JOURNAL/ May-June/2014

The scheme proposes a new Rapid Transit system to service the CBD and inner ring suburbs of Sydney, while the existing heavy rail network will service outer ring suburbs as well as provide an express service to the city centre. To directly link supertall development to a sustainable transport network, supertall buildings are allowed within 200m of a transport node in the city centre.

The economic uplift to these zones will be captured through the purchase of ‘Supertall Floor Space’ from the Government, which will go directly to pay for a new rapid transit system. Using the current value of Heritage Floor Space as a benchmark, and compounding its value over 35 years Bates Smart estimates this realizes $7.1 Billion to fund a sustainable transport network.These principles have been quantified in a parametric model to create a future vision of Sydney.

The concept allows for a potential 12.5 million sqm of new floor space resulting in significant economic uplift for Sydney.

Read the latest Urban Taskforce publication Urban Ideas Issue 8

Iconic Australian artist John Olsen, especially commissioned by Lang Walker, unveiled 'King Sun', a grand 6x8 metre work for the lobby of 1 Collins Square which is the largest piece attempted by the artist since 'Salute to Five Bells' the vibrant, blue mural created in 1982 for the Sydney Opera House.

These major commissions set the tone for Collins Square's commitment to creating an inspiring artistic centre within a world class corporate and retail environment.

Director Guy Lake explains the composition of the scheme:

'Each college is defined by a 5-6 storey linear volume that steps up the site in response to the steep topography. The volumes are connected by low-rise transverse elements that frame and maintain solar access to the communal courtyards.'

Individual colleges are designed to have their own identity while collectively reading as part of Kensington Colleges as a whole. Building façades reinforce this through a consistency of materials combined with subtle modulations of colour and expression.

The courtyards are framed by facetted walls of glazed brickwork which present a playful expression of colour, texture, light and shade. In contrast, and in response to the mid-century brickwork of the surrounding buildings, the rectilinear external facades use a blend of three shades of face brick as a contemporary interpretation of the original clinker brick.

Visit Bates Smart to read more.

Hotelsworld, sponsored by Bates Smart, attracts an unprecedented level of industry support for a regional event.

Learn more about Hotelsworld

Image courtesy of Karen Walker Eyewear

Together with its completed companion Convesso, the Concavo Tower will complete the Lend Lease/Bates Smart vision for this key waterfront site in Docklands.

Concavo also defines one urban edge of a waterfront park housing Melbourne’s newest public library and community centre.

Bates Smart and contractor, Schiavello, worked in collaboration with some of the world's most skilled glass artists at the JamFactory in Adelaide to design this spectacular feature.

The Glass Studio's creative director, Karen Cunningham, explains the process of creating the glass pendants.

'Due to the weight and size of the light shades and the faded colour application, we required a large team to alternate and help with the lifting and turning to heat specific areas and to shield the 'gaffer' (head glass blower on a team) from the radiating heat of the glass. 12 highly skilled glass blowers worked as a team in the hot glass studio.

Once out of the kiln the pieces were 'cold worked', involving grinding, cutting, polishing and drilling. From start to finish each unit went through 16 pairs of hands. The fittings were custom designed and some components were milled in our metal studio.'

Learn more about The JamFactory

The unit, led by Design Director Kristen Whittle and Associate Jonathan Brener, was based on the working philosophy of Design is Research and sought to guide students toward a new paradigm of design, structured around use of smart geometry and state of the art design to production construction techniques.

Final crits were held in April with fellow Jurors Chris Knapp, Discipline Head and Associate Professor, Abedian School of Architecture; Anthony Burke, Head of School UTS; Jason Trisley, Partner at Space Studio; Daryl Le Grew, Fellow at University of Melbourne; and Philip Follent, former State Architect for Queensland.

The work of the studio will be exhibited in the schools main space with an opening coinciding with Kristen Whittle’s public talk at the school on Thursday 29 May.

Learn more about Kristen Whittle's talk, part of the lecture series Design is Research at the Abedian School of Architecture.

Read an interview with Chris Knapp, Discipline Leader of the Abedian School of Architecture on Archinect

The development skillfully blends a range of residential buildings around a large landscaped courtyard. The new buildings provide a contrasting backdrop for the restored sawtooth heritage facade while subtly referencing the site.

Congratulations to the team and to our colleagues at OCP Architects for their heritage work on this development.