Always on the lookout for new and exciting collaborations, Director Jacob Hutson has been particularly involved with a photographic project for leading project management consultancy Thinc. Specializing in projects from health and infrastructure to the private and resources sectors, Thinc also is an independent firm with a focus on innovation and collaboration. 

Thinc recently engaged DC8 Studio to catalogue the history of their projects nationwide, from Brisbane all the way to Port Headland in Western Australia. 

Jacob Hutson, DC8 Studio’s resident photographer and Director, has been capturing Thinc’s extensive catalogue of projects, old, newly completed and under construction. With the major projects in most states recorded Jacob has been able to take a step back and consider the enormity of the project with fresh eyes.

‘I try to capture the patterns and shapes of what I am photographing; lines and contrast drive a lot of what I try to emphasise in my imagery,’ Jacob says.

The imagery Jacob speaks of are not just of buildings or architectural examples; it is of the surrounding landscape and existing team atmosphere, and trying to work out how the man-made, the human and the natural world can seem to fit together so well. 

With each trip taking a couple of days to complete, capturing the projects in the best light involves pre dawn starts and not finishing until well after sunset. Often it can be quite solitary work,

‘It’s just me, my camera bag, tripod and laptop involved. Sometimes I’m isolated out in the bush or in quiet post work parts of city cbds’, its quite a contrast and quite captivating.’

At some locations I extended the location shoot and have taken personal time to shoot my own photographs. Australia has some very photogenic and dramatic landscapes that have been inspirational to both shoot and see in person.

You can follow the photographic work for Thinc in the visual design / photography section of the website. 

Or jump straight to see some of the work from the Brisbane (QLD)  or Canberra (ACT) shoot.

You can see more of the photography of St.Marys Girls College here. 

Thank you all for joining us to listen to Assistant Minister for Planning Reform, Robert Molhoek talk about his new role and we look forward to seeing you at DC8 Studio the next forum event.

You can read about our Matryoksa Philosophy here.

And also read some more about the night here.

Our latest visual client rendering was produced for Conrad & Gargett Ridell architects for a commercial building proposal for their client. 

You can see more of the render and some of the detail in the 3d rendering section of our website. Check out some of work for our other clients.

You can see more of the SuperWall here.

In one of his first public speaking engagements, the new Assistant Minister for Planning Reform Mr Robert Molhoek spoke eloquently about his new role and the challenges ahead for Queensland. Adding to the relaxed tone of the evening, Mr Molhoek spoke openly about his involved role in the Premier Newman Government and his personal hopes for the future of Queensland.

Director Brett Anstis spoke about DC8 Studio’s approach to all their endeavours. Modeling their practice from the matryoshka principle of layered living, Brett spoke of how DC8 seeks to design buildings with people in mind. By considering the interconnection of living spaces from the smallest to the grandest, designing spaces can still be about People and Prosperity, the key tenets of DC8’s philosophy.

Amelia and Belinda shared their enthusiasm and passion for a personal project of theirs this year. Amelia and Belinda will be visiting Uganda in November for The Hunger Project Australia in order to see how the fundraising dollars they raise will be used to help. Both Amelia and Belinda spoke candidly of their anticipation for the trip and their excitement to have to opportunity to learn from another culture and bring back these lessons to their work in Australia. To give to their cause follow the facebook link.

Along with his continued commitment to the safety of Queensland children, Mr Molhoek spoke of his idea of what government should be providing its citizens; great spaces to live and work and the ability to contribute to their community. Mr Molhoek cited the cutting of red tape and decreasing the extended time frames for project approvals as two of his key issues with the development industry, and his plans to overcome these limitations.

By giving the power back to local government, The Queensland Plan announces an intention to collectively work toward a new vision for Queensland, with representatives such as Mr Molhoek personally welcoming any views and ideas that can be contributed towards the development of the plan or any areas of responsibility under his new portfolio.

The evening’s event drew to a close with property legend Chris Freeman from WATPAC giving a vote of thanks and signing off the evening in style, citing with appraisal Mr Molhoek’s personal dedication to Queensland and the importance of having an approachable ‘go to man’ in the property industry. We would also like to thank Councillor Vicki Howard for attending and talking so candidly with all our guests.

The metaphor of the Russian Doll (or Matryoshka) embodies the relationship between similar objects within one another, and offers a suitable framework to guide our thinking on creating spaces rather than buildings.

I want you to imagine yourself inside the smallest room in your house. I know in my house that is also the most private room. Expanding out from this layer we arrange our spaces around a small community of family, or co-inhabitants who all share the home and yard as a private or semi private world where we can feel safe and our basic needs of food, shelter and intimate community are met.

Now in many cases the next level is taken out to a broader public realm as we exit our front door into the streets where the edges between public and private can range from a dynamic friction through to an indifferent coexistence.

So what about the middle doll.

A space that exists between the public and private streams. This is where opportunity is offered for a pace of interaction in between the speeds of the private space and the fully public space. This slower pace provides greater comfort for a broader cross section of the population to coexist and perhaps even connect.

Physical examples can include horizontal manifestations of the step / verandah / deck to vertical examples of void lobbies and sky gardens. The Apple Campus 2 by Norman Foster is a massive circle structure with a central green space and an internal layout where Steve Jobs worked very specifically with the Architects to create interruption spaces where the way in which people interact in an ad-hoc manner can be utilised to harvest the energy and innovation.

At an Urban Design level, cities like Melbourne offer clues to this principle at a macro scale where the city centre offers the big doll layer of interaction which packs out into the middle layer of the Chapel, Brunswick and Lygon Streets, St Kilda Roads etc and finally into the small doll layer of the homes in the suburbs, which are so enriched through their proximity to the spaces along these neighborhood high streets.

Landscape spaces have traditionally worked well with the varying speeds and interactions of these layers where a park bench sits in a pocket which sits in a football oval.

Now what is the point of all of this?

I find Abraham Maslow’s model of the hierarchy of needs to be good vehicle to help us understand why this is important to us. Lets start with our basic physiological needs of safety, security and essential sustenance much of which relates to our homes and shelter. Without this, we find it more challenging to build towards a space which allows consistently for friendship, love and belonging. With these 2 layers in place, we can ultimately clear our minds and open the journey toward self actualization – that includes culture, compassion and enlightenment. THIS IS OUR DREAM.

We are seeking to develop an appropriate layering of space and interaction within and between these levels. It is with particular reference to the spatial layer between the private and greater public realm (or Middle Spaces), that we believe the shared network opportunities are created which are the cement that bonds a community together.

We would like to welcome our newest crew member Karen Ognibene to the studio family.

Karen is a design and project architect with over 10 years experience in Australia. Karen has delivered numerous multi award winning projects ranging from affordable housing developments, to high end residential and cruise liner terminals. In 2011 her most awarded project, the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal, was the recipient of the Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage Architecture, the highest accolade awarded by the Australian Institute of Architects.

Karen’s passion has always been in socially responsible architecture, in particular designing quality housing for any budget. She has delivered over 160 dwellings with not-for-profit housing provider Brisbane Housing Company and was a founding board member of Specialised Programs and Community Endeavours, an organisation providing social activities for young people with a disability.

Karen believes the best outcomes are achieved when there is synergy between entire project team, and the foundation for a highly successful project is a collaborative relationship. 

DC8 Studio look forward to being part of Karen’s contiuning journey.

Have you RSVP’d yet?

We find great joy in having the opportunity to be involved with projects where our influence can impact on a large section of the community. As progressive completion rolls through the 101 homes being delivered in Gladstone, DC8 Studio celebrates each opportunity to improve orientation, cross ventilation, engagement with streetscape and contribution to their neighborhoods.  

We believe every house we touch is one more home that moves closer to achieving our vision of Prosperity for People and Planet. It is this belief that offers Architects an important role in the broader cottage industry which is often controlled by basic budgets, construction methodologies and overall efficiency of outcome for effort (for example the box shape offers the highest wall to floor ratio and thus area for cost but can also become a dark and hot internal space). Our vision for these homes had to embody short, medium and long term uses which could act as homes to a diverse range of people from workers / co-workers through to couples and multiple kid families (both young and older children groups). The same care for planning is employed in all our homes that seek to embed the basic principles of relating internal to external spaces and a livable arrangement of light and airy spaces to accommodate a range of living patterns. Flexibility in future subdivision of some homes could also allow for the in-house living of family as they age or provide shared semi-independent accommodation. We welcome the challenges of working in this realm and would like to thank our clients and collaborators for this opportunity. Well done also to Kara and Ron for their creative inputs.

Images of homes designed by DC8 Studio and built by Mark Bain Constructions. Clients and collaborators include TCAP, Santos GLNG, GBGH and FORM.

These new artist perspectives were rendered in high resolution and used to create full floor to ceiling wall panels in the sales office. 

Going even bigger, a 12 metre x 4 metre mosnter print of the urban laneway will shortly be installed at the commercial building laneway whilst construction completes on the residential tower.

As part of the combined open door studio space, we had a meet and greet breakfast for the staff of MAP and our studio. A great breakfast cooked up by chef meister Aaron fed the crew and our neighbours and made for a fabulous start to the middle of the week. The move next door has freed up precious space making way for our plans for the year.

 Since producing The Last Picture Show (img 1) for his departure from Mirvac Design in September 2009, UA designed my pick-and-play-fruit-salad garden (img 2), planned a city (img 3), designed a few public parks (img 4), worked on a planning study of Woolloomooloo (img 5), made some landscape and urbanism slideshows including MMM about the Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx (img 6), created a line of greeting cards and graphic art which are available in a few shops around the city (img 7), seen the realisation of Gainsborough Greens recreation centre designed when he was at Mirvac in collaboration with Matt Franzmann from Form Landscape Architects (img 8) and revamped his front courtyard (img 9). Alan is a design architect and landscape architect with interests in architecture, urbanism, landscape and graphics. You can view all of UA’s projects, including the ones above, on his website … alaninnes.com

Image 1 - The Last Picture ShowImage 2 – The pick-and-play-fruit-salad gardenImage 3 – Weddell City NT.Image 4 – Quota Park Nambour.Image 5 – Woolloomoolloo Planning Study.Image 6 – MMM Slideshow.Image 7 – Fibonacci.Image 8 – Gainsborough Greens Recreation Centre for Mirvac.Image 9 – 57 Woolley St.

The Latrobe valley in conjunction with Transiting Cities and OUTR released the results an international sustainable design ideas competition focusing on the Latrobe Valley Region to generate possibilities and to realise potentials of the Valley and its impact on the energy production for the state of Victoria, Australia. The Latrobe Valley has long been associated with a high level of pollution from its power plants and mines.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L8_3MG7uII

”How can we rethink, regenerate, rebrand, rework, reactivate cities dominated by singular economies for a vibrant and innovative future?” ( http://transitingcities.com/ )

DC8 Crew member, Genevieve Vella in a team with her university colleagues Andrew Campbell and Daniel Lau submitted a proposal of design ideas and research and were recently informed of their successful shortlisting amongst the top 18 open/professional international division of the competition for their submission “Latrobe Valley: A Green Future”.

The proposal developed and presented the concept that the existing brown coal mines and power plants in Latrobe Valley could be phased out of the region and replaced with Algae Technology with little loss of jobs, economy and infrastructure and result in a greener and stronger community for the region.

Their submission also focused heavily on the creation of positive urban spaces which promote sustainability education as well as an open and friendly community spirit. These spaces were conceived through research of the area and their characters were derived from existing architecture and forms created by the power plants. These devices capture the existing identity of the region and rebrand it to align with the new green initiatives of the district.

The three devices proposed included a Green Crossing, Algae Lakes Infrastructure and Community Piazzas in each of the three townships (Moe, Morwell and Traraglon). These three devices reflected the ideals of sustainable energy, positive community engagement, technology education and research and identifying architectural forms to create a strong brand and character for the Latrobe Valley. The winning submission was contributed by a team located in Missori, USA. http://architectureau.com/articles/transiting-cities-winners-announced/#img=6

View the detailed design here. Well Done Genevieve!

Available from the BCC website. Direct link here 

The plan is currently being debated in council and amendments may still occur to parts of the City Plan.

The Premier said Mr Mander has proven his ability, enthusiasm and passion during his time as the Assistant Minister for Sport and Racing.

“Tim will carry on the good work started by Dr Bruce Flegg in addressing the needs of the 30,000 families Labor left on the public housing waiting list,” Mr Newman said.

“He has worked hard in successfully implementing the Government’s Get in the Game initiative, in partnership with Minister Steve Dickson.

“This initiative has been a highlight of Mr Mander’s role, with the $18 million program promoting grass root community sport and recreation, especially for children.

“Tim has also had a successful career outside of politics through his 20 years as an NRL referee and six-year tenure as the CEO of a major non-government organisation. 

“I am confident his experience and compassion will be of great benefit to all Queenslanders.”

Mr Mander said he was looking forward to taking on the new role.

“Much work has already taken place, especially in the important area of public housing, but there is so much more that needs to be done,” Mr Mander said.

“Labor left behind a mess that is continuing to have a major impact on tens of thousands of families.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to help those people and do more to get this state back on track.”

Mr Newman also announced that Ted Malone would be promoted to a new position as Assistant Minister working with the Minister for Police and Community Safety, Jack Dempsey.

“Mr Malone will focus on volunteer, emergency and rescue services,” Mr Newman said

“He is experienced both outside as well as inside politics, and highlights include his time dealing with Emergency and Community Services personnel.

“His passion for volunteer services in this space is unrivalled.”

With the promotion of Mr Malone, the Honourable Member for Gympie, David Gibson MP, will be appointed as the new Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for State Development, Infrastructure and Industry.

“Mr Gibson has proven his enthusiasm in representing the community through his fight to stop Labor’s disastrous plan for the Traveston Dam, his advocacy for the deaf community, and his strong management of Shadow Portfolios including Infrastructure and Planning,” the Premier said.

Government Announcement

http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2012/11/15/premier-announces-new-minister.

 Key issues discussed over the 3 days included:

1. The power of Strong Leadership with Vision/Philosophy as a force to drive outcomes - especially to aim for better than the “It will do” outcomes. This is about realising and planning for exciting long term assets to our cities and communities which become beacons for society and commerce. To have a Vision to drive Planning and Detail - and keep testing against this Vision to stay above the line;
2. Entrepreneurship with its drive to join the dots and get things happening;
3. The changing demographics, including preparing for Generation Y, Cultural shifts and immigration;
4. Our “Lucky Country” focussing long term and on more than simple reliance on a resources boom. Education and investment in the currency of knowledge and skills of our people was one area suggested;
5. “Housing affordability” rather than “Affordable housing”;
6. The myriad of aspects to the property industry; and
7. Industry, locality and resource trends.

We were engaged, educated and inspired - plus how could we not make some good friends along the way?

Thank you Property Council. 2012

Whilst cows provided audible entertainment, speeches by Sekisui House MD Toru Abe and Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale reinforced their commitment to creating a sustainable society based on a balanced eco system, blending the Japanese philosophy of ‘Satoyama’ - a bond between people and nature with the very best of Australian Iconic lifestyle.

DC8 Studio looks forward to continuing the partnership with Sekisui House in delivering this vision.

Ecco Ripley Masterplan

When you have a vision which is strong and clear and aligns itself with your passion, the lines between work and pleasure become blurred, and a culture develops that magnetically draws one in leaving you wanting to experience more.

Dare and his work family have such a space and culture - where the strength of Fun and Design pervade cool relams of Skinny Jean Surf and motorcycles which resonate with an era of joy and freedom. We were particulary interested in the mix of making, celebrating, selling and their thinking behind their journey.

Fantastic inspiration and certainly lessons for us to explore at the studio.

Please read more about Deus Ex Machina.

Thanks guys for sharing.

As well as providing singificantly more accurate results than other methods, GasMapper also provides realtime results vs other methods that required testing from external testing labs, sometimes taking months before results came back.

DC8 Studio created an animation explaining the benefits of the GasMapper system and an overview of the process of using GasMapper to test coal seams in the field.

The fulllength  animation is below.

WellDog GasMapper Animation from dc8studio on Vimeo.

Brett Anstis, Riccardo Rizzalli and Marianne McKenzie of DC8 Studio present Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale with a DC8 Studio hardhat fashioned in a “Top Gun” style.

Laurie Mundt was also on hand to kindly show us around and share his insights. It was great to get a broader understanding of the vision for the area and witness how the Ipswich City Properties precinct is coming on line with Hutchinson Builders and Leighton Properties delivering the first stage.

The area is looking forward to impressive growth over the coming years, and the vision of Pisasale and his team is creating a strong drive to achieve the goal of creating a happy resilient and liveable community.   The Ipswich City Council Corporate Plan offers an overview.

DC8 Studio would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the City of Ipswich on the opening of the second stage of the River Heart Parklands which has enjoyed huge support from the community. 

The central lift core and stair cores are starting to taking shape with the first walls already completed with the first footings and foundations along O’Connell Terrace being placed.

Due to the prime location, no basement was designed for the building with car parking located on Levels 1 and 2. As a result, ‘Hutchies’ will literally “rip tear bust” over the coming weeks as the ground floor is built. There will be nearly 100 concrete precast panels to be placed over the site.

Keep your eyes logged into DC8 Studio’s online photo (face)book to see our work.

Our good friends at the Australian Parkour Association put on a fine demonstration of how interactive play spaces can create engagement and activity around our city.

Check out the latest photos here.

Todays Courier Mail newspaper talks about DC8 Studio and our work west of Brisbane. 

With the tunnel boring machines commencing their 5 kilometre tunnel digging earlier this week, Legacy Way will join Airport Link and the Clem 7 Tunnel as the “holy trinity” of Brisbane’s new tunnel network aiming to improve transportation

in, around, through and under the city.

The Tunnel Control Centre will be a seven-storey building housing the “brain” of the Legacy Way. Adjacent to the Inner City Bypass and opposite the RNA Showgrounds, the building will also provide almost 6000 sqm of commercial space available for lease to the market.

We have been working feverishly over the last few weeks with our builders “Hutchies” to enable this milestone to be reached. Expect activity on site and around O Connell Terrace to increase for the project team and the general public over the next 12 months. Excavation is underway today to enable key service infrastructure to be installed.

Keep your eyes on our Facebook page, as regular progress photos of construction will be uploaded.

DC8 Studio, architects and interior designs of 41 O’Connell Terrace and the Legacy Way Control Centre congratulates Hutchinson Builders on being named by Brisbane City Council as construction contractor.

Well done BCC, and Hutchies. We look forward to working with you to deliver this vital project for the people of Brisbane.

See the notice in the Courier Mail.

Gladstone growth and development opportunities

Members of the DC8 Studio Crew, Clients and Collaborators attended the Property Council of Australia breakfast on the Mining and Property industry in the Gladstone region. Guest speakers included Mayor of Gladstone CR Gail Sellers, Adrian Pisarski (Executive Officer of Qshelter) and Cameron Mana (General manager – Business Growth Devine Limited).

The discussions highlighted a range of issues resulting from the resources growth and the associated housing crunch in the region. Council and government infrastructure is under pressure and looking for expansion.

High rent and affordability

Local community is experiencing both the benefits and the drawbacks. Rents have skyrocketed, and housing availability / affordability for the elderly and non-resource employed has become a real issue which has an impact on the 60000 odd permanent residents in the short, and long term. Speakers balanced elements of opportunity and risk across these issues with reference to the property industry. The ULDA also received a large amount of coverage and is of particular interest with respect to its future following the election of the new Queensland Government. In summary one got the feeling that the people of the area are looking for innovative solutions to deliver funding, speed in delivery of housing and amenity as well as planning structures to support this as their opinion is that the resources need is here to stay for the medium term and thus underpinning demand.

Riccardo points out ‘We are seeing many apartments being produced where liveability and amenity is being heavily compromised in the push to create greater yield and lower costs. Watching the apparent sales success of some apartments, many developers are following the pack to deliver apartments that are highly compromised and not delivering an adequate level of amenity to the resident.’

To keep up to date with what is going on @ DC8 Studio you can find us here 

Grey Street is about to experience many changes in the next 15 years. As the nexus of the ‘southern CBD’, Grey Street will be effected by nearby developments which it connects in Woolloongabba, South Brisbane and West End as well as the pressures of population, traffic and economic growth, as well as the dissolution of South Bank Corporation as administration for the precinct is novated to the Brisbane City Council. In response to these changes South Bank Corporation commissioned the Grey Street Exchange.

Australian Parkour Association vice president Tony and DC8 Studio’s Christopher Rawlinson both attended the Grey Street Exchange workshop on Saturday to share ideas about Grey Street, and how it might develop in the future. Both contributed from their experiences as workers and play-ers within the precinct, as well as contributing from their research programmes and as representatives of users within the precinct.

Also in attendance was public artist Elizabeth Woods and Brisbane Skate Cartel founder Scott Shearer, as well as other stakeholders including residents and business owners.

It was a pleasure to be involved in a democratic planning and visioning function facilitated by South Bank Corporation.

DC8 Studio’s Christopher Rawlinson, in close partnership with Queensland University of Technology, has been continuing his research about play, architecture and urbanism since his graduation from QUT’s Masters of Architecture programme in 2010. He will depart Brisbane for a month long tour of Europe, presenting his research in peer reviewed conference proceedings, and conducting further research and networking.

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Christopher will first travel to Cologne to present ‘RE:PROGRAMMING THE CITY: alternative complex programs for public space’ at the quadrennial International Conference of Geography. He will then travel to Denmark and France for site studies and networking opportunities, finishing in London to present ‘CHAOS AND CREATIVITY OF PLAY: designing emotional engagement in public spaces’ at the Design and Emotion conference 2012. This research follows on from Christopher’s previous publication ‘PLAY IN THE CITY: parkour and architecture’, which received the ‘best paper’ award at the First International Postgraduate EDDBE Conference held at QUT last year.

Many thanks go to Dr Mirko Guaralda from QUT for his supervision and encouragement, and to the directors at DC8 Studio for providing a flexible and supportive environment in which this research could take place.

DC8 Studio looks forward to further research and incorporating these researches into future innovative projects.

This house on Macintosh Street was the original corner store for its area, and built to boundary on both its street frontages.  It had seen many incarnations prior to becoming a family home for our clients.

DC8 Studio are proud to complete this recent update to a classic Queenslander.

Having lived in the unrenovated property for some time, the clients wanted to be able to effectively utilise the whole dwelling and yard, whilst providing opportunity to work from home in a contained and separate space. 

The design needed to happily house a young family as well as a successful photography business.

Read more about the project here

Architectural Inspiration

Its already been a week since the DC8 Studio architects - Gen, Chris, Rob, Ron, Lachlan, Amelia, Riccardo and Brett attended the 2012 National Architecture Conference titled “Experience” held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Brisbane last hosted this event about 24 years ago, so its been a long time coming, and what a great turn out – over 1500 delegates, around 800 of which were from Queensland!!!

A fresh take of Brisbane from some of the best architects of the time looking for a sustainable future

It was great to re-experience our own city alongside the visitors as they offered a different lens to our accustomed eyes. Basing the conference around “Experience”, as well as bringing guest speakers who took a broader view of our environment (rather than simply the buildings within it), grounded both the visual and theoretical elements which could be digested in a tangible and accessible manner through real experimentation.

Much like some of the speakers, such as Wang Shu and Peter Rich who utilized and up skilled local people with local materials and culture, so too did we all feel like we were being exposed, refreshed and evolved in relevant and resilient ideas which are applicable across humanity as a whole and here in Brisbane.

We also all got to reafirm our love of drawing and thinking - a good connection to  Juhani Pallasmaa’s Thinking Hand from last years conference.  We connected, and the benefits are ongoing as so many of us in the office got to share the experience.

Catching up with old friends in design architecture

At a personal level, it was great to see Gen and Chris weaving around the student activity, while Lachlan, Rob, Riccardo and Ron connected with old friends and faces from our previous years at Mirvac Design. Amelia went all Sydney on us as she enjoyed the company of her old peers from Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, and I got to spend the briefest of moments chatting to Peter Rich (my Lecturer from Wits in 1992), Peter Smith and Sarah Foley.

Great to see all again and look forward to next year. Congratulations on a great event.

http://www.architecture.com.au/experience/

The Property Council of Australia releases a summary of the 2012 Federal Budget. See how it will affect you, it does not at first review seem to provide much in the way of stimulus to the struggling property sector.

The Government has scrapped the $1 billion Tax Breaks for Green Buildings program. The tax scheme was designed to turbo-charge the green retrofitting of buildings and was due to commence on 1 July 2012 after a one-year postponement. The green building tax breaks were the first major commitment of Julia Gillard as Prime Minister.  The Coalition is on record backing direct action to incentivise investment in green retrofits. The Property Council will now step up its engagement with both the Opposition and Greens on this issue.

Other minor sustainability measures include: $2.8 million to help improve the NABERS and NatHERS rating tools, and tweaking the commercial building mandatory disclosure regime; and $3 million for the development of a climate change adaption policy.

Tax

The managed investment trust withholding tax rate will double from 7.5% to 15% from 1 July 2012, undoing all of the Government’s good work since 2007. In addition, the government has scrapped CGT discount for non-residents. This further discourages foreign investment in Australia. These moves send a simple message to the world that we do not welcome investment at the very time Australia is firmly on the international investment radar. On a positive note, superannuation guarantee contributions will begin stepping up from 2013, starting at 9.25%, before edging to 12% in 2019.

Other tax measures: The Government has squibbed its plan to lower the corporate tax rate, instead opting to increase direct family support payments and fund a tax loss carry-back scheme. The 50% discount for interest income announced just two years ago has been scrapped. The budget reduces tax concessions on superannuation contributions of individuals on incomes greater than $300k per year. The NSW and South Australian treasurers continue to work with other state governments to develop a long-term state tax reform plan.

Housing

There were no significant housing announcements. The National Rental Affordability Scheme (NRAS) continues through to F2014, with only 10,000 homes to be tendered before the scheme runs out of financial juice. There is no word on the additional 50,000 home incentives promised by the Government. 

Infrastructure

The budget contains only three major new infrastructure projects – all flagged over the past week: an additional $3.6 billion for upgrading the Pacific Highway from F2014, on the basis that the NSW Government provides matching funds; $232 million in 2015/16 for the Torrens and Goodwood Junctions rail project to separate Adelaide’s passenger and rail freight networks, on the basis that the South Australian Government provides matching funds; and funding to establish a government business enterprise to redevelop Moorebank in Sydney as an intermodal freight terminal.

More information: More details are available from the Property Council’s strategic ally Infrastructure Partnerships Australia at www.infrastructure.org.au

Misc.

• $37.8 million has been allocated to implementing reforms to the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity (EPBC) Act, including:
  - improved environmental impact assessment processes;
  - moving towards landscape-based environmental protection approaches;
  - improving the process for identifying and managing species and environments under threat;
  - simplifying listing processes for national and Commonwealth heritage and improving protection of indigenous heritage; and,
  - strengthening the arrangements for the five-yearly State of the Environment Report.
• The Government has provided slightly more detail on its $3.7 billion dollar aged care package, which can be found on our website.
•  Skilled migration will increase by 5000 places next financial year, bringing the migration program up to 190,000.
• The Government will create an Australian Small Business Commissioner next financial year to represent small business interests ($8.3 million over four years) – this represents a red flag for many property owners.
• An extra $6.9 million over four years has been allocated to support the Government’s deregulation agenda, including the remaining Seamless National Economy reforms occurring under COAG.
• $11.9 million will be provided to the National Capital Authority over four years.

With no real stimulus coming from the federal government, DC8 Studio hope that this budget will help provide the motivation to state government and councils to help improve the ailing property sector.

DC8 Studio are still celebrating our entry in the 2012 BRW Fast Starters list.

With a strong Queensland connection and more than a decade of design and development experience the studio crew get recognised by the Courier Mail today in their city beat section.

We have to give a big shout out to Marianne McKenzie and Amelia Lee our missing directors from the article and of course a big thanks to all our crew and clients for getting us to where we are today.

You can get your paper from your front lawn, letterbox or your local newsagent.

Or just read below…….

The Reserve Bank today announced a 50 point reduction in the cash rate, to 3.75 %.

Is this enough to spark some life into the ailing property industry?

Will the banks follow suit and drop their home loan rates?

DC8 Studio hope it will help to get some movement in a very tough industry Australia Wide. We feel more intervention will be required to really make any kind of difference.

DC8 Studio make it to the 2012 BRW fast starters top 100.

Multi-disciplinary design studio DC8 studio has been recognised as one of Australia’s 100 fastest growing start-up companies for 2012.

DC8 Studio is inspired by a balanced approach to people, planet and prosperity DC8 Studio was established in 2009 by ex design directors and senior associates of Mirvac Design.   DC8 Studio Director and Architect, Riccardo Rizzalli, attributes company success to; “A complimentary and comprehensive skill set, coupled with a team working together for many years”     “We are a multi-disciplinary design studio founded as a partnership of designers united in a conscious intent to explore and deliver powerful solutions” he said.

Companies and entrepreneurs on this year’s BRW Fast Starters list have not only proved their resilience and willpower during challenging times, they have increased their revenue and continue to grow and outperform their competitors.

Mr Rizzalli said, “The success that DC8 Studio has achieved over the last couple of years would not have been possible without our clients, crew and collaborators and we would like to thank everybody for their support.”

In order for entrepreneurs and start-up businesses to qualify for inclusion in the BRW fast starter list they must comply with the following criteria:

• Have commenced trading after June 30, 2006
• Have reported at least two fiscal years of revenue- Reported revenue of more than $500,000 in 2010-11
• Revenue for 2010-11 must have been higher than 2009-10
• Have 200 or fewer full-time employees
• Have more than one main customer
• The bulk of revenue cannot come from government grants or other start-up funding
• Business must be Australian-owned, not a subsidiary of a foreign-owned multinational
• Private companies must have revenue figures verified by an external accountant or auditor

DC8 Studio, is a local architectural and design firm, located in Newstead, Queensland encompassing all facets of design including urban, visual, interior, and architecture ensuring great outcomes for all clients.

The 2012 BRW Fast Starters issue will be available from local newsagencies from April 28, 2012.

The new LNP state government has appointed its property industry “Go-to” person.Ian Walker is the new Assistant Minister for Planning Reform.

Ian Walker has extensive experience in property, environment and planning law in Brisbane.

As a partner in Norton Rose Australia he led the firm’s government practice and was responsible for the delivery of high-quality, timely and effective legal advice to governments at Commonwealth, state and local levels.

Read his appointment letter and charter here

Future Planning

With Ian Walker as a central point of contact to the State Government, it is hoped development issues will have a clearer and more timely access to ministerial action. DC8 Studio welcomes the appointment and hopes Ian can help revive the property industry in Queensland.

A 3D rendering produced for CBD Homes to showcase their new commercial building in West End.

Building Architecture is by others. All Site photography and 3d rendering by DC8 Studio.

A very simple building model was supplied for the building. All the fitout and people had to be generated. We went to site and took view photos and then camera matched the building into the shot.

For more on this jump to the visual design page.

The new DC8 Studio car will be getting about town.

Look for the little red Fiat we have affectionately named Francesca (Frankie).

Although already quite striking in plain red, we were very excited to wrap the DC8 Studio barcode over the car to give it a bit more head turning presence when out and about.

We chose the little Fiat 500 for the company car for several main reasons;

• its green credentials having one of the lowest fuel consumption (CO2) ratings available
• Its 5 star ANCAP crash rating to keep our crew safe. 
• High Reliability and Low Maintenance
• Supporting a car company that value Design
• oh and its jun plain FUN!

 Frankie even has her own Facebook Page.

Located on the back of the fiat is a QR Code that people can snap with their smart phones to take them direct to Frankies Facebook Page.

We are also using the built in ECO Drive tracking with each crew member recording their driving style onto a USB key which is then uploaded and the driver gets a 1 to 5 star rating depending on their driving. It should be fun to see who wins the ECO Driving challenge

Photoghraphs were taken by Jacob right outside the studio, with the Angelos Pasta factory in the background.

A few hardy souls from the dc8 crew put their best foot forward and entered a team into the All Hallows Corporate Rowing regatta. After a brutal 6 weeks of 5 am starts 3 times a week for training, competition day arrived.

team briefingdc8 demons team shirt

The rain just held off for the rowing competitions. We had two heats of a 500m race against the flow of the Brisbane River. Races were handicapped based on boat ability.

Heat 1 had the dc8 demons crew handicapped by about 100m. We rowed our hearts out (with Jacob having to lay down at the end of the race) but we  couldn’t catch the all girl crew.

We tried hard to catchup BOW rower has to have a lay down Trying to catch the yellow boat (100m handicap start)

Determined to not give up, Heat 2 was a level start and the DC8 Demons powered to the head of the race. With 100 metres to go our boat captain called for power strokes, Christopher, Riccardo , Lachlan and Jacob put their all in on that call, and powered well ahead of the second place boat wining with a clear margin.

dc8 demons take the leadCrossing the line in 1st with a commanding lead

The regatta was fun day, with serveral of the dc8 family coming along to barrack for the rowing squad. The kids had a ball with excitment of racing and the arrival of a firetruck.

The Dc8 demons had a great time training and racing and wish to thank the organisers. Definitely chalked up for next years calendar. Big thanks go out to Isabella Rizzalli (expert rowing assistance) and Lewis Duckworth (our coach).

Queensland Decides the State Election on Saturday 24th March.

Get your facts ready for decision time this coming weekend. With a raft of issues affecting many aspects of living in Queensland, here are some links to key policies of Labour and LNP.

Providing links to Labour policy is quite difficult as they seem to have no clear policy platforms other than to bag the other team. THe link above sends you a filtered list on their site of their ‘Policies’. It would be great to think they would actually promote what Labour intends to do rather than pointing out flaws in Campbell Newman. It is some what of a tragic role reversal of federal politics.

PROPERTY MARKETING SERVICES

Marketing Junction is a professional services company based in Brisbane and Central Queensland providing a range of specialist marketing and business coaching services to a variety of industries. It has extensive experience in Property and Media working on more than 50 project brands within the property industry (including land, housing, apartments, retail, hotels and resorts and masterplanned communities) and more than 17 years sales, marketing and customer management experience, including extensive participation in key company executive committees.

PROPERTY BRAND EXCELLENCE

Belinda Brosnan has worked on well-known brands including The Sunday Mail, The Courier-Mail, Brisbane News, Estee Lauder Cosmetics, AVJennings, Urban Pacific, Macquarie Real Estate and Mirvac in both WA and QLD.

PROPERTY MARKETING SUCCESS

Marketing Junction is well positioned to see clients truly succeed creating results through access to extensive networks and a reputation for infiltrating marketing throughout the entire business putting customers at the forefront of all business interactions. 

You can find out more about Marketing Junction when their website launches very soon. Or come in and chat to Belinda in the studio.

CARBON CONSCIOUS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Some of those more savvy design and building types are already well underway in planning for the Federal Government’s new carbon tax and how it will impact Queensland business. DC8 Studio, a local design and architectural firm, is out of the blocks early in producing carbon conscious building and design initiatives. One of the firm’s Directors, Marianne McKenzie, was in Sydney last week as part of the Green Cities 2012 Conference aimed at ‘thinkers’ and sustainable designers.

Marianne is a Green Star accredited professional and is at the forefront of the sustainable building debate. Like her other DC8 Studio colleagues she was a senior player in Chris Freeman’s Mirvac in-house design team before she deciding with a handful of other ex Mirvac senior players to set up DC8 Studio.

Watch this space for some information from Marianne on the talk.

Thank you for the overwhelming response to our job ad.

We will contact the shortlisted applicants this week.

Required Full-time Senior Admin / Personal assistant in our Design Studio.

DC8 Studio is a creative design studio currently delivering a range of design services from architecture, interiors, graphics and photography to a broad spectrum of clients. We have a strong focus in the studio on client relationships and we need someone to help keep the team of 14 running smoothly on a day to day basis and assist the directors with a range of support tasks.

You will need to be an experienced office manager with at least five years of providing high quality support to a team. With your ability to multitask with ease, self manage an ever changing to do list and leap tall buildings, we want you to become part of the studio family, developing personally and professionally as the studio grows.

Some of the key areas we want you to excel in are;

• Front of office, managing couriers, mail, suppliers & office presentation
• Run the studio diary, meet and greet clients and minuting meetings if required
• Travel arrangements, event and function bookings
• time sheeting & accounting assistance and managing a future junior admin person
• director diary management, managing confidential matters, assisting on a range of tasks as required

Our studio is located in Fortitude Valley right next to the James Street precinct.
With a salary package of $60-75,000 PA for the right person and a great place to work, are you ready for the journey?
No design industry experience required, just awesome organisational skills.

Applications closed February 26th.

DC8 Studio recently formed part of the PRA Land team to bid on a project located in Coopers Plains run by the Department of Communities. Coopers Plains is an existing suburb in Brisbane with a set of very interesting opportunities for the evolution of the local community. The salt and peppering of existing residential and social housing alongside the almost “agricultural” open space with broad tree lined streets sets a framework to challenge the nature of infill development.

Our bid approach was guided by our vision of creating Prosperity for People and Planet through the medium of (i) Architecture, (ii) Landscape, (iii) a Time based strategy and (iv) a driving focus on the layering of social amenity in the spaces we create.

Our scheme pays respect to the integration of the new development (over time) with the existing scale, fabric and residents of the existing site and surrounds. From a planning point of view there were some interesting combinations of potential building height, footprint and open space ratios that could have created varying outcomes. We chose to build on our Matryoska principle philosophy, that continues from our award winning submission to a similar challenge in a national competition for social housing in Canberra’s Northbourne Avenue. This approach sees the distribution and layering of the open space spread through the entire neighbourhood, touching all the homes. The gradation of this space also balances private and public needs, and critically injects relevant intimate shared zones between these 2 realms. Our desire in doing this is to develop an environment to meet the hierarchy of social and ecological needs ranging from safety and security through to friendship, stewardship and respect. The homes themselves ranged from Ground to Air types that vary in size and affordability, yet all are afforded the same amenity and connection with the layered communal space network. An additional community focussed framework breathes life into the homes through play, work, art and produce areas. This network is vital to support the homes and draw the community out from behind closed doors.

FORM Landscape did some great work with us on the spaces between buildings and brought a shared passion for achieving our ideals, and care for concurrent design of interior and exterior.

Graphically, we pay homage to the works of Mr Saul Bass in this bid due to (i) the era in which these works were generated with a sense optimism and humanism, and (ii) as a means of covering a vast range of topics in a uniform media which allows for an abstracted focus on the issue at large. This language gave the whole team great enjoyment in the telling of the story, from design and publication to presentation and branding. This is in keeping with DC8 Studio’s philosophy of holistic work practice and design relevant to place.

 “Reducing taxes, fixing planning laws, re-empowering councils and
      increasing State Government support at the highest level” 

are among the features of the LNP Property and Construction Strategy just unveiled by Leader Campbell Newman.

Attending the property council breakfast with over 500 fellow industry collegues, Amelia Lee listened with interest as Campbell Newman revealed his plans for improving the struggling property sector.

At the breakfast the main strategies revealed included;

• Leadership from Government through the establishment of a Cabinet Committee focused on property and construction chaired by the Queensland Treasurer
• Appoint a dedicated “go to” person for property and construction issues
• Addressing planning system inconsistencies and inefficiencies by fixing the Sustainable Planning Act and minimising the introduction of any new State Planning Policies and Regulatory Provisions
• Making affordable housing a goal of all planning schemes
• Re-introducing the stamp duty concession saving Queensland families $7,000 on average when buying a family home
• Repealing the Industry Waste Levy (waste tax) saving Queensland businesses an estimated $372 million over the next four years
• Winding back the Urban Land Development Authority and re-empowering Local Governments to make local planning decisions

Will these plans come to fruition? Will they make a difference? With all lending institutions in Australia still affected by international funding constraints and even the IMF (international monetary fund) advising another tight fiscal year any improvement will be tough to achieve but a welcome respite.

A clear approach will provide some confidence, something lacking in the sector currently.

See the LNP Property and Construction policy announcement here

Click for more Property Council Breakfast presentations

Relocating to the otherside of the studio wall, we partied on madmen style with a live band and the newly acquired 50’s record player belting out the vinyl classics of Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen, and the best of Tony Barber.

 Some of the dc8 studio crew were also sporting their new Studio trucker caps, with the caps arriving just in time for them to ‘head out on the highway’ for the christmas break.

Panax’s Geothermal technology has the capability of producing the cheapest base load power available in Australia. With rising energy costs this will be welcome entrant to the power generation market and with Binary Geothermal energy producing clean, sustainable power with zero emissions it indicates a bright future for Australia’s power sector.

You can watch the full video on vimeo. For more information on Panax, please visit their website.

Panax Geothermal Energy from dc8studio on Vimeo.

We were awarded second place - well done to all the crew at DC8 Studio.

Our proposal was based on achieving 3 key visions:

1. To create interesting and engaging spaces to connect for a happy community. We believe this offers long term resilience; 
2. Develop principles of carbon positive interventions over the long term; and, 
3. Respond to the Garden City axis of Northbourne Avenue. 

View from Northbourne Avenue looking towards the interior of the site. Ground floor home offices, retail, workshops, studios and incubators.

Our response evolved through the following methodology.

Matryoshka: Russian dolls 

Firstly, we are interested in the gradation of spaces withinin and between structures in order to create a diversity of interactions supporting the notion of community connection. This is the story of the Russian Dolls, where there exists a series of interconnected layers being of the same family, but with particular characteristics borne of each reduction in scale. There are 2 constructs to the Russian dolls - being packed and unpacked.

The main purpose of pursuing this metaphor is to place a high value on the commodity of social currency as adding resilience and joy to the inhabiting community through a framework which fosters interaction and ultimately spreads their ownership wider than the containment of the smallest cell at Level 1. This encourages connection and ideally compassion. The duality of packed and unpacked formats offers the key to connection.

Our dream - Matryoshka layers of interaction represented by the homes within homes in packed form and inversion of living spaces in the unpacked external setting. The human Matryoshka reflects this relationship. The inversion of air balloons and fire place ask us to consider inversion of outputs.

Carbon 

Secondly, we are encouraged to keep evolving our behaviour as our impact on the planet and each other presents new challenges over an ever-accelerating period. As our consumption, technology and population all grow, so too does the consequence of our actions. While ceasing all activity might be one way of preventing further pollution, this is an unlikely outcome with the inertia behind development. On this basis, our focus was to examine three key areas: 

1. the life span of the materials; 
2. the capacity of the materials to act in a manner having a positive impact on the environment; and 
3. passive design approaches offering inherently sensible energy efficiencies. 

Competition Board - external views

Repacked 

So now we come to the resultant shapes and spaces proposed. In responding to our vision of the Matryoshka principle, as well as generating thermal and social access we have also referenced the Raumplan theory as demonstrated in the works of Adolf Loos. 

In this regard, the approach is firstly about creating spaces rather than buildings. We felt that this was the critical area in an environment like this where large groups of people need to live in close proximity. Carving voids from the solid, based on orientation, access and connection is an iterative study requiring constant testing between plan and section, solid and void. All surfaces both internal and external become part of the investigation - roof for example is another active part of the townscape rather than simply a surface to keep the elements out. 

 Competition board - Living principles

Competition board - Master planning principles

Summary

Ultimately in order to create something that has a long life it needs to be treasured and have an understood value. This is the primary goal of our Matryoshka principle. If we create homes on this site which are valued because of their design and atmosphere, the community will treasure them and an inherent value will remain. This is true not only for this particular project, but also for the greater city. Looking at Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 as an example - accommodation in this development is still sought after today with long waiting lists. This is because of what it is and represents. It is not simply another set of high rises, but lives somewhere between village, house(s), townhouse(s) and apartment(s). It is not defined by the horizontal or vertical forms and economies, but rather by people and the spaces in which they connect. 

This is our vision for Canberra 2011 

Following the announcement made on the 8th of November 2011, DC8 Studio wish to congratulate the winner of this competition John Wardle Architects for its design titled “Weave”.

What do you do when you can’t get approval to demolish your Queenslander, but you need to expand your house and want a contemporary design?  How do you create great, light-filled spaces on a south-facing lot?  And how do you stretch your budget and avoid it being swallowed up in the unforeseen, but inevitable costs associated with renovating old homes.  DC8 Studio’s recent project in Windsor demonstrates one solution - a pavilion we call the “Backyard Box”.

See more of the “Backyard Box” renovation of the Anderson house here

Published:07 Jul 2011Author:Property CouncilSource:Property Council of Australia

The Federal Government has launched Securing a clean energy future: the Australian Government’s climate change plan.The core of the plan is the introduction of a price on carbon pollution.Treasury’s modelling shows that the construction industry is one of the few to shrink over both the short and long term.The Government’s own analysis spotlights disturbing risks for the property and construction industry that should be addressed before carbon tax arrangements are finalised.

The Property Council has called for a joint government-business working group to undertake far more detailed modelling of the price impacts of the scheme for the residential and commercial property industries.

Comprehensive modelling should show how much abatement the scheme buys over its first three years, and provide a better understanding of the potential price impacts that will occur when the scheme transitions into its full Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) phase.

Better targeted and designed incentives are also required to encourage building energy efficiency and improve affordability.

The positives are:

• a large commitment to renewable energy programs that could be tailored to promote embedded generation in buildings and precincts;
• an investigation into a national energy efficiency incentive scheme (‘white certificates’) that will tie together and expand existing arrangements; and,
• the potential to rationalise existing environmental reporting arrangements for large investors.

The negatives are:

• a shrinking construction industry (compared to other major economic sectors);
• the absence of any modelling on housing affordability – which is likely to decline as construction costs rise;
• the absence of transition arrangements for fixed price contracts, such as leases; and,
• the lack of protection from unwarranted energy price increases flowing from the electricity sector.

For more information visit the Government’s Clean Energy Future Website: Clean Energy Future

And have a look at the Treasury’s Modeling here: Treasury Carbon Price Modeling

Recently, in a Qantas magazine, a DC8crew member spotted an article by Robert Bevan highlighting the benefits to the corporate bottom line which good design can bring to an organisation. Creative places facilitate creative thinking. Good healthy environments generate greater productivity. Casual spaces facilitate better relationships and positive interactions. Environmentally conscious design not only makes tenancies more attractive to leasee’s and better environments for employees, but also advertise ‘corporate responsibility credentials’ to clients, investors and corporate partners.

The walk throughs that break through the main building form have become the activity hub for the cafes and retailers. These walk throughs  seem to be a natural gathering/meeting locaton and are busier than those spots mid development.

 More work is in progress at SouthBank and we will post updates as they complete.

Click here to jump to the graphics page to see more of the signage from the project.

QUEENSLAND BUILDING BOOST GRANT – from 1 Aug 2011 to 31 Jan 2012
$10,000

Applies to new homes less than $600,000. Conditions apply. The new Queensland Building Boost Grant applies to anyone buying or building a new home (house, townhouses or unit) to live in or as an investment. Home owners, investors and corporations are eligible.

FIRST HOME OWNER GRANT – available now
$7,000

Applies to homes less than $750,000. Conditions apply. The current Queensland First Home Owner Grant will continue. The grant is available to first home owners buying or building their first home (house, townhouse or unit) to live in.

DOUBLE-DIP BONUS – from 1 Aug 2011 to 31 Jan 2012
$17,000

Applies to new homes less than $600,000. Conditions apply. If you’re a first home owner who’s looking to buy or build a new home (house, townhouse or unit) to live in, you may be eligible for both the Queensland Building Boost Grant and the First Home Owner Grant.

For a contract to purchase a new home off the plan, the building work must be completed by 31 July 2013.
More details: www.budget.qld.gov.au/taxreform

Click for larger

Thanks to the DC8 flight crew:
Cynthia Grant, Greg Collins, Form, Environmetrics, Habitat & Built Ecology

Click for larger

Thanks to the team for their efforts in pulling this together:
Michtell Brandtman, Aurecon, Webb Australia, Cynthia Grant, Sean Collins, Wendy Mills, Form, Habitat

Welcome to the studio for our newest crew member.
This guy was heavy. and needed a special palette lifting trolley to get it in the air to be placed into the pot.
It’s refreshing seeing a tree infront of you as you work.

Brett Anstis and Ron Prisk recently attended the 2011 RAIA National Conference titled Natural Artifice held in Melbourne. The topic of the relationship between nature and our creations has always interested me. The works of Frei Otto, Vladimir Shukov, Bruce Goff and Santiago Calatrava are particularly intriguing for their inspiration in natural phenomenon as well as the beauty of mathematics and geometry embedded our cosmos. The particular speakers at this conference offered a series of topics which ranged from the machinated world of R&Sie which embraced the alien, through to Juhani Pallasmaa  and Fumihiko Maki’s more humanist based approach.  We found ourselves embracing  the spirit of each presentation, and in the break would reflect on points that inspired us.

So it went through 8 sessions, with each one offering an extension, or sometimes a counter point to the last. Teresa Moller’s work was a reflection of her persona and was as characterised by what was not done as much as by what was, while the Colombian pair of Sebastian Mejia & Luis Callejas presented work full of the joys of youth and a contagious energy. Manuel Aires Mateus’ work, while beautiful in its own right, was made that much more relevant in my mind when paired with the introduction offered by Stuart Vokes. And the studio of Lisa Iwamoto & Craig Scott demonstrated how we can expand our design explorations beyond our typical projects and become laboratories and workshops experimenting with broader ideas.

The conference was well directed, and considering it was my first, I would definitely go again if they are of this standard. Whatever the inspiration, be it natural, artificial or somewhere in between, my parting thought lingered on the words of Sean Godsell who reminded us of our humanity, making and sitting at our fire, and that when we go searching, the answers are not in Architecture itself, but everywhere else.

Conference link: http://www.architecture.com.au/naturalartifice/

Here are some thoughts on the issues discussed:

Day 1 - Friday 15th April

Session 1 - Things get Wild with Francois Roche & Stephanie Lavaux

R&Sie’s work is very concerned with the alien - those things which make our absence apparent - and Foucault’s sense of the other. How can we respond to spaces which have no sense of our presence but rather speak to us of our redundance. How can this bring about a different appreciation of economic factors, building systems and materials?

In terms of R&Sie’s work and their search for the alien it becomes apparent how the typical approach to the design process is removed from the conventional by means of the randomized filter of machination. This experimental approach moves the designer to an observer role once the process is initiated. Much like Foucault’s panoptic machine allowing for the few to view the many and normalize through observation, R&Sie’s coding can bring about a critical mass to the open-ended randomization that generates a creative force alluding to our redundance.

Such research, much as it does in the technology of the military world, can often generate ideas and products that spin off into a range of other (often apparently unassociated) objects. By this I mean that the initial intended outcome being pursued is not necessarily the only outcome achieved. Putting aside the philosophical debate on redundance, there is the potential for this technology to evolve new appreciations of materiality, but the filter of relevance and ethical value rather than novelty still needs to be applied.

A key issue highlighted in Deleuze and Guattari’s writings is the capacity of materials to self-organise, and challenge the dominance of form over matter in its human conceptualizations. How does R & Sie’s work challenge hierarchical and orthodox conceptions of form-matter relations in architecture? Can this be considered a a critical response to spatial and functional requirements and relationships?

If we inhabit a space of “natural” origin such as a cave, we make it our own regardless of whether or not we were the authors of the object in its entirety. It is a found object and we can embrace the treasures of the parts we relate to, and reject those to which we don’t. On this basis, the alien - or capacity for materials to self organize, is no different from organic natural elements that create the environments around us. There is one critical difference I feel, however, and this is that the organic natural generates itself through the earth’s own latent energy, while this simulated alien generation process requires a time, effort and embodied energy which needs to be monitored to remain relevant.

As a critical response to spatial and functional relationships this approach could be as valid as any other by sheer random chance, but by removing the process of human landscape and thought from the process and outcome, I feel that its value is more in the reaches of research and development rather than a panacea for a new world. Our culture, customs and genetical echos can exist in many environments, but tend to thrive in places where we are we are in unity with our environment rather than alien to it.

Session 2 – Walk the Line with Teresa Moller

Given that Moller investigates the limitations of site and environs and identifies its opportunities, would her design approach change for a site within a dense urban context? If so, how?

The conference constantly highlighted the space between the natural and the artifice. What is natural and what is artificial? In Moller’s work I found that the terms natural and artificial related more to “existing” and “inserted” rather than the source of an object’s manufacture. Does the inserted object become part of the existing condition the moment it is created? This then creates a new “Natural” which is only experienced at a particular point in time..

Her examples are characterised as much by the absence of any addition, as they are by the inserted artifice. In detail, searching for the contrast between artificial and natural ranged from the obvious (such as a flight of stairs), to the more subtle - but equally rewarding (such as the molding of an existing rock to cup water).

In terms of applying this to a dense urban context, Teresa described the existing environment is the natural in which the treasure exists. I believe the real challenge in this environment is the speed at which each intervention moves from the artifice to the natural. The ego of humanity is an overlay in this dense urban context, which often tends to look for more than some of the beautifully restrained gestures evident in Moller’s work. Finding the contrast between the natural and the artifice feeds this ego in such an environment. Ultimately the treasure exists in each place, however, and it is our challenge as to whether we see it and how we respond to it.

If we accept that our geography affects our architecture in its response to the natural environment, how does Australia’s vastness of space impact our design within architecture and its surrounding landscape?

The idea of vastness of space is often portrayed in projects located in isolated environments. Like question 1 above, however, the real challenge is whether this translates in more dense environments (the majority of the Australian population do live in typical environments of greater density after all). The vastness of our landscape seems to seep into our consciousness just as our vast coastline encircles our continent, and has given us a strong appreciation of that which is beyond the buildings we insert.

The culture of locality has an influence in Chile as it does here in Australia, through the isolation of our particular landscapes, combined with the freedom experienced through this separation.

Beyond this there was a stronger sense of vastness through the common energy of not only humanity, but all living things. I think that Teresa (along with Juhani and Sean on the following day) showed a balance of elements and inspiration within ourselves that we reflect on, and can be powerful guiding forces in how we in turn affect our environments through our designs applied in areas of high and low human density. Our surrounding landscape becomes the defining field for our artifice, as this is what makes our sense of place relevant and resilient.

Session 3 – Transformation with Luis Mansilla

If the cathedral and its square were forms of ancient public space how can an understanding of architectural history and building traditions help us in designing current public spaces?

Luis mapped his journey through the design of MUSAC using 6 “Landscapes” as a system which keeps the mind open through the process by referencing and awareness. He describes contrasts through ideas such as:

• an enforced system which can still offer surprise,
• not everything being possible , but the possibilities are endless and,
• to have and idea and then hide the idea.

Using the filters of intellectual, personal, geometric, natural, social and historical analysis is a process Luis used to seek references, many of them reaching into the past, to inform his creative process. As he described the building and its references to these landscapes, I found that most of the journeys traced made sense and could be understood in the final outcome (independent of my opinion of whether or not I felt they succeeded). On this basis I was primarily reminded that our creative process is a journey of reference (or rejection thereof). There is a system of building traditions to help us design our current space, as well a rejection thereof through the creation of new “alien” systems such as those in the work of R&Sie. Either way, what I would like to take forward is the reminder of this consciousness to stretch my explorations. Love or hate systems, there is still merit in the notion of a framework to remind us to push, explore and test ideas such as the “6 Landscapes” does which takes the outcome beyond just a reference to self.

Does Mansilla & Tunon’s design formula lend itself to creating ground level spaces at a human scale or is this a considered overlay that gets worked through in isolation? 

I would be surprised if such a considered overlay gets worked through in isolation after their very analytic overall process. Perhaps the success of the outcome brings into question the relationship of the ground level spaces at a human scale in terms of identification of unique environments, cognitive mapping and relationship of inside and outside space. Does a systematic process to design work? Again, rather that look at the success or failure of the particular example, I would prefer to look at what learning I can take away from Luis. “Transformation” as part of the design process is something that is not guaranteed to happen with every journey. One needs to be opened up for this to happen, and I feel that Luis’ proposal offers assistance in creating the awareness for this possibility to exist.  Like the examples of Paisajes Emergentes and Iwamoto & Scott, the beauty of being opened to absorb the natural existing conditions at a level broader than the immediate and obvious is a powerful opportunity to find the story of the place, which can fuel your creative journey. Finding, transforming and sharing this meaning through metaphor gives a human scale by its nature if a broader audience can also be opened up through the artifice and its relationship with the natural.

Session 4 - Inner Space with Fumihiko Maki

Given that design should demonstrate sensitivity to ordering, sequencing and articulation of three-dimensional form, how does a sense of the ‘incremental’ manifest itself in Maki’s work and how does this relate to his notion of ‘time and architecture’? 

Time and Architecture are unsurprisingly part of Maki San’s work, as the notion of holistic long-term thinking is inherent in much Japanese philosophy. Many contemporary Japanese homes are rebuilt every 25 to 30 years, so there is a continual process of renewal. Companies such as Sekisui House (one of Japan’s largest home builders) has an “Everloop” revitalization process for all their homes (recycling) as well as a commitment to assist with maintenance and servicing their structures well beyond the imagining of our local homes. “Try to reach - but not arrive” as part of the journey through life, is quite different from our Anglo-Saxon based definitive results and short-term milestone based mindset. Japanese approaches to this long-term view also extend to nature where landscape is thought of as culture and often experienced by contemplation, whereas the western approach can be a more tangible experience within the here and now.

The sense of incremental was manifested in Maki San’s work on his Hillside project, which evolves through creating, observing, learning, reinventing and then recreating. This process is a proposal and feedback loop, which highlights journey and observation. Watching the intervention and observing its interaction is a humbling and extremely grounding lesson from Maki San, who demonstrates a profound respect and understanding of all living things. There is also a sense of a task never being completed, but rather part of a much larger ongoing whole linking back through our evolution.

If a design process that responds to spatial and functional requirements is driven by the human scale does it follow that it will inform the spatial outcome? 

Space rather than form can offer delight instead of beauty. This came across as clear and pure essences at the heart of Maki San’s philosophy towards design. Human scale will find syncopation with this rhythm, as it is core to the journey of creation, rather than simply being an end result of it. I find many of the Japanese designers spaces culturally specific, and to be honest, when combined with an American influence, not to my particular liking, but I can strongly appreciate the essence of the usage patterns and seeing the space as the primary facilitator of human delight. As we are all different, however, we all perceive particular delight in relation to our own perceptions.

Maki San said “Space can be compared to Mind.  Space inside a form will reveal what kind of a person you are”. A design process with this at its core will surely have an impact on the spatial experience, and we would do well to aspire to Maki San’s love of humanity through his embrace of this philosophy. Combing this with the broad approach of Luis, Sebastian, Lisa and Craig in the other sessions, I can appreciate how space can broaden even further. This extends beyond the immediate and into our living biospheres and keeps focus on community at a broad level.

Day 2 - Saturday 16th April

Session 1 - Total Fabrication with Lisa Iwamoto & Craig Scott

Iwamoto and Scott’s experimentations with parametric modelling show real progress in form finding and geometric understanding through computation to understand three-dimensional form and relationships. What is the next step in merging the structures and geometries used in the installation and experimental work with practical architectural outcomes?

What I found interesting in the presentation by Iwamoto and Scott was the exploration of process and journey. The choice of computation and bio mimicry as a language enhances this journey as it offers some unique opportunities for experimentation and exploration along the path to final realization. The example of Eames’s chair being the end result of multiple projects and experimentation in the medium of molded plywood demonstrates the steps of evolution and joy of the journey. You can see how Iwamoto and Scott work seamlessly across a range of experiments be they installations, objects, landscapes, buildings or broader bio-spheres.

To merge this experimentation with practical architectural outcomes is an inspiring vision, which needs the first step of liberation. Liberation from the immediate and conventional. I can see how this could be applied in our own work through commitment (even at a small scale initially) to remove the conventional and explore answers outside of Architecture. Examples could be the digital media and bio mimicry or any other influence, some of which might forever live in the experimental phase, but could also inform real practical outcomes such as the projects with the optic-fibre light spines.  Looking at non-human made objects is to me a great way of exploring the unconventional and being inspired.

What can we learn from bio-mimicry, or the adaptability of nature, to build resilience into new architecture?

The term resilience was used in a couple of sessions to describe a driving inspiration. If the term resilience is taken in the context of the ability to withstand or respond and recover from adversity, then this question has me wondering why new architecture alone would be facing this challenge. Is it to overcome the adversity of the common or conventional and take new steps much like the work 80 years ago must have shifted the direction of the new? Is it to move from one age to the next? Is adaptability at the heart of the issue - as our continued responsible use of natural resources is challenging our history to a one off use approach?

I feel that the works of Iwamoto and Scott best answer this challenge when they have expanded beyond studies of only form (be they inspired by the natural or not), and reached out to the greater realms of coexistence. The San Francisco of 100 years project is a great way to think of the adaptability of nature.  Nature is not just about the here and now, but its genetic coding means it evolves with a thousand year (or more) plan – unlike our financially ingrained quarter year plan. I thing the long term vision is the greatest guiding lesson, and from this the branches of experimentation can grow. This will have us thinking beyond just the boundaries of the conventional architectural palette, seeing the treasures in many other sources of inspiration, and building resilience due to long-term thinking. This is the benefit that searching outside of Architecture and a broader education can give resilience to new young creators.

Session 2 - What Emerges with Sebastian Mejia & Luis Callejas

The words “Weather, Atmosphere and Resilience” were described by Paisajes Emergentes as strong influences in their creations of landscapes as buildings.  They offer an insight to the challenges and inspirations felt all around the world, but frame it slightly differently for me. “Weather” has a level of change and unpredictability that “Climate” does not conjure. Climate has me thinking of a series of averages while weather conjures the specifics, nuances, fluctuations and sometimes the freakish. Similarly “Atmosphere” has me thinking more of the energy created by the objects and life forms rather than “Space” which might focus on the materiality of the solid which creates the void.  I have discussed resilience with reference to the work of Iwamoto and Scott as taking a long term view in order maintain relevance rather than making choices only for the here and now.

Luis and Sebastian inspire with their approach to the challenges of each brief by bringing an overview that extends beyond architecture and the apparent exercise that is placed before them. They cast their net much further, drawing on experiences of travel, and looking at the environment with a freshness that sometimes only a stranger can see. By not separating the disciplines of landscape and architecture, but rather by looking at all of the creation holistically, it would appear that the space between the natural and the artifice can be molded in a joyful and resilient manner.

I respect the way in which they seemed to tackle their work through explorations much broader that just the brief before them. In fact many of the speakers over the 2 days inspired through their reference to elements of biology, ecology and geology. These are all aspects of design which respect culture and context and thus play a huge part in the relevance of our interventions. Luis and Sebastian let the emotive imagery of their thoughts and work share an “Atmosphere”. I found this relevant and extremely useful – especially when compared with so much name and ego based architecture. Environment and community are created without being a monument to the creator.

What emerges for me, is that just as Paisajes Emergentes treat landscape as buildings and vice versa as a reminder that we are not just Architects of structures and spaces, but potential catalysts for entire biospheres, and in that sense will always move in the space between the natural and the artificial.

Session 3 - Open Door with Manuel Aires Mateus

 Aires Mateus’ projects appear to begin with an architectural language, like an image of a house form or a ruin etc. Is this a self-referential form of architecture? Does it constitute and clear and coherent design approach and what advantages or disadvantages does it offer? 

The introduction offered to this session by Stuart Vokes tied this whole session together in the way the juxtaposition of the natural and the artifice made all the more tangible as we can somehow measure and comprehend the beauty of each through their reference to the other. The example of the remains of the fort offers an historical text and an interface of human comfort that enhances our relationship with nature by making the natural more accessible and less intimidating to man. Without this reference, the work (and the way it was described) by Manuel could be reduced to pure geometrical abstraction. I think the link became more evident, however when Manuel spoke of defining the limit and then creating the paradise within. This approach to a self-referential design process could thus loose its way if simply left in the geometrical, where form and space are isolated from the natural and broader environment. The advantage, however, of this process becomes evident when imbued with the historical, the conscience of contrast with the natural, as well as other landscapes (such as those described by Mansilla), all of which enrich the relationship of the artifice with its context.

How can the level of simplicity and cleanliness of Aires Mateus’s smaller-scale work sit in relationship to contemporary issues such as urban reality and information technology? 

Terms of simplicity and cleanliness are interpretations of the visual, and in this sense are effectively no different to the complex, or form driven digital world of creating the peacock. The conference delved into deeper issues of ethical, ancestral and genetical ties with humanity as well as other life forms – all of which can be responded to in a number or ways. At the heart of it, however, I felt that it was not form at the pinnacle of design, but rather the synergy with its environment and contextualism.

Urban Reality and information technology, as opposed to a house in a forest, seem to conjure a level of competition, which drives us to shout out to be heard.  The house in the forest stands in contrast due to its singular difference with its surrounds. What about one of the trees in the forest around the house? Does it stand out or become noticeable? It seems nothing in the urban context or digital world wants to be one of the trees, but rather be the stand out house in the forest. This is the real nature of our egos, rather than form or the visual for visual’s sake. Form can just become the expression of the ego, and with the development of the digital, avenues are opening up to create new forms and thus distinguish one’s self even further. There will always by the classic however with simplicity as its language.

Session 4 - Natural Artifice with Juhani Pallasmaa

Digital media and telecommunications influence how the outcomes of architecture are ‘distributed’ and ‘embedded’ into the general popular consciousness, and also ‘consumed’. How might an architect’s mode of designing and running a practice respond to this?

Over the past decade the rise of the virtual seems to loom larger. The conference focused on some discussion that embraced this such as the work of R&Sie, and other such as the philosophy of Pallasmaa which reminds us of the ethical and human reality rather than the purely technical. Then there seems to be work which ranges across this spectrum - seeing these two positions not as opposite poles, but rather realities which exist in amongst many others in our ever more complicated world. Juhani’s comments highlight today’s condition as being one where form is valued at the highest order – particularly supported by the digital. Counter to this, he offers an Architecture grounded in the full existential understanding of human destiny rather than scientific formulations. He also describes our task as more ethical than technical., which is not just for today, but for what we want to become longer term. After nearly 2 days of new thoughts after every speaker, I left Melbourne feeling well grounded by the words of Juhani, which reminds me or my relationship and obligations to other life forms as being of the primary order. How secondary elements such as the technical and digital can support this are still available in my opinion but should work towards this goal rather than becoming the goal in their own rights.

Luis Mansilla spoke of metaphor as a restriction to design freedom, but useful in explaining a design to a client (sometimes by a post-design rationalisation), while Juhani Pallasmaa spoke of the need for metaphor in human understanding of our world. Is the use of metaphor, or reference to natural objects and systems, a method for architects and the users of their spaces to understand the notion of artifice?

The Artifice can only exist if there is a reference point to make it such, and so the natural is the other ingredient that enables this contrast and creates the type and extent of space between.  Metaphor relates something unknown, or less well know, to something else which has a greater cognitive understanding for us, and thus tries to embed meaning in the new through the old. I think this condition can’t possibly be a restriction on design freedom because it exists naturally and is embedded in our genetic makeup through layers of memory. The work of R&Sie attempts to remove this through the interface of the random machinated middle process separating the programmer from the end result. What is to stop the user who experiences such a thing to still try and relate it back to something more familiar? Maki San speaks of Delight, rather than Beauty in space as a very clear direction, while Owen and Vokes found the remnants of a crumbling wall the artifice which made the natural more engaging. I found myself being moved by the particulars of each different speaker, but ultimately the notions I still relate to the most are those which respect and support the sense of response to life and joy. Sean Godsell mentioned that the answers were not in Architecture, and for me, this is at the heart of the relationship between the natural and the artifice. The natural offers a huge world of opportunity to learn and be influenced. They offer an evolutionary history and lead us towards thinking timelessly which moves past the hubris and allows for relevant artifice of integrity.

The restraint in design and development that goes into top end pieces showed, fewer illustrations and few seriously worked layouts were present in most pieces. This was reflected in the Australian samples presented this show as well.

The big trend seemed to be a retro feel back to serifs in a huge way.

Classic type setting in blocks and columns featured heavily using muted earth colours. Uncoated stocks are still the principle paper used, which is great as they provide a much more emotive response when handling a book or print. The quality of print on some 90gsm uncoated papers was amazing.

A new ad placed into the june issue of MAP Magazine.

The paper uses the urban play practice of parkour as vehicle for cross-discipline discussions about the utility and potential of public spaces, and suggests methods for accomodating the play activities of divergent urban actors, providing these players the oppurtunity to contribute socially and culturally to the image of the city. The study justified play activities as essential and beneficial to the image of the city by citing the economic, surveillance, health and psychological benifits of equitably activated space and creative physical activity.

This consideration of parkour in architecture, beyond being simply a culturally innovative notion, has formed part of a larger play and cultural strategy for the development of Nordhavnen in Copenhagen. There, the developers have pursued an innovative approach to urban development that sees brownfiled land occupied by playful social programmes whilst the city develops around it. Architects BIG and Kragh & Bergulnd collaborated with developers and sub-cultural play practitionerss to inform their designs for the development. This approach is aimed at effectively reducing the speculation that would surround the development of the 200Ha site, and allowing the site to posses a cultural and social value in compliment to the anticipated fiscal property values.

Unfortunately we didn’t win the contract to design the sales centre but certainly explored some interesting ground in presenting the ideas.

You can see parts of the submission here

The screen based exhibition is split into 2 parts. First up a series of still images shot in 3d and projected in 3d that explores the urban dystopia and the dramtic outcomes of mining. The mine photograpy was pretty impactful from the sheer scale of the scar left in the landscape. The second half explores an animation based visual metaphor for urban issues in a new century. 17 visions of an abstracted future are laid out for contemplation. Some of these were very impressive visually, but not many left me contemplating the issues they tried to present.

John Gollings’ photography was pretty amazing. Some very clever use of a tilt shift lens in 3d gave a very convincing model look the photo. Glasses still seem to the hold back though, once active screen 3d is available on mass, everything will need to be 3d.

The offical Now and Then site is here

You can find out which design won the day when you visit the studio

A hint at our new home.

Its been a long search for the right place for the DC8 crew to spread its wings to and we finally found it.

Stay tuned for more info to come soon