That's HASSELL landscape architect Rocelyn Slee and my ever able assistant - architect Nils Koenning on the cover of the latest LAA. Finding people to demonstrate the activation of the Wesley Quarter landscape proved difficult so it came down to Rocelyn and Nils sitting in.
Wesley Quarter, on the corner of Hay and William Streets in Perth upgrades the laneway and public realm around the Wesley Church. Simple forms and interfaces, such as sandstone seating, granite paving, shade trees and lighting make the laneway and surrounds clear and logical. These new works merge seamlessly into the existing urban fabric, ‘encourag(ing) a range of uses, and offers a resting place adjacent to Hay Street’s bustling retail precinct’.
Better than TV is a night of entertainment for the easily distracted! Opinions, provocations and conversations will be shared. Inspired by the SoD festival's theme “change by design” it'll feature the extensive knowledge of architect Simon Knott (RRR's The Architects & BKK), the bold opinions of designer Soren Luckins (Director of Büro North) and the environmental reportage photography of Peter Bennetts. See you there I hope!
Better than TV is brought to you by Quiet Revolution, and will be facilitated by its two directors Katelyn Samson & Kate Luckins (The Clothing Exchange). This intimate event will be held in the warehouse shell of the No Vacancy Gallery in hideaway Jane Bell Lane of QV Melbourne.
Better than TV, State of Design Festival - Change by Design
6pm Friday 23rd July. To book tickets click here. All inquiries info@bttv.com.au
I'm giving a masterclass on Monday 19 July 2010 at the University of Queensland School of Architecture for Writing Architecture. Writing Architecture concerns innovations in the textual and Visual Critique of Buildings. Writing Architecture is convened by Dr Naomi Stead of the ATCH (Architecture|Theory| Criticism|History) Research Centre in the School of Architecture at The University of Queensland.
To attend download this call for participants.
I know a lot more about Giant Pandas and Zoos for photographing Adelaide Zoo over the last six months! Adelaide Zoo Entrance and Panda Exhibit by HASSELL has won five awards dominating the AIA 2010 SA Architecture Awards.
The recently opened Adelaide Zoo Entrance Precinct was awarded the prestigious Jack McConnell Award for Public Architecture, the top Robert Dickson Award for Interior Architecture, an Urban Design Architecture Award and a Sustainable Architecture Award. The Adelaide Zoo Panda Exhibit also by HASSELL received a Public Architecture Commendation.
The jury said: “With the removal of the former introverted entry wall and gate and the establishment of a new integrated entry precinct accessed off Botanic Park, the Adelaide Zoo has all of a sudden come of age.” They added: “From a major conceptual level to the detailed, the new entry precinct exhibits an excellent integration of urban design, landscape and architecture.”
Congratulations to the winners in the Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter Awards!! The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre by NH Architecture and Woods Bagot scooped four of the highest honours as well as Victoria's highest prize the Victorian Architecture Medal. Successfully crossing design boundaries the MCEC won the William Wardell Award for Public Architecture, the Steel Architecture Award, an Award for Sustainable Architecture and the Melbourne Prize.
I'd photographed the MCEC over 3 years through construction and its subsequent completion for the book project 'The Private Life of Public Architecture'.
Another major winner I'd the pleasure to photograph is the ANZ Centre by HASSELL and Lend Lease, honoured with the Marion Mahony Award for Interior Architecture and a Commercial Architecture Award. The jury said 'It is refreshing to be reminded of what can be achieved when there is an alignment of budget, an informed client, a committed builder and an experienced and imaginative design team,’.
Winners of architecture awards that I'd the pleasure and privilege to photograph included NMBW Architecture Studio's Studio for Lyons with an award for Interior Architecture. Andrew Maynard won for Anglesea House a Residential Architecture Award - Alterations and Additions.
BKK's Beached House is the cover story of Houses® #94. I'm chuffed that we made the cover of the relaunch issue of Houses. The magazine has been redesigned by Art Director Ken Leung of Monocle and Vanity Fair renown. Really well done to the Houses crew - Cameron Bruhn, Katelin Butler, Peter Davies, Sue Harris et al.
The magazine now has a regular feature titled 'revisted' in which projects older than 10 years are literally 'revisited' - photographed and reviewed. It was a particular privilege to, along with Fleur Watson and Cameron Bruhn meet Neil Clerehan at his Brighton House, completed in 1968. Apart from a few minor alterations - which meet with Neil's approval - the house is beautifully intact, a testament to the longevity of his architectural principles.
Congratulations to all the winners of the NSW chapter Awards. Between tempests, dust storms and floods I had the good fortune keep my camera mostly dry and photograph two of the major award winners.
The Aaron Bolot Award for Multiple Housing was awarded to 20-24 Alfred Street Apartments, North Sydney, by BVN Architects
5-9 Roslyn Street, Kings Cross, by Durbach Block Architects – was awarded the Sir Arthur G. Stephenson for Commercial Architecture
What’s a volcano in Iceland got to do with me – a lot as it turns out, my flight to Hong Kong was cancelled as it was to go onto Frankfurt, so with a couple of hours notice I was at the airport to fly first to Sydney and join another flight to Hong Kong, eventually Shanghai and then straight to the Expo site to make the best of clearish skies.
Photographing Wood Marsh's Australian Pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai I was intrigued and struck by the incongruity of icon 'Australia' and the PLA (People's Liberation Army) soldiers. The soldiers, all women, had a hilarious time photographing themselves in a variety of poses in front of the building.
There's been no respite for this photographer. Having finished with the architecture awards I have with Nils at my side and Katherine in Sydney completed a series of memorable commissions for Buro North, Durbach Block, Edwards Moore, Electrolight, Elenberg Fraser, Houses, NMBW, Vicroads and Wallpaper* as well as collaborating with sculptor Cameron Robbins to document his work at Federation Square 'Very Slow Drawing Machine'. And there's been the annual Falls Creek Artist Camp of which as well as participant with David H. Thomas I'm co-convenor and instigator.
Now i'm off to Shanghai and Hangzhou. I'll be photographing Wood Marsh's Australian Pavilion at World Expo 2010 and I'm looking forward to seeing and once again working with artist Matej Andraz Vogrincic photographing his installation for the Slovenian Pavilion. After Shanghai it's the fast train south to photograph for HASSELL their just completed China headquarters for Alibaba.
ARM's publication 2010-A-MRC+MTC launches this Wednesday 14 April at Loop Bar, Meyers Place Melbourne. 2010-A-MRC+MTC is a collection of essays on the Melbourne Recital Centre and MTC Theatre. This is the first in a series of publications on ARM’s work over the last 22 years.
2010-A-MRC+MTC features essays by Peter Corrigan (Edmond & Corrigan/RMIT), Ross Jenner (University of Auckland), Ian McDougall (ARM), Richard Mills (Melbourne Recital Centre), Simon Phillips (Melbourne Theatre Company), Howard Raggatt (ARM) and Naomi Stead (University of Queensland), with a foreword by Arts Minister the Hon. Peter Batchelor.
The Melbourne Recital Centre and MTC Theatre are considered through architectural critique, design intent, and the experience of our clients during this landmark project. The magazine features photography by Peter Bennetts, John Gollings and Earl Carter.
Austria's Architektur magazine have run Zaha Hadid Architects' MAXXI, Rome's new National Museum of the XXI Century arts as their cover story. The shoot was a fun collaboration with writer/architect Astrid Meyer and architect Gianandrea Barbero who assisted me (and convinced some lovely Romans into letting me photograph the MAXXI from their top floor apartment!).
Every year it's a rush to photograph newly completed buildings for the Australian Institute of Architects Awards' submission deadlines. The paint's not always dry, the landscape still to be installed, the weather often inclement and there are always workers in day-glo vests getting in the shot! It all started in earnest in November and since then, ably assisted by my media savvy compadre, architect Nils Koenning, we've visited most of Australia photographing for established and emerging practices alike. I've photographed Panda enclosures, aged accommodation for retired Marist Fathers, houses for the wealthy and the not so, the new headquarters for the ANZ Bank, the redevelopment of Randwick Race course and a little Convention Centre on the banks of the Yarra River. Above is BKK's Corinella House...a just finished cracker of a house on Westernport Bay. It's been a pleasure to photograph for great practices, large and small, including but not limited to...Andrew Maynard, BKK, BVN, DEA, Elenberg Fraser, FMD, Grant Amon, HASSELL, iph, NH Architecture, NMBW, Woods Bagot and SARM. Good luck everyone!
I've been working with Büro North and Squint Opera to visualise our own proposition for Melbourne's heat damaged and conceptually flawed Southern Star Big Wheel. We suggest a greek windmill inspired sci-fi future with a Wind Driven Solar Sail Powered Wheel as a hub for a new fleet of Flying Steam Powered Punk Trams which alleviate congestion in a newly greened Melbourne! Let me know what you think?
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is under construction on Olympic Boulevard in the 'Sports and Entertainment' precinct of inner Melbourne. Commissioned by Wallpaper* to photograph the construction for their awards edition, able intern Nils Koenning and I scaled 5 tiers of scaffold and shot the pitch with one of the stadium's geodesic panels being craned into place. The Stadium with its distinctive bio-frame structure and geodesic dome roofs was designed by Cox Architects. Rectangular stadium was awarded Wallpaper* magazine's 'Worlds best building site' in their 2010 Design Awards announced today, you can see my finished photograph over a double page spread in the Wallpaper* February Design Awards special.
I've just photographed what is perhaps my favorite building, the Casa da Musica by Rem Koolhaas/OMA for the 'Music Houses' book - the world's most remarkable buildings for musical performance. Intellectual rigor meets sensual beauty in an original form. Whilst photographing the Casa was pure pleasure I wish I'd seen more of Porto than it, the airport and my hotel.
Published bi-annually by Swiss watchmakers Patek Philippe exclusively for the owners of their watches, Patek Philippe Magazine expresses a unique philosophy: 'The publication is designed to feature all aspects of excellence with brilliant images and eloquent stories...the magazine is a standing invitation to explore beauty and timelessness'! Flattering indeed that my image of ARM's 1010 building was chosen for their 'Pictorial' feature which focuses on a single image which causes a 'double take' in the viewer.
I've just finished shooting for the new Wallpaper* City Guide to Sydney. 3 days, 20 locations and a trying time with Qantas! Photographing bars, shops and hotels we discovered lots of good; from The Rum Diaries to Via Alley, Saint Augustine Academy to the Diamant Penthouse. The shoot was produced by the super organised Eriko Shimazaki and I was lucky to enjoy the assistance and companionship of Nils Koenning. Now I'm exhausted and glad to be back in Melbourne, not a day off for 4 weeks with back to back shooting in 6 countries and 10 cities to date! Wish I'd a Wallpaper* City Guide for everywhere I've been!!
Today I attended the opening of the National Museum of the XXI Century arts by Zaha Hadid Architects. Exploring the interface between architecture, landscape and art the MAXXI is a complex, dynamic and fluid set of spaces devoted to contemporary creativity. Wonderfully I'd been invited to the opening and commissioned to photograph this incredible building. I'm grateful for the assistance of Gianandrea Barbero who apart from a pretty good job as a tour guide, he is from Torino, was able to convince some lovely Romans into letting us photograph from their top floor apartment overlooking the MAXXI.
As guests of RBA Architects we attended the National Architecture Awards last night at the Melbourne Recital Centre. RBA didn't get an award for their shortlisted project Singapore Cottage but several other buildings I photographed did. The venue, the Melbourne Recital Centre and MTC Theatre Project by ARM – was awarded the Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture and the Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture - Multiple Housing went to Wood Marsh and Sunland Design for the 22-storey Balencea Apartments on St Kilda Road in Melbourne. A Commendation for Interior Architecture went to the Jane Foss Russell Building, University of Sydney, NSW by John Wardle Architects in association with Wilson Architects and GHD. Congratulations to all the winners!