Australian architecture

Built between 1910-1915 by the Sydney Harbour Trust the heritage listed Finger Wharf at Woollomoolo was a former wharf and passenger terminal. It narrowly escaped demolition in the late 1980’s due to public outcry and instead was renovated into a boutique hotel, apartments and hospitality precinct. Its heritage and cultural significance is diverse and anyone that lives or has spent any amount of time in Sydney knows it as a major landmark on the Harbour. Prue Ruscoe Prue Ruscoe These Wharf apartments were built in the late 1990’s - developer driven, the smaller apartments lacked any charm as was the case during this time when energy and funds were chanelled into the large, glamorous apartments. Fast forward to 2023 an... More

A significant alteration to a semi-detached house in Sydney's east for a family of sun chasers. Set high on a ridge behind a row of olive trees, two new double-height volumes clad in water struck bricks are nestled behind the front of the original house. Like the family the house was designed for, the house chases the light too, setting itself up to receive the colours that change through the day and the shadows the sun casts across surfaces both inside and out. The northernmost volume twists ever so slightly up and out to capture light and views across to the west and the north. The dragon scale brick pattern allows the western wall to twist and shift up and around to bring the master bedroom out across the rear of the house, creating a ca... More

Set on a dramatic clifftop site The Imperial Hotel Building at Clifton has sat neglected and boarded up following the collapse and closure of Lawrence Hargrave Drive some 15 years ago. With the road now open again with the opening of the Seacliff Bridge, Welsh + Major were engaged to design and document an iconic new hospitality venue that will serve as a catalyst for rejuvenation of the area. Clinton Weaver The heritage-listed building features restored balconies and rejuvenated internal spaces, accompanied by 2 new dining rooms, each with sweeping views up and down the coastline of the Illawarra Escarpment. Clinton Weaver Designed for locals and visitors alike, the project is a response to site, and of the original building&rs... More

Port Melbourne Secondary College (PMSC) is the first vertical school as part of Australia’s biggest urban rejuvenation project, Fishermans Bend. Designed by Billard Leece Partnership (BLP), the school is within a designated precinct for advanced technology, innovation, and education where over the next 30 years, 80,000 people will live, work and study. The development gives Port Melbourne a new, forward-thinking learning hub for students and the local community who have access to the library, gym, food technology and art spaces after hours. “To design truly healthy and inclusive learning environments for our children and their communities, BLP leveraged our combined experience in health and education to create a civic presence... More

Combining luxury with Nordic inspired design, the Verde Residences harmoniously transpire in one of Melbourne’s most sought-after inner-city suburbs.  Designed to encapsulate the idea of ‘home’, Verde was briefed on emphasising function, whilst maintaining organic flow… adapting to the requirements of the modern family. The deep feeling of home further accentuated through an expansive floorspace with northern aspect, bathing the interior in a brilliance of light.  Lyons photography Lyons photography Lyons photography Careful attention to detail is considered in the execution of the external Hit & Miss feature gable brickwork, strong clean lines and seamless termination points throughout... More

Few projects allow as much experimentation as an architect's own home, Connected House is no exception. Fifteen years ago architect/client, Albert Mo and his family moved into a 1950's mid-century home designed by Peter Mcintyre. For more than a decade they ruminated on design philosophes that would become the driving force behind the extension. The conceptual framework for the project balanced the restoration of architectural heritage with a new approach to outdoor connections and a growing floor plan to accommodate teenage children. The resulting home is as much about garden as it is about building, the daily ritual of living interacts with nature at all levels - from the cantilevered lounge room in the canopy of a mature elm, to the dini... More

THOSE Architects were excited to reimagine the 1970s-built Abel Tasman Motel at Bateman’s Bay on the NSW south coast. In their day, motels like the Abel Tasman were just pitstops, but the ambition with Isla was to create a destination, worthy of its beachside address. Caption Caption Interventions lean into the 70s vibe using a warm palette of colours (ochre, ivory and kelp green) and materials - oak feature walls and terrazzo bathroom trims. The brick facade is painted warm white with panels of ochre and new concrete breeze blocks along ground-floor walkways both reducing the horizontal bulk of the building to a more vertical villa scale. Rooms are dressed with oak-panelled bedhead walls and linen curtains with joinery and... More

It certainly makes for an interesting start to a project, to already be part of a building’s past while designing for its future. ‘Bellevue Hill House V’ marks the second time that PopovBass has redesigned this house. The first time was in 1996 and the brief was vastly different. The original residence simultaneously functioned as a private art gallery designed for clients who were art collectors. A large central ‘gallery’ living space was used to display the client’s extensive art collection: dramatically lit from above through a massive skylight. The interiors of the project were kept formal and restrained, allowing for focus to remain solely on the artworks displayed within. This ‘gallery’... More

Rose Bay House takes the experience of a plateau as the inspiration for its architecture and interiors. In this new design, the ground is sculpted to fuse with the built form, folding upwards to create a plinth on which the main living spaces of the home rest. The plateau creates the feeling of floating on solid ground, while the steep and sudden rise of rocky terrain forming an elevated platform towering above the land below. Pablo Veiga Pablo Veiga Bringing the outdoors in, large full height glazing to the front of the building creates wide vistas of Sydney Harbour accompanied by integrated planters and landscaping layered seamlessly into the main living spaces. The northern facade features a sheltered courtyard carved into the... More

This project’s seaside location meant that the building needed to respond to the beauty of its site while simultaneously countering the impacts of a harsh coastal environment. This house is not a weekend escape but rather a family home that happens to be at the beach. The architecture of this building is an exploration of how to construct a robust family home that will last the test of time in this very corrosive environment. The building is composed of a series of expressed concrete slabs that skew slightly on each level. Robust and resilient, this concrete structure establishes the architectural expression and materiality of the building. The concrete slabs are expressed externally as well as internally (in the ceilings). Facing the... More

A 1970s heritage-listed semi is re-engineered for contemporary family life. Keeping within the building foot-print, architect Conrad Johnston has carved extra space and forged stronger connections to landscape and place, while maintaining the integrity of the original structure and material language. Anson Smart The house is one of a pair of heritage-listed semis, built in 1972 on a steep waterfront site looking across the Parramatta River towards Iron Cove to the south, and Birkenhead Point to the west. Anson Smart Built at a 45 degree angle to the street, the semi zig-zags along the south boundary to side-step trees and sand-stone outcrops. Its three-storey concrete pillar and slab construction was infilled with floor-to-ceili... More

The key challenges for this project lied in adapting the existing fabric with the contemporary addition towards the rear. Influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, the original design is an exemplar of Bungalow architecture which was highly popularised during the early 20th Century. EMILY BARTLETT PHOTGRAPHY Wanting to pay homage to the heritage and integrity of the existing residence, the design is influenced by the components and principles of Bungalow Architecture, characterised by a strong horizontal link between house and land, the use of long lines, soft flowing arches, and balanced proportions, yet reimagined to reflect the challenges of contemporary living. EMILY BARTLETT PHOTGRAPHY Residing on Coburg’s most excl... More

Located in the Sackville Ward, Kew, this contemporary design embodies a minimalist form, clean lines and a simple and natural palette. The scale of spaces create a sense of grandness when people walk through the door. The utilization of large expanses of glazing and double height ceilings elevate the visual experience of the user. VEERAL PATEL VEERAL PATEL VEERAL PATEL VEERAL PATEL VEERAL PATEL This home was design for clients who love to entertain. A direct connection between the internal and external spaces was key in creating one large space that catered for the families need and love for entertainment. A huge emphasis on glazing and north light was imperative to further enhancing the visual connection between... More