JOURNAL/ September/2015

Bates Smart has brought to life a new state-of-the-art medical centre at Cabrini Hospital, Melbourne.

The extension showcases industry leading suites for specialist gynaecology, obstetrics and oncology consultancies and houses new cardiac catheter laboratories, recovery suites, a new executive board room, 150 seat auditorium and meeting rooms.

A chapel for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney in the grounds of the University of Sydney was an exercise in restraint which balances the use of modern materials and construction techniques with a design brief to deliver a traditional space for Catholic worship.

As French Architect Jean Nouvel once said “Each new situation requires a new architecture” and Bates Smart have been preparing for the retirement of Chairman, Roger Poole for the past five years in order to ensure a seamless operational transition. 

Bates Smart has restored a distinctive eight storey heritage listed building while adding three levels of office space on the roof. The design exposes the original 'Mushroom' head columns revealing the warehouse character and creating a premium office environment.

Director Philip Vivian explains: "Our objectives for the addition were to create a visually lightweight addition that respected the historical building while being contemporary. The timber facade and louvres create a fine, warm and horizontal appearance with sun and glare control that is sympathetic to the heritage warehouse."

Leichhardt Green development designed for our client the Greenland Group has received development approval. The project includes five low-rise residential buildings arranged around generous communal courtyards and private open spaces.

Bates Smart Director Guy Lake explains the team's approach:

"Creating a community and a sense of place were paramount in our approach. We designed the buildings to achieve individuality and identity while connecting with the local context through material and scale."

A range of residences from studio apartments to 3 bedroom terraces enjoy abundant natural light, views and generous access to a series of private and public landscaped spaces. A public piazza with retail space is also planned. The project is due for completion in 2017.

Director Jeff Copolov and Studio Director Brenton Smith and our interior design teams are celebrating a bumper year for hospitality projects with the latest shortlistings of The Fat Duck and The Hennessy Lounge (Mayfair Hotel) in the Eat Drink Design Awards. 

Crown Metropol recently won the Upper-Upscale Hotel Award at the 2015 HM Awards with the Pier One Hotel, Sydney taking a High Commendation. 

In addition, The Stillery Gin Bar at the InterContinental Sydney Double Bay is shortlisted in the international Restaurant & Bar awards while the hotel  is shortlisted in the Interior Design Excellence Awards taking place in Melbourne in November. 

Congratulations and good luck to the teams.

As the strength and depth of our practice continues to grow, it is time to recognise the contributions of the talented teams in both our Melbourne and Sydney studios.

The Directors of Bates Smart would like to congratulate the following staff on their promotions. Each of these individuals adds their own combination of talent and passion to the team and we are very proud to recognise their contribution to our thriving practice.

Associates
Amelia Donald
David Eskdale
Jason Fraser
Johan Hermijanto
Justin Gallagher
Kelly Burke
Lucy Matthews
Robert Page
Wai Fong Chin

Associate Directors
Cate Cowlishaw
Hayden Crawford
Jana Somasundaram
Joachim Clauss
Torsten Fiedler

Congratulations to all.

Earlier this year nine representatives from Australia’s top architecture firms signed the first Charter for the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) (NSW Chapter) Champions of Change. 

The signatories acknowledged the need for the promotion of equitable workplaces within the architecture profession and committed to actively advancing gender equality across their practices and the profession as a whole. Bates Smart Director Philip Vivian is leading our practice’s participation in the program. 

Philip shares why he stepped up to the challenge and his experience of the program so far. 

Interpreting the natural variability of clinker bricks was a strong focus for the team when designing the UNSW Kensington Colleges. This attention to detail resulted in the project winning a national Australian Institute of Architecture award as well as the 2015 Think Brick Grand Prix.

In this video by Austral Bricks, Bates Smart Studio Director Matt Allen talks in depth about the blending of 20 brick colours across the five buildings and the craftsmanship involved. Watch the video here

The third chapter in our facade series, Space + Skin, explores the correlation between façade and room configuration in student housing projects.

These projects offer a rare opportunity to illustrate the execution of a defined programme in a multitude of ways. It demonstrates the richness of expression that is achievable through the articulation of functional needs and a context-specific response.

Student housing has certain parameters to balance:

1. The functional demands of room configuration – bed, desk, bathroom, storage
2. Balancing privacy for the occupant with access to natural light and views – the light and shade of the façade
3. Services reticulation – efficiently concealing services while also providing adequate access
4. Responding to the building context – it is this response that creates the unique expression of each project

Congratulations to the Parlour website team for winning the Bates Smart Architecture in the Media National Award for 'Parlour Guides to Equitable Practice'. The team went on to win the Australian Institute of Architects (NSW) Adrian Ashton Award for Writing + Criticism also sponsored by Bates Smart. 

Congratulations are due to the other Bates Smart Architecture in the Media Awards recipients:

State Award
Uro Publications and editors Mark Raggatt and Maitiu Ward for Mongrel Rapture - The Architecture of Ashton Raggatt McDougall

Commendation
Stephen Crafti for Talking Design Radio, Podcast, RMIT University

More information on the awards can be found here

Image of Justine Clarke courtesy of Nic Granleese

Congratulations to Alex Galego from UNSW for his project 'Tidal'. Alex won the First Degree Design Award, sponsored by Bates Smart at the 2015 NSW Graduate & Student Awards, Bates Smart Studio Director Matt Allen was presented Alex with his award. 

An excerpt from the jury citation reads: "The jury was particularly impressed to see a complex sequence of architectural spaces integrated into such a seemingly simple structure. The project demonstrates an understanding of architecture which is greater than the sum of its parts. Structure, form, program and spatial experience have been integrated into a proposal of subtle elegance."

Alex's project 'Tidal' can be viewed on our gallery link below and on his website alexandergalego.com