May was certainly a month for audience discussion at Architecture & Design, with a massive number of readers having conversations and commenting at the bottom of our stories. Once again apartment design was a hotly discussed topic, but other news surrounding façade materials and their suitability/compliance also caused a stir.
Below is a list of the top 10 articles for the month of May and we’d love you to continue the discussions by following the link. Click on the title or images to be taken to the original story, and let us know which your favourites were - or what else we should have covered.
1. Building designers hit back at Architects campaign and head to the ACCC
Elements of a recently launched Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) consumer engagement campaign caused a stir among Victorian building designer circles, and have resulted in correspondence with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). It also resulted in a heated discussion on our comment feed.
2. How far would you go for sustainability? Water Tank House challenges residential design aesthetic
Another hotly debated topic, this time surrounding the suitability of using water tanks as a façade element on this Port Melbourne residence. ARM Architecture asked the question “How far would you go for sustainability? Is your domestic aesthetic flexible enough?” We’d love to hear your thoughts on the project and topic. Photography by Aaron Poupard.
3. Non-compliant cladding fuelled Melbourne apartment tower fire, MFB finds
External cladding used in the construction of the Lacrosse Apartments in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct has been found to have fuelled a fire that broke out last year, causing more than $2 million worth of damages. Click through for more information on that story. Photography by Wayne Taylor. Source: The Age
4. New Royal Adelaide Hospital named third most expensive building in the world
At US $2.1 billion, the new Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) designed by Silver Thomas Hanley in joint venture with DesignInc (STHDI), was listed by architectural data company Emporis as Australia’s most expensive project and third in the world.
5. 8 things architects should consider before designing with shipping containers
When it comes to shipping containers, the opportunities are endless. Shipping containers can turn into homes, garages, pools, stages, pop up bars, offices, workshops – just about anything you or your client needs. But before you buy your shipping container or agree to refit one, reflect on these eight considerations.
6. Treehouse-style Defence Housing apartments by Bates Smart emerge gracefully from Bushland setting
Designed by Bates Smart, the Tubbs View + Hamilton Corner project celebrates its bushland setting with tree house-style apartments suspended over sandstone cuttings, and single-storey apartments floating within the trees. Read more about the project and Bates Smart’s material selection here:
7. Melbourne "churchscraper" by The Buchan Group redefines mixed-use
A new 44-storey tower approved for Melbourne’s CBD takes a unique spin on the term “mixed-use” architecture; it will function as both a three-storey church and a 307-residential apartment complex. ‘Eporo Tower’ by The Buchan Group features a “jewel-box” podium and a “wave-like” tower.
8. Jackson Clements Burrow’s “Lego tower” in St Kilda taking shape
Jackson Clements Burrows have designed an 18-storey apartment tower that will eventually look like a stack of colourful Lego blocks and’ will rise 56 metres into the Port Phillip skyline. It’s six modular tiers will be wrapped in different coloured powder coated mesh screens and unveiled to the public one storey at a time.
9. 79 projects shortlisted for 2015 NSW Architecture Awards
Last month it was QLD, this month it was NSW and Victoria’s turn. The 2015 Australian Institute of Architecture Awards are well and truly up and running and the NSW Architecture Awards shortlist saw a massive seventy-nine projects. Click through to see all of the projects and their categories.
10. 'Like Grand Designs on steroids': 150-year-old mansion extensively upgraded to be 21st century ready
A historic Adelaide mansion that used to be home to Sir Frederick Holder, twice Premier of South Australia in the 19th century and first Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, has undergone a multi-million-dollar metamorphosis the team likens to “Grand Designs on steroids”. The results are astounding.
