Headlines: Architecture Australia, January 1998

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Dr Stephen Frith from Uni NSW has been appointed Professor of Architecture at Uni Canberra >> Architects appear to diverge from uninitiated citizens over the federal government’s plans to demolish John Andrews’ 1976 Cameron Offices, the brutalist landmark which was the subject of his successful libel action over press claims that it leaked. Architects, including Andrew Metcalf, have highlighted the building’s international architectural significance and the RAIA has asked the Australian Heritage Commission to register the project. But Canberra Times correspondents seem incredulous that anyone would support retention of a building said to “cast a pall” on people entering it >> The ACT government is considering a $95 million scheme to develop Civic’s Griffin Centre and Bunda Street car park as two hotels, housing units, a supermarket, strip shops, an arts centre and parking.

NEW SOUTH WALES
After many years as deputy, Sue Holliday will replace retired Gabriel Kibble as head of the NSW Department of Urban Affairs and Planning >>Philip Thalis has been appointed to the Historic Houses Trust of NSW, replacing Andrew Andersons >> Prominent citizens are calling for a Sydney Harbour foreshore authority to generate cohesive policies for waterfront land now controlled by many disconnected bodies >> Nine metropolitan councils are acquiring architect-designed street furniture— including news, fruit and lavatory kiosks, bus shelters, bench seats and rubbish bins—in a deal which allows two multinationals (from four tenderers) to collect fees for advertising posters in return for supplying and maintaining the furniture. The City of Sydney and some inner-city councils will buy from France’s JC Decaux, using Cox Richardson designs to supplement a catalogue including Norman Foster and Philippe Starck products. Western suburbs councils are going with Adshel, offering Denton Corker Marshall prototypes >> Poor night-lighting of the Sydney Opera House is being redressed by the multi-national Lighting DesignPartnership, which plans a soft, unobtrusive scheme to lose the current shadow line >> At a function at Tusculum, Premier Bob Carr announced joint winners of the Meriton-sponsored competition for a housing conversion of its extensive ACI glass factory site in Zetland. The winners ($30,000 each team) were Stephen Anders of LFA and Andrew Coomer, Melissa Doherty and Cindy Liu of Andrew Coomer & Associates. Third prize went to Wilkinson Candalepas. It is not known whether any of the schemes will be developed >>Hassell’s Ken Maher won the competition to redevelop the North Sydney Pool, beside Luna Park, with a proposal that adds a new canopied pool on a shelf high behind the existing one >> Despite architectural clashes and kitsch installations, flourishing attendances are reported at Star City, the Pyrmont casino-entertainment-hotel- apartments complex designed by Cox Hillier with Disney-style attractions designers Landmark. One typological advance is abundant glazing to exploit light and views >>Glenn Murcutt is the only architect profiled in Local Heroes: a book of interviews by journalist Anne-Marie Moodie with prominent Australians about how they got to the top >>Ted Mack is the only architect named in the National Trust’s list of 100 Australian “living national treasures” and the only architect elected to the Constitutional Convention. He’s pro-Republic >> Developer Daniel Cohen has called for more diversity in large residential projects, noting that South Sydney is being swamped with large apartment villages of a similar character >>Accord (Novotel and Ibis) with Civil & Civic have won the bid for a hotel at Homebush: designed by Travis Partners with massaging by Philippe Robert of Paris >> Four architectural teams have been interviewed to detail-design controversial alts and adds to the Conservatorium of Music facing Macquarie Street. The envelope concept, developed by the Government Architect’s Branch with European input and numerous stake-holders, is still seen by heritage specialists as a “gross over-development” of a sensitive site adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Going for the work are Daryl Jackson-Robin Dyke, Tonkin Zulaikha with Jackson Teece Chesterman Willis, Bligh Voller Nield and Ancher/Mortlock/Woolley>> Some big new residential buildings

NATIONAL
Office vacancy rates have dropped in major cities since developers began converting many CBD buildings into apartments, reports the Property Council of Australia >>Works Australia has been sold to engineers Gutteridge Haskins & Davey >> The building industry generates about 40 percent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions says RAIA national president Ric Butt, who has asked the government to consider including energy standards in the Building Code of Australia >> Industry Minister John Moore has been advised by the National Building and Construction Committee

[surely a tautology to rival ‘debate and discussion’?] to keep his eye on four balls: micro-economic reform, higher levels of best practice, aggressive export strategies and opportunities to build infrastructure.

INTERNATIONAL
Hanoi’s San Francisco-conceived master plan encourages “a new Singapore”, yet Australian planners helping the Chief Architect have urged more caution in approving towers.

QUEENSLAND
With two stadia to build in New Zealand, Bligh Lobb is moving some London-based directors back home to an expanded office in Brisbane >>McKerrill Lynch are architects for a 205-apartment development of the Cannery site at Teneriffe >>Cox Rayner has moved into Old Mineral House, 1888, after refurbishing for mixed uses >> Major projects in Cairns have been shelved after the Asian money crisis. Still going ahead are the council chamber and hospital >> State Architect of the Year and Uni Qld adjunct professor John Simpson has joined Hassell.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The RAIA is reviewing the relevance and future of the state Architects’ Act and national Institute ethics policy. In a strongly worded article to members, state president Kenneth Milne highlighted some ways in which prominent architects seemed to be regularly contravening the policy to a point which questioned tenets of the Act. He likened entrants to Canberra’s Museum of Australia competition to “the world’s oldest profession” and wrote: “I am greatly looking forward to … the potential to add some teeth to our ethics policy”. But he acknowledged that such professional reigning in might be judged illegally anti-competitive >>David Jones has announced a $70 million development at Rundle Mall following the collapse of its $300 million, Crone-designed, Capital City scheme: seen by many urbanists as being too ostentatious in relation to local economic and cultural circumstances. The new project involves replacing the John Martin department store with a new DJs to be designed by Hassell—then selling the existing DJs site.

TASMANIA
The minority Liberal government has declared Sydney-originated proposals for a massive Oceanport cruise liner complex at Princes Wharf a ‘Project of State Significance’—thus bypassing usual approval systems. Early drawings by Crone include ambitious but not necessarily feasible tags for ship berths, a water taxis quay, apartments, a conference centre, hotel, shops, ‘aqua-majestic’ health spa, chapel, marine research centre and a maritime academy … the scheme is said to be inspired by Vancouver’s Canada Place. The RAIA is worried that the government (which closed its architectural office several years ago) lacks enough urban design expertise to understand how to supervise the project design—yet it plans to approve by July. Public comments closed on February 2, despite a dearth of documents >> Responding to Uni Tasmania’s consolidation of all architectural teaching in Launceston, the RAIA’s Hobart office has introduced a scheme for students to be mentored by practitioners. President Keith Drew has been to Launceston and says the student projects “continue to exhibit a high degree of skill and creativity.” Yet around a dozen young Hobart architects and graduates have “exported” to Sydney >> Tasmania’s discourse is to be advanced in March by a weekend camp on the east coast; called Tasmanian Architectural N(arr)atives.

VICTORIA
Greg Burgess has won the Commonwealth Association of Architects’ biennial Robert Matthew Award, for the most innovative contribution to a CAA member-country’s architecture. His portfolio of expressively organic works made of natural materials was nominated by the RAIA >>EcoRecycle Victoria has published a database of recycled products on its Web site: www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au >>DCM’s Barrie Marshall has told The Age that the exhibition centre entrance blade offers a metaphorical two fingers to the casino next door. However, he denied that the firm has a fetish for blades >>Uni Melbourne has purchased the former VicRoads vehicle testing station in Carlton to build a $100 million student housing complex. Meanwhile, LaTrobe has sold, also for housing, its former Abbotsford campus >> Risking censure at home, Singapore architect Willie Lim told an RMIT audience that his city-state must look more critically at its architecture and urban policies to promote a more human environment >> At a Museum of Sydney symposium scoping Britain’s influence on Australian architectural culture, Melbourne architect Michael Markham criticised Professor Leon van Schaik, Dean of the Constructed Environment at RMIT, for stifling local debate and slanting Melbourne’s culture towards ideas generated at the Architectural Association in London. This argument was linked to claims that he and his partner, former Transition editor Peter Brew, are being prevented from teaching at RMIT >> More than 140,000 attendances were recorded at an Access 2001 open weekend of big city venues, including the Docklands and City Link Domain tunnel >> Grollo are seriously promoting the 560- metre Melbourne Tower (Denton Corker Marshall scheme) for the former casino car park at Batman’s Hill >> Works by innovative British designers were showcased in the ‘Britain Now’ trade show at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre recently >> The 1893 Victorian Railways Administration Building—a long block on Spencer Street— has been refurbished as apartments >> Two more housing towers are planned for sites behind the casino at Southbank.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
The WA government has introduced a Professional Standards Bill to set up a council to monitor schemes by various professions to limit their civil liabilities while improving their practice standards >>Uni WA has held an exhibition on locally designed houses of the fifties >> WA’s Department of Contract and Management Services is trialling selection of architects by a qualification-based system based on RAIA proposals >> The RAIA complaints committee has held a members’ forum to try to reduce escalating complaints against architects involving “fundamental failures” of communication and performance n Dilemma: AA has received letters and phone calls from three WA architects expressing grave concerns about recent Radar items “libelling” Stirling Architects and Louise St John Kennedy by naming them in “derogatory” contexts. Although they asked that their comments not be printed, all strongly urged us to stop publishing any material which might reflect badly on an architect. Our policy has been to alert our readers if architects are drawn to public attention in the general press, as happened in these cases. We also find architects in divergent, not always comfortable, positions when controversies arise. What’s the desired balance between promoting, reporting and educating the profession? Your comments are invited for publication on our Web site.