Owners of a construction company, Hugh and Kim Bridle wanted to achieve a combination of old and new in their next personal renovation project, so when they happened upon a run-down cottage to call their own, the pair sought out local architect Shaun Lockyer to collaborate with. more
Brisbane expat Peter Besley of London-based architecture firm Assemblage is behind the redesign of the new Iraqi parliament. Having worked on projects in the UK, Australia and the Middle East, the firm won an international competition run by the United Nations in 2011 to design new housing and towns in Iraq. Assemblage has since been awarded the opportunity to design Iraq’s new parliament in Baghdad. Drawing on ideas of citizenship, a transparent, democratic relationship between citizens and government, accessibility and positive progression of the government has led to an urban design with green spaces and opportunity for interaction between politicians and the public. more
A sleek dining table handcrafted from sustainable oak, a copper-topped coffee table balancing a small stack of books, a signature armchair with natural leather cushioning and smooth cherry armrests – when dreaming up your perfect living space, the possibilities are endless. more
The ball has started rolling towards the announcement of the 2014 National Architecture Awards, with nominations now open for the Queensland Architecture Awards. Categories for the Queensland chapter include Public Architecture, Residential Architecture – Houses (New), Commercial Architecture, Interior Architecture, Urban Design and Heritage, amongst others. Nominations close on Friday January 31, with the Brisbane event to be held on May 16. Submit your project via the Australian Institute of Architects. Image credit: Wesley House by Fulton Trotter Architects in association with Architectus. Photographer: John Gollings. more
While bursting onto the design scene with an entrepreneurial vision and courageous heart – driven to go it alone – is more the norm these days, a little helping hand from those in the know is always a welcome starting point to a young creative. more
The characteristics of a city’s buildings contribute to the spirit and soul of a city, and affect how its inhabitants feel moved, or otherwise, when they cast their gaze down a laneway, up at a tall building and across the cityscape. more
Ex-Brisbane, now Melbourne-based architect Phillip Nielsen has been busy sketching Australian floral emblems by hand to turn into prints for tea towels. Only 70 of the dish dryers were printed across two designs, sporting abstract patterns of the Sturt’s Desert Pea and Royal Bluebell. You can find these latest designs on the Monochromat store. Phillip also has an online store on Society6, which enables artists to upload their designs to the site, which are then turned into a range of products on a made-to-order basis. Find a selection of Phillip’s prints, including tropical pineapples and more abstract nature designs here. more
Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) has announced a redevelopment of Brisbane Airport’s International Terminal by Richards & Spence in collaboration with Arkhefield. more
Food courts are funny places. Fluorescent lighting beams down from overhead, casting your meal and the skin of the people around you in an odd yellow glow. The aromas of foods from greasy franchises and Chinese banquets mesh and compete to win over your tastebuds. Convenience is key, with the food and service designed to be fast, and your meal delivered in easy-to-carry packaging, ensuring you can eat quickly on the run, in the food court or back at your desk. more
Focusing on design that is humble and functional, Nooko & Co is a young Brisbane-based furniture and product design studio. Inspired by space and how people utilise their surrounds, the brand encourages meaningful, considered purchases of furniture and homewares, so a room of one’s own reflects both the person and movements and motions for which the room is intended. more
While we’re well versed in the language of pop-up shops, a new pop-up garden has hooked our green thumb’s attention. Run by landscape architect and outdoor stylist Johanna MacMinn, My Verandah is a residential garden design company, which helps shape outdoor pockets into green oases. While Johanna can usually be found pairing furniture and made-to-measure cushions with vertical gardens and potted greenery to create outdoor living rooms during the week, she’s paired up with the folk at Inspiring Beauty Medispa and Hidden Secrets Hair Salon in Toowong to transform the skinny space between the two buildings into a thriving pop-up garden. Aeriums, moss balls, vertical gardens, hanging planters and Pantone pots dot the outdoor cranny, with many a cacti, fern, succulent and floral foliage ready to be draped in ribbon and given as a gift for Christmas. My Verandah pop-up garden 137… more
There is a lure, a fascinating pull, that draws us to visit particular cities of the world. Rich with culture and history, these cities, both small and large, draw us in, where the impressive facades of buildings captivate us in their construction, period style and fine details. more
While touring architecture in our own city (think Brisbane Open House) and while travelling abroad is a commonly enjoyed pursuit, an archi-tour where architects get to visit the work of other local architects is an uncommon practice. From private homes to public bars, the doors to the prized creations of Brisbane’s architects are swung open to likeminded eyes in collaborative architecture tours. Taking an afternoon out from the daily grind, both emerging and established Brisbane architects hop between the latest finished projects of their peers to admire the lines, light and shadow, and intricate details, and to ask questions and give feedback. The Weekend Edition tagged along on one leg of a recent archi-tour to take a few snaps at one of James Russell Architect’s houses. more
For the past two years, The Rabbit Hole Ideation Cafe has showcased and supported the local creative community, fuelled workers with endless cups of joe and crafted an atmosphere in which talented folk can be connected. more
In a step towards becoming a more foreigner-friendly and globally recognised city, multilingual directional signs have been introduced around Brisbane’s CBD. more
Every store is unique. Some resemble a lush private gentleman’s salon. Others, a sleek minimalist space. Whatever the design – and the intriguing window display – Aesop stores catch peripherals and turn heads with their commitment to design. more
While James Cubitt Architects usually executes the architecture and interiors of education and government buildings, a family connection prompted the local firm to branch into the hospitality field. more
Last Friday saw the Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) for 2013 rollout, with two local firms ranking amongst the winners. Wilson Architects in association with Donovan Hill Architects were awarded highly commended in the Public Space category for their work on the Translational Research Institute at Woolloongabba, while Wrightson Stewart gained a highly commended title in the Event category for its transformation of the bar space at La Boite Theatre. more
Delivering a touch of the contemporary to the sleepy rural town of Cooroy, Brewster Hjorth Architects designed the Cooroy Library and Digital Information Hub as part of the Mill Place Master Plan for Cooroy. Providing a vibrant connection between the existing art gallery at the Butter Factory and the main street, the project was awarded the Gabriel Poole Award for Building of the Year at the Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards earlier this year. The building consists of two curved pavilions, with one dug into the slope of the site and covered by an earth-sheltered grass roof, which acts as the link between the gallery and the parklands. The environmentally sustainable design features a low-energy shell and a natural-light-filled interior featuring digital training and community rooms, a lounge, reading areas and a cafe that opens onto a large covered verandah. more
The favourite plastic building blocks of our childhood have been given a facelift by Japanese design company Mokulock. Carefully handcrafted from maple and birch, these wooden bricks are biodegradable and treated to retain their natural hues. Small and big kids alike will find joy in these eco-minded toy alternatives, which are compatible with plastic LEGO pieces. Mokulock’s philosophy is to provide children who grow up in an urban environment with a tactile connection to nature in a playful manner. more
