Table of contents for INDESIGN #77 - Smart Spaces in INDESIGN

Aside from being a platform for celebrating exceptional architecture and design in the Indo-Pacific, the INDE.Awards is a barometer of our times. This year I was impressed by the quality and diversity of projects entered into The Learning Space, for example. Many were complex and sophisticated tertiary facilities with a particular focus on technology, science and innovation. It reinforced for me the emphasis placed on intelligence and creativity, both commodities of the new-age ‘knowledge economy’ in which we find ourselves. A timely topic given our education focus this issue. In the spirit of knowledge and learning, we are excited to present the INDE.Awards Official Shortlist 2019, (page 29). Huge congratulations go to our shortlisted entrants and heartfelt thanks go to our valued Sponsors. I am deeply grateful to our 2019…

The Queen Of Parks If good design is for people, then great design anticipates its audience and creates user-responsive environments. In one of its latest projects, Neobio, the Shanghai-based architectural firm, X+Living, has designed a veritable wonderland of dining and play for parents looking to chill out and regroup while their children are otherwise occupied. Recognising that public dining with children can be a hellish nightmare, X+Living has designed Neobio as a functional hospitality environment filled with imagination and whimsy. Located in the Minhang district of Shanghai, it is the dine-in version of an amusement park. Entering the main entrance, patrons find themselves ensconced in wavy forests and rolling hills (these are actually the bookshelves for the reading area, doubling as a place for kids to play hide-and-seek). Going beyond…

INDESIGN Luminary The rooftop garden court of the Durbach Block Jaggers-designed building in Sydney’s Kings Cross is a bit like the prow of a ship, except for the mature frangipani trees that provide ample shade on a particularly hot summer’s day. It’s in this building that architectural practice, Neeson Murcutt, has its studio and it is in this garden that I meet a brisk and friendly Rachel Neeson, who emerges via the stairway from her office below. I immediately sense that we have met in just the right environment because Rachel describes her life as “frenetic” – running a busy practice with 12-14 staff and being mother to two young children. Here she is relaxed, undistracted and generous with her time and thoughts. The Murcutt, of course, was Nick Murcutt,…

In the seven years I’ve known Joyce Wang, I have watched her studio and her family grow. She has become one of hospitality design’s brightest stars, she has opened a London studio in addition to her Hong Kong one, she is a juror for this year’s INDE.Awards, she has created two furniture collections, and she has three children. Just three months after the arrival of her youngest, Wang seems full of energy and more passionate about design than ever. “It absolutely gets tiring, but I love what I do and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says. She attributes her ability to balance family and work – and the travel it necessitates – to her team, which has “become very good at picking up cues from me. I’ll…

Education is one of those deceptively slow-moving industries that seems to take its time when it comes to change. But think about your education experience 10 or 20 years ago and then look at what’s currently on offer, both across Australia and internationally. Pedagogies have shifted dramatically over the years and anyone who thinks the sector hasn’t improved, progressed or adjusted would be well-advised to take a closer look! One of the most exciting things about these changes is the response of designers and architects tasked with creating new learning environments. They’ve had to be nimble in their thinking in order to cater to the needs of different groups of learners. It’s a student-centred model with which they’re working and so the focus is on producing spaces that are highly…

Green Square Library and Plaza, Sydney Architect + Interior Design Stewart Hollenstein in association with Stewart Architecture Builder John Holland Group Structural Engineer Arup Services Engineer Arup Landscape Architect HASSELL Budget $61 million Stewart Hollenstein stewarthollenstein.com Stewart Architecture stewartarchitecture.com.au Furniture Chairs and tables, Didier. Lounge chairs, Jardan. Tacchini occasional chairs, Derlot Editions modular furniture, Stylecraft. Bean bags, Koskela. Desks, Schiavello. Moveable shelving, Raeco. Concierge furniture, Instinct Furniture. Lighting Wästberg desk lights, Euroluce. Ross Gardam table lamps, Stylecraft. Finishes Vogl perforated plasterboard ceiling, Decor Systems. Navurban shelving veneer, New Age Veneers. Tretford carpet, Gibbon Group. Marmoleum flooring, Forbo. Tiles, Skheme. Laminate, Abet Laminati. Echo panel wall lining, Woven Image. Paint throughout, Dulux. Upholstery throughout, Warwick, Austex Wortley Group. Magnetic laminate wall lining, Formica. Fixed & Fitted Sensor tap, Billi. Kitchen mixer,…

Now in its third season, Australia by Design has successfully showcased the story behind some of the most innovative creative designers, architects and builders across Australia. When Mike Chapman - Australia By Design’s executive producer - first launched the show, he wanted to capture design in a way that the general public would be able to appreciate. “Australia by Design was meant to bust through the concept of design being an elitist subject and we wanted to have that design conversation in front of a Channel 10 audience,” he explains. “I am not a designer. I am one of the general public. Before I started making Australia by Design, I didn’t appreciate the thinking that goes behind each project and what made things work. That’s something that I’ve learnt to…

Against a tide of concerns around children’s excessive ‘screen time’1 and ubiquitous student mobile phones2,3 – designers, educators and infrastructure decision-makers are striving to future-proof schools with flexible and smart learning spaces to prepare the next generation for tomorrow’s workforce. Rune Fjord, artist, designer and founder of Denmark’s Rune Fjord Studio and Bodil Bojer, PhD student in learning spaces at Rune Fjord Studio and KADK, pioneer research and practice in the collaborative design of learning spaces. With a specialisation in interior design the studio advocates strongly for investing in sensory learning spaces – beyond bricks and mortar, using an interdisciplinary approach to bring art into the field of design as a tool to unlock spaces. The studio teaches people how to activate and inhabit learning spaces, and redesign spaces when…

INDE.Awards 2019 Jury Chan Ee Mun, WOHA (Singapore) Eleena Jamil, Eleena Jamil Architect (Malaysia) James Calder, Calder Consultants (Australia) Jan Utzon, Utzon Architects (Denmark) Joshua Comaroff, Lekker Architects (Singapore) Joyce Wang, Joyce Wang Studio (Hong Kong, London) Judy Cheung, Cheungvogl (Hong Kong) Leone Lorrimer, Lorrimer Consulting (Australia) Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd, PearsonLloyd (UK) Luke Yeung, Architectkidd (Thailand) Paul McGillick, McGillick Consulting (Australia) Raj Nandan, Indesign Media Asia Pacific (Australia/Singapore) Shashi Caan, SC COLLECTIVE (USA/UK) Stephen Burks, Stephen Burks Man Made (USA) Sue Carr, Carr (Australia) Who will take home the INDEs gold? Join us at the INDE.Awards VIP Gala. 21 June, Melbourne Book your seats today. indeawards.com The INDE.Awards would not be possible without the support of our valued partners. Thank you. The Building The Building is awarded to…

“At the end of the day, what matters to us is the buildings,” says Brad Wray, co-director of Branch Studio Architects. The studio, which was founded by Wray with business partner Nicholas Russo in 2012, has already built a catalogue of outstanding work. And it is the “work”, as they put it, that speaks for itself. The studio’s projects are imbued with something extra – a level of thought and conceptual execution that helps to create buildings with legacy. It is not by accident that their projects present this way. “There’s definitely a thinking behind each and every project that we do. We always try to instil an idea into our work,” says Wray. Behind the scenes the pair is navigating a variety of decisions and subtle shifts, which are…

Tipped to become Australia’s most densely populated precinct, Sydney’s Green Square required a truly memorable gesture for its community hub. The Library and Plaza redefines the meaning of architectural literacy with its incredibly visual and graphic structures. Libraries have evolved from being simple repositories of books to providing civic spaces that support more inclusive societies. Offering comprehensive services for all ages, libraries help connect people, build communities and facilitate lifelong learning. Green Square Library and Plaza, opened in September 2018, is located in what is set to be the most densely populated urban area in Australia. Designed by architecture and urban design studio, Stewart Hollenstein in association with Stewart Architecture, the library is an accessible and non-prescriptive space in the heart of Green Square – a 278-hectare development that will…

As the ‘well’ movement gathers momentum, we see numerous workspaces re-skinned as colourful, enticing work-life centres. But just how well do these workplaces deliver on the promise? Enter, Woodside. The building operates around the clock and hosts employees and contractors from around the world, so above all, the design needed to be welcoming and inclusive. With a reputation that precedes it, oil and gas company, Woodside, has applied itself with gusto to the challenge of developing a new Perth headquarters. Adopting an approach that prioritises inclusive and sustainable design, it has created a campus that offers inclusions more common at five-star resorts than city towers. Designed by Cox Architecture (base building) and Unispace (fit-out), the campus responds to its location near the edge of the Swan River. Woodside’s main tower…

Word on the street is that independent fashion brands are investing in bricks and mortar once again. A tour through Elka Collective’s new store by Aplin Creative is visually compelling proof that the reports are true. In late 2018, the disruptive American cosmetics giant Glossier opened its first permanent New York City showroom. The sleek, conceptual space took the brand’s signature Millennial pink aesthetic off the grid and into reality. Part shop, part content platform, the space highlights that the future of in-store retail is more reliant on design than ever. After all, as we seek to constantly add to our digital highlight reel, retailers would be wise to invest in creating visually compelling experiences. Back here in Australia, amidst the low overheads and high-profit margins afforded by e-commerce, Melbourne…

“At Design Nation we are passionate about improving the human experience through transformative, design-led environments.” Over the last 20 years the Australian design industry has faced numerous highs and lows. It’s been the smartest and fittest of businesses, sensitive to shifting consumer demand and evolving market conditions, that have flourished in these challenging and stimulating conditions. No more so than Design Nation, recently rebranded from Cafe Culture + Insitu. Celebrating 20 years in business in 2019, Design Nation saw this momentous occasion as an opportunity to honour two decades of delivering designer furniture into world-class Australian projects; and to energetically embark on its next era of excellence. The decision to rename and rebrand the business as Design Nation was undertaken with careful consideration and counsel. “In 20 years we have…

Globalisation and the ubiquity of new technologies have been key drivers behind the knowledge economy – where skills required for success are those that equip learners to think critically, collaborate, communicate and create. These so-called 21st century skills are less about the traditional tenets of industrial models of education, what we know, and more about how we learn. A search of the term ‘learning’ on Ngram viewer (an application using data from Google books to plot the frequency of words used over time) shows an exponential increase in occurrence in its use from the 1980s onwards. At the same time usage of ‘education’ has been trending down. Coincidentally, the release of the 1984 USA report Museums for a New Century advocated that education be considered a primary purpose of museums…

As designers, we live in a culture of collaboration. Learning within a studio environment is constant and multi-directional, both formal and informal. In the studio it is the process, not just the product that takes centre stage. Designers give and take constructive criticism across disciplines and embrace failure in the process of solving problems to the betterment of the individual designer, the design team and ultimately our clients. These highly effective human behaviours of giving and receiving critiques, learning, collaboration and investigating solutions have proven to positively impact the productivity and learning within an organisation, regardless of the sector. We find ourselves commissioned to design spaces to facilitate and promote these behaviours, it makes sense that we encourage our clients to actively participate in these behaviours during the design process.…

Subscribe to Indesign and receive 5 issues for the price of 4, AUS$55. indesignlive.com/subscribe Indesign is for creative professionals – aspiring and established – hungry to continue the ideas and thought leadership that inform the best projects, products and practices in the Indo-Pacific region. Indesign looks for the point and purpose of everything in design, exploring what we do, how we do it and why. It is the only place you’ll find clever, provocative and insightful conversations with the design industry.…

The Gaggenau name is renowned in the design world as a global luxury brand, sitting in the upper echelon of designer home and kitchen appliances. With a brand ethos focused on culinary culture and bringing soul into the kitchen, Gaggenau designs products that enrich our experience of food. With a rich history going back over 330 years, the Gaggenau brand is not an invention, it’s the name of its small home town in the Black Forest of Germany – this is a brand that honours the past while always looking forward. The kitchen is a space of constant evolution in the home. From cooking space, to social hub of experience, to home of inspiration, Gaggenau is there. Gaggenau appliances off er exceptional design and uncompromising performance, with features that make…

There is no escaping trends whether they take the form of architecture, interiors, fashion, fine art or the decorative arts. History consists of trends that track how we move forward. Whether it’s a streamlined jazz-moderne house from the early 1930s or a 1970s Pucci paisley silk blouse, certain things come to the fore at any one time in history, often reinterpreted decades later to create a fresh new look. However, learning from the past to create something new is vastly different from simply visiting the Milan Furniture Fair, for example, and bringing all the latest trends back Down Under. Picking the ‘eyes’ out of what’s shown in Milan takes a certain skill. But simply reproducing a certain look in a project back home could hardly be considered noteworthy. The latest…

Transforming a crypt-like space into a vaulted vessel of sound, Palassis Architects re-creates the exultant musical qualities of a cathedral in Perth’s oldest architectural precinct. The idea of a new ‘song school’ arose to meet the rehearsal needs of Perth’s Cathedral Choir – which sings at services – and Consort – a professional choir that performs in the cathedral, and at concert halls around Australia and overseas. The project was the brainchild of former cathedral dean Dr John Shepherd, who secured funding from his friend and British peer Lord Cadogan, who has long-term links to Western Australia, and after whom the building is named. This striking white concrete building marries tall, vaulted arches – which reference the cathedral’s lancet windows – with a spire that resembles a tuning fork, but…

A Brutalist 1970s library building provides the bones for a Renaissancelike redevelopment at Monash University’s Caulfield campus. The outcome is a dynamic hub that serves a complexity of 21st-century needs. “It was about opening the library up to the central village green of the campus and bringing light into the building,” says John Wardle Architects’Jasmin Williamson. You need only glimpse the most popular design blogs and Instagram accounts to know we’re smack-bang in the middle of a library renaissance. And if you have, chances are you’ve come across the mind-boggling Binhai Public Library by MVRDV or MKCA’s delightfully designed Children’s Library for transitional shelter in New York. So, you won’t need much convincing. Scale aside, both of these projects exemplify a typology facing unprecedented opportunities to rebrand its service offerings,…

Could your office headquarters double as a collective workspace? When Excelon Group acquired an aging office space they had big ideas, and a very loose brief. Kennedy Nolan overcame distinctive heritage features (that staircase!) to vividly imbue the historic 19th-century building with modern functionality. It was crucial to both client and architect that the design would remain sensitive to the history of the building, and the new fit-out retain as many old features as possible. The stony frontage of a heritage building on Melbourne’s King Street is punctuated by a bold blue door – the only clue to the immersive new interior within. It is from here that siblings Kelvin and Rachel Tang run Excelon Group, a property development company that collaborates with architects to deliver design-led projects. “We did…

Next generation learners could teach us a thing or two about technology. But while they might be digitally savvy, globally aware creative thinkers with the ability to solve problems quicker than most, their interpersonal skills sometimes fall short. It’s a common consequence of their tech-heavy existences and one that educational institutions contend with as they grapple with how best to draw these digital hermits out of their tech shells. These days, employers are especially interested in recruiting graduates whose soft skills are as well-developed as their academic ones, so building an individual’s emotional intelligence (EQ) as well as their intelligence quotient (IQ) has become more important than ever. Breaking down workplace silos within the research and education sectors to foster stronger interpersonal connections has become key. This certainly informed DesignInc’s…