Architecture Australia - May 2024

51

so we made it feel more like a softly lit living room,” comments Rayner. The space receives daylight from the concourse above, through clerestory windows. Connected to the locker room are the players’ change amenities, which link to a sauna, hot and cold plunge pools and a resistance pool. These facilities are also accessible from the main hallway so that other teams can use them when they’re available. Larger-than-life shots of past and present Reds and Wallaroos players in action, including a trio of Reds Indigenous women players, energise the ground-floor hallway and other key spaces. The images were jointly selected by the QRU Heritage Committee, the QRU Executive and Rayner and curated with the assistance of Brisbane-based architect Andrew Uttley, who is also helping Blight Rayner with the selection and curation of memorabilia for a hall of fame. Trophy cases are built into the panelling that flanks the surprisingly delicate stairway to the upper level, where the offices of the Reds coaches and the QRU administration area all have views to the main rugby field. Meeting rooms and the boardroom, which also overlook the field, can be employed as grandstand suites. A multifunction space for match days and corporate events serves a dual purpose as the Reds players’ lounge. Resoundingly, the design of the NRTC has met the ambitions defined in the initial brief. The quality of the spaces, the coherent spatial relationship established between each of the principal (PREV. TOP) The “surprisingly delicate” stairway from the reception leads to administration areas and the players’ lounge on the upper level. (PREV. BOTTOM) A generous indoor skills activation area and adjacent high-performance gymnasium are shared by men’s and women’s teams. (ABOVE) A striking cantilevered roof shades the concourse and raked seating in the new stand. Architect Blight Rayner Architecture; Project team Michael Rayner, Ashneel Maharaj, Jeremy Wooldridge, Rachel Levi, Adelaide Hampson, Kate Reilly, Marcus Leask, Sian Farrell, Akiko Spencer, Arlyn Mangabat, Ben Wilson, Ben Carter, Lauren Hickling, Marnie Goodman, Perry Gustafson; Builder Buildcorp; Project manager RPS; Urban planner Blight Rayner, RPS; Building surveyor and landscape architect RPS; Quantity surveyor RLB; Structural, civil, mechanical, electrical, fire services, hydraulic, sustainability, fire and acoustic engineer, specialist field lighting WSP; Facade engineer Bligh Tanner; Traffic and transport engineer TTM, WSP; Access consultant McKenzie Group; Wayfinding Dotdash; Specialist field engineer Sporteng; Certification and access McKenzie Group; Display designer Andrew Uttley Architecture; Food and beverage FSDA; Visualisation Visualiii administrative bodies and rugby agencies, and the expressive form of the building envelope all serve to restore Ballymore as a first-class home for rugby at state and national levels. The external architecture is “relatively simple and unprepossessing, intended to impart belonging to the wider community and to clubs as much as to elite teams,” notes Blight Rayner. As well as being the national centre for women’s rectangular sport (rugby, Rugby League and football), the stadium has been declared the hockey venue for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane. Duly, Blight Rayner has prepared a masterplan that builds on the success of the NRTC and reinforces the local benefits that could flow from the Olympics. The proposals include renovating the eastern stand, establishing a sports training facility adjacent to the Hill, and strengthening community recreation through additional open plazas and interlinked green spaces. More ambitious still is the idea for two bridges across the Enoggera Creek from the nearby Finsbury and Langley Avenue parks, enabling sporting activities to be consolidated. These linkages would also create further opportunities for the community to enjoy the natural qualities of Enoggera Creek and Ballymore Park as an active legacy of the Olympics. — Michael Keniger is an honorary professor of architecture at Bond University, Queensland. 52 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

Digital Site Measures for Bent Glass Projects BENT GLASS SOLUTIONS Project: Amway Treehouse Photo: Ashley Avila Perth: 9468 2722 Sydney: 8011 1831 Brisbane: 3175 0501 Melbourne: 9099 0200 : glasshape.com.au : [email protected] R Delivering Bent Glass with Excellence Certified ‘Green’ C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Curves 2024 4 in 1 HPAdd Acoustics magazine.pdf 1 29/2/2024 9:17 am

Victoria House (COUNTRY) Whadjuk (REVIEWER) Simon Pendal (PHOTOGRAPHER) Dion Robeson 54

(ARCHITECT) MJA Studio with Finespun, Place Laboratory and Palassis Architects In a green pocket just west of Perth’s CBD, a team of designers has worked together on a for-profit, developer-led project driven by a desire to reconnect buildings, their landscapes and their occupants. 55

In the context of medium-to-large architectural firms in Perth, MJA Studio is something of an unusual case. In its former iteration as McDonald Jones Architects, it was a medium-sized practice with a focus on the aged-care sector. The office transformed between 2011 (12 people) and 2015, when a succession plan was enacted. This sort of shift can be damaging if not managed well; I would hazard a guess that few practices – at least in Perth – have renewed themselves as profoundly as MJA. Today, 10 years after its handover, it is an office of 35 to 40 people, with the average age of its ownership group being only 43. To contextualise this, Howlett and Bailey won the Perth Town Hall Competition (Council House) in 1959, when its two directors were 38. (Admittedly, this was done from a standing start – but also from a solid basis of similar projects at Bates Smart and McCutcheon in Melbourne, and under the luxury of a well-run competition, with the right political backing, during a time of optimism.) The scale of MJA’s built work is substantial, and its developerclient base is among the most established in Perth – both facets of practice from which younger architects are typically excluded. MJA’s unusual status is further enshrined by its high levels of staff satisfaction and retention, something our profession continues to tussle with. According to staff who have worked at the practice (PREVIOUS) The design retains three prongs of the former hospital building, for retail and commercial use, and adds three new residential towers. (ABOVE) Most apartments are dual- or triple-aspect, with privacy preserved using setbacks created by light voids and garden beds. (OPPOSITE) A public thoroughfare allows access through the parkland site during the day. 56 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

over multiple years, its workplace is lively and creative, lifestyle and work are productively conjoined, and individuals feel valued. I offer this sketch not as an advertorial, but because MJA’s built work is a result of the way that the practice has consciously been made, and not vice versa. Sited equidistant between city and ocean, Victoria House is a reconfiguration of A. E. Clare’s heritage-listed former infectious diseases hospital. Co-located on the “wrong” side of the Perth–Fremantle railway, along with the Metropolitan Sewage Works, Graylands Hospital mental health facility (then known as X-Block to the Claremont Hospital for the Insane), Irwin Barracks and Hobbs Artillery Park, the original hospital sits in eerie proximity to Karrakatta Cemetery. This complex grouping of infrastructure – military, health and commemorative – lies between significant wetlands in the Booyeembara (Spearwood dune complex) and Whadjuk Noongar campgrounds and hunting places. The strange programmatic mix and postcolonial nonchalance have had the unlikely effect of maintaining this precinct as the city’s most extensive grouping of intact bushland west of the CBD. Three prongs of Clare’s snowflake-shaped plan have been retained at Victoria House, and three demolished and replaced, on-axis, with three new brick towers. A swathe of mature trees, both endemic and introduced, has been preserved, and five gardens established between buildings. The northernmost garden is public. The towers, built in tonal gradients from orange to dark red, contain a mix of single-, double- and triple-bedroom apartments, with 10 percent being NDIS-compliant.1 With open-air lift lobbies, MJA tips its hat to Krantz and Sheldon (local masters of architectural thrift from the 1930s to the 1970s). The majority of apartments are dual- or triple-aspect, and most bedrooms are outward-looking, with privacy preserved using setbacks created by light voids and lush garden beds that benefit from the deep shade. On paper, these lobbies might be called into question as dark and dreary; in reality, they are gentle refuges from glare and heat. The towers are seated in the landscape using open concreteblock perimeter walls that scale the development to gardens by Place Laboratory. From the east, the project’s foreground is dominated by the restored A. E. Clare building, while the towers huddle behind. To the west, a narrow street that will one day be an address to the neighbouring development site is designed to take an ad-hoc, almost shambolic approach to street parking; it feels more central Barcelona than car-orderly Perth. Forcing drivers to slow down, this charming entropy offers views to the between-tower gardens, which are starting to spill over their permeable boundary walls into the street. At this point, the onsite amenity takes a turn towards the unusual by virtue of being otherwise familiar. Between two towers, MJA and Place Laboratory have introduced a productive community garden; between another two, a dog-wash station and large dog-play area. Nearby, a fully appointed workshop supports residents who wish to “get on the tools.” Garden proliferates around, up and through the site, its buildings and open-air lobbies. A public thoroughfare allows access through the project during the day. A fledgling neighbourhood is emerging. Notably, the tired nod to luxury in similar developments – pool, bar, gym – is absent. Victoria House seems to appreciate not only that the city can provide these services, but that there is benefit to residents accessing them in a broader social setting. A public cafe-diner designed by Finespun and located in the northern tip of the former hospital offers a genuinely metropolitan coffee experience and anchors one end of the site’s internal laneway, the design of which has been carefully orchestrated by MJA, Finespun, Palassis Architects and Place Laboratory in concert. Anyone familiar with the North Perth residence Jimmy’s House, also by MJA, will recognise a consistent set of strategies operating at the scale Victoria House 57

(SITE PLAN KEY) 1 Block A 2 Block B 3 Block C 4 Cafe 5 Commercial Block A typical floor plan 1:750 Block B typical floor plan 1:750 Block C typical floor plan 1:750 0 5 10 m Section 1:500 0 1 2 5 m Floor plan 1:1500 0 5 20 m 1 5 5 4 Thorburn Way 2 3 (FLOOR PLAN KEY) 1 Apartment – one-bedroom 2 Apartment – two-bedroom 3 Apartment – three-bedroom 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 3 3 58 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

(TOP) The adaptive re-use work of Finespun and Palassis Architects removed non-original elements, repaired the existing building fabric, and reinstated original fabric that had been lost. (BOTTOM) The state-heritage-listed hospital building has been refurbished for commercial tenancies. Victoria House 59

60 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

(FOOTNOTES) (1) The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) requires designs to meet the Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Design Standard. (OPP. TOP) The designers chose to include a productive community garden, a dog-play area and a workshop instead of the pool and gym more commonly constructed in developments such as this. (OPP. BOTTOM) In the new residential towers, MJA Studio represents the original building’s heritage elements in a contemporary form. (ABOVE) The development includes both public and private community areas. Architect MJA Studio with Finespun, Place Laboratory and Palassis Architects; Project team Jimmy Thompson, Ash Blackwell, Mark Ciesielski, Miriam Price, Patrick Miller, Gian Tonossi; Developer Hesperia; Builder PACT Construction; Project manager TPM; Town planner Urbis; Landscape architect Place Laboratory; Heritage consultant Palassis Architects; Structural engineer HERA; ESD FCDS; Hydraulic engineer Floth; Electrical engineer Best of a single, private house and neighbourhood park. In this sense, MJA’s capacity to breathe life into buildings is proved scalable – but only because, in both instances, the right tenor is set. This attitude of “normalised amenity” is also evident in the various recently constructed Nightingale projects, from Fremantle to Melbourne. The difference here is that Victoria House is a for-profit, developer-led project operating within a conservative market, and residents are more likely to be downsizers than inner-city-dwelling hipsters (no offence intended on either side). Perhaps my optimism is in overdrive, but I wonder whether this trend represents a rebalancing of values in the built environment, with buildings, their landscapes and their occupants entering into a genuine process of reacquaintance? During World War II, a significant proportion of Perth’s food was grown in suburban backyards. While the productive garden at Victoria House is too small to provide the equivalent output, the recovery of the skill is what matters here. The precious hours I spent with my grandparents in their backyard veggie patch are now available to someone else’s children or grandchildren at Victoria House. Equally, this time might occur in the workshop. It will be up to the council of owners to enact a sense of the collective at ground level, and to decide how far the shared domain should extend. While the attitude of the residents remains to be seen, I get the feeling that the MJA Studio team have just finished their warm-up. — Simon is principal of Simon Pendal Architect and an associate professor in architecture at the University of Notre Dame Fremantle. He holds a practice-based PhD from RMIT. Victoria House 61

Burnt Earth Beach House (ARCHITECT) Wardle Reflecting its surrounds on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula, a house built almost entirely from terracotta is a portrait of the architect’s passionate pursuit of architectural experimentation and collaborative making. (COUNTRY) Eastern Maar and Wadawurrung (REVIEWER) Fleur Watson (PHOTOGRAPHER) Trevor Mein 62

63

Burnt Earth Beach House constitutes the latest in a trilogy of residential projects that continues John Wardle’s commitment to pursuing architectural experimentation through the design of his own family home. The first, Kew House (1994–2019) in Melbourne, was an early prototype in adaptive reuse that has been incrementally “tuned” to reflect the life of a growing family; the second, Shearer’s Quarters (2008–2011), and its companion, Captain Kelly’s Cottage (2015–2016), responded to the layered stories of site by exploring heritage and Country on Tasmania’s Bruny Island; and the third, a holiday house in Anglesea (2020– 2024), on Victoria’s Surf Coast, embodies Wardle’s enduring engagement with the values of invention and risk, setting and place, and craftsmanship and collaboration. Invention and risk Burnt Earth is a portrait of Wardle’s passion for clay. The new house is built almost entirely from terracotta, with two primary moves forming the building: the exterior is composed of profiled unglazed and glazed bricks, while internally, the spaces are lined, predominantly, in terracotta tiles. The extensive use of clay is both inventive and practical, with the house situated in a BAL-29 (“high risk”) fire zone. The character of the brickwork in Burnt Earth expands on what Wardle (with wry humour) describes as one of the practice’s “glorious failures.” He recalls the hours of research and prototyping that he and industrial designer Simon Lloyd poured into the shortlisted competition proposal for the new Australian Pavilion in Venice (2011). In another shortlisted competition entry – this one for NGV Contemporary in Melbourne (2021)1 – further experimentation with applying glazes to raw clay in a single firing was undertaken with third-generation brickmaker Klynton Krause. Although unsuccessful competition-wise, the labour and development invested in these projects have continued to refine the practice’s research, capability in material innovation and process of working collaboratively with local makers and manufacturers. For the design of Burnt Earth, Wardle has again teamed up with Krause to materialise their research in clay at a domestic scale. Here, the striated patterns, texture and tonal qualities of the cliff edge that borders Anglesea’s coastline form the starting point for a custom-made brick. Wardle shows me a video of the process, which involves extruding the clay at the brickworks and then hand-tearing the material prior to cutting, to expose a distinctive, rough-edged finish. Any offcuts are simply folded back into the extruder, leaving very little waste. Externally, some brick sections are glazed in mottled green and brown tones, but the majority are left unglazed, avoiding the double-firing process and reducing the project’s carbon footprint. This decision speaks to the experimental nature of the single-firing process, which, Wardle explains, is fraught with complications. Instead of resisting this lack of uniformity, the design simply responds with unglazed bricks blending to glazed sections – the latter reflecting the tonal qualities of the native landscape. Internally, the dominance of clay continues, with triple-skin brick walls and an insulated concrete slab laid with terracotta tiles that, in wet areas, wrap up to line walls and joinery elements. The tiles, which are sourced from Cotto Manetti in the Chianti region of Italy, mark another long-time Wardle relationship. Ceilings, window frames and joinery elements are crafted from spotted gum. The result is a set of direct yet warm interior spaces that are surprisingly compact – scaled for family intimacy and interaction. 64 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

(PREVIOUS) Wardle is an advocate of the “framed view,” rejecting expansive glazing in favour of carefully composed sightlines. (OPP. LEFT) With the house situated in a high-fire-risk zone, the extensive use of clay is a practical as well as an aesthetic choice. (OPP. RIGHT) Joinery elements are crafted from spotted gum, which has a natural resistance to fire. (ABOVE) The dining table – a recurring motif in Wardle’s design approach – facilitates gathering and orchestrates activity. Artwork: Philip Hunter. Setting and place Having grown up near Geelong, Wardle has strong memories of a childhood spent along the beaches of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. The quality of the region’s light and the diversity of its flora have deeply informed his approach to setting and landscape. The new dwelling replaces a 1970s beach shack that served Wardle and his family well for nearly 20 years. Knowing the setting as he does, Wardle has placed the house to the rear of the plot to embrace the northern light, draw sunlight deep into the plan and accommodate existing mature trees. A long-time advocate of the “framed view,” he rejects expansive glazing in favour of carefully composed sightlines – to the ocean, an established eucalypt, an expanse of sky. Setting off the terracotta, spotted gum is used to create portals for windows and doors, and to define daybeds, seats and screens. To the north, a tilt-panel twists, lifts and slides to ventilate and open the house towards the sun and garden. Wardle’s use of custom-made devices such as this – to “tune” movement, vistas and seasons – represents an ongoing process of testing, detail and refinement of finish. The spatial organisation of the house, which is broadly cruciform in plan, creates moments for social interaction and for solitude. Two bedrooms and utility spaces lock into the southern boundary, while living and dining arms push out from the core towards the ocean, capturing the movement of the sun. The kitchen is positioned in the centre of the house as the physical and metaphorical heart. A large central island – object-like in section – is wrapped in terracotta and provides a focal point for gathering beneath the timber-lined ceiling. A utilitarian stainless-steel bench borders one edge for meal preparation. A crafted timber box – a collaboration with maker Vivienne Wong – inserts into the island, with sections for cut flowers along with oil, salt and vinegar. The table is a recurring motif in Wardle’s “spoon to city” design approach. At Burnt Earth, a custom timber dining table facilitates family gatherings and orchestrates activity. On one side, there is a simple bench seat; on the other, a daybed looks out to the terrace. Also, here, a slot window reveals the single fall of the roof across the plan. At the low point where the roof ends, a terracotta-clad spout discharges water onto a large rock. Brick walls, terracotta floor, timber table and ceiling, water and rock all converge in a restrained yet delightful assemblage of materials and elements. The careful geometry of the external terraces supports daily activities set into newly planted native landscaping designed by Wardle and his wife, Susan (both studied horticulture). On the northern terrace, a brick fireplace forms another focal point, with raised terracotta benches for winter fireside gathering. Here, one can get close to the bricks and inspect the glazing process; the uneven texture, patina and liquid quality is richly imperfect. Wrapping the rear of the house is a utility court where terracotta Burnt Earth Beach House 65

(FLOOR PLAN KEY) 1 Entry 2 Kitchen 3 Laundry 4 Dining room 5 Rumpus room 6 Bedroom 7 Shed 8 Outdoor fireplace 9 Study 10 Living room 11 Void 0 1 2 5 10 m Ground floor 1:400 Level one 1:400 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 10 11 6 6 9 Section 1:250 0 1 5 m 66 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

(TOP) On the northern side, an inventive tilt-panel “tunes” the house to the landscape and the seasons. (BOTTOM) Above the kitchen, the study – an intimate, nook-like volume – is bounded by a tensile net balustrade. Burnt Earth Beach House 67

(TOP) Wardle’s long-standing affinity with the coastal site is evident in the home’s material and colour palette. (BOTTOM) Single-fired bricks reduce the project’s carbon footprint, while glazed sections reflect the tones of the nearby cliff edge. Architect Wardle; Project team John Wardle, James Loder, Chloe Lanser, Diego Bekinschtein, Megan Fraser, Sumedha Dayaratne; Builder Spence Construction; Landscape construction; Brett Essing Landscapes; Building surveyor SWA; Civil, geotechnical and structural engineer Yttrup; Sustainability consultant Greensphere; Facade Inhabit; Hydraulic engineer Introba; Bushfire consultant South Coast Bushfire Consultants; Security Security Power; Custom bricks Krause Bricks; Custom timber dining table Sawdust Bureau (FOOTNOTES) (1) The NGV Contemporary competition proposal was produced by a collaborative team led by Wardle, with Oculus, Pierce Widera, Searle × Waldron Architecture, Hecker Guthrie, Hodyl and Co., Atelier Ten, WSP, Steensen Varming, Studio Ongarato, Phillip Chun, L’Observatoire International, Mott MacDonald, Inhabit Group, Marshall Day, Greenshoot and Greenaway Architects, and RLB. shingles veil the service core and plant equipment, including a heat-exchange water system and solar panels. Craftsmanship and collaboration On the first floor, a compact study projects over the stair and then compresses in section to create an intimate, nook-like volume beneath the roofline. On a low shelf, Wardle has assembled a collection of models, objects, prototypes, and material fragments picked up on travels. From here, the first floor extends out to a secondary living space and two bedrooms. Modest in scale, these spaces are also orientated around views and site-responsive collaborations: a steel fireplace with custom elements in the living room, handdyed indigo curtains in the bedrooms, and a curiously shaped terracotta bathtub in the ensuite. Alongside are moments for art, including work by another regular collaborator, Natasha JohnsMessenger (Somewhere Other, 2018). At Burnt Earth, every moment is imbued with an opportunity to work with a fabricator, maker or artist in creative exchange. Wardle takes delight in surrounding himself with objects, materials and artworks that tell stories of a shared commitment to invention and ideas. A final case in point: on the northern terrace, the table reappears as a device for memory and an architectural homage, of sorts. On a recent visit to Can Lis – Jørn Utzon’s own family home in Mallorca – Wardle was struck by Utzon’s inventiveness with standard architectural components and materials. Utzon’s design for his home’s outdoor dining table resonated for its qualities of directness yet craftsmanship. Here, working again with Lloyd, Wardle reinterprets the colour, pattern and texture of Utzon’s tiled surfaces to create his own table. Wardle is passionate and relentless (knowingly so) in his pursuit of collaborative making. Within his practice, he constantly pushes the boundaries of material invention. At Anglesea, he has created the space and conditions to embrace, enable and, at times, challenge the minds and hands of many. As a result, Burnt Earth Beach House is a personal ode to his creative relationships and experiences: memories of childhood on the Bellarine Peninsula; his long partnership with Susan; his growing multigenerational family; and the creative collaborations and enduring friendships that have resulted in a collection that is as personal as it is extensive. — Fleur Watson is an associate professor in the School of Architecture and Urban Design, RMIT University, and founder of curatorial practice Something Together. She is the author of The New Curator: Exhibiting Architecture and Design (Routledge) and the series editor of Editions: Australian Architecture Monographs (Thames and Hudson). 68 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

PRESENTED BY For partnership opportunities, to purchase tickets and to register for updates visit: designspeaks.com.au Upcoming Events. The Architecture Symposium: Readymade Melbourne, 2 August 2024 Retrofit, re-use and replicable strategies for housing. Curated by Jennie Officer (Officer Woods Architects) and Nigel Bertram (NMBW Architecture Studio). The Architecture Symposium Brisbane, 11 October 2024 Giving voice to Australia’s world-class architects. ArchitectureAU Asks Adelaide, 8 November 2024 Industry leaders respond to a provocation. Will their differing points of view deliver a real-world solution? The Architecture Symposium: An/Other City Sydney, 29 November 2024 Giving voice to Australia’s world-class architects. Curated by Andrew Burges (Andrew Burges Architects) and Maryam Gusheh (Monash University).

Australian Institute of Architects’ 2024 National Prizes 71 (72) Gold Medal (73) National President’s Prize (74) Paula Whitman Leadership in Gender Equity Prize (74) Leadership in Sustainability Prize (75) Neville Quarry Architectural Education Prize (75) Student Prize for the Advancement of Architecture (76) Dulux Study Tour

(GOLD MEDAL) Philip Thalis The Gold Medal is the Australian Institute of Architects’ highest honour. It recognises distinguished service by architects who have designed or executed buildings of high merit, produced work of great distinction resulting in the advancement of architecture, or endowed the profession of architecture in a distinguished manner. The Gold Medal for 2024 has been awarded to Philip Thalis, founding principal of Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects. A graduate of Sydney University, Thalis was awarded a scholarship to the Paris Belleville Architecture School to complete his Urban Design Masters in 1988. In 1999, he obtained a master’s degree in architecture from RMIT University, with a thesis titled “The appropriateness of the contemporary Australian dwelling.” With more than 30 years of experience across a broad spectrum of architecture and urban projects, his contributions include public lectures, conference papers, and teaching on a wide range of environmental and design issues. His book Public Sydney: Drawing the City, co-authored with Peter John Cantrill and published in 2013, owes much to Thalis’s extensive knowledge of Sydney’s architecture and urban history. A respected public figure, Thalis served as an independent councillor for the City of Sydney between 2016 and 2021. Thalis’s work demonstrates the value of research to not only built projects but also their underpinnings, such as precinct planning, urban design, typology, heritage and advocacy. Extending beyond the theoretical, this research points to a rigorous and wholistic design sensibility and reinforces the need for critical urban thinking in all Australian cities at a time of increasing growth and density. A vocal and public figure, Thalis has combined excellence in design through leadership of his practice, Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects, with policy and advocacy for the built environment, as an elected independent councillor with City of Sydney (2016–2021). It is this capacity to span both private and public arenas that places Thalis in a pivotal position within the practice of architecture. Further, his contribution to research on Sydney’s architectural history and his ongoing commitment to teaching consolidate his all-round exceptional leadership in our field. An urbanist at heart, Thalis demonstrates how a higherdensity future can also yield a quality public realm and civic opportunity. His design thinking is effective across all scales: from the joy of a light-filled and affordable dwelling interior through to precinct formation and masterplanning. Through well-chosen typologies and high levels of amenity over flamboyant style and empty icons, his work relates people with each other and with place. His active promotion of the culture of architecture and city-making stands as a beacon and shows a rarely matched dedication to the public realm. As Australia learns to lean in to the density dictated by the current housing affordability and climate crisis, and we become more reliant on public spaces as community living rooms, there is much to be learned from Thalis’s approach. His work in Linking Canberra to the Lake, the Escarpment Boardwalk and Lennox Bridge at Parramatta shows how a dexterous, light hand can achieve a new level of connectivity and restore our relationship with place. Using architectural knowledge as an instrument of change and a force for good in our cities and suburbs, Thalis is a role model for the architect as a public intellectual. (JURY) Stuart Tanner FRAIA (Chair) – National President, Australian Institute of Architects | Tanner Architects Shannon Battisson LFRAIA – Immediate Past President, Australian Institute of Architects | The Mill: Architecture and Design Brit Andresen LFRAIA | The University of Queensland Alec Tzannes LFRAIA | Tzannes Kerstin Thompson AM LFRAIA | Kerstin Thompson Architects (PHOTOGRAPHER) Nic Walker 72 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

The National President’s Prize recognises an individual’s contribution to the advancement of architecture in any significant way, other than through architectural design, practice or education. The 2024 recipient of the National President’s prize is Naomi Milgrom AC. Milgrom stands as one of our profession’s greatest supporters, advocating tirelessly for art, architecture and design excellence in the public realm. Her identification of the value of design for everyone, and her recognition that a work does not need to be understood to move us, is critical to furthering the discourse of architecture. The MPavilion commission, an initiative made possible by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, continues to explore the highest levels of design philosophy through engagement with some of the world’s most eminent practitioners, and it shares this exploration with the public through the fabrication of the pavilions and the experiences offered by the program. The series exemplifies Milgrom’s dedication to the crucial role that sophisticated design philosophy and execution in the built context plays in broadening our perspectives. Through the cultural vehicle of the MPavilion program, we can experience built space and reasoning as one. Such a commitment to the intrinsic enrichment of art and design through architecture in a public setting is rare in Australia. Works such as MPavilion allow us space to contemplate. Like all great works of art, they provoke a higher sensation, raising our awareness of architecture as a transformative artefact. Milgrom’s many philanthropic projects span contemporary art, music, dance, fashion, culture science, education and women’s health. Among other eminent honours, her position as former chair of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art points to her belief in art and culture as pivotal to our country’s civic maturity. Through the execution of architecture in the public setting, Milgrom intrinsically enriches our country’s culture of art and design. It is with the greatest pleasure that I present her with the National President’s Prize for 2024. (NATIONAL PRESIDENT’S PRIZE) Naomi Milgrom (JURY) Stuart Tanner FRAIA – National President, Australian Institute of Architects | Tanner Architects (PHOTOGRAPHER) Georges Antoni 2024 National Prizes 73

(PAULA WHITMAN LEADERSHIP IN GENDER EQUITY PRIZE) Monica Edwards (LEADERSHIP IN SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE) Abbie Galvin and Paulo Macchia A mid-career architect practising in Sydney with a tremendous portfolio of significant, awarded projects, Monica Edwards has demonstrated a commitment to gender equity based on a top-down and a bottom-up approach. She was an inaugural member of the New South Wales Chapter’s Gender Equity Taskforce (GET) in 2011 and has continued to contribute as a member of the National Committee for Gender Equity. Edwards’ top-down work includes her impactful collaboration with the Champions of Change Coalition. As an Implementation Leader and Specialist Advisor with the Champions of Change Architecture Group, she was central in developing toolkits for flexibility in practice; providing a generous, non-gendered parental leave scheme; developing programs for mentoring and sponsorship; addressing sexual discrimination; recognising domestic and family violence as a workplace issue; and building frameworks that ensure a diverse talent pipeline. Her work with the Champions and GET resulted in collaborations with Parlour that have helped to radically alter practice across Australia. As an architect in practice, Edwards has taken a bottom-up approach to building workplace policy that is fair and practical. Through small, incremental moves over a long period, she has helped to reframe the way we deliver architecture, resulting in women’s representation at every level of leadership. Edwards has worked consistently as a tutor at UTS, and as a researcher and writer. The jury was particularly impressed by the span of her contributions, and her determination to push the ball forward within practice, as a mentor, as a teacher and as a policymaker. The Government Architect NSW team, led by Abbie Galvin and Paulo Macchia, has showcased exceptional leadership in all aspects of sustainability. Their display of courage and leadership in implementing sustainable practices and policies aligns with the broader governmental principles. This achievement not only demonstrates their commitment to environmental stewardship but also serves as an inspiration for others striving for sustainable development and progressive urban strategy. This team has worked closely with the NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) team to establish a bold and elegant method of standardising the measurement of embodied carbon – the foundational step to solving the carbon problem. By exercising judicious soft power with wisdom and perseverance, Abbie Galvin, Paulo Macchia and team – especially Jillian Hopkins and Lucy Rimmer – have ensured that leading planning reform was not lost. Instead, they carefully wove it into a new form, delivering national leadership as New South Wales became the first state to require architects and developers to calculate the embodied carbon in their designs. (JURY) Peter Hobbs LFRAIA (Chair) | Peter Hobbs Architect Marika Neustupny | National Gender Equity Committee Chair, Australian Institute of Architects Tiffany Liew | National EmAGN President, Australian Institute of Architects Thomas Huntingford | National SONA President, Australian Institute of Architects Maryam Gusheh | Parlour representative (JURY) Stuart Tanner FRAIA (Chair) – National President, Australian Institute of Architects | Tanner Architects Sander de Vries RAIA | National Practice Committee Chair, Australian Institute of Architects Caroline Pidcock FRAIA | Pidcock Architecture and Sustainability Tamara Veltre | Breathe 74 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

(NEVILLE QUARRY ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION PRIZE) Simon Anderson (STUDENT PRIZE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF ARCHITECTURE) Hudson Smith Simon Anderson’s contribution to architectural education over a 34-year-long career is undeniable. His dedication to his students and their learning, alongside a substantial publication record, has made him one of Australia’s preeminent architectural educators. He has mentored countless emerging practitioners in the process. From 2010 to 2016, Anderson served as the dean of the faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts at the University of Western Australia, overseeing the transition of the faculty into the UWA School of Design. In this role, he pioneered the development of the practitioner–academic model of university tenure, reflecting his own substantial contribution across the domains of practice, teaching and research. An internationally cited academic, Anderson shows that his commitment to the profession extends to aiding work and advising the government of New South Wales. As well as being an accomplished professional, Anderson cares deeply about the careers and wellbeing of others. It is this eminent and sustained devotion to the profession that makes him the worthy recipient of the 2024 Neville Quarry Architectural Education Prize. Hudson Smith has demonstrated an outstanding capacity for leadership through his involvement in specific, highly effective student initiatives such as Occupy, the 2022 Australasian Student Architecture Congress. Further, his ability to bring his fellow students together for meaningful and productive exchange suggests a strong understanding of the importance of collaboration within the architectural profession. Smith’s impressive application across a wide spectrum of activities demonstrates a rarely matched commitment to the student membership and the broader profession, and a breadth and depth of intelligence. His relaxed, friendly character brings people together while his articulateness enables him to communicate the task at hand. Excellent organisational abilities enable Smith to bring a potency and effectiveness to initiatives such as the BRUCE student architecture society. His grit and drive create momentum on issues that matter, and these efforts are likely to continue to extend the reach of architecture into the future. His kind, perceptive and straightforward approach is instrumental to his efficacy, and we look forward to seeing his impact on the profession in the years ahead. (JURY) Stuart Tanner FRAIA (Chair) – National President, Australian Institute of Architects | Tanner Architects Kirstie Coultas FRAIA | National Education Committee Chair, Australian Institute of Architects John Doyle | President, Association of Architecture Schools of Australasia Thomas Huntingford | National SONA President, Australian Institute of Architects Sue Savage | Adjunct Professor, School of Architecture and Built Environment, Queensland University of Technology (JURY) Stuart Tanner FRAIA – National President, Australian Institute of Architects | Tanner Architects Kirstie Coultas FRAIA – National Education Committee Chair, Australian Institute of Architects Jennifer Officer RAIA – Officer Woods Architects Thomas Huntingford – National SONA President, Australian Institute of Architects 2024 National Prizes 75

(DULUX STUDY TOUR) Simona Falvo In her influential role as a design educator, Simona Falvo imparts not only technical skills but also a comprehensive understanding of the prospects and challenges awaiting her students as they enter the architectural profession. Her dedication to nurturing intellectual rigour in her practice and among her students reflects her commitment to cultivating a mindset that values critical thinking, creativity and attention to detail. Falvo’s ability to bridge the gap between architectural practice and education, facilitated by her involvement in the Study Tour, will contribute to the holistic development of future architects. It will inspire students, allowing them to witness the dynamic interplay between theory and practice, empowering them to become well-rounded professionals poised to tackle the challenges and shape the future of the architectural landscape. (DULUX STUDY TOUR) Emma Chrisp Emma Chrisp’s awareness of the potential for connection and wellbeing through spatial design and architecture is a pivotal attribute. Her understanding of the potency of thoughtful and considered environments demonstrates an intellectual awareness of how people are moved by architecture. Her strong people-focused approach is a key component of her commitment to quality, enriching outcomes. Her willingness to impart knowledge via the observation and assessment process was evident in her role as a juror for the Victorian Architecture Awards in 2023. Emma’s involvement with practice in predominantly educational projects has given her an excellent understanding of what makes good space for people. Her burgeoning thinking around how cities might become more community-focused is highly relevant in societies grappling with exponential growth and climate change. Dulux Study Tour (DULUX STUDY TOUR) Jamileh Jahangiri As the founder of Studio Orsi, a research- and design-focused architectural studio based in Seaforth, New South Wales, and a sessional academic at the University of Sydney, Jamileh Jahangiri has made significant contributions to the architectural profession in Sydney and beyond. Having completed her bachelor’s degree at the University College of Omran and Toseeh (UCOT) in Iran, and her master’s of architecture at the University of Sydney, she has practised in Iran with Maher and Associates, and in Australia with Gran Associates, TKD Architects and Cox, where she was project lead. In 2023, Jahangiri was appointed as the Australian Institute of Architects’ Alternative Council Member to the International Union of Architects – Region IV. She has also been an active member on the Institute’s National Climate Action and Sustainability Committee, Sustainability Working Group, NSW Cities Committee, and EmAGN NSW, as well as the Northern Beaches Council – Strategic Reference Group. Through her teaching and numerous published works, Jahangiri supports and nurtures future built-environment professionals. 76 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

(JURY) Stuart Tanner FRAIA – National President, Australian Institute of Architects | Tanner Architects Anna Svensdotter PhD Associate RAIA – Australian Institute of Architects representative Pete Wood – National Commercial Business Manager, Dulux Christina Earls – Colour and Commercial Marketing Manager, Dulux Edwina Brisbane – National EmAGN President representative Katy Moir RAIA – Previous Dulux Study Tour recipient (DULUX STUDY TOUR) Flynn Carr As a generalist architect based out of Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Flynn Carr has put into practice his passion for addressing inequality, cultural issues and climate change in remote communities. Carr studied architecture at the University of South Australia, achieving a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. He completed a student internship at Foster and Partners, London before relocating to Alice Springs in 2016 to work with Susan Dugdale and Associates. While progressing from graduate architect to project architect and now associate at the practice, Carr has made significant contributions to several projects in Central Australia, including the Akeyulerre Healing Centre, the Northern Territory government’s Room to Breathe remote housing program, and the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Aboriginal Corporation (Congress) Health Hub. As an active member of the Northern Territory Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects and NT EmAGN, and an elected NT Chapter Councillor advocating for Alice Springs, Carr promotes conversations regarding regional and remote architecture through his practice and continuing professional development. (DULUX STUDY TOUR) Mike Sneyd Working in the remote, hot and highly sensitive environment of the Kimberley, Mike Sneyd has shown resourcefulness and inventiveness to arrive at solutions that create social uplift in regional communities. He understands that the primary responsibility of architecture is to people. Sneyd’s recognition of the vital intersection between architecture in the Kimberley and First Nations cultural exchange is clear in his healthcare project work and his involvement on regional advisory groups. His dedication to the profession is evident in his commitment to resourceful and people-centred development, despite the challenges of tight budgets and a volatile climate. Although Sneyd’s work occurs in an isolated context, its broader impetus is instructive for the entire profession: observing the absence of community amenity and then initiating a solution is both generous and courageous. 2024 National Prizes 77

2024 Gold Medallist Philip Thalis Believing that public space is the physical embodiment of a democratic society, Philip Thalis has worked fearlessly to enrich our cities, offering elegant and replicable solutions to an array of wicked urban problems. 79 (PHOTOGRAPH) Nic Walker

(WRITER) Ken Maher Philip Thalis is a remarkable architect whose practice has been architecture as the art of city-making. In his momentous co-authored book Public Sydney: Drawing the City, he observed: “Making the city is one of humanity’s longest and most patient undertakings, and the public elements are the most stable within it.”1 It has been my great pleasure and privilege to have known Philip as a colleague and a friend for much of his professional life. He is rare in the comprehensive reach of his cultural and architectural interests, and the impacts these have had on the design of many Australian cities. Since he was a young graduate, he has shared his thoughtful insights and infectious optimism about architecture with me. He has always had an intensity of purpose, yet a beguiling charm, warmth and gentle humour. Philip’s passion for city-making emerged when he was a student. In 1985, following graduation, he joined McConnel Smith and Johnson’s masterplan design team for Darling Harbour in preparation for the 1988 Australian Bicentenary. Disillusioned by the approach of the Darling Harbour Authority and its focus on developing a precinct isolated from its city context – and excluding housing – he resigned and joined Ken Maher and Partners. There, where he contributed to urban and public housing projects for several years, his intellect, discipline, curiosity and emerging design talent became clear. Slipping away from the office in lunch breaks to distribute pamphlets, he made his first foray into urban activism as co-founder of Sydney Citizens Against the Monorail. Perhaps Philip’s early interest in the city and urban design, which was not common in young architects at the time, could be attributed to his Greek and French heritage. It is unsurprising that he chose to study and work in Paris, graduating in 1991 from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville with a Certificat d’études approfondies en architecture (CEAA). He studied under Bernard Huet, Bruno Fortier and Jean-Louis Cohen while working in leading French practices Yves Lion and Paul Chemetov, gaining a holistic and long-term theoretical framework that informed his understanding of cities in a historical and cultural context. On his return to Sydney in 1989, Philip developed his interest in housing and urban projects in the offices of Howard Tanner and Conybeare Morrison. In 1991, I collaborated with Philip, Peter John Cantrill and Everard Kloots to win the Royal Australian Institute of Architects’ Woolloomooloo Wharf Ideas Competition. Influenced by Philip’s Paris experience, the design extended the focus beyond the wharf to subtle yet transformative interventions within the adjacent urban fabric of Woolloomooloo. For Philip, this was the first of many competition successes that distilled ideas for enriching the city. In establishing Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects in 1992 with his partner Sarah Hill, Philip committed very deliberately to focusing on “urban projects” and the key urban challenge of housing. His mode of practice, which continues today, was a studio-based collaborative informed by thoughtful research and engagement with academia. His design approach has been incisive yet evolutionary, drawing on a wide range of influences, including historical precedent as well as writings of theorists and practitioners. The practice had early success when, in 1992, Hill Thalis with Cantrill, David Haertsch, Peter McGregor, Phillip Arnold and Malcolm Utley jointly won the national competition for the Sydney Olympic Village at Homebush Bay. The project was handed THE CITY AS ARCHITECTURAL LABORATORY 1 2 3 80 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

was evident. Although the politics of the Olympics made this difficult to achieve, Philip took the opportunity to redress this in 2003 with the Sydney Olympic Park 2025 Vision Plan (with Tony Caro Architecture and Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture). Philip has an outstanding record of teaching in architecture and urban design, particularly during the 12 years he led programs at UTS with Cantrill. Together, they were able to investigate issues of city and civic design that shaped the careers of numerous students and influenced the future of the city. The pair’s research into the city as a laboratory formed the basis of Public Sydney, a publication of great significance for the precision of its mapping and recording of public spaces and public buildings. Philip’s thinking about city-making is revealed in his opening essay, “The public project.” His positive influence on the discipline and the city’s future continues through his current role as professor of practice in the UNSW School of Built Environment. Philip’s preoccupation with the complexity of urban projects demonstrates the importance of strategic thinking, research and a deep knowledge of the evolution of cities. His work also benefits from his commitment to maintaining a consistently small team enhanced by a broadly based collaboration ethic. This is evident in his shared open studio. His distinct lack of ego and total focus on the project has resulted in close engagement with colleagues on many projects, including his friend and landscape architect Jane Irwin of Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture (JILA). His contribution has extended far beyond Sydney through innovative urban over to a developer-led consortium, but Philip’s resilience remained unaffected. In 1995, both Philip and I were appointed to a design team led by Lawrence Nield – with Andrew Andersons, Daryl Conybeare and Oi Choong – to prepare the Sydney Olympic Park Master Plan. Here, Philip’s singular determination to focus on the long-term benefits of the precinct and its contribution to the life of greater Sydney During postgraduate studies in Paris, Philip found a way to feed his real hunger for cities. Inspired to gain knowledge of European public spaces, he attended Jean Louis Cohen’s courses and studied with Bruno Fortier, who was in the midst of making his Atlas de Paris. I imagine these experiences fuelled Philip’s remarkable work (with Peter John Cantrill) Public Sydney: Drawing the City. Philip worked at Yves Lion’s office, as well as mine. I have fond memories of long drives together around Paris, with Philip always getting into the wrong side of the Citroën DS! — Francis Nordemann Architect and urbanist As professor of practice in architecture at UNSW Sydney, Philip leads the capstone “urban studio” for our thirdyear students. The brief he developed, which challenges students to design a new library – creating a “vibrant and dynamic place for the whole community ... above all, the building should convey the characteristics of a public place in the city” – encapsulates his values and approach. There is no greater advocate for the societal benefit of generous public architecture in Australia. Not only an accomplished architect and urbanist, with an innate knowledge of Sydney’s public realm, Philip is also an inspiring and generous teacher to the next generation of architects. Our students are incredibly lucky to learn from him. — Philip Oldfield UNSW Built Environment Philip embodies the spirit of architecture. Ultimately urban, he has influenced the profession and generations of students through his articulation of the city as a complex, layered creation, and a construct of political making. He writes, he advocates, he makes. He rallies us to be detectives, uncovering the signature of the past in our present-day city, always building on solid discipline knowledge – his own is astounding. He inspires us, always working with care for the individual, towards the greater good of the collective. — Rachel Neeson Former student, former employee, colleague and friend 4 5 2024 Gold Medallist 81

(FOOTNOTES) (1) Philip Thalis and Peter John Cantrill, Public Sydney: Drawing the City (Sydney: Sydney Living Museums, 2013). (2) This project has since been altered unsympathetically. planning strategies, including a seminal City of Adelaide plan, and influential masterplanning and public space design in Canberra. Notable Sydney works range from modest projects, such as the elegantly sited canopy and reclaimed bay at Pyrmont’s Pirrama Park (with Aspect Studios and CAB Consulting), and the subtle interventions and connections of Lennox Bridge Portals in Parramatta (with Design 5);2 to the 2003 UNSW Master Plan (with Sue Holliday); and the sadly unrealised 2006 competitionwinning East Darling Harbour (Barangaroo) proposal (with Paul Berkemeier and JILA), which would have unified the city grid with the harbour. Canberra has also benefited from the practice’s transformative thinking and collaborations with JILA. The transition of Constitution Avenue from highway to grand urban boulevard reclaims the Griffins’ original vision, while the urban and public space design for a housing precinct at Campbell (with Cardno and JILA) skilfully knits together the formal landscape of Anzac Parade with the adjacent 1970s suburb to form a cohesive and legible neighbourhood. The ambitious Linking Canberra to the Lake project is also unrealised – yet it has defined a major repositioning of the city. Redressing the mistakes of postwar planning, with its sad legacy of freeways, carparks and blighted wastelands, this bold strategy reconnects the civic centre to the West Basin waterfront with a clear block structure and urbanity sympathetic to the Griffin legacy. Philip’s leadership in civic and design issues has been influential both within and well beyond the confines of his profession, reaching throughout the design sector and to the community at large. At another level of city-making, as a councillor for the City of Sydney, he served on numerous committees and lent much-needed expertise on matters of planning. Highly persuasive and effective in obtaining better public and design Hill Thalis’s significant work in Canberra recognises the enlightened foundations of the Griffin plan. Each project has a profoundly ethical basis – a strategic initiative to create a memorable and robust public domain that becomes the key structuring element of the place. In contested projects, such as Canberra’s Campbell Section 5, the practice has engendered broad community ownership and provided an armature for a range of environmental services and enhancements. Philip understands the long-term nature of city building: that the successful realisation of projects takes decades, and relies on constancy of leadership and trust. His advocacy and activism have been central to the creation of lasting places, connected and walkable, with an enduring framework that allows precincts to evolve and become more valued over time. — Ian Wood-Bradley ACT Suburban Land Agency Hill Thalis client In thinking about Philip Thalis’s great contribution to architecture, my mind wandered back to a letter from Professor Tomoya Masuda to our small team as we aspired to enter the competition for a new Parliament House. He discussed three points. The first was a question: “Isn’t architecture about implement without limit? But the notion of implement is about a transformation, at its heart.” The second was that we must listen to the silent voice of the earth with all of our heart and body. The third was an exhortation “to transfer all our sincerity and effort into the work itself. The more serious you are, the more serious your work will be; and the more dignified you are, the more dignified your work will be.” These three things may seem simple, but I think it will never be easy nor common to lay the life of an architect on them. Philip Thalis has indeed laid his life on them, and the quality of his contribution and that of his partner, Sarah Hill, along with their creative staff, has been inspirational. Philip went even further than Masuda Sensei’s points – he entered directly into the cauldron of the city’s politics. As an elected councillor of Clover Moore’s radical government, he gave us architects a firm creative voice right in the city’s heart. — Richard Leplastrier Architect outcomes on many major projects, he always acts with absolute integrity. Philip’s creative insight, relentless energy and tireless dedication to raising the standard of city-making, housing and urban projects in the public interest are exemplary. This, together with his many projects, publications, teaching and competition successes, has resulted in an enduring contribution to city-making across the profession, the industry and government. For this, I can think of no other colleague more deserving of recognition through the Gold Medal. — Ken Maher is a Hassell Fellow and an honorary professor in the UNSW School of Built Environment. He was the 2009 Institute of Architects’ Gold Medallist and is a past national and NSW Chapter president. (IMAGES) (1) Thalis has been a professor of practice in architecture at UNSW since 2017. (2) Pirrama Park, Pyrmont Point (2010, with Aspect Studios and CAB Consulting). Photograph: Adrian Boddy. (3) Acropolis Museum Competiton entry (1989, with Richard Francis-Jones). (4) Linking Canberra to the lake (2013, with JILA.) (5) Sydney Olympic Village (1992, drawing by Philip Thalis and Rod Simpson). (6) Campbell Section 5 and Hassett Park, ACT (2021, with JILA and Cardno). Photograph: Dianna Snape. 6 82 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

applicants to be bolder and more civicminded. He served on committees on Oxford Street and the Moore Park Stadium, and he was the City’s appointee to the Anzac Memorial Trust. He advocated for the establishment of the Design Advisory Panel Residential Sub-Committee to provide high-level independent expert advice on urban design, architecture, landscape architecture and sustainability for SEPP 65 and similar residential applications, to embed an expectation of design excellence and public benefit beyond the tentpole projects. As the chair of the Local Pedestrian, Cycling and Traffic Calming Committee (what other councils might call the Traffic Committee), PT’s guiding principle was that city streets are places for people, not roads for vehicles. “Public space is the physical embodiment of a democratic society,” PT reminds me, not for the first time. This speaks to the philosophy that underpins all his work: as an architect; in teaching, writing, and advocacy; on Council; and even in his social media posts. Philip sees design and architecture as a tool of democracy, and he challenges all of us who engage in shaping the city to rise to that responsibility. Whoever designs the agora shapes participation in the polis. Those who are heard, whose needs are prioritised, gain access to opportunity, to culture and to community – and vice versa. Centring the citizen, taking down fences, opening up the city, honouring the shared commons, providing for beauty and diversity and inclusion – this is the real work of the city-maker and the opportunity available in every intervention. If you’ve ever heard PT in full flight, you’ll know he can effortlessly extemporise on the long story of the city, peeling through the layers of was, could’ve and should’ve beens. It’s not to freeze the city in a moment in time, but to remember the battles that were fought, won and lost in order to learn from the past and build a vision for the future. He knows his history, but he’s not fighting yesterday’s battles. The public realm, civic infrastructure, good design and decent housing are rarely granted freely by the market or provided by the wisdom of planners or politicians; they are always fought for and hard-won by communities and advocates such as architects, artists and others. Today more than ever we need reminding that we must all play an active role in that continuing story. As a councillor, Philip was a vocal member of the Central Sydney Planning Committee, challenging both planners and (WRITER) Jess Scully If you’re counting your steps, find a way to spend a morning with Philip Thalis. PT is averaging 15,000 steps a day at the moment – enough to blow most of us sedentary slouches out of the water – but he’s not doing it purely for his health (or to pat every dog across six suburbs before lunchtime). Walking gives you the pace and perspective to notice changes in uses and across the seasons, to piece together the puzzle of each street and laneway and park, and to imagine the possibilities of a place. I think it’s one of the reasons PT has such an ingrained, intimate sense of the city, block by block, building by building. Between 2016 and 2021, Sydney was lucky to have Philip both talking the talk and walking the walk as a City of Sydney councillor, sharing his expertise, passion and remarkable intellect in service of a fairer city. A principled, progressive and persuasive voice, he elevated the discourse, and inspired communities and elected representatives alike to aim higher and think longer term. CITIZEN ARCHITECT AND LOCAL DEMOCRACY 1 2 2024 Gold Medallist 83

That sense of responsibility is evident in Philip’s lifelong passion for public housing. PT wrote his thesis on Millers Point, Australia’s first public housing site. He was a voice for justice as Sydney’s lord mayor, Clover Moore, and the community campaigned against the New South Wales government’s sell-off of public housing, tenant evictions and the conversion of the Sirius building to luxury apartments. Beyond public housing, PT questioned the systems and rules that rule out thoughtful urban solutions: to get them, we urgently need better housing models, and informed planning and assessment that prioritises positive social and environmental outcomes, rather than slavish adherence to the rule book. One of the things we’re proudest of in our work together on Council is establishing the Alternative Housing Ideas Challenge, an invitation to architects, planners and developers around the world to interrogate these limitations and help us imagine the possibilities beyond. In the spirit of the peripatetic philosophers, PT embodies the conviction that eudaimonia (not easily translatable from the Greek, but analogous to human flourishing) is achieved only when you give back and contribute to the polis. More of us need to walk the walk in his footsteps – to be willing to make a stand and use our own skills or expertise to fight for the right to the city to be enjoyed by everyone. — Over the past two decades, Jess Scully has worked as a festival director, policy adviser, cultural strategist, public art curator, magazine editor and radio host. She was a City of Sydney councillor with Philip Thalis from 2016 to 2023, and the deputy lord mayor from 2019 to 2022. She is a World Bank consultant on sustainable urbanism and a senior associate at the Sydney Policy Lab. Her first book is Glimpses of Utopia: Real Ideas for a Fairer World (2023). One of Sydney’s most eminent architects and urban designers, Philip served as a councillor at the City of Sydney from 2016 to 2021. With Philip as principal, Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects won an international design competition for Barangaroo (the New South Wales government eventually sold-out Thalis’s vision); framed the Sydney Green Games with a winning proposal for the Sydney Olympic Village; and helped to develop the City of Sydney’s first long-term vision since the 1970s, Sustainable Sydney 2030. Philip’s work and his passion have had a profound influence on Sydney and the lives of its people. — Clover Moore Lord Mayor of Sydney It has been a true pleasure and privilege to work with Philip and his practice over the last five years. His career-long passion and unrelenting pursuit to create better buildings, spaces, cities and communities with a mix of both instinct and technical rigour is truly extraordinary. Finally, what better way to show your passion and love for Sydney than turning it into a complex jigsaw puzzle! — Kyle Jeavons Hesperia Hill Thalis client 3 4 I have worked with Philip since 2003, when we were both SEPP 65 design review panel members in New South Wales. He taught me so much about the politics and power of public space. His architecture, urban design and heritage projects are significant; he’s a distinguished leader, teacher, writer and researcher; he’s ethical, generous and fearless; he listens and collaborates; and he advocates for the public and for quality places in our cities. His talents (along with his partner Sarah Hill and the very skilled team he has assembled) are underutilised in this country, where city-making, public infrastructure and social welfare would greatly benefit from such inspiring and distinguished expertise. — Kerry Clare, Clare Design Gold Medallist 2010 84 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

Campbells Cove pitt street loftus street young street phillip street macquarie street 7 george street north hickson road 3 Dawes point horse-ferry wharf syDney Cove CirCular quay royal botaniC garDen 14 15 16 17 18 19 alfred street albert street 31 30 32 33 1 tarpeian way bennelong point the Domain cahill expressway man o’ war steps 2 13 31 Despite Philip’s experience and position on Sydney City Council, he always made me feel like his equal colleague. We quickly bonded over dogs – he likes them fluffy, I like them more rugged. I learnt so much from him as a councillor – like that streets are for people, and how to use the word “philistine” in a sentence. Most of all, I learnt just how passionate and dedicated a person can be about designing a city for people. — Pamela Aleixo PA to Thalis at City of Sydney (IMAGES) (1) Thalis served as a councillor at the City of Sydney from 2016 to 2021. Photograph: Pamela Aleixo. (2) At the opening of Sydney’s rainbow crossing (2020). Photograph: City of Sydney. (3) With fellow City of Sydney councillors Jess Scully and Jess Miller, campaigning for increased social security payments (2019). Photograph: Pamela Aleixo. (4) Cloud Gate installation (2016, with Lindy Lee and JILA). Photograph: Dianna Snape. (5) East Darling Harbour (Barangaroo) model (2006). Photograph: Michael Nicholson. (6) Circular Quay, from Public Sydney: Drawing the City (Sydney Living Museums, 2013). Philip Thalis is a true urbanist. He is deeply knowledgeable about architecture and cities and urban morphology. An architect with a profound commitment to both history and present day, he has made a highly significant contribution to how we think about Sydney. Whilst the detail of individual buildings fascinates him, I believe his biggest legacy is in thinking about Sydney as a whole urban environment through years of practice, teaching and writing. I worked with him as the institutional publisher at Historic Houses Trust of the award-winning Public Sydney: Drawing the City. A remarkable book, it was indeed a labour of love for Philip, and distilled decades of expertise. — Caroline Butler-Bowdon State Librarian, New South Wales As my tutor when I was a student at Sydney University in 1993, Philip permanently changed the way I thought about architecture. The possibility that there was architecture without an “-ism” attached – one that could instead combine the past, the present and the future simultaneously – was a revelation. I see now that Philip, together with Peter John Cantrill, was championing an architecture of the polis – buildings that collectively add up to create a better community or city state. I think about Philip often. His Instagram posts relentlessly pop up on my phone. Elegantly revealing another Calvino-like chapter of our Invisible City, they are a reminder that I should be out doing my job as a photographer – not trying to finish his jigsaw of Sydney on my dining room table. Thank you, Philip. You’ve changed both me and the city. — Brett Boardman Photographer 5 6 2024 Gold Medallist 85

TWEET AND THE STREET: AN INTERVIEW WITH PHILIP THALIS MARYAM GUSHEH You have a lively social media presence, on Instagram and Twitter (now X, sadly). Scrolling through your posts is a lot like walking around Sydney with you: curious, attentive, sharing your knowledge about urban formation and character, pointing out oddities, facts and figures, systems, details, hidden gems, topographical clues, favourite works, new discoveries – and in almost all cases with a view to their strategic relevance. There are exemplars: what has been, is being, done well, effectively, inventively. There are also bold criticisms of design and policy shortfalls, urban inequities and erosions – travesties! In these posts, your voice as an architect and critic appears as one. You leverage your knowledge and informed observations about the city to advocate for, and serve, the public good. What is it about such social media platforms that attracts you? PHILIP THALIS Every detail of the city is a conscious decision that’s been argued for and chosen. There are no accidents but plenty of mistakes. So, in our job as architects, observation and curiosity are critical. Professor Peter Johnson used to tell a great story about Professor Leslie Wilkinson [founding dean of the faculty of architecture at University of Sydney]. When Wilkinson encountered students reading the paper on the tram on their way to university, he would clutch the paper and say: “You should be looking out the window and observing the world.” For me, it’s about reading the city like a book. And it’s about communicating with the broader public, which we do poorly as a profession. I have accumulated all this material through years of teaching, research, work and looking – social media presents another opportunity to transmit this knowledge to a broader public, to build a culture of architecture and city-making. MG I thought we could use a selection of your posts as prompts to discuss your approach and priorities. Let’s start with a relatively rare and extraordinary biographical note – a spirited portrait of your mother Jacqueline, posted on her 100th birthday! Your parents were first-generation migrants, coming from multicultural Alexandria and war-ravaged Europe. Growing up, did you feel connected to their heritage and culture? Experiences of war, displacement, migration? Their cosmopolitanism? Has their experience been significant to your humanist point of view and advocacy for an inclusive and heterogeneous city? PT Yes, certainly. They both spoke four or more languages. My mother had a master’s degree (INTERVIEWER) Maryam Gusheh hillthalisaup 601 LIKES hillthalisaup 423 LIKES hillthalisaup Happy 100 birthday today to my mother! Here she was last year celebrating her 99th birthday. What a life she’s had... more View all 102 comments 14 SEPTEMBER 2020 86 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

hillthalisaup 234 LIKES in literature and philosophy which wasn’t recognised in Australia for decades. As it happens, I was sorting through her papers last night and discovered a substantial folder of decades of rejections by the Department of Education. So, over dinner growing up, this sort of discussion was common. And for my mother, these injustices towards migrant working women were sharply felt. [She wanted to] combat the prejudices, the discrimination. MG It’s the 1980s. Your fluency in French takes you to Paris in your year out from university and subsequently to a master’s in “Urban Architecture” at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Your study and work there consolidated your interest in a complementary relationship between architecture and city-making. What is the role of urban research in this creative process? How do you move from urban analysis to architectural design? Or are they synonymous? PT My master’s course was shaped around the work of Bernard Huet and Bruno Fortier, and their knowledge and love of the city and city-making. At the same time, I worked with committed modernists in Paul Chemetov and Yves Lion. Jean-Louis Cohen was also an important figure, bridging the two approaches. It was such a stimulating period and I was exposed to contrasting perspectives, but I never saw them in opposition. It was different sides of one complex story, of how to make architecture in the city, and resolve the good and the bad of the modernist project. Sometimes, my interest in urban history is miscategorised; the key point is that urban research is the process of city-making. It’s the process by which we understand the forces that have shaped the city, many of which remain alive today and in which we are participating. You discern and identify the good projects and (through design) amplify these strengths, while correcting the fault lines and mitigating bad tendencies. My time in Paris emphasised the longterm project of city-making, a characteristic that is underestimated in our newer cities in Australia. MG Public Sydney as a puzzle! Look closely at urban clues and along the way you will find many urban treasures! Your book Public Sydney was the culmination of years of painstaking research on Sydney’s most significant public buildings and spaces. There is so much about this book that I would like to discuss – your definition of public space, the importance of your long-term collaboration with Peter John Cantrill, your research approach through studio teaching (in this case hundreds of students), the role of drawing in research and analysis – so much! For the sake of space, I’d like to focus on civic expression – the vigour with which public buildings and infrastructure announce themselves. How significant is an exuberant civic expression for engaged and inclusive public space? PT I often say public space is a physical representation of democratic society. Public architecture is therefore absolutely fundamental to the civic and democratic character of the city. That’s why they matter so much. The other important aspect of public architecture, as you can see from the example of Darlinghurst Courthouse, is its enduring qualities, as fixed points of reference in a city – yet that doesn’t mean that they’re ossified. Aldo Rossi talked about propelling and pathological urban artefacts, and Darlinghurst Courthouse is an absolutely fantastic propelling urban 238 LIKES hillthalisaup Time travel; Working & studying in Paris in late 80’s, was fascinated by then just completed Institute of Arab World... more View all 22 comments 29 APRIL 2020 hillthalisaup hillthalisaup 234 LIKES hillthalisaup #publicsydney the jigsaw! Hot off the plane, first try in our office right now, so there goes the afternoon... more View all 18 comments 11 DECEMBER 2020 2024 Gold Medallist 87

artefact in that it’s grown as the city and its public spaces have grown around it. It may well change use in the future – hopefully to a public gallery, perhaps as part of the National Art School – just as the governor’s stables transformed into the Conservatorium of Music and a functional wharf into a fabulous theatre. These seemingly incongruous changes abound: the Rum Hospital is now the New South Wales Parliament. They give the lie to functionalist rhetoric which people from the modernist era were brought up with. What you find out is that the buildings are more important than the program and that if the buildings are memorable enough, they can adapt. It comes down to what I call “public imagination,” realised through the skill of the architect. MG Here’s a post from your #SydneyTerraceHouse series. You often draw on your understanding of urban organisation and form, and your prolific knowledge of Sydney, to highlight inventive modifications of generic urban types and rational systems according to local conditions. Local factors can include urban geometry and landform, as you illustrate in this post on Liverpool Street Terraces, or other salient variables, from geology and hydrology to planning, and cultural and political protocols. Am I right in thinking that for you, these localisations help shape distinctive qualities of place – the character of cities? Is this tension between the systematic and the particular important to your own creative method? PT My interest is in urban housing more generally. Let’s look at terrace housing beyond their picturesque qualities. We need to be more discerning about terraces – after all, they were the project homes of the nineteenth century, often jerry-built. Nonetheless, they are an interesting model of urbanity, and they are very much a material fact of Sydney – they negotiate Sydney’s difficult topography and the quirks of historic subdivisions. Therefore, they are so instantly different to the Melbourne terrace. Brisbane, in contrast, largely skipped the terrace type, so it is important to go beyond rote learning to understand the characteristic elements of each city. What amazes me about this example in Liverpool Street is how these terraces have managed to slope, fan, step and negotiate the bend and a narrowing in the street while still building a continuous row – and on both sides of the street! No one thinks of the terrace house as being able to do that. I would implicitly call this Urban Architecture. It’s a skilful demonstration of using architecture to negotiate and amplify the urban situation – the practical solving of plan and section in relation to the urban character. In our work, we enjoy these sorts of challenges. MG Multiple-housing commissions have been important to your practice and have given you the opportunity to imaginatively and persuasively challenge the status quo. From low-cost housing models to the intensification of tight urban sites to adaptive reuse, you have resolved tough constraints to deliver dignified housing via literate works of urbanism. You have worked well with smaller and mid-scale builder/developers who appreciate the value-add of strategic design, and you have battled for regulatory approvals to achieve better diversity and measured densification. These projects have been hard-won and speak to your commitment to quality housing as a fundamental right to the city. For quite some time, you have advocated for procurement and policy reform in the housing sector. What role do you see for architects in mitigating the current crisis? 180 LIKES hillthalisaup #SydneyTerraceHouses Remarkable staggered rows of terrace houses on either side of Liverpool St, at top end in Paddington... more View all 8 comments 10 SEPTEMBER 2019 hillthalisaup hillthalisaup 284 LIKES hillthalisaup L+E Court win #3, also in Double Bay. After slow planning assessment, actually recommended for approval, but Local Planning... more View all 12 comments 18 DECEMBER 2022 hillthalisaup 128 LIKES 88 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

488 LIKES hillthalisaup #sydneyapartmentbuildings A favourite for many; “Chilterns” mini Unite d’Habitation facing Rose Bay... more View all 8 comments 14 APRIL 2021 hillthalisaup PT Certain cities are characterised by one type of housing. Athens is a case in point, where one postwar apartment type dominates. The same goes for Haussmann’s Paris, which also adopted a uniform type, and it’s similar in Chinese cities. In the twentyfirst century city, we need a diversity of models and types, enabling a heterogeneous city. We need to look forward in time and space, not just backwards. Urban planning is too often represented by the regressive banality of zoning, or by urban theories such as dull-witted contextualism. They are dead ends that entrench an anti-urban status quo. As architects, we need to champion good housing design, based on our accumulated knowledge drawn from centuries of great models in a range of cities from around the world. We must master the quantities intrinsic to urban housing and transform them through design into living qualities. Allied to our typological flexibility to deal with the vagaries of any given site, we need to be able to project positive models for an evolving urbanity. MG Your practice commenced in 1992 in partnership with Sarah Hill, and early competitions with Richard Frances-Jones, Peter John Cantrill and Rod Simpson and others were significant. You have continued collaborative projects within and outside your practice. And you have made a substantial contribution to architectural education, encouraging and supervising urban research by some of Sydney’s now most respected practitioners – Camilla Block, Elizabeth Carpenter, Angelo Korsanos and Rachel Neeson, with Rachel and Angelo later working with you at Hill Thalis. Long-term colleagues – Kerry Hunter, Laura Harding, Sheila Tawalo – have been vital. Here are two posts from the #architects and their buildings series. Your posts commonly highlight achievements by your colleagues and peers. Can you discuss your role as mentor, collaborator and participant within this engaged community? PT The early years of our practice were challenging, and we struggled to build anything – certainly anything of quality. We were just scrambling to find projects. (Still scrambling!) So, teaching was important, and competitions were, to some extent, helpful in establishing a reputation. Many people use Instagram primarily to promote their work – that’s not for me. I am much more interested in growing a culture of architecture and very happy to celebrate the great works of my colleagues. I think we should be much more generous and collegiate. We need to explain to a wider public the qualities of good architecture – we vacate the field to others like real estate agents at our peril. I think that communication and persuasion are a vital part of our societal role as architects. It’s in all our interests to build a richer, broader conception of architectural culture. MG Vale Jack Mundey, indefatigable advocate, and concept design for a casino! There is a paucity of Australian architects willing to speak up in defence of the public realm with the conviction and colour of your friend and mentor Jack Mundey. To run an architectural practice and at the same time critique the forces by which the city takes shape – it’s risky and takes courage. You, along with Hill Thalis colleague Laura Harding, have been exceptions. Your bold criticism of the privatisation of Barangaroo – to take just one example – has been blistering (and in this case also hilarious!). How has your vocal advocacy impacted your practice? How do you negotiate or integrate the two? hillthalisaup 256 LIKES hillthalisaup 207 LIKES hillthalisaup Architects & their buildings 1; #chenchowlittle in front of their first apartment building in the Lachlan Precinct @ Green Sq. The... more View all 5 comments 2 APRIL 2019 2024 Gold Medallist 89

PT I knew Jack Mundey for over 30 years – he delighted in teasing me, as he teased most architects. He was an indefatigable fighter for a fairer, better city and is obviously one of my heroes. Australian cities currently have glaring problems. Beware of every shiny new proposal for a casino, motorway, waterfront redevelopment or stadium. They’re usually an express lane to corruption in an urban sense (perhaps in other senses as well – that’s for others to say). The Barangaroo Casino is the pinnacle of such corruption of process. And if we don’t stand up for a better city, if we don’t point out what is crap – and not just in an architectural sense but in terms of process – then we risk being portrayed as acquiescing to such projects. It’s absolutely contingent on us as a profession to call out such things. Other professions do it. We need a bit of backbone, an independent standpoint. MG On Twitter (X), through posts and reposts of the voices of other commentators, you engage with a range of cultural and political issues beyond strictly architectural or urban. Over the past week alone, alongside persistent demands for investment in public housing, you have drawn attention to Kon Karapanagiotidis’s solidarity with Indigenous Peoples on 26 January and Antoinette Lattouf on her dismissal from the ABC. To what extent do you think those with a public profile, whether in the profession or in academia, should be prepared to speak to political issues beyond disciplinary boundaries? PT The city is the melting pot of social justice, and I believe that migrants and refugees have been an incredibly positive influence on Australia. I am drawn to Noel Pearson’s three-part categorisation: Indigenous Australians, the descendants of nineteenth-century British colonialists, and the continuing waves of migrants who are diversifying our country. When I was a kid, multiculturalism was a serious propelling concept of Australian society and I continue to hold that view. Fairness and inclusion have to be pillars of Australian society – but we constantly see voices, policies and built works which are the antithesis of that. And so, for a better city and a better society – and I see them as being one and the same thing – it’s absolutely contingent on us to speak up, not only as professionals but as citizens. MG Philip Thalis, you are the Jack Mundey of Australian architecture! Thank you for your profound contribution to the discipline and culture of architecture, for your exemplary projects, integrity and courageous advocacy. — Maryam Gusheh is associate professor in the Department of Architecture at Monash University. With sincere thanks to Laura Harding for her selection of images and guidance with the shape and content of this interview. MG The title of this piece was inspired by Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism by Paulo Gerbaudo (Pluto Press, 2012). 578 LIKES hillthalisaup Sydney; Concept design for a casino #privatisedsydney #sydneyharbour... more View all 45 comments 31 AUGUST 2019 hillthalisaup hillthalisaup 215 LIKES hillthalisaup What an extraordinary State Memorial Service for Jack Mundey AO (17/10/29 - 10/5/20)@ Sydney Town Hall today... more View all 6 comments 10 MARCH 2021 90 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

worldarchitecturefestival.com Founder Partner 6-8 November Scan to view the entry guides

(WRITER) David Neustein THE ARCHITECTURE OF HOUSING In 1987–88, a young Philip Thalis traded his hometown of Sydney for Yves Lion’s Paris office, where he joined the team working on a speculative housing project called Domus Demain (The Home of Tomorrow). Domus Demain attempted to define a new model for apartments in which all of the “technological” components of the home – the kitchens, baths, basins, toilets and service risers – were consolidated in a linear “active band” that stretched and stacked across the building’s facade. The episodic performance of otherwise mundane household activities would be visible from afar as an immense, everchanging billboard. Lion reflects that “we came to the conclusion that we could not dissociate the question of housing from the question of the city: they are two facets of the same question.”1 Domus Demain remains one of the most intriguing housing schemes of the late twentieth century. Thalis didn’t just help to produce its iconic drawings: he also ended up inhabiting them. When scale figures were required to populate the interior views, junior staff members posed for polaroids and were collaged into the various scenes. Looking at these images today, we can find Thalis standing at the kitchen bench, wearing black brogues, black pants and a patterned shirt, his back to the viewer. “The importance which has recently been accorded to the ‘I’ in architecture, the creative self, has tended to overshadow the fact that an architect is also a social agent,” writes Lion.2 While Thalis’s early architectural career was shaped by a number of formative experiences – including growing up in a family living in three-storey walk-up flats, competition entries with Richard Francis-Jones, and archaeological digs in Greece and India – his involvement in Domus Demain stands out. Thalis’s life work has been characterised by a deep interest in the universal qualities of the city, and particularly in the reciprocal relationship between housing and public space. A founding principal of Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects, his most important architectural achievements have come through the shaping of the urban realm and in the form of compact, replicable and humane housing models. But he has also shown a consistent willingness to place himself in the frame, eschewing the distance that architects typically place between themselves and their subject matter, in order to engage the city – as an advocate, teacher, mentor, researcher and independent councillor. It would be stating the obvious to say that buildings are not created by individuals. And yet, the eligibility criteria for the Australian Institute of Architects’ highest honour, its Gold Medal, still 1 2 92 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

exposed and ornamentation kept to a minimum, with vertical louvred screens the only architectural flourish. As Lee Hillam succinctly puts it in her project review for Architecture Australia: “The design modifies the building without romanticism.”4 This is not to suggest that Thalis is unromantic. Rather, his sensibility invites romance to arise from the given conditions of the project, rather than through any overt gesture or borrowed reference. In 1994, Thalis and Cantrill collaborated on the design for a pair of houses on a steeply sloped site in the Sydney harbourside suburb of Northbridge. Their initial proposal envisioned two simple volumes, one square and the other rectangular in plan. But they soon learned that the site survey had incorrectly positioned the trunk of a large and very beautiful angophora. The architects responded by deforming the rectangular dwelling around the tree, introducing a dynamic splay into the plan, and tilting the two dwellings inwards, like Gunnar Asplund’s chevroned benches at Stockholm’s Woodland Cemetery. While its origins may be accidental, the splay frequently reappears as a design strategy in Hill Thalis projects: the forked courtyard of Horizon House (2016); the fanned volumes and expressed blade walls scale the heights despite abrasive personality traits. Thalis’s character, methods and outputs portray a very different story. In 2015, when I profiled the work of Hill Thalis for a Uro Publications volume, Thalis told me: “We do tough projects. People only come to us when they have a problem. We have completed 70 apartment buildings to date, but only one where we administered the contract.”3 In the near-decade that has ensued, Hill Thalis has been awarded the Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture, the Sir John Overall Award for Urban Design, the Blacket Prize, the Newcastle Medal, the Canberra Medallion and the Aaron Bolot Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing (twice, for Studios 54 in 2015 and Verve Towers in 2020). And yet, according to Thalis, the overriding circumstances of his commissions remain unchanged. “No one comes to us with an easy site or project,” he told me recently. Thalis describes his approach as “grounded in the reality of things,” with projects generated from their constraints. The margins for architecture are tightly defined by the geometry of a given site and its access conditions, orientation, context and remnant fabric, combined with the complex interaction of codes, servicing requirements and developer yield. “Direct is the word that I would use,” says Thalis when asked to summarise his approach. At 44A Foveaux Street (2020), which updates and enlarges a Surry Hills commercial building, we can observe this approach in action: the existing shell of the building has been retained in its found state, with the new structure revealed in raw concrete. Strategic incisions bring daylight from multiple directions, and the circulation is clear and uncomplicated. Services are specifies that the award recognises the work of an “individual architect,” with collaborations only awarded “in exceptional circumstances.” Perhaps, by making the individual the default and the group an exception, the Gold Medal has inadvertently promoted an ideology of self-reliance. Indeed, prior to a recent amendment to the 2003 Gold Medal that recognises Maggie Edmond alongside her counterpart Peter Corrigan, 55 of the 63 Gold Medals awarded from 1960 to 2023 had been given to individuals. While Thalis is the sole recipient of the 2024 Gold Medal, his working methods belie the mythology of the individual practitioner, and even of the standalone practice. Thalis distinguishes himself as the common denominator within an enormously varied array of successful projects, including civic buildings, books, urban design projects and private houses. His frequent and noteworthy collaborators include: architects Peter John Cantrill, Peter McGregor and Angelo Korsanos; many landscape architects, including Jane Irwin and Philip Coxall; practice co-founder and life partner Sarah Hill; and longtime Hill Thalis team members Kerry Hunter, Laura Harding (also one of Australia’s finest architectural writers), Sheila Tawalo, Brett Sperling, Alexander Rink, Benjamin Driver, Aaron Murray and Jonathon Kibble. The legend of the master architect rarely acknowledges compromise and contingency. Instead, we get heroic fables of singular visionaries overcoming the odds: a quiet doer gradually ascends from humble origins to develop an internationally distinct style; an overlooked competition scheme is retrieved from the waste basket; talented mavericks 3 5 4 2024 Gold Medallist 93

Barangaroo on Sydney Harbour (2006); and Kingsford to Kensington Town Centres (2016, in association with JMD Design and Bennett and Trimble). In each of these schemes, public space and landscape come to the fore while individual buildings recede into a supporting whole. Tragically, in the first two cases, developer consortia selected by the state government were allowed to abandon the winning scheme and bring in outside architects to pursue a rogue agenda. What was ultimately lost at both sites was not what was proposed to be built, but what was meant to remain unbuilt. At Homebush, the lower-lying half of the vast site was intended to be reserved as a wetland park, while at Barangaroo, half of the immense footprint of reclaimed land was set aside as foreshore parkland. Today, bland suburbia occupies part of the planned Olympic Village and an island of tarmac straddles the wetland, while Barangaroo’s foreshore is dominated by a looming casino tower. By depicting Sydney’s urban fabric as a continuous field of civic rooms, open spaces and roadways, Thalis and Cantrill’s monumental book Public Sydney: Drawing the City demonstrates that the internal and external, planned and in-between, built and unbuilt are of equal and inter-reliant importance to the experience of the city. Fittingly, Hill Thalis’s most significant upcoming project will also not be “built.” Working once more with Jane Irwin Landscape Architecture, the practice is designing a major new public square in front of the Mitchell Wing of the State Library of New South Wales. This planned enlargement of Shakespeare Place, which will reoccupy part of the surrounding roadway, will provide the library with a plaza equal in size to that of its sister institution in Victoria. After decades spent studying the evolution of Sydney’s historic centre, Thalis may finally get the chance to contribute to its form. (IMAGES) (1) Yves Lion’s Domus Demain (1984), with Thalis in the kitchen. (2) The Majestic Theatre Apartments, Petersham (2012). Photograph: Brett Boardman. (3) Studios 54, Substation No. 175, Surry Hills (2015). Photograph: Brett Boardman. (4) The Wedge Studios, Dulwich Hill (2020). Photograph: Ben Guthrie. (5) Horizon House, Dharawal Country (2018). Photograph: Brett Boardman. (6) Pair of Houses, Northbridge (1994, with Peter John Cantrill). Photograph: Tim Williams. (7) Horizon Apartments, Newcastle (2023, with CKDS). Photograph: Brett Boardman. (8) Verve Towers, Newcastle (2020, with CKDS). Photograph: Brett Boardman. (9) Salvation Army Housing for the Homeless and Outreach Services (2023, with McGregor Westlake Architecture). Photograph: Doug and Wolf. (10) Rose Bay Apartments (2007, not to scale). of the Arc Apartments (2016) and Verve Towers (2020); the precast balustrade detail of the Parramatta Escarpment Boardwalk (2021). In these and other projects, the splay helps to resolve and rationalise non-orthogonal site boundaries, while also providing a welcome stroke of relief from the rigidly rectilinear. In broad terms, all Hill Thalis projects embody the close study of how things fit together, from the city grid down to the junctions of bricks and vectors of conduits. The practice has received acclaim for its compact housing models, including Substation No. 175 (2005), The Majestic Theatre Apartments (2012), Studios 54 (2015) and The Wedge Studios (2020). Each of these projects overcomes impossibly tight constraints with ingenious and replicable solutions, which include stacking a cafe and two apartments within the 44-square-metre footprint of a decommissioned substation, sleeving an apartment building into the shell of an old cinema, employing the balcony as both outdoor living space and front entry porch, and wedging 35 sun-filled units into a triangular Dulwich Hill site. While these highly constrained and economical housing projects are far from the prestige commissions of the capital-A architect, they make a meaningful contribution to the architectural canon by expanding the range of what is possible within the rules, policies and market for collective housing. Architects are typically judged by what they have built. But Thalis’s legacy is also defined by what he has not. On three occasions, in three separate decades, Thalis has collaborated on winning competition proposals for major Sydney urban developments: Sydney Olympic Village at Homebush Bay (1992); 6 8 7 — David Neustein is a director of Other Architects, a collaborative practice based in Sydney. (FOOTNOTES) (1) Alexandre Chemetoff and Pierre-Alain Croset, Yves Lion (Barcelona: Editorial Gustavo Gili, 1992), 26. (2) Chemetoff and Croset (1992), 26. (3) Philip Thalis, interview conducted by David Neustein and Michael Neustein, in “Good Character: The Architecture of Hill Thalis,” in Andrew Mackenzie (ed.), Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects, Minimono series, vol. 02 (Melbourne: Uro Publications, 2015). (4) Lee Hillam, Architecture Australia, vol. 110, no. 2, Mar/Apr 2021, 78–84; available at architectureau. com/articles/44a-foveaux-street. 94 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

Over the 20 years I’ve had the pleasure of working with Philip, he has provided invaluable urban design and architectural services in residential, social and crisis housing, retirement villages and aged-care sectors for my own and client projects. He has incredible passion, as well as the intellect and skills to deliver built-form excellence, while artfully balancing community and commercial imperatives. Philip cares about the communities he works within, and this drives him to improve planning controls that would otherwise create adverse outcomes. His calm demeanour and collaborative style allow him to build relationships and maximise outcomes for all stakeholders. — Matthew Fisher Developer and Hill Thalis client I first worked with Philip out of an old fire station in Kiama – architect, landscape architect and artist working together on a public space as part of a UNSW experimental program. More than 30 years later, we continue in the same vein, bringing different skills and viewpoints to projects, with shared values and an overarching understanding. Our different hands, working together, have resulted in some very fine public spaces, winning competitions and awards. Philip’s strength of mind, ethical stance and pursuit of excellence in design have influenced my approach to practice, and his extraordinary breadth of knowledge continues to inspire and astound. — Jane Irwin Practice leader, JILA Years ago, I gave a talk at Sydney University about the urban destruction caused by engineering, particularly motorways. No students were interested – except one: Philip Thalis. His later research with Bernard Huet in Paris went far beyond my jotted observations. For Philip, Sydney become a laboratory to be investigated by a series of unique studios – “Drawing Sydney” – and by competitions, projects, history and public debate. Investigations developed into principles centred on “enduring and resilient” public space. Philip the defender of public space became the conscience of the city. Where others remained silent, he spoke out. — Lawrence Nield Gold Medallist 2012 9 10 95

(WRITER) Peter Watts ARCHITECTURE AS CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY In his address after receiving the Australian Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal in 2018, Richard Johnson AO noted: “We are all part of an old and noble profession. We have a responsibility not only to those who commission us, but, importantly, to the society in which we practice. This is, after all, one of the defining characteristics of a profession.” This is a sentiment put into practice every day by the 2024 Gold Medallist, Philip Thalis. He has devoted his professional career to improving the public realm and this is the work for which he is most distinguished. Most architects go project-by-project, striving for that elusive perfection so often denied them by the systems within which they work. Thalis does this too. But he has bigger and nobler ideals. Everything he does has to be pro bono publico: for the public good. Almost all his work has a significant public interface. No matter the budget, the scale, the client or the planning and political context, all his projects respond to the public need and the public good. Thalis has applied this simple and honourable principle to great effect in his multiple roles as a practitioner, teacher, commentator, author, committee man, researcher, trustee, activist and critic. His desire to improve the public realm led him to become a politician – as an independent councillor for the City of Sydney. Thalis believes strongly that a city expresses it history, its culture and its social and political values in its built form. He has always drawn from historic precedents, and his work and opinions are always embedded in a deep knowledge and understanding of the history of a place. This is well evidenced in the remarkable book he co-wrote with Peter John Cantrill. Public Sydney: Drawing the City is an international model for research in understanding the nature of a city. He laments the loss of earlier days, when major public infrastructure (libraries, post offices, town halls, custom houses, performing arts centres, parks and government offices) were a demonstration of a community’s civic pride and aspirations. He abhors the rise of private interests at the expense of the public interest, exemplified at Darling Harbour and Barangaroo in Sydney. He loathes the privatisation of some of the city’s great sandstone public building for commercial purposes. He sees the demolition of major public infrastructure after only 30 or so years – such as Darling Harbour, Parramatta Stadium and Sydney Football Stadium – as a profound cultural failure as well as the failure of responsible planning and development processes. He dislikes that the city is seen not so much as an expression of civic pride, but as a series of property assets to be exploited primarily for commercial purposes. While these views – which Thalis does not hesitate to express – have brought him into conflict with powerful lobby groups and individuals, he has never wavered from his concern for what is best for the broader community. He learnt much from his mentor and friend the late To most, you are an extraordinary architect, urban designer, educator, author, communicator, and tireless advocate. To me, you have been teacher, mentor, employer, collaborator and friend for over 30 years. You must have sensed the overwhelming aspiration you set for me, and those like me who have attempted to follow in your footsteps. You offer wisdom to students, peers, industry and the public alike. But it is your compassion and generosity that truly distinguish you: thoughtful advice, countless guest lectures and the many people and causes you unite – chief among them your advocacy for Public Sydney, and for housing as an egalitarian practice. — Angelo Korsanos Redshift AA Lecturer, Western Sydney University Honourable is the word. As an academic, alongside Peter John Cantrill, Philip produced the astonishing Public Sydney, an outstanding contribution to the literature of Sydney. As an author, he unfailingly acknowledges the work of the students who contributed research and drawings. As a practising architect, he combines a fine eye and thoughtful hand with elegant scholarship and unfailing moral acuity. As an educator, he is articulate, thoughtful, erudite and patient. As a councillor, he fought unstintingly for the too-often-ignored civic benefit. As a citizen, he has the rare courage to take a public stand on issues of principle, regardless of the effect on his personal or professional standing. And despite all this, he has the modesty to answer his own phone and emails. For all these reasons, I count Philip as a fine role model, an admired colleague and a valuable friend. — Elizabeth Farrelly Writer and architecture critic I first met Philip when I was a student and he was a guest critic at one of my master’s studio presentations. Ten years later, he’s still extolling his contagious and relentless pragmatic optimism to students across institutions. Few as entrenched in practice as Philip also manage to devote so much time to education. As a teacher, Philip is always keenly critical, with an absolute wealth of knowledge at every scale and part of the process. He can talk about anything you 1 96 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

Jack Mundey AO, whose Builders’ Labourers Federation would only institute a green ban when the community demonstrated that it wanted it and would support it, and it was in the public interest. Thalis has been a fearless promoter of excellence in urban design, social housing and conservation by the continual adaptation of buildings and places through his writing, research, projects, teaching and many public appointments – including the Sydney City Council, Heritage Council of NSW, Australian Institute of Architects, Design Review Panels, Historic Houses Trust and many more. He has done this with quiet and dignified argument, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to the discussion in a field that is often filled with self-serving, ill-informed, shrill and divisive voices. In a profession where commissions require a certain unstated compliance with the prevailing views, Thalis is fearless, always speaking truth to power. He has the ability to communicate complex ideas simply and powerfully: “Some in government seem to think that beautiful buildings on prime public land seem to be somehow wasted on us citizens, we who are the actual owners. But why vest the privileged parts of our city as playthings of the affluent, exclusive enclaves of high-priced consumption? We should instead proclaim our rights to the equitable, sustainable, democratic mix of the open city.”1 All this activity has earned him wide praise within the profession and given him a profile as someone who will always support and defend the public interest. He has assumed a role as the public conscience for better planning and development of our cities. Despite many setbacks, Thalis remains optimistic. He applauds great public outcomes, such as the light rail along George Street, Sydney, and many individual projects championed by Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s Independent team councillors that have improved the urban amenity of Sydney. Although Thalis has had many mentors and collaborators, perhaps the greatest have been his parents. Arriving in Sydney as post-war Greek migrants (his mother having been born in Paris and his father in Alexandria, Egypt), they each spoke five languages. Despite modest means and living in a three-storey walk-up, they had a natural and easy European sophistication that enabled them to see the world through a broad cultural lens. Likewise their son. Thalis believes that as an architect, one has to remain optimistic. He is dogged in his pursuit of the public good and suggests that his epitaph might be: Never give up. Long may it continue. — Peter Watts AM is an architect and landscape architect, and he was the inaugural director of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW from 1981 to 2008. He won the Australian Institute of Architects’ National President’s Prize in 2008 for his contribution to architecture as a client. Philip Thalis: architect, academic, Sydney City Councillor, cricketer, father, dog-lover and man of the highest integrity … to mention just a few of his achievements and qualities. As a former head of the architecture school at UTS, I thought it appropriate to listen to staff actually delivering their undergrad courses. Philip, and colleague Peter John Cantrill, ran a design and urban studies stream using characteristics of central Sydney as a series of case studies. I found their program to be encyclopaedic (regarding content and methodology), and students were enthusiastically – some passionately – engaged in their studies. I’m delighted to recall this moment of excellent teaching, and sad that Philip was the best professor of architecture that UTS never had. — Adrian Boddy Former academic/photographer (FOOTNOTES) (1) Philip Thalis, “Sydney risks becoming a dumb, disposable city for the rich,” The Conversation, 2 March 2015, theconversation.com/ sydney-risks-becoming-a-dumbdisposable-city-for-the-rich-38172. 3 900 2 For my close friend of 45 years, 100 words are too few, but here goes: antiquarian, architect, archivist, art lover, articulate, Athenian, author, brave, bright, careful, certain, charming, citizen, civic, civil, collaborator, colleague, considered, conversationalist, Corbusien, cricketer, cultured, dedicated, dog-lover, Diethnes, educator, eloquent, encouraging, enthusiastic, erudite, fighter, flatmate, French, friend, generous, Greek, happy, history buff, housing, inquiring, inspiring, Instagrammer, intelligent, inventive, joker, kind, late, leader, listener, mentor, narrator, open-minded, optimistic, Parisian, perseverant, persistent, political, progressive, public-spirited, quick-witted, quizzical, raconteur, radical, reader, reformer, smiling, sportive, strong-willed, student, supportive, Sydneysider, talker, teacher, thoughtful, traveller, Tweeter, urbanist, vocational, walker, writer … and, like Philip, I could go on. — Peter John Cantrill Friend, urban designer, author, advisor (IMAGES) (1) As MC of City of Sydney, City Talks (2019). (2) Lennox Bridge Portals, Parramatta (2014, with Design 5). (3) With Jack Mundey at the launch of The House That Jack Built (James Colman, 2016). Photograph: Shaun Carter. throw at him and he’ll definitely have an opinion! All this is delivered with good humour and generosity in fostering the next generation of architects. — Tara Sydney Adjacency Studio Teaching colleague 2024 Gold Medallist 97

(2022) Parramatta Escarpment Boardwalk (with McGregor Westlake Architecture, JILA and Tonkin) Powerhouse Design Award, Australian Good Design Awards Award for Urban Design, Australian Institute of Architects (NSW Chapter) (2020) The Wedge Studios, Dulwich Hill Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing, Australian Institute of Architects (National) Campbell Section 5 and Hassett Park – for Land Development Agency (with JILA and Cardno) Award for Urban Design, Australian Institute of Architects (National) Sir John Overall Award for Urban Design, Australian Institute of Architects (ACT Chapter) Verve Towers, Newcastle (with CKDS) Aaron Bolot Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing, Australian Institute of Architects (NSW Chapter) Level 5 Ballarat House Award for Heritage, Australian Institute of Architects (NSW Chapter) (2017) Constitution Avenue redesign, ACT – preliminary sketch plans, final sketch plans, documentation (with JILA and SMEC) Sir John Overall Award for Urban Design and The Canberra Medallion, Australian Institute of Architects (ACT Chapter) (2016) Kensington to Kingsford (K2K) International Urban Design Competition (with JMD Design, and Bennett and Trimble) Outright winner Lennox Bridge Portals, Parramatta (with Design 5) Award for Urban Design, Australian Institute of Architects (National) Award for Heritage Architecture – Creative Adaptation, Australian Institute of Architects (NSW Chapter) Public Sydney: Drawing the City (co-authored with Peter John Cantrill) Adrian Ashton Prize for Writing and Criticism, Australian Institute of Architects (NSW Chapter) – Special Jury Award (2015) Studios 54, Surry Hills Aaron Bolot Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing (NSW Chapter) Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing, Australian Institute of Architects (National) (2014) Public Sydney (co-authored with Peter John Cantrill) Bates Smart Award for Architecture in the Media, Australian Institute of Architects (Vic. Chapter) (2013) Linking Canberra to the Lake (with ACT Economic Development Directorate, SMEC, JILA and Tania Parkes Consulting) Australia Award for Urban Design Policy (2012) Pirrama Park, Pyrmont (with Aspect Studios and CAB Consulting) Landscape Architecture Award – Design, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (National) (2010) Pirrama Park, Pyrmont (with Aspect Studios and CAB Consulting) AILA Medal in Landscape Architecture, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (NSW Chapter) (2009) President’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Architectural Profession (NSW Chapter) (with Peter John Cantrill) Sustainable Sydney 2030 (with SGS Economics and Planning, Simpson Wilson Architecture and Kinesis) Planning Institute of Australia National President’s Award (2006) International Design Competition for the Redevelopment of East Darling Harbour (Barangaroo) (with Paul Berkemeier Architects and JILA) Winner Stage 2 (2004) Wollondilly Vision Plan 2025 – for Wollondilly Shire (with Aspect Sydney Landscape) Merit Award for Planning in Landscape Architecture, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (NSW and National) (2002) Parramatta City Centre Plan Planning Institute of Australia National Award (1995) Pair of Houses, Northbridge (with Peter John Cantrill) Commendation in Residential Category, Royal Australian Institute of Architects (NSW Chapter) (1992) Homebush Olympic Village National Competition (with Peter John Cantrill, David Haertsch, Peter McGregor, Phillip Arnold and Malcolm Utley) Joint winner (LEFT) Parramatta Escarpment Boardwalk (2021). Photograph: Jackie Chan. (BELOW) Lennox Bridge Portals site visit, Parramatta (2014). Selected awards Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects is the recipient of more than 100 awards, including the following selection. 98 Architecture Australia May / Jun 2024

(ABOVE) Hill Thalis studio, 2024. Photograph: Nic Walker. Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects Current team Philip Thalis Sarah Hill Kerry Hunter Laura Harding Sheila Tawalo Alex Rink Brett Sperling Benjamin Driver Aaron Murray Jonathon Kibble Madeleine Rowe Victoria King Warda Islam Adrian Chan Kristina Olsson Michael Lewarne Jesse McNicoll Michael Simons Ricardo de la Vega Melika Aljukic Philip Duffy Ann-Elise Hampton Nathan Judd Roland Hinz Matt Day Nadine Janz Hamish Watt Tomek Archer Andrew Bishop Joaquim Galan Karl White Toby Breakspear Dylan McCallum Thomas Alves Angelo Korsanos Claire Krelle Janine Keating Alex Koll Giles Parker Rachel Neeson Daina Jamieson Wesley Grunsell Matthew Oh Clair Ancher Jessica Matson Justine Butler Jane Silcock Sonia van de Haar Jacqueline Lindeman Jane Threlfall Rose Jimenez Michael Zanardo Long-term collaborators Peter John Cantrill Jane Irwin / JILA Peter McGregor / McGregor Westlake Architects Peter Hill Architects Redshift AA Paul Berkemeier Architects Stuart Campbell / CKDS Newcastle Michael Zanardo / Studio Zanardo McGregor Coxall Landscape Architecture Melissa Wilson Landscape Architect Aspects Studios JMD Design 2024 Gold Medallist 99

Natural Wonder. There’s a reason why most buildings are rectangular – it’s an easier shape to build. Throw in a curve and you’re upping the ante on the abilities of all involved – and asking a lot more from your materials. But with increasing trends supporting the benefi ts of educational environments with designs drawn from the natural world, Mayoh Architects was undaunted. Their tenacity and daring have since been rewarded with the 2023 Australian Institute of Architects NSW Chapter COLORBOND® steel Award for Steel Architecture. The rounded roof in Surfmist® on the Warren Integrated Studies Hub has become symbolic of the school’s identity, proudly demonstrating innovation in construction and aptly refl ecting the scientifi c learning happening beneath it. Be inspired by this and other award-winning steel designs by visiting SteelSelect.com/SteelProfi le COLORBOND®, STEEL PROFILE®, BlueScope, the BlueScope brand mark and ® colour names are registered trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. © 2024 BlueScope Steel Limited (ABN 16 000 011 058). All rights reserved. LEARN MORE