better understanding of the different conceptions and metrics of densities and how they relate to people’s everyday experiences.”

We look back at six Indigenizing Practice articles from Architecture Australia that detail the myriad ways incorporating Indigenous knowledge can enrich the built environment.