Comment | Architecture & Design

Lack of digital skills impacts Australia’s construction sector, says software maker

Australia’s construction industry continues to face significant challenges impacting productivity amidst economic uncertainty, including skilled labour shortages, supply chain disruptions, and a lack of digital expertise to implement technology solutions that will support them, according to the latest report.

Design notes for week 49/2023 from Tone on Tuesday

Last week I wrote in praise of the Canberra College of Advanced Education School of Environmental Design (CCAE SED), turning 50 this year. My enthusiasm for the symposium, organised by current staff and attended by several former, got the better of me, and I made a couple of mistakes. So let’s clear that up, before moving on to the worst architecture books of 2023.

Survey reveals energy efficiency top priority in homes

Making homes more energy efficient is the most popular home improvement action according to 87 percent of consumers in a new survey by Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation. Other energy-related home improvements also ranked highly, with energy security coming second (85 percent), closely followed by cooling (83 percent) and energy independence (79 percent).

Leading urban designer reveals Brisbane’s untapped potential

Top Australian urban designers and landscape architects T.C.L might best be described as visionaries — leveraging their design smarts to uplift natural and built environments, creating ‘landmark’ destinations that unify local communities with nearby amenities.

Design notes for week 48/2023 from Tone on Tuesday

50 years ago, our most innovative design school was founded. The School of Environmental Design at the then Canberra College of Advanced Education (CCAE), pioneered cross discipline education in Australia.

Design notes for week 47/2023 from Tone on Tuesday

Not many will know that this month's popularly attended Sustainability Summit was the seventeenth in a row, or that the name has changed several times in those years, which begs the question about how the face, and name, of sustainability has changed over time.

A Night of Triumph: 2023 Sustainability Awards Gala Night

On the evening of November 9, 2023, Sydney Cricket Ground played host to the 17th annual Sustainability Awards, a celebration that transcended the mere recognition of eco-friendly initiatives and marked a pivotal moment in the journey towards a sustainable future across our diverse built environment.

Unveiling the Future: 2023 Sustainability Summit Review

Last Thursday, November 9, Sydney's magnificent Allianz Stadium played host to the much-anticipated 2023 Sustainability Summit, a unique two-stream, 10 Q & A panel, built industry event that brought together architects, designers, visionaries, experts, academics and enthusiasts to explore and champion sustainable design ideas and practices.

Design notes for week 46/2023 from Tone on Tuesday

Last week's Design Notes looked at Los Angeles. Established in just 50 years from 1920s to the 1970s, it then appeared to be the city of the future, especially through the eyes of Reyner Banham and his ‘four ecologies of Surfurbia, Foothills, the Plains of ID and Autopia’.

Design notes for week 45/2023 from Tone on Tuesday

50 years ago, in the ‘year out’ between architecture degrees, most of my cohort went overland to London, following a path laid out just a couple of years earlier by Tony and Maureen Wheeler, which became the foundation of Lonely Planet.

Unschooling: Taking school out of the box

Following on from the 2021 UTS AfterSchool architectural masters studio, this year, Hayball Principal Fiona Young, Associate Rob Chan & Hiral Patel (from Cardiff University) co-led Unschooling: Taking School Out of the Box, which explored challenges facing school development in NSW (and beyond).

Form–A Studio and Woods Bagot partnership continues

Form—A Studio, the architectural wayfinding and place curation practice making waves nationally with their unique take on place curation, has had the chance to work on projects that have enhanced the function of wayfinding for architecture in Sydney.