As July closes and we roll into August, we’ve decided to recap the top 10 stories covered this month.

Click on the title to be taken to the original story, and let us know which your favourites were - or what else we should have covered.

1-1.jpg1. ARM Architecture co-founder Stephen Ashton dies

Australia’s architecture industry was deeply saddened by the loss of Stephen Ashton, co-founder of ARM Architecture and joint recipient of the 2016 Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal. See also: our picture gallery celebrating his work here:

 

 

 

2-1.jpg2. Are shipping containers really the answer for affordable housing? Time for a reality check

Vidyasagar Potdar, Curtin University says that container housing may be a viable alternative accommodation option, but says it’s hard to know whether it will be significantly cheaper than any other ways of building a home without doing considerable research into what the housing requirements and design will involve.

 

 

3-1.jpg3. Australia’s first breathing green wall to reduce headaches and poor productivity at Barangaroo offices

A six-metre high, breathing green wall will provide Lendlease workers with fresh, clean air when they move into their new global headquarters at Barangaroo this year. Positioned within their offices at new Tower 3 International Towers Sydney, by Rogers Stirk Partnership, the massive breathing wall is an active, modular green wall system, made up of 5,000 plants.

 

4-1.jpg4. Make-ing a mark in Australia: UK Architects set up shop in Sydney

Britain’s Make architects have touched down in Australia and are looking to first make a mark in our largest city.

The award-winning UK-based firm have relocated five staff from it London headquarters and has three jobs on the go already as collaborative architects in Sydney.  

 

5-1.jpg5. BVN makes history with 25 new appointments to senior positions

History was created at leading architecture firm BVN recently with the announcement of 25 new appointments to senior positions. BVN also made the highest number of promotions to the higher ranks of Senior Practice Director and Practice Director with eight and thirteen appointments respectively.

 

 

151030_Hero.jpg6. Australian houses dominate 2016 World Architecture Festival Awards shortlist

Single dwelling projects from Ian Moore, Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects, Robin Williams Architect and Smart Design Studio have been shortlisted among 12 international projects on the 2016 WAF shortlist for residential design.

 

 

 

6-1.jpg7. Grimshaw’s Euro-style courtyard apartment brings amenity and relief to Waterloo residents

Grimshaw Architects are adopting a European-style central courtyard apartment model for their latest Sydney project.

The building is expressed as a simple cube, with residential apartments arranged around the perimeter and a green landscaped garden at the centre. Proposed plans encompass 46 apartments with a mix of studio, one, two and three bedroom apartments.

 

7-1.jpg8. Sydney apartment beats country's best detached dwellings to win 2016 House of the Year

For the first time in Houses Awards history, an apartment project took out the program’s top honour, a timber-heavy luxurious Sydney apartment by Chenchow Little earning the title of House of the Year ahead of a strong field of 152 finalists.

 

 

 

8-2.jpg9. 11 Australian projects shortlisted for global interior design awards

Australian interiors have impressed in the 2016 Inside Awards, with 11 projects shortlisted.

Inside Awards, part of the Inside World Festival of Interiors, is a platform for the global interiors community, distinguishing the finest interior spaces of the past year.

 

 

9.jpg10. Hadid’s Melbourne tower approval reignites discussion about architecture’s economic value

Zaha Hadid’s first Melbourne project has been approved for development by Victorian planning and sparked new conversations about the value add of good design to the economy.