Group items matching

in title, tags, annotations or url

The city of Melbourne has just unveiled their latest industry show-stopper with the government announcing its Melbourne CBD expansion plan. The major redevelopment, announced by Planning Minister Matthew Guy, will see the city centre grow from 180 hectares to 900 hectares in an unprecedented growth spurt. Aesthetically, Melbourne will change. In the same vein as Sydney's Barangaroo, this latest southern development is going to change the face of a city that is growing in both size and popularity; with current population growth at an enormous 85,000 people per year. Named as the world's most liveable city in 2011, both the Melbourne industry, especially those in the architecture and construction facets, and government are standing behind this expansive redevelopment.

The announcement that Melbourne is set to receive one of its largest redevelopments on record has set the tongues of both the nation, and the globe, wagging. Finding even further international acclaim last year when it was deemed the World's Most Liveable City, Melbourne has seen a massive population surge, topping 85,000 new residents a year, causing both industry and government leaders to put together in a scheme which aims to perform the dual function of expanding and refurbishing the central Melbourne area. Much like Sydney's Barangaroo project, this latest CBD expansion is too large and high-impact to go unnoticed, for both positive and negative reasons.

A Melbourne school is creating great industry waves for its mix of stunning architecture and environmentally responsible principles. Acting as an incredible promotion of green thinking to both the young students attending and the wider community, is the junior building at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (PEGS). While the striking building, transformed by architectural firm McBride Charles Ryan is completely passive in its design, an absolute feat in its own right, it is its aesthetic that truly stands out. Oftentimes in green building projects a building's visual appeal is ignored in order to focus on the sustainable building aspects. While environmental responsibility may be more important than design greatness, it is incredibly positive to see such a prime example of a culmination of these ideas executed so elegantly.

Due to its incredible benefits, both physical and mental, the connection between interior and exterior architecture has increased in popularity. This is especially relevant in neutral climes, where temperatures tend not to be too extreme, especially in terms of the colder months. Here in Australia, the inside/outside design element is often essential, as our mostly warmer climate allows us to embrace the fact that open-air spaces work best. Landscape architecture plays into this reality, and is now really finding its relevance as we move further into outdoor spaces. One design located in Melbourne is showing the power of landscape architecture in creating community spaces without walls.

Arguably one of Melbourne's most controversial construction projects has been given final approval, leaving a trail of both dismayed and jubilant responses. The major architectural redevelopment project at the focus of this almost five year long drama is the Windsor Hotel, and its semi-demolition by the Halim Group in early 2013.  The project has been marked as one of Victoria's most prominent in the latest state analysis, and comes with a sizeable price tag. The $250 million redevelopment will see the refurbishment of the interiors of the building, which was built in 1883. The interior restoration will maximise the amount of rooms available, increasing the capacity from 180 to 300 rooms. The ballroom and other rooms will also be upgraded and redeveloped, with Heritage Victoria approving everything.

In 2008, Marita Cheng identified a problem: too few girls in engineering, the field of her passion. Deciding to do something about it, Cheng and a number of her peers formed Robogirls, a student club which would set up and run LEGO robotics competitions for girls' schools around Melbourne, with teams receiving training and support in the lead up to the completion. What started from there has now grown into an organisation introducing girls to engineering in schools not just across Australia but also in England, Ireland, Holland and New Zealand.  Robogirls' success has now earned Marita the 2012 Young Australian of the Year.

Australian architecture authority Archicentre has sent out a warning to the national architectural community that aging city buildings must be properly maintained in light of a recent, and dangerous, building related incident. The accident occurred when a large slab of marble located on the façade of a commercial skyscraper on Melbourne's Collins Street became unattached and fell causing damage to both the building and side walk area, highlighting the potential threat that these unmaintained buildings hold. Defects that the architecture authority have urged building owners to crack down on include façade staining or discolouration, sealant failures, efflorescence, rising dampness and water penetration, corrosion, buckling or deflection and plaster of tile delamination, says Manager for Archicentre West Australia Maureen Letter.