On Strongbuild and prefab pioneering The Fifth Estate – Our View NEWS FROM THE FRONT DESK ISSUE NO 413– UPDATED 9.28 PM: The prefab industry is strong despite Strongbuild falling into voluntary administration. But the industry has big challenges.
Urban interests trump reason: Do we need an inquiry? Mike Brown If recent troubling reports in The Fifth Estate and elsewhere on the state of urban planning and governance are to be believed, then a sector-wide inquiry sounds like a good idea. Mike Brown, for one, thinks it’s time to take a good hard look into the state of our urban affairs. 3
House of the future: what Sekisui House says about prefab and zero energy Poppy Johnston | 23 October 2018 Many Australians still equate prefabricated construction with mass-produced, characterless houses that are not built to last. But one of Japan’s biggest builders of prefab homes has been in Australia for…
NABERS’ new tool is looking at you tenants Willow Aliento | 23 October 2018 NABERS ratings have been phenomenally successful for offices: they’ve penetrated 80 per cent of the office space market and saved a mountain in energy costs for landlords. Now there’s a…
Expect this residential down cycle to be kinder than most, say architects and engineers Tina Perinotto | 18 October 2018 While the recent Avdiev Remuneration Report pointed to some minor spot clouds around for salaries in the property sector, you’d expect professionals in the residential sector, architects in particular, to feel a tad more vulnerable than most.
Flow Systems slashing energy bills for Norwest resi development Poppy Johnston | 18 October 2018 Sekisui House and Flow Systems have teamed up to provide an embedded energy and gas network for residents at “The Orchards” at Norwest in Sydney.
Allen Jack+Cottier– how one architectural practice blends the pragmatic and artistic Tina Perinotto | 18 October 2018 Architect Michael Heenan, co-principal of Allen Jack+Cottier says he and his team saw the change in market demand for residential property coming a few years ago, and carefully adjusted their strategy to prepare.
Arup’s new offices set bar high for workplace wellness Poppy Johnston | 18 October 2018 Arup’s Sydney team has just moved into new digs in Barrack Place and it couldn’t be more pleased.
Self-healing plastics one step closer to mainstream use Poppy Johnston | 16 October 2018 A recent scientific breakthrough could see self-healing polymers – which are able to “heal” like human skin – become viable for manufacture in existing factories in six to 12 months.…
Tim Horton joins Land and Environment Court as commissioner at a very interesting time Tina Perinotto | 9 October 2018 It looks like change is underway for architects
The architecture challenge: we can make the city we want Benjamin Driver, Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects | 8 October 2018 Our cities are growing massively but we don’t need tall towers to cope with a rapid rise in housing. Try gentle urbanism instead. A view from Sydney but applicable everywhere.
Not all apartment buildings are making us sick and unhealthy Poppy Johnston | 4 October 2018 It’s possible to design apartments of all shapes and sizes to promote health and wellbeing. Architects and designers say they just need the right conditions to do so.
Clare Cousins on why architects need to be city shapers Clare Cousins, Australian Institute of Architects | 4 October 2018 The debate on the role of architects just ramped up another notch this week, first with a thought piece by Philip Graus, and now Clare Cousins, national president of the Australian Institute of Architects, has her say.
“Alexa, tint the windows please” – second generation smart-tinting glass starts up in Taipei Damian Clarke | 4 October 2018 The official opening on Thursday of Kinestral’s new smart-tinting glass factory in Miaoli, south of Taipei, allows for the production of commercial quantities of high-quality smart-tinting window glass for the international market.
NABERS report: Boost for indoor, hospital, and shopping centre ratings Poppy Johnston | 3 October 2018 The uptake of the NABERS rating system by shopping centres, the indoor environment and hospitals have gone through the roof according to the national Australian rating system’s annual report.
Affordable home-ownership scheme offers a pathway out of social housing Katrina Raynor, University of Melbourne | 3 October 2018 Social housing is in crisis in Australia, with almost 200,000 people on waiting lists. Social housing made up 8% of all housing stock in Australia in 1966. This had fallen to just 4.3% at July 2016.
Questioning the strategic role of architects in city making Philip Graus | 3 October 2018 Should architect stick to buildings or is their remit much broader, extending to strategic influence over the city itself?
