Architecture Australia - May 2024

May / Jun 2024 VOL. 113 NO. 3 A$16.95 120 years of Architecture Australia Honouring the Australian Institute of Architects’ National Prize Winners 2024 Gold Medallist Philip Thalis

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(FOREWORD) 08 Why we are architects – and why it matters Words by Stuart Tanner, National President, Australian Institute of Architects (REFLECTION) 10 Enriching the city Words by Katelin Butler, Georgia Birks and Nicci Dodanwela (CONTRIBUTORS) 12 Selected writers and photographers (DISCUSSION) 14 Architecture Australia turns 120 Words by Naomi Stead 34 A Country-centred approach to civic diversity Words by Djinjama (NATIONAL PRIZES) 71 Overview Gold Medal, National President’s Prize, Paula Whitman Leadership in Gender Equity Prize, Leadership in Sustainability Prize, Neville Quarry Architectural Education Prize, Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture, Dulux Study Tour 79 2024 Gold Medallist: Philip Thalis Words by Ken Maher, Jess Scully, Maryam Gusheh, David Neustein, Peter Watts and others (PROJECTS) 18 119 Redfern Street Aileen Sage with Djinjama, Jean Rice and Noni Boyd Review by Christine Phillips 26 Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Hub Jackson Clements Burrows Review by Michael McMahon 38 South East Centre for Contemporary Art Sibling Architecture Review by Mike Louw and Sally Farrah 46 National Rugby Training Centre, Ballymore Blight Rayner Architecture Review by Michael Keniger 54 Victoria House MJA Studio with Finespun, Place Laboratory and Palassis Architects Review by Simon Pendal 62 Burnt Earth Beach House Wardle Review by Fleur Watson Contents May / Jun 2024 (COVER IMAGE) Studios 54, Substation No. 175, Surry Hills by Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects. (PHOTOGRAPHER) Brett Boardman. 07

(FOREWORD) Why we are architects – and why it matters In February, I was fortunate to attend the Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects conference, “In Situ” – a day of eminent and highly engaging international speakers who presented a fascinating spectrum of work and typologies. Together with our CEO, Cameron Bruhn, and National President Elect, Jane Cassidy, I enjoyed valuable discussions with members of the NZIA. Knowledge sharing and open discussion on the challenges and opportunities facing our profession are vital for members in both our nations. The Institute’s Board has committed to travelling to each Chapter to hear about their initiatives and activities. In February, we had a very productive two days in Boorloo/Perth, where there is great momentum in advocacy. In March, National Council met in Canberra to induct new councillors and undertake robust discussions around, among other things, a report from the National Climate Action Sustainability Committee, and a proposed Australian standard for procurement. There was unanimous support for a feasibility study for the standard, which reflects one of my key objectives as National President: to enable members to do better work and have our professional expertise better recognised. While there, we had the great pleasure of being part of the reignited Australian Urban Design Awards at Parliament House. This nationally recognised program signals the vital role that design excellence plays in our cities, towns and communities across the country. By the time you read this, the Australian Architecture Conference – incorporating the announcement of the National Prizes and the Gold Medal – will have run in Naarm/Melbourne. We hope that you got to be part of this absorbing program. This is my final foreword for AA. The National Presidency has been an incredible experience, with both uplifting and challenging moments. But the highlight has been my interactions with people: architects, non-architects, professionals from other disciplines, and people I never thought I would meet. In these connections, I have found strength of intellect and friendship, bound by a shared vision. I would like to thank the Immediate Past President, Shannon Battisson, for her passion, hard work and dedication to the Institute and the profession. And I wish the National President Elect, Jane Cassidy, all the very best for the year ahead. My aspiration at the Institute is to continue to elevate the dialogue around design in the public realm. While there are myriad issues of importance in the built environment, we cannot solve them all. The Institute can, however, use its network to bring focus to those issues that are critical for our members and for the places in which we live, work and play. We all should be reminding ourselves why we are architects and why it matters. Architecture, of all the arts, is the one which acts the most slowly, but the most surely, on the soul. (Ernest Dimnet, 1932) As humans, our wellbeing and connection to place are paramount. Architecture is about space, light and people. Great architecture allows us to interact spiritually with place. The world we live in requires us, as professionals, to act with integrity and responsibility towards our environment, now and into the future. We must aim to create healthy cities. We must consistently advocate for design excellence. We must work to contain the scale and the footprint of humanity. Above all, our work should elevate our experience to emotional heights. It is no good coming along with cost planning, scientific programming or modern management methods, they don’t apply to masterpieces. (Ove Arup, 1965) — Stuart Tanner, National President, Australian Institute of Architects 08 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

(REFLECTION) Enriching the city (ACKNOWLEDGEMENT) We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognize their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. It’s always a privilege to work on the “Gold Medal issue” of the magazine. To gain an overview of the work of one of the country’s best architects, to liaise with their colleagues and collaborators, and to develop insights into their intentions and preoccupations never fails to inspire. This year, we could not have been more excited to discover that we would be delving into the work of Philip Thalis. There are so many aspects to Philip’s work that it was difficult to know where to begin. Urban projects? Philip’s intimate knowledge of Sydney has resulted in projects that not only increase the city’s amenity, but also influence its future direction. Public space? “Public space is the physical embodiment of a democratic society,” says Philip (page 83) – and, thanks to Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects, our society is that bit more democratic than it might otherwise have been. Houses? Philip’s practice has delivered everything from meticulously designed apartment buildings to replicable affordable housing to the most elegant single dwellings. Advocacy? His “dogged” determination to pursue the public good (page 97) has led him into research, teaching, protests, public appointments and council (as an independent councillor for the City of Sydney). As David Neustein says, Philip is the “common denominator within an enormously varied array of successful projects” (page 93). We hope you enjoy reading the Gold Medal tribute as much as we did collating it with Philip and his longstanding colleague, Laura Harding. Philip is just one of a number of people recognised by the Australian Institute of Architects in this year’s National Prizes. Their leadership at many levels has helped to make the profession a more equitable, diverse, rigorous and creative space. Congratulations to them all. It is clear from the set of projects reviewed in this issue that the desire to connect the design of built works to First Nations histories and culture is gaining momentum. In inner Sydney’s Redfern, a collaborative team of Aileen Sage with Djinjama, Jean Rice and Noni Boyd worked together on a site where multiple histories collide (page 18). Their design for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and culture centre, which includes the upgrade of a colonial post office building, marks what reviewer Christine Phillips calls “a profound shift in our understandings of site, place and heritage.” The Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Hub by Jackson Clements Burrows similarly works within an existing framework to transform an upper floor of a 1960s University of Melbourne building (page 26). Despite the constrained site and height above the ground, the design connects the space to Wurundjeri Country, giving visitors a distinct understanding of place. JCB also leveraged the design process to design-in economic opportunities for First Nations businesses. Members of the cultural consultancy Djinjama have noticed their clients struggling with the principles of Country-centred design, especially in civic and urban spaces. Here, they offer practical ideas for improving biodiversity in urban environments so that non-human and more-than-human kin, as well as humans, can flourish (page 34). Perhaps surprisingly, relatively minor design moves can have a significant impact. — Katelin Butler, Georgia Birks and Nicci Dodanwela 10 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

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Tom Blachford (CONTRIBUTORS) Selected writers and photographers Editorial director Katelin Butler Associate editor Georgia Birks Editor-at-large Justine Clark Managing editor Nicci Dodanwela Editorial enquiries +61 3 8699 1000, aa@archmedia.com.au Editorial team Linda Cheng, Jude Ellison, Alexa Kempton AA advisory committee Shannon Battisson, Ellen Buttrose, Andy Fergus, Carroll Go-Sam, Laura Harding, Mat Hinds, Rory Hyde, Jennie Officer, Philip Oldfield Production Goran Rupena Publication design AKLR Studio, aklr.xyz, alex@aklr.xyz CEO/Publisher Jacinta Reedy Company secretary Ian Close General manager, operations Jane Wheeler General manager, digital publishing Mark Scruby General manager, sales Michael Pollard Advertising enquiries advertising@archmedia.com.au or +61 3 8699 1000 Printing Southern Impact Distribution Australia newsagents: Are Direct International: Eight Point Distribution Subscriptions Six print issues per year AUD: $95 Australia, $185 Overseas Six digital issues per year AUD: $52 subscribe@archmedia.com.au architecturemedia.com/store Published by Architecture Media Pty Ltd ACN 008 626 686 Level 6, 163 Eastern Road South Melbourne Vic 3205 +61 3 8699 1000 publisher@archmedia.com.au architecturemedia.com architectureau.com © 2024, Architecture Media Pty Ltd ISSN 0003-8725 This publication has been manufactured responsibly under ISO 14001 environmental management certification and Forest Stewardship Council® FSC® certification. Architecture Australia is the official magazine of the Australian Institute of Architects. The Institute is not responsible for statements or opinions expressed in Architecture Australia, nor do such statements necessarily express the views of the Institute or its committees, except where content is explicitly identified as Australian Institute of Architects matter. Architecture Media Pty Ltd is an associate company of the Australian Institute of Architects, 41 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 architecture.com.au Member Circulations Audit Board Fleur Watson Fleur Watson is a curator and maker of exhibitions, programs and books. She is an associate professor in the School of Architecture and Urban Design, RMIT University, and founder of curatorial practice Something Together. (WRITER, PAGE 62) Hamish McIntosh Hamish McIntosh is a photographer based in Sydney. A co-author of Regional Bureaucracy (Perimeter Books, 2022), his work explores architecture and urbanism. (PHOTOGRAPHER, PAGE 18) Katherine Lu Katherine Lu is an architectural photographer based in Sydney. Her interest lies in documenting how the built environment can shape and influence us. (PHOTOGRAPHER, PAGE 38) Naomi Stead Naomi Stead is an architectural academic, scholar and critic, based in Melbourne. She is the director of the Design and Creative Practice Enabling Capability Platform at RMIT University. (WRITER, PAGE 14) Tom Blachford is a Melbourne-based photographer whose obsession with the built environment has led to a creative practice that spans both commercial and fine art. He recently became a leading voice in the use of generative AI. (PHOTOGRAPHER, PAGE 26) Michael Keniger Michael Keniger is an honorary professor of architecture at Bond University, Queensland. He was the University of Queensland’s head of architecture from 1990 to 2000. (WRITER, PAGE 46) 12 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

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VOL.100 N°5 AUS $13.95 – ARCHITECTURE AUSTRALIA SEP/OCT 11 – FENDER KATSALIDIS – RICHARDS & SPENCE H2O – BARACCO + WRIGHT AND RICHARD STAMPTON postoccupancy evaluation WITH A DOSSIER ON INSIDE Making it into the pages of Architecture Australia has always been a major milestone – for architects and writers alike. Often, it happens only once in a career. More often, it doesn’t happen at all. Appearing in this magazine has meant, or at least has felt like, being written into Australian architectural history. I vividly remember the first time I wrote for AA. Back in 2000, then assistant-editor Justine Clark commissioned me to review a rooftop terrace extension in Balmain. I remember the architect, Sam Marshall, showing me through, hands shaking as I frantically scribbled notes – and I remember with gratitude his benevolence towards such a greenhorn writer. In the subsequent decades, I have written many articles for the magazine, my hands progressively less sweaty, but never entirely dry. Some of these pieces I’m proud of, others make me wince – if you layer youth upon diligence upon self-consciousness, the resulting prose can be wooden indeed. In recent times, other commitments have curtailed my involvement, but I remain fond of AA. It’s a serious magazine presenting projects of substance by a national spread of architects, reviewed by smart and committed writers, overseen by a skilled editorial eye. It has outlasted every one of its rivals – which withered and died, or were purchased and shuttered, or degenerated into flick-through lifestyle lookbooks. AA has managed to retain currency even when the lead times for a physical print publication completely undo any claim to newsworthiness. Quicker than a book but far slower than social media, AA plays a curious role today – recording the work and thinking of a particular community, and reflecting it back to itself. It is, after all, a magazine – the origins of the word lie in a storage space or depot, the place where things are kept. It’s notable that AA has always been well edited, demonstrating care in the craft and exactitude of architectural writing and visual production – including the precise reproduction of drawings. It has earned its continuing role as the “journal of record” and most important magazine in the cultural life of Australian architecture. This is not to say it doesn’t have weaknesses and blind spots – (DISCUSSION) Architecture Australia turns 120 Naomi Stead ponders the shifts that have occurred – in the magazine, in the profession and in the world – since AA’s centenary 20 years ago (WRITER) Naomi Stead ARCHITECTURE AUSTRALIA – JULY/AUGUST 10 VOL99 N°4 AUS $13.95 – AA Roundtable 03 – Sustainable Futures: New Modes of Practice – New works by NMBW, McBride Charles Ryan, Phillips/Pilkington, Hassell, and Aspect, Hill Thalis and CUB – Extra/ordinary The Visual Sociology of Architects Australian Institute of Architects State Awards 14 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

MAR/APR 2016 VOL. 105 NO. 2 A$14.95 PAVILION ARCHITECTURE: FROM THE EPHEMERAL TO THE PERENNIAL an array of contemporary projects, or depth through a concentrated thematic or typological focus. Other aspects of the magazine’s presence are dramatically different now to 20 years ago: most notably, the influence of digital technologies and the internet. The World Wide Web was still relatively young in 2004: email had caught on, and Wikipedia had launched in 2001, but Facebook only started in 2004, YouTube in 2005, Twitter in 2006, and the first iPhone became available in 2007. Architecture Media, the publisher of AA, was early to the digital party, with versions of its various magazine titles going online from 2000. But it wasn’t until 2011 that publishers Ian Close and Sue Harris consolidated these to launch ArchitectureAU.com, which drew content from AA as well as Landscape Architecture Australia, Artichoke, Houses and Architectural Product News. (It’s worth noting that this is a kind of royal flush of institutional magazines – the official organs of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, the Design Institute of Australia and the Australian Institute of Architects – a fact that has surely contributed to the longevity of the whole.) The ArchitectureAU platform, including its newsletter, quickly took over the news function of the AA “Radar” section, which had once been a mainstay of the magazine, but was dramatically outpaced by the speed of the internet. Back in 2004, the magazine celebrated its centenary through a rather magisterial essay by Philip Goad in which he surveyed its long history and argued that AA has been characterised by a “deliberate and altruistic mixture of the prosaic and the poetic.” The journal has, he argued, continued to champion a form of discourse that is constructive rather than uncritical, and one that is national rather than parochial. Content is couched always within those boundaries that mark it as a journal of a profession: a gentlemanly style of criticism, always treading the fine line between the safety of sanction and the thrill of dangerous (though oft justified) critique, oscillating of course it does. On the occasion of AA’s 120th birthday, it’s timely to reflect on what the past 20 years have brought – in the magazine, in the architectural profession, and in the world. There have been four editors in this period: Clark, who was assistant-editor to Ian Close 2000–2004, and editor in her own right 2004–2011; Timothy Moore, for a short but pivotal period 2011–2012; Cameron Bruhn, who overlapped with Clark and Moore in the new role of editorial director 2009– 2018; and Katelin Butler, the current editorial director. Each of these figures has their own predilections and values, and each has had different impacts on the magazine – just as the long roll call of earlier editors had done. So, what has changed between 2004 and 2024? Well, everything and nothing. Some things have been consistent pillars of AA’s content: the national awards and the Venice Biennale; appraisal of the Institute’s Gold Medallist and publication of their A. S. Hook Address; obituaries of prominent practitioners. Some new things seem like natural extensions and outgrowths – the AA team’s expansion into real-time, real-world events with the highly successful AA Roundtable, Architecture Symposium, and other activities under the Design Speaks banner. Moore made an important intervention when he instituted the “dossier” in 2011, bringing in external specialists – often academics – to guest-edit a section of the magazine on a particular topical subject. This continued under Bruhn’s editorship, with the express aim of bringing the academy and the profession into closer alignment – an ongoing aim that has, I think, been successful. These dossiers have examined important and current questions in clever ways. Of myriad possibilities, I might pick out two recent cases as exemplary: March 2023, guest-edited by Susan Holden and Kirsty Volz, on the role that architects can play in government; and “Who designs the city?” in September 2023, guest-edited by Andy Fergus and Felicity Stewart. AA’s dossiers have allowed a special issue to be wrapped within a general account of contemporary practice, and thus addressed the time-honoured architecturemagazine dilemma of whether to pursue breadth through JUL/AUG 2015 AUSTRALIA’S NEW PAVILION IN VENICE VOL. 104 NO. 4 A$14.95 Architecture Australia turns 120 15

between the newsworthy and the noteworthy, between the documentary and the speculative, but always in the service of those who “care for Architecture.”1 By and large, these attributes remain true. AA has never been the most edgy architectural journal in the world, but nor has it claimed to be – and it hasn’t been the most stodgy one either. Some will say it’s been too mild, too anodyne, too unwilling to be drawn and to stake a position. Certainly, it has always been sober and decorous, its negative critique most often fitting into the “damning with faint praise” category. Some will say it has stuck to covering good projects, remaining silent on the vastly larger array of execrable, harmful buildings going up every day. Elements of these complaints are valid, although there are also valid explanations: the impossibility of direct criticism between members of the same professional organisation (aka don’t rat out your fellow Institute members); the legacy of past defamation litigation (notably, the infamous case of the Blues Point Tower cartoon); the social networks, conflicts and dependencies of a small and tight-knit architectural community; the need for critics and publishers to stay on the right side of architects so that they will pay for the photography … I’ve laid out the common complaints about the culture of architectural criticism in Australia before, in an essay in these very pages.2 Personally, I have appreciated the fact that AA has never set itself up as an architectural cage fight. I’m less interested in criticism as judgement and passing sentence, and more in a culture of critical enthusiasm that is politically and socially engaged, and places us all – critics and architects, writers and designers, educators and practitioners – in the same community of people who are committed to the value of architecture: to working constructively, together, to make the built environment as good as it can be. Back in 2004, Goad found that “issues of Aboriginality and architecture” had not been well covered in the magazine to date. Since then, this has shifted, with the work of Indigenous architects, commissions for Traditional Custodian groups, analysis and advice on the particular complexities of Indigenous housing, and discussion of what it means for all architects to design on Country notably and increasingly present. Goad contrasted this lack of focus on Indigenous architects to an increasing seriousness in attending to the work of women – moving beyond earlier slip-ups involving some jaw-droppingly smutty product advertisements. He observed that in the past, when AA’s discussion of the work of women architects wasn’t overtly sexist, it was often satirical or sarcastic – reinforcing the idea of the profession as a private club for white gentlemen. Over the past 20 years – and particularly under Clark’s leadership – the voices and work profiled have gradually expanded. Although there is still a way to go, this represents a considerable achievement. Alongside Goad’s piece in 2004, AA also celebrated its centenary through reflections from past editors. Davina Jackson (1992–2000) had presided over the magazine’s shift from internal industry freebie to commercial model with a significant “newsstand” audience. It’s a tricky task to balance the profession’s internal (and occasionally arcane) conversation with itself, with the needs and interests of a broader audience. In 2004, in an admirably frank mea culpa, Jackson reflected on her own editorial “blind spots”: I did not do enough to publish student work, I overlooked some excellent architects in smaller states, the annual AA Prize for Unbuilt Work never gained professional traction, I foolishly resisted the pictorially unsexy agenda of ESD and I missed how some commercial firms were paving the way for worldwide exports of architectural services.3 Has AA addressed these blind spots in the intervening period? Some, but not all. It’s still rare to see student work in the magazine; and while “ESD” is now more of a given precondition than a special category, the bias against “pictorially unsexy” work continues – including almost the entire genre of industrial architecture, plus much other work that is modest, unspectacular or hard to photograph. On the other hand, the magazine can Vol. 107 No.5 A$14.95 Architecture Australia Jan / Feb 2019 Community and contribution Vol. 108 No. 1 A$14.95 Architecture in regional, rural and remote Australia Vol. 109 No.1 A$15.95 Architecture Australia Jan / Feb 2020 On a global scale The worldwide reach of Australian architects 16 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

Architecture with community impact Dossier — What can non-Indigenous designers do? Architecture Australia Jul / Aug 2023 VOL. 112 NO. 4 A$15.95 now claim to be genuinely national in its coverage and, after its rebooting in 2007, the AA Prize for Unbuilt Work is going great guns. Further, with the 2023 introduction of the ArchitectureAU Award for Social Impact (the results of which are published in AA), there appears to be a strengthening of Architecture Media’s advocacy role. This is in tune with the times. In recent years, great swathes of the profession, at least in the big cities, have mobilised around social and environmental causes. The climate crisis, the 2017 campaign for same-sex marriage, and especially the 2024 referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, have all seen the profession present a strong and seemingly unified position in support of progressive values. This shift is signalled in the pages of AA and evident in the lauding of projects that manage to be simultaneously socially, environmentally and economically advanced – for example, the Nightingale model of design-led collective housing. But has the magazine reflected major events taking place in the world? Only kinda. In the volumes of the past 20 years, AA often feels like a walled garden – inured and isolated from the events of the nation and especially the wider world. Consider important events in Australia’s social history over this period: the Cronulla riots, the apology to the Stolen Generations, the Black Saturday bushfires, Julia Gillard’s election, the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the release of the Uluru Statement from the Heart … There are some passing references, but overall, these events might have occurred in another world, outside of this oddly floating parallel universe. Of course, AA is not a current affairs journal. It’s in the nature of a professional magazine to be more of a searchlight than a lantern, and AA’s beam is strongly directed when it comes to current concerns within the profession. Here, AA’s role has been clear, and its contribution significant. One example, provoked by then Institute president Carey Lyon, is the “Why architecture matters” series of 2006– 2007, which finds leading practitioners and thinkers writing in a loose, lively, polemical mode, focused not on a particular building or project, but rather on the larger issues facing the profession. A rollicking torrent of ideas on how architecture can contribute to the national conversation, it begins with Sandra Kaji-O’Grady remarking drily that good architecture, according to author Alain de Botton’s “architecture of happiness,” is seemingly anything with bare wooden floorboards. Later, Timothy Hill, in full flight, argues that “architects have little real impact on most buildings, and even less constructive participation in Australian citymaking,” while Geoffrey London reframes the question to “how can we make architecture matter?” The most compelling of this manifesto-like series is from Ian McDougall – himself a former AA editor (1990–1992). Arguing for the significance of architecture in a minor mode, and calling for “the provision of the artful, the experimental, the conjectural, in the most prosaic of building types,” he explains: For me, architecture matters where it is about our thoughts and actions that relate to a world we try to make. When it is full of the texture of our lives, real, open, and explicit. Work that is about an endless searching. It is the opposite of style. It matters when buildings are made of bright, complicated stories about belief and physicality; when they try to talk to you. Whether they are in the bush or in the city, they should be full of foibles and frailty but also of strength and resolve. Architecture matters when it works for its community with integrity, passion and humour.4 Rereading this “Why architecture matters” series now, it strikes me that opinion has not been so prevalent in AA across its history, especially in the form of polemical position pieces such as these. We’ve seen plenty of this in other architectural journals, including Transition and a number of “little magazines.” But AA has traded less in opinion and more in evaluation, less in speculation and more in factual reportage. Of course, it has never claimed to do anything other than that – to be careful and accurate, to articulate and celebrate the projects of the day, to take seriously its own venerable legacy and its attachment to the Institute. It has been, in a word, institutional. And that’s what makes the “Why architecture matters” series so noteworthy: it represents a snapshot of thinking, and aspiration, and exasperation, extending to architectural culture beyond built work. In a series like this, we see AA’s most significant claim to thought leadership – not just to reporting and critiquing and preserving for the historic record, but also to charting a path forward for the profession in Australia. Over the past 20 years, AA has weathered massive technological and social change, observed and participated in the advancement of equity and diversity in architecture, and supported the continuing rise of values-led leadership and advocacy in the profession. It has attempted to be a force for good and it has, I think, succeeded. Here’s to another 20 years. — Naomi Stead is an architectural academic, scholar and critic, based in Melbourne. She is the director of the Design and Creative Practice Enabling Capability Platform at RMIT University. (FOOTNOTES) (1) Philip Goad, “One hundred years of discourse,” Architecture Australia, vol. 93, no. 1, Jan/Feb 2004, 19–26; architectureau.com/articles/one-hundred-years-of-discourse. (2) Naomi Stead, “Three complaints about architectural criticism,” Architecture Australia, vol. 92, no. 6, Nov/Dec 2003, 50–52; architectureau.com/articles/essay-10. (3) Davina Jackson, “The editors: A century of editorial practice; Davina Jackson 1993–2000,” Architecture Australia, vol. 93, no. 5, Sept/Oct 2004, 27; architectureau.com/articles/the-editors. (4) Ian McDougall, “Why architecture matters 1,” Architecture Australia, vol. 96, no. 1, Jan/Feb 2004, 14; architectureau.com/articles/opinion-1. Architecture Australia turns 120 17

119 Redfern Street (LEAD DESIGNERS) Aileen Sage with Djinjama, Jean Rice and Noni Boyd The nuanced design of a local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and culture centre on a historically complex site in Warrane/Sydney responds to multiple histories, revealing stories of Country. (COUNTRY) Gadigal (REVIEWER) Christine Phillips (PHOTOGRAPHER) Hamish McIntosh 18

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A question that has been percolating in my mind for several years now is: How can architecture in Australia respectfully engage with both Indigenous heritage and post-settlement non-Indigenous heritage? How can we create architecture that responds to multiple stories and histories, however difficult and tricky those relationships might be, and what might this look like? The First Nations community culture space at 119 Redfern Street is a terrific recent example of how the collision of multiple histories, stories and perspectives can greatly enrich our built environments, if it is embraced. The new facility, which is an addition to and upgrade of the former Redfern Post Office on Gadigal Country in Sydney, is the result of a collaboration between Aileen Sage Architects, Djinjama Indigenous Corporation, heritage architect Jean Rice and architectural historian Noni Boyd. New South Wales has been a leading force in post-settlement heritage, with champions like Annie Wyatt – who founded the National Trust of Australia in 1945 – raising community awareness about the loss and destruction of built and natural heritage in Sydney. Yet the relationship between Aboriginal heritage and post-settlement non-Indigenous heritage within Australia’s built environments has been a challenge only recently accepted. (From my observations, this delay is a result of both outright racism and a fear of “getting things wrong.”) Thanks to the hard work of several leading First Nations design practitioners and academics, Australian design practitioners are now beginning to understand that we cannot think about site, place and heritage without thinking about Country; that every site we design and (PREVIOUS) The entrance has been moved from the main street to a peaceful laneway, demonstrating a shift in the way we engage with post-settlement heritage buildings. (ABOVE) Adding to and upgrading the former Redfern Post Office, the design manages to simultaneously recognise and challenge the colonial form. (OPPOSITE) The architect sought to retain as much of the existing fabric as possible, while creating a contrast between the old and new structures through design rather than materials. 20 Architecture Australia May / June 2024

build on always was and always will be Aboriginal land; and that “we are all, always on Country,” as Yugambeh/Quandamooka architect Dillon Kombumerri clearly states.1 This marks a profound shift in our understandings of site, place and heritage. The Redfern Street facility constitutes the fourth project in the Eora Journey program2 and progresses the City of Sydney’s commitment to provide a culturally safe space to share First Nations cultures. With the assistance of the council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel, the City selected and purchased the former post office in 2018 with a vision to upgrade the building and hand it over to the First Nations people of Gadigal Country to manage and determine how the building should be used. Designed by the office of the Colonial Architect under James Barnet in the early 1880s and situated in the heart of Redfern on the corner of George Street and Redfern Street (neighbouring the Aboriginal Medical Service and Redfern Jarjum College), the Victorian Italianate building is now state heritage listed. The selection of such a colonial building, in an area known for its strong First Nations presence, activism and self-determination, speaks to the complexity of the architectural response developed by the team. The built outcome is an exquisitely detailed, highly textured brick tower facilitating a lift tower to make the building accessible, along with a lower-level glass brick entry form that connects the tower to the former post office, which has been thoughtfully reworked and restored. The form represents a confluence of three different perspectives and three different ways of knowing: Boyd and Rice’s specialist knowledge of architectural heritage and conservation is enmeshed with Djinjama’s Indigenous perspective and further intertwined with Aileen Sage’s multi-layered approach to design. The whole team shares a love of storytelling and a desire to uncover the multiple layers of history and Gadigal Country. Flying from my home on Boonwurrung Country in Naarm/ Melbourne and arriving in Gadigal Country on a hot, sunny day, I was warmly welcomed on site by City of Sydney senior design manager Chris McBride; Isabelle Toland and Yvette Salmon from Aileen Sage; Djinjama leader Danièle Hromek; and Jean Rice. There was a great buzz and energy between them that speaks volumes about the importance of building respectful relationships when designing with and for Country. The new addition took its cues from Gadigal Country along with a careful rereading of the existing colonial building. The Turpentine-Ironbark Forest that once characterised this area, and the powerful owl (Ninox strenua) that inhabited it, became core drivers of the design response. The brown, textured tower is reminiscent of a turpentine tree (Syncarpia glomulifera), while two different shades of recycled brick – detailed with intermittent cut bricks that induce a dancing of sunlight across the facade – represent the owl’s feathers. The recycled bricks create a roughness to the facade that was, Toland says, a challenge for the bricklayers. The incorporation of a tower form in the new addition is both a nod to the clock tower on the corner of Barnet’s colonial design and a cheeky reminder that this was and always will be Aboriginal land. Hromek explained, “We reread the existing colonial building and created a counterpoint to the clock tower.” The team further challenged the existing colonial building in its handling of the new approach and entry. Instead of the building’s former entries on George and Redfern streets, entry is now via gates off Redfern Street that welcome you with the words “Bujari gamarruwa Good Day” and lead you down a laneway (a right-of-way shared with the adjacent buildings) to the building’s new entry. This struck me as a shift in the way we engage with post-settlement heritage buildings. Rather than honouring the 119 Redfern Street 21

(FLOOR PLAN KEY) 1 Entry 2 Lift 3 Reception 4 Community room 5 Hallway 6 Verandah 7 Display 8 Lift lobby 9 Store 10 Balcony 11 Clock tower (DETAIL DRAWING KEY) 1 Lift lobby 2 Existing rendered brick wall 3 Right of way 4 Toothed bricks to be fixed (green) 5 Cut bricks (red) 6 Render 7 Steel plate 8 Down pipe 9 Steel column 10 Glazed sliding door 11 Existing brick wall Ground floor 1:500 0 1 2 5 m First floor 1:500 Brick toothing 3D detail – interior isometric view Not to scale Site plan 1:2500 0 10 25 50 m Sections 1:250 Redfern Street George Street 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 7 10 2 11 4 4 5 5 8 9 0 1 5 m 1 11 2 3 4 5 6 10 7 8 9 22 Architecture Australia May / June 2024

way the colonial building was previously accessed, the design creates a celebratory and culturally safe outdoor space. From here, you enter the building away from the hustle and bustle of Redfern Street, in a place where the flora and fauna can also be welcomed into the space – both literally, and through visual and tactile representations. There was a coalescing of multiple perspectives in the team’s approach to the materiality of both the new and existing fabric. Rice explained that the sandstone base of the former post office had been sourced locally from Gadigal Country at the Pyrmont quarries, and the bricks were most likely from local brick pits. Toland had discovered that many of the local First Nations peoples also had a deep connection to the stone and bricks, not only because of their direct relation to Country, but because their family members had worked at the quarries or transported the materials across Sydney. Drawing on Rice and Boyd’s historical knowledge and research, and the team’s desire to honour Country and the beauty of the materials provided by Gadigal Country, rendered surfaces were removed at certain points to expose the existing fabric, leaving the materials with a certain roughness and incorporating another reminder of Country and extraction. Clay – previously untouched material from Country – was recovered from pier excavations and stored for future interpretation by community members. This approach to materiality reminded me of a chapter about the spirit of objects in Alison Page and Paul Memmott’s book Design: Building on Country. 3 The authors describe an Aboriginal worldview where nothing is inanimate and everything is living, and where all objects are connected to the humans that make them and to the Country they come from. I imagined the life and history of the bricks on this facade, the Country they were sourced from, and the first round of makers and bricklayers, followed by the second round of bricklayers – who injected a new measure of human energy into these bricks. From Rice and Aileen Sage’s perspective, there was also a depth of thinking in the heritage response: “We wanted to create a contrast between the new and old structures, not through a use of contrasting materials but through the design of the addition,” Toland explained. One of the key drivers of the project, said Hromek, was the idea of “enoughness” – an Indigenous economic philosophy that there is enough in the world, and that we don’t need to waste resources.4 This idea connects to the Burra Charter’s principle of doing “as much as necessary to care for the place and to make it usable, but otherwise chang[ing] it as little as possible so that its cultural significance is retained.”5 Toland spoke about this through an environmental sustainability lens that seeks to minimise demolition and retain as much fabric as possible, including the kitchen joinery from the occupants of the 2000s: “We wanted to be as resourceful as possible with the materials.” Internally, both tangible and intangible cues remind us of what once was, with pre-settlement and post-settlement layers of history unveiled in different ways. Originally split-level, the building is now designed on two levels to resolve accessibility issues. As a result, some of the new spaces – such as the upper-level corridor and bathrooms – include odd apertures that celebrate the location of the former levels and recognise 119 Redfern Street 23

(FOOTNOTES) (1) Government Architect New South Wales, Connecting with Country: Good practice guidance on how to respond to Country in the planning, design and delivery of built environment projects in NSW, Issue no. 03 (Sydney: New South Wales Government, 2023), 20; planning.nsw.gov. au/sites/default/files/2023-10/connecting-with-country.pdf. (2) “Eora” means “the people” in the Gadigal language; the Eora Journey is the people’s journey. (3) Alison Page and Paul Memmott, “Chapter 2: Objects and Spirituality,” in Design: Building on Country, First Knowledges series, ed. Margo Neale (Melbourne: Thames and Hudson, 2021). (4) For more on the idea of enoughness, see the dossier “What can non-Indigenous designers do?” in Architecture Australia, vol. 112, no. 4, Jul/Aug 2023, 43–61; also available at architectureau.com/ articles/enoughness. (5) Australia ICOMOS, The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance, 2013, 1. (6) Page and Memmott, Design: Building on Country (2011). (PREV. LEFT) Throughout the building, the material palette is a reminder of Country and extraction. (PREV. RIGHT) The layout ensures a strong connection to sky through natural light. (ABOVE) Two different shades of recycled brick have been used to resemble the feathers of the powerful owl that once inhabited the area. the history of the building. The spaces are well-ventilated and ample natural light floods both levels to create connections to Sky Country. Rice’s attention to detail has resulted in the restoration of original elements to enhance these atmospheric qualities; for example, the original ventilation system delivers fresh air to the space and extracts stale air to the outside via shafts within the brickwork. There was also a decolonising of original fabric. The existing crown-etched glass panels in doors were removed, carefully stored and replaced by new panels etched with the words “Gadigal Country” [this required a section 60 works application under the Heritage Act (1977)]. Other visual storytelling devices assisted in the decolonising process, such as the inclusion of images of the powerful owl and a turpentine tree. The spherical light fittings and glass brick facade on the upper level reference the fruit of another significant species from the Turpentine-Ironbark Forest, elderberry panax (Polyscias sambucifolia). In Design: Building on Country, Page writes: “Cities like Sydney are lacquered with so many impermeable layers of Western thinking that architects, designers and builders must decide how each new layer can dig below the surface and reveal the original story of Country. How can we, as designers, pick the scabs and allow the country to breathe again?”6 The work at 119 Redfern Street has allowed Gadigal Country to breathe again. The success of this project lies in the relationships that were formed and nurtured throughout the design process. These relationships between the team members and the client, which cannot be underestimated, ultimately led to complex relationships between new fabric and old, which were themselves imbued with relationships to Gadigal Country. These relationships are just one demonstration of how architecture can respectfully respond to a collision of the many histories that exist within this place that we now call Australia. — Christine Phillips is an Eastern Kulin-based non-Indigenous architect, writer and senior lecturer at RMIT University’s School of Architecture and Urban Design. Lead designers Aileen Sage with Djinjama, Jean Rice and Noni Boyd; Project team Isabelle Toland, Amelia Holliday, Yvette Salmon, Mitchell Bonus, Eren Harding, Ron Woods; Cultural designer Danièle Hromek; Heritage Jean Rice Architect; Historical research Noni Boyd; Design, development and project manager City of Sydney; Builder Rogers Construction Group; Urban planner Mersonn; Quantity surveyor VG Consulting; Structural engineer Structure Consulting Engineers; Civil and hydraulic engineer Stellen; Electrical and lighting consultant Lighting, Art and Science; Lift consultant NDY; ESD and mechanical engineer JHA; Building surveyor Rygate Surveyors; Access and BCA Design Confidence; Signage and wayfinding MAAT; Acoustic consultant Acoustic Studio 24 Architecture Australia May / June 2024

Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Hub (COUNTRY) Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung (WRITER) Michael McMahon (PHOTOGRAPHER) Tom Blachford 26

(ARCHITECT) Jackson Clements Burrows Five storeys up, on an existing floorplate, the design for a welcoming place for Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders from Australia, Aotearoa and the Pacific tackles the challenge of connecting with Country in a dense urban environment. 27

The new premises for the Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity (AFSE) is five storeys above the ground, within an existing office floor plate at the University of Melbourne. The unexpected airiness you feel upon entering has been achieved by the meticulous specification, detailing and placement of the elements in the space. For me, this project answers a number of poignant and urgent questions: How do we design with Country in dense urban environments? How might we build legacy relationships with suppliers? How do we embed materiality and the environment in ways that fundamentally transform space? Established in 2016 with funding from the Atlantic Philanthropies, the AFSE is an Indigenous-led program designed to build capacity and capability in Indigenous communities. The program is open to leaders from Australia, Aotearoa and the Pacific, most of whom are First Nations. Executive director Liz McKinley explains that although the fellows come from different cultural backgrounds, they are united in “their lived experience of colonial structures and experiences.” The AFSE is one of seven hubs in the global Atlantic Fellows program; all share the “common purpose of advancing fairer, healthier, more inclusive societies.” But the role of the new hub goes far beyond housing the organisation’s activities in a pragmatic sense. Designed by Jackson Clements Burrows (JCB) in close collaboration with McKinley, the AFSE team and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung, Boon Wurrung and Bunurong, the project gives form to a key ambition of the program: to introduce fellows to Wurundjeri Country while making space for the cultures and experiences they bring from their own homes. According to Sarah Lynn Rees, senior associate at JCB and project design lead, the brief was to “design an engaging, inspiring, creative and culturally safe space for staff and visitors, and a welcoming place for Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders from Australia, Aotearoa and the Pacific.” Rees explains that the project’s design process has been driven by the question: How do you give people an understanding of the Country they are on? JCB has removed the original 1960s brick facade and replaced it with a steel and mesh system. “The facade is operable,” says Rees. “Opening it brings in wind and a crossflow of breeze. Physically, you don’t feel like you are in a university; you are connected back to elements of Wurundjeri Country.” As a mitigating element between inside and outside, university and Country, this move speaks to the agency of the 28 Architecture Australia May / June 2024

(PREVIOUS) The design seeks to draw Country into the building, with different zones evoking the creek line, the woodland and the outcrop that once lay below. (OPPOSITE) The Elders’ lounge is adorned with eel and fish traps made by artists from various places across the country. (ABOVE LEFT) Made from Darwin stringybark, the crocodile lamps in the woodland zone were designed by Suzie Stanford and supplied through Manapan, an Indigenous business owned and operated by the Yolngu people. (ABOVE RIGHT) Wall sconces were handwoven by local artists from community-owned Milingimbi Art and Culture in a design collaboration with Koskela. user and the purpose of the project – to increase our awareness of where we are so that we can share in the joy of connecting to Country. When you enter the hub, you are met with a message stick structure that has been conceived to connect fellows back to their own Countries. Participants in the program are gifted a message stick to carve in a way that is meaningful to them and their communities. Rees explains that “over 20 years, the structure will become a visual map of relationships and connections.” The plan is organised into three distinct zones – outcrop, woodland and waterway – that are differentiated through colour, materiality and indoor planting. In the open and multipurpose outcrop, which houses the message sticks, the furniture can be configured to accommodate meetings, talks or other events according to the needs of the fellows on any particular day. The woodland makes extensive use of timber panelling to create a professional, sophisticated feel. And the waterway, which accommodates staff workstations and meetings rooms, offers quietness and privacy. “Each space seeks to represent Country in a subtle, tangible and sensorial way … Elements of Wurundjeri Country – geology, hydrology – have informed identity and Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Hub 29

Message stick concept diagram Not to scale (FLOOR PLAN KEY) 1 Welcome space 2 Knowledge room 3 Study 4 Fellows’ workspace 5 Meeting 6 Staff office 7 Staff workspace 8 Elders’ lounge 9 Kitchen 0 1 2 5 m 1 2 3 4 5 5 6 6 7 8 9 Floor plan 1:500 Site plan Not to scale Internal elevation 1:100 Message stick arrangement diagram Not to scale 0 1 2 m 30 Architecture Australia May / June 2024

Atlantic Fellows for Social Equity Hub 31

(PREV. TOP) In the “welcome space,” 360 message sticks – all carved from a single messmate tree that blew down in a storm – form part of an induction ceremony for fellows, staff and visitors. (PREV. BOTTOM) Sixty of the sticks were sent across the Country to be carved and marked by many hands before being hung in three concentric circles. (ABOVE) The original bricks were replaced by an operable facade that lets in the breeze and connects those using the space back to Wurundjeri Country. Architect Jackson Clements Burrows; Project team Tim Jackson, Veryan Curnow, Sarah Lynn Rees (Trawlwoolway), Saba Komarzynski, Natalie Iannello, Chloe Hinchcliff; Builder Kane, Arete; Project manager DCWC, Deloitte; Quantity surveyor Slattery; Engineering consultant Irwinconsult; Engineer, ESD Aurecon; Building surveyor and access consultant McKenzie Group; Structural engineer B G and E; Services consultant Lucid; Wayfinding Aspect Studios; Acoustics Marshall Day Acoustics; Fire engineer Dobbs Doherty; Message sticks Bonhula Yunupingu (Gumatj), Pete McCurley (Ngarabul-Gumbaynggirr), Tanya Singer (Minyma Anangu), Gerard Black (Worimi), Errol Evans (Djabugay and Western Yalanji), artists from Waringarri Arts, Miriwoong Country and from Anindilyakwa Arts, Groote Eylandt Archipelago; Woven sleeves Aunty Sandra Aitken (Gunditjmara), artisans from Bula’Bula Arts, Ramingining, Northeast Arnhem Land – Evonne Munuyngu, Margaret Djarrbalabal, Cecily Mopbarrmbrr, Lisa Lalaywarra, Mary Dhapalany; Eel and fish traps Bonnie Burarngarra (Maningrida), Ninney Murray (Jirrbal/Girramay), Sabrina Roy (Mä arra Clan), Maureen Ali (Gamar Clan), Mary Dhapalany (Mandhalpuy Clan), Aunty Sandra Aitken (Gunditjmara), Melissa Aitken (Gunditjmara); Crocodile lamps Supplied through Manapan, an Indigenous business owned and operated by the Yolngu people; Meeting room tables Made and designed by Hardy Hardy; Wall sconces Handwoven by local artists from the community-owned Milingimbi Art and Culture in a design collaboration with Koskela planning,” says Rees. The constrained, definitively urban site, with no connection to the ground, makes indoor planting, colour and access to the environment key to the project’s strategy for connecting with Country. Rees describes how, in consultation with the client and the design team, JCB developed a cultural brief based on AFSE’s aims of “respecting and connecting to the Country of the site, allowing visiting Indigenous peoples to connect to the Country they come from, and challenging the socioeconomic and political underpinnings of inequity.” In response to this brief, the team privileged the transfer of wealth to Indigenous businesses, procuring services and products from a range of companies and not-for profits, including Agency, Manapan and Koskela with Milingimbi Art and Culture. In this way, the design process itself becomes a means of building capacity and equity. The procurement of services and products holds a great deal of potential for wealth redistribution; the realisation of this potential leads to sophisticated and nuanced design outcomes that are of place, firmly situated in a cultural and physical context. At the AFSE, all the furniture is Australian-made or -designed. If you look carefully, you’ll see kangaroo leather piping on the furniture, grass seeds in the paint and lamps with woven shades. The level of detail, and embedded knowledge and narrative, is all-encompassing. JCB has put in the effort required to build enduring relationships with a talented group of Indigenous suppliers and designers. Beyond the outstanding physical result, the legacy of such a procurement process is access to a wealth of knowledge and resources with which JCB will continue to work. The new AFSE hub is about proximity, inclusion and connection. It brings the users of the premises – fellows, colleagues, staff and visitors – into direct connection with Country. Through the referencing of colour and texture, and the tectonic moves of opening and access, the project embeds materiality and environment. It includes Indigenous businesses in an industry from which they are often excluded, leading to tangible economic and design benefits. Ambitiously, the project aims to provide solutions to problems that are often ignored or considered impenetrable at this scale. As the first built iteration of an urgent line of questioning and thinking, the hub is an accomplishment that benefits Country and all of us who have the privilege of engaging with it. — First Nations leader at Wardle Michael McMahon completed a master’s of architecture in 2020 at the Royal College of Art in London as a Roberta Sykes Scholar. More recently, he has been appointed to the Heritage Council of Victoria. Ī 32 Architecture Australia May / June 2024

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As Country-centred design1 becomes a part of architectural vocabulary in Australia, we at Djinjama have noticed colleagues and clients grappling to integrate Indigenous community advice respectfully and holistically, while also considering the actual implications in built outcomes and form. Our sense is that the system itself is the obstacle. For instance, a Country-centred approach requires a holistic view of the world in which humans are one part of a huge, interconnected network. This contradicts a human-centred approach, which is still taught in many design schools and remains the predominant approach. To achieve a Country-centred approach, designers need to reframe their worldview to consider Country and all it encompasses – holistically. This concept is expressed in the diagram above, where we start with Country and continue to be led by Country throughout the design development. We recognise that this is not a simple ask. Nonetheless, there are things that can be achieved, even within the current system, by asking reframing questions throughout the process. To support colleagues and clients with whom we collaborate on projects, our team has been exploring and integrating a number of ideas that start with First Knowledges. Our latest obsession is how to achieve biodiversity in civic and urban spaces to ensure that non-human and more-than-human kin once again flourish on the Country to which they belong, despite the urbanisation of environments. Country-centred design recognises that humans are not the centre of everything; civic centres require spaces for humans, non-human kin and more-than-humans. Everyone has a responsibility to Country, including non-humans. Non-human kin mark seasonal and clinical changes for Indigenous peoples who traditionally moved in accordance with the seasons. Nonhuman kin aid the continuation of culture through their connection to storytelling, artworks, ceremonies, totems and the Dreaming. (DISCUSSION) A Country-centred approach to civic biodiversity First Knowledges can help designers struggling to apply a Country-centred methodology to built projects in urban areas. (WRITERS) Danièle Hromek, Siân Hromek, Carlos Porras, Ellen HopkinsWright, Kristelle De Freitas and Shanaya Perera (Djinjama) (DIAGRAMS) Djinjama Since its origin, humanity has utilised flora and fauna in various ways, including for food, drink, medicine, clothing, construction materials and fuel. Further, many Indigenous peoples associate non-human kin with totemic understandings of ourselves, how we relate to the world and our care responsibilities. Indigenous knowledge systems ensure that we live in balance with the land and communities, including non-human and more-than-human kin. It is not surprising, then, that on a planetary scale, the cultural diversity of the human species is closely associated with the main concentrations of existing biodiversity. While the term “biodiversity” (from “biological diversity”) originated from Western science in the 1980s, there are correlations with a holistic Indigenous worldview. Defined as the variety and variability of life within an area, biodiversity covers the diversity of species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms (such as bacteria and viruses) that live in a given space; their genetic variability; the ecosystems of which they are part; and the landscapes or regions where the ecosystems are located. An Indigenous understanding of biodiversity requires the integration of non-living entities, elements, spirit, energy, story, and knowledge to care for all the entities in the area. Unable to find an English word to describe this, we have adopted the term Indigenised Biodiversity. An understanding of Indigenised Biodiversity begins with comprehending that all aspects of this place we call Earth are supported and sustained by Country, as seen in the diagram opposite. For millennia, Indigenous peoples across the globe have taken care of their lands and resources. Around the world, they have endured and prospered thanks to their traditional knowledges and methods of sustainable resource management. Regrettably, the globalised economy and its unchecked side effects threaten the environmental public good. The spatial convergence of the globalised economy and Indigenous 34 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

What stories are held here? What pract ci es are per of mr ed he er ? How has the earth been formed here? LAND SKY WATER SKY KIN WATER KIN CULTURE LAW OF THE LAND COUNTRY Indigenised Biodiversity GEOLOGY WATER FLORA SOILS Earth Systems SOIL LANDSCPAES GROUND LEVEL DEEP EARTH SOIL LANDSCAPE GROUND WATER TREE CANOPY MOUNTAINS AND RIDGES ATMOSPHERIC WATER ETHICS AND RIGHTS HEALTH AND WELLBEING PROTOCOLS PRINCIPLES AND VALUES PATHWAYS AND SONGLINES PATHWAYS AND SONGLINES SIGHTLINES SWEETWATER LAND KIN SIGHTLINES I B TT RE TA W RE SALT WATER SALT WATER SP RI TI FRESH WATER NI K SEASONS OT ET S M RELAT OI NSH PI S LANGUAGE COMMUNITY DREAMING CER ME ONY CULTURAL PRACT CI E CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE BU LI T ENV RI ONMENTS (OPPOSITE) By reframing the questions we ask throughout the design process, we can circumvent the current system, which centres humans rather than Country. © Djinjama (ABOVE) Indigenised Biodiversity relies on the integration of non-living entities, elements, spirit, energy, story, and knowledge, so that all entities in the area are sustained. © Djinjama A Country-centred approach to civic biodiversity 35

territories represents a great challenge for the preservation of Indigenised Biodiversity. This is not something that either Indigenous communities or industrialised societies can ignore. One concern for Indigenous peoples is the human impact on the planet – including climate change, which is the greatest threat to biodiversity. In effect, humans are slowly destroying the conditions we need to sustain life. Indigenised Biodiversity is a natural “library” of valuable information, generated through millions of years of evolution of plants and animals, fungi and bacteria. Indigenous peoples around the globe have been aware of and shared about biodiversity over many generations and sustained periods of time-in-place using observational science and oral methods. No one – not even the largest laboratories – can formulate the information that the hundreds of thousands of species of bacteria, plants, insects, animals and humans themselves have developed with their variations. To thrive, we humans need diverse, ongoing interactions with other life forms. Just as genetic diversity is important for the health and survival of an individual species, a diversity of life forms contributes towards the health, stability and resilience of the ecosystems we inhabit. Complex life forms have evolved through many generations of interactions between individuals – an ongoing dance of collaboration and competition moving to the symphony of biodiversity. When we promote monocultures of a single species, that species becomes vulnerable to disease and predation, and the range of ecosystem services available is severely restricted to what that one species may provide. When we foster and promote biodiversity, then health, wellbeing and resilience are increased for the occupants of that ecosystem, and the ecosystem services provided are impactful and can mitigate the damage we tend to do when creating urban environments. Urban areas are intentionally built to serve a single species: us. This goes against the nature of nature, which tends towards diversity and complexity. Deliberately incorporating the needs of other life forms by designing for them in urban places and working with nature rather than against it can increase amenity and environmental conditions for all. Designers can initiate environments where ecological services provided by a broad range of species contribute to filtering air and water, reducing noise, promoting soil health and reducing erosion, sequestering carbon, reducing the heat-island effect, supporting sustainable food systems, and minimising extreme weather events – the positive outcomes are immense. The benefits we gain are only part of why we should promote Indigenised Biodiversity in urban environments. Indigenous peoples understand that our function, destiny and purpose as humans is to be wise and kind neighbours to the non-human kin and more-than-human entities that make up this world and support our existence. (Maybe that is why we call ourselves “humankind” instead of “human nasty”!) As Indigenous peoples, we know that we have the wisdom and experience to establish effective Indigenised Biodiversity. As Indigenous designers utilising an Indigenous design lens SKY COUNTRY CANOPY (EMERGENT) Level 10 CANOPY Level 7 SUB CANOPY Level 3 Ground level GROUNDCOVER ON COUNTRY BELOW COUNTRY DEEP EARTH Clear flying paths Lights out programs Visible building features Glass treatment and screening Safe places to land Horizontal façade elements Heat mitigation and pollution reduction Urban green cover Collision avoidance Sound treatments / deterrents Interior plant placement Habitat creation Dense endemic planting Habitat support Bee bricks Rockeries and crevices Shallow water points Risk free movement Downward motion sensing lighting Green and blue paths 36 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

in built projects, we aim to protect biodiversity by reducing and mitigating waste, pollution and emissions; limiting exploitation of land and resources; and rebuilding or re-naturalising the habitat of plants, animals, insects and other kin whenever possible. In built projects, our approach integrates understandings of enoughness2 to ensure that we avoid overdesign, specify supply chains and materials mindfully, and employ re-use in place of excessive extraction. Enoughness designs for longevity to create biodiverse ecosystems that are productive for many generations. This approach to Indigenised Biodiversity actively seeks out spaces and homes for non-human kin to flourish, around and within architecture. It involves looking at the civic environment through non-human eyes to consider what all kin need to achieve health and wellbeing on Country alongside humans. This might be major moves, such as orienting structures to avoid songlines, waterways or kin pathways. It may involve reactivating original creeks or water paths and removing colonial concrete piping or channels to ensure that all kin – from the birds and animals to the soils and plants – can benefit from the water. It may include creating space for cultural activities – such as traditional fire practices, care for waters, weaving, astronomy, language, ceremony – to recur back on Country, to ensure that all Country is healthy. Relatively minor moves can also have a significant impact – the diagrams opposite and below unpack what this may look like in an urban building. For instance, minimising the use of glass reduces bird collisions and mitigates heat effects. The incorporation of operable louvres, awnings or a brise-soleil creates a double skin, providing visual breaks in glass facades while also decreasing their reflectivity. Visible treatments such as fritted glass can act as deterrents, with patterns making glass identifiable as an obstruction on flying paths. Horizontal overhangs and facade elements create safe places for flying kin to land and can be enhanced with green walls of endemic, nectar-giving flora. Inside, keeping greenery that may attract flying kin away from interior windows helps to avert collisions. At night, the use of downward, motion-sensing lights, and avoiding perimeter lighting, helps to decrease human interference along migration paths. Habitat creation supports the flourishing of biodiversity in civic areas. Alongside dense endemic planting, elements such as bee bricks, rockeries, nesting boxes and shallow water points attract insects, pollinators and birds, which in turn attract larger animals. Ample quiet green corridors ensure safety and safe passage for all who belong in and around structures. To avoid forcing non-human kin to adapt to new food sources, materials for their own homes and other conditions, designers need to specify material options and flora from local suppliers. Our non-human kin are vital if biodiversity is to thrive within our cities. If biodiversity thrives, so too do humans, non-humans, more-than-humans and all who share Country. — Danièle Hromek (Budawang/Dhurga/Yuin with Burrier/ Dharawal), Siân Hromek (Budawang/Dhurga/Yuin with Burrier/Dharawal), Carlos Porras (Chorotega/Matambu from Costa Rica), Ellen Hopkins-Wright (Yuin), Kristelle De Freitas and Shanaya Perera are part of the Djinjama team. Established in 2020, Djinjama offers cultural design and research for projects in the built environment by bringing Country into the centre of the design process. (OPPOSITE) Small moves, such as minimising the use of glass to reduce bird collisions and mitigate heat, can have a significant impact in protecting biodiversity. © Djinjama (LEFT) Designers need to specify items and flora from local suppliers to ensure that non-human fauna have appropriate food sources and materials for their own homes. © Djinjama (FOOTNOTES) (1) In particular, the Government Architect NSW advocates for a Countrycentred approach in its Connecting with Country Framework, in which it states its ambition: “All NSW built environment projects will be developed with a Country-centred approach guided by Aboriginal people, who know that if we care for Country, Country will care for us” (2023, p. 32). (2) Enoughness is an Indigenous economic model that is grounded in a relational state of having and being enough, and having contentment in sufficiency. For more on enoughness, see the dossier “What can non-Indigenous designers do?” in Architecture Australia, vol. 112, no. 4, Jul/Aug 2023, 43–61; available at architectureau.com/articles/enoughness. A Country-centred approach to civic biodiversity 37

38 (COUNTRY) Yuin (REVIEWERS) Mike Louw and Sally Farrah (PHOTOGRAPHER) Katherine Lu South East Centre for Contemporary Art

39 (ARCHITECT) Sibling Architecture In the regional New South Wales town of Bega, an “unconventional, lighthearted and optimistic” refurbishment and extension of the existing gallery has stimulated the town’s sense of connection to arts and culture, to local community, and to the rest of the country.

40 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

South East Centre for Contemporary Art 41 Sibling Architecture represents a new wave of Australian architects who are searching for different modes of practice. Based in both Sydney and Melbourne, the studio challenges the dichotomous Sydney-versus-Melbourne debates of the latter twentieth century. The founders’ pedagogy at the University of Sydney, RMIT University, Monash University and the University of Melbourne informs their research-based approach, while curation, editorial positions and qualifications in other disciplines (such as landscape architecture and business administration) add further depth to the practice. Sibling is deeply concerned with Australia’s current social and cultural issues, including its aging population and housing affordability (foregrounded in its design and curation of the evocative 2018 New Agency: Owning Your Future exhibition), the decolonisation of architecture, and the democratisation of urban space. Taking five-and-a-half years to complete because of the COVID-19 pandemic along with other political, material and financial challenges, the South East Centre for Contemporary Art (SECCA) in Bega can be understood as a type of “memory box” of the interests and architectural strategies that have evolved in the firm’s praxis up to now. According to SECCA director Iain Dawson, Sibling’s proposal, which was selected from a public tender, was chosen because “they really understood community and the arts.” The studio is also proving to be both sensitive and creative in the increasingly important practice of adaptive reuse, as demonstrated by other projects such as the Darebin Intercultural Centre (2022) and the Gertrude Glasshouse Gallery (2016). Working mostly within the former gallery’s envelope, the design team leveraged opportunities in the existing fabric to greatly enhance its capacity to accommodate larger artworks and community activities, while improving its connection to its physical and, more importantly, its social context. The redeveloped gallery, which sits in the cultural precinct between the Bega Valley Library and its council building, was planned around an existing curved wall that resonates with several Art Deco buildings in the town. Large window openings were inserted into its previously blank facade since, according to Dawson, many locals were unaware of the gallery’s existence. While there are some concerns about conflicts in terms of noise and privacy, the decision to retain the entry in the foyer shared by the council chambers may engage new audiences and incite curiosity. The gallery’s previous ceiling was heightened significantly, and skylights were inserted to let in southern light. A minimal number of square metres was added to accommodate deliveries and storage facilities. This appreciation of the existing extends to Sibling’s acknowledgement of Indigenous knowledge and occupancy, which is clearly evident in the decolonising commentary of Over Obelisk, an installation designed for the Melbourne Biennial Lab in 2017. The gallery frames distant views of Country, including Biamanga/Mumbulla Mountain, a sacred Yuin site. Peeling off from the curvilinear envelope, the windows match specific contextual features and borrow the surrounding landscape. Sibling understands that a building must respond to what architect and city planner Manuel de Solà-Morales referred to as “the skin of cities.”1 In the studio’s work, the envelope is often more than a single layer, and always in negotiation with its urban or landscape context. Sibling innovates Australian type-forms – such as the verandah in Hello Houses (2018) and the external wall and fence in Stable House (2021) – to create thresholds between public and private. At SECCA, a veil-like perforated metal facade offers glimpses of the existing blockwork behind, while planters, deep window reveals and steps encourage people to interact with the building, the exhibitions and events. The roof becomes another opportunity to explore the mediation of architecture and landscape: where, in Upside Down House (2021), the roof form undulates and mirrors reflect light inward, at the Bega (PREVIOUS) Sibling’s design includes deep window reveals and a perforated metal facade to encourage interactions with the building and exhibitions. (OPP. ABOVE) The new work improves the former gallery’s connection to its physical and social context, challenging the traditional hermetic typology. (OPP. BELOW) By sharing its new entry with the council chambers, the gallery hopes to attract new audiences. (RIGHT) The work, which demonstrates softness and porosity, has occurred largely within the former gallery’s envelope.

42 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024 (SITE PLAN KEY) 1 SECCA 2 Bega Valley Shire Council Administration 3 Civic centre 4 Forecourt 5 Library 6 Car park 7 Littleton Garden (FLOOR PLAN KEY) 1 Gallery and Council Administration entry 2 Council Administration foyer 3 Council offices 4 Civic centre 5 Reception 6 Gallery 7 Workshop/project space 8 Foyer 9 Forecourt 10 Library 11 Art store 12 Rear courtyard 13 Loading dock Site plan 1:1500 0 5 20 m Floor plan 1:500 0 1 2 5 10 m Sections 1:500 0 1 2 5 10 m 1 Zingel Place Gipps Street 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 1 10 2 11 3 12 4 13 5 6 6 7 8 9

South East Centre for Contemporary Art 43 (ABOVE) Windows frame distant views of Country, including Biamanga/Mumbulla Mountain, a sacred Yuin site. (RIGHT) Sibling uses layered articulations of threshold to create tactile, personal experiences for visitors.

44 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024 (ABOVE) The gallery’s existing ceiling was lifted, increasing its internal volume, and skylights were inserted to bring in natural light. Architect and landscape architect Sibling Architecture; Project team Nicholas Braun, Qianyi Lim, Eleanor Peres, Andrea Lam, Rafid Hai; Builder Lloyd Group, Bega Valley Shire Council; BCA Complete Certification; Services engineer Acor; Quantity surveyor Rider Levett Bucknall; Structural engineer Geoff Metzler and Associates; Access ABE Consulting; Electrical and lighting Lighting, Art and Science; Graphics and signage Primary Works (FOOTNOTES) (1) Manuel de Solà-Morales, A Matter of Things (Rotterdam: NAi Publishers, 2008), 23. gallery, the ceiling peels up toward south-facing windows. Such layered articulations of threshold result in tactile and personal experiences with Sibling’s buildings. The inhabitable facades at projects including SECCA and Unfolding House (2017) foreground Sibling’s interest in participation, which is also the subject of The Encounterculture (2012), a video installation in collaboration with Nicole Rose. Like the “amplified threshold” at the Gertrude Glasshouse Gallery in Melbourne (2016), SECCA challenges the traditional hermetic typology – here, by showcasing exhibitions beyond the interior to the street. It remains to be seen whether the gallery’s white window reveals will prove too tempting for street artists and taggers to resist – or perhaps they will simply facilitate a different form of community engagement with the building. The inclusion of diverse audiences, equal access and empowerment are at the core of Sibling’s work, but this critique of serious issues is always delivered in unconventional, lighthearted and optimistic ways. What is perhaps most unique to Sibling’s work is an undeniable quality of playfulness achieved through form and materiality. In the same way the studio acknowledges that hard surfaces are not always the answer to an architectural problem, there is a softness and porosity to its formal language. The use of the curtain as an element to soften, add colour, allow flexibility and theatricality, create threshold and encourage interaction is well-developed in projects such as Nux (2022), Music Market (2020) and Frenches Interior (2017). The Bega gallery’s perforated second skin wraps around the curved facade, subtly reflecting the bright yellow of the window reveals. In the foyer, the external skin is complemented by a retractable chainmail curtain that hovers between lightness and solidity. SECCA is not in pursuit of the Bilbao effect; nor is it a variation of the Australian regionalism or revisited vernacular so often deemed fitting for towns like this. Rather, it is a regionally appropriate architecture. Its emphasis on the intimacy of social relations is commensurate with the neighbourliness of such communities. As Iain Dawson reminded us, just as a public gallery in a capital city is recognised as a statewide asset, a gallery in a rural town like Bega is also for the rest of the state. This gallery is a generous gift to the people of Bega and of greater New South Wales. — Mike Louw is a senior lecturer in the School of Design and the Built Environment at the University of Canberra. He completed a PhD in architecture at the University of Cape Town in 2021. His research focuses on architectural technology, adaptive reuse, design-build practice, and contemporary architecture in the Global South. — Sally Farrah is a lecturer in the School of Design and the Built Environment at the University of Canberra. She completed a PhD in architecture at the University of Western Australia in 2021. Her research to date combines textual and historical research with a disciplinary analysis of orthographic drawing and model-making.

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National Rugby Training Centre, Ballymore Just north of Meanjin/Brisbane, a fading community resource has been re-energised to provide a sporting facility for use by elite teams as well as grassroots participants. (COUNTRY) Turrbal and Yuggera (REVIEWER) Michael Keniger (PHOTOGRAPHER) Christopher Frederick Jones 46 (ARCHITECT) Blight Rayner Architecture

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(PREVIOUS) As well as being the home of the Wallaroos and the training ground for the Queensland Reds, the NRTC is the national centre for women’s rectangular sport and will be the hockey venue for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. (BELOW) By replicating the scale of the old stand in the new, Blight Rayner sought to tap into a sense of nostalgia for the much-loved original Ballymore Stadium. For many rugby devotees, Brisbane’s Ballymore Stadium was the indomitable heart of Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) until 2006, when the Queensland Reds transferred their home games to the Lang Park stadium at Milton, the traditional home of the competing format of Rugby League. The change enabled far larger crowds, but many felt that it also led to a loss of sporting camaraderie and a weakening of Ballymore’s invigorating community spirit. In the wake of the transfer, Ballymore continued to serve as a subsidiary training and administration satellite within its parkland precinct, bordered by Enoggera Creek, in the inner suburb of Herston. Over time, and despite its bucolic environment, the stadium and its ancillary buildings began to suffer from neglect, and the attraction and value of the venue withered. Ultimately, of the four stands that once constituted the main stadium, only the original grassed southern stand – “the Hill” – has been retained. The temporary northern stand fell into disrepair and was demolished, while the eastern stand was taken out of action to await either renovation or demolition. The fourth stand, the original McLean stand, was demolished and its site allocated for a new stand for the National Rugby Training Centre (NRTC). QRU held a design competition for the NRTC in 2020. The awarding of the project to Blight Rayner was a dream come true for practice director Michael Rayner, a longstanding rugby “tragic” and Ballymore supporter. The brief emphasised the need for the design to encourage interaction between the various users of the centre, which is the headquarters of the 48 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

Wallaroos (Australia’s women’s national Rugby Union team) and the training ground for the Queensland Reds men’s, women’s and academy teams. Further, the design was charged with fostering a strong sense of community and of enabling the centre’s various elements, facilities and training equipment to be shared. The allocation of federal and state government funding, which provided substantial impetus for the project, relied on the integration of women’s sports as well as the opportunity for local clubs and school teams to train at the facility under the supervision of Reds coaches. With rugby participation dwindling across Australia, and Rugby Australia encouraging the states to strengthen the “grassroots” rugby community, the centre would also provide vital facilities for regional and community teams. Opened in mid-2023, the new 3,010-seat McLean grandstand and NRTC combined has set a new benchmark for a national sports project: while responding to the brief, it has also enhanced and re-energised a fading community resource. Rayner says that “although the NRTC was built primarily for the elite teams, it is more and more being seen as the fulcrum for improving community wellbeing across the state through sport.” The design and principal planning of the project was governed by the size, scale and linearity of the new, east-facing grandstand, which stretches along the length of the rugby field. Grandstand access is from the southern forecourt via stairs (or lift) to a generous concourse that, together with the raked bank of seats, is sheltered and shaded by the striking chamfered plane of the cantilevered roof. “Our idea,” explains Rayner, “was to create a building not iconic but replete in its setting of playing fields and parklands. It also occurred to us that if we could replicate the scale of the old McLean Stand – and, to an extent, its form – we might be able to tap into a nostalgia for the past halcyon days of Ballymore.” The west-facing facilities nestle against the grandstand’s spine. To minimise flood risk, the ground floor sits a metre above the adjacent training pitch. The two-storey volume of the reception is both welcoming and impressive thanks to its scale and the quality of its finishes. The reception and the adjacent auditorium look both outwards, to the training field, and inwards, offering glimpses through to active internal spaces and to the level above. Also on the ground floor is the high-performance gymnasium, which is used by both men’s and women’s teams for training and exercising. Part of the gymnasium space is double-height to provide a “pre-activation” area that accommodates lineout and kicking practice. The volumetric connection also enables coaching staff to oversee their teams in training from their workspace on the upper level. The generosity of the space is amplified by sliding window walls that allow this heavily used area to be opened to the elements. Physiotherapy, rehabilitation and doctors’ consultation rooms are all accessible from the gymnasium. The Reds men’s locker room doubles as a players’ social hub. “The players told us this is the place where they most hang out, rather than the gym or players’ lounge upstairs, National Rugby Training Centre, Ballymore 49

(SITE PLAN KEY) 1 National Rugby Training Centre 2 Field 1 3 Field 2 4 Field 3 5 Field 4 6 Sports training and administration facility 7 Sports and allied health centre 8 Northern Plaza 9 Eastern Stand 10 Plaza 11 Community parkland 12 Facilities compound 13 Future pedestrian bridge (FLOOR PLAN KEY) 1 Main entry 2 High-performance gymnasium 3 Indoor skills activation 4 Nutrition store 5 Physiotherapy 6 Reception 7 Auditorium 8 Doctors 9 Players mix (prior to tunnel) 10 Staff change room 11 Kit store 12 Reds womens/Wallaroos change room 13 Players’ tunnel 14 Queensland Academy of Sport/ Reds Academy change room 15 Recovery pools 16 Reds change room 17 High-performance staff 18 Terrace 19 Foyer 20 Administration staff 21 Consult room 22 Boardroom 23 Meeting room 24 Media 25 Multifunction space 26 Concourse Ground floor 1:1500 0 5 20 m 1 Enoggera Creek Butterfield Street Clyde Road 10 2 11 3 12 4 13 5 6 7 8 9 1 16 10 2 11 3 12 4 13 5 5 14 6 15 7 8 9 Level one 1:1500 25 17 26 18 20 19 23 24 23 22 21 Section 1:500 0 1 2 5 m Site plan 1:5000 0 10 50 m 50 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024