Our installation at Federation Square for this year’s Light in Winter – Shed Light exhibition iis currently being fabricated by True Dimensional Steel in Berwick. These photos show the steel frame which has been fabricated by Mark Williams and his talented team. Both the engineer and builder visited the factory to check on details and see the great work. Even though the installation is tremporary – the fabricators will be grinding all of the welds to be smooth and they will be re-painting the frame so that the panel and the frame colours match. The cool room panels are going to be cut shortly, put on a truck and delivered to Federation Square. We have to be on site before 6am next Wednesday and spend about 3 hours installing the installation.

Who would have thought an object with no lighting could become an exhibit in a light exhibition.

Well done to Paul Beale and his team at Electrolight for putting this exhibition together.

“If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
– African proverb, quoted in “Our Choice” by Al Gore.

I started my own practice because I didn’t much like the politics of large firms and I found small practice dominated by the idiosyncrasies of its directors. Practice has, for me, become a design project unto itself – shaping its form and structure around the principles I bring to my architecture. That is, to make a difference to people’s lives through design and to share the experience with others.

Once my practice needed more people, I mostly employed students and recent graduates. Their lack of experience in the office was a real issue and so training and team building had to become a key part of the practice. Staff training started – way back when – as a set of simple constructions and contractual questions each week that tested their knowledge and research skills. It was pretty boring really, so the training evolved and we would visit and learn from others in the industry. For example we visited a joinery workshop, a tile shop and door hardware people and we had a presentation by a builder on good documentation. These people and others were incredibly generous with their time and were eager to share their craft and knowledge with us. I dedicate about two to three hours a week (about 5% of my staff’s work time) to training and to encouraging the team to learn and become more confident about asking questions and seeking answers.

The idea took hold within the office, and staff training has evolved to become part of a bigger discussion about the values and ideas that underpin our practice. I need to learn as well – so pretty much anything that interests me includes the rest of the team. Our Friday activities have now included workshop discussions on practice management, social media, communication and sustainability. We bring in or visit experts who have led discussions about their area of expertise, investigate what we do and how we communicate the work beyond our four walls. We have also visited galleries and undertaken activities such as clay model making. We have even done some work with local performers. Some ideas have worked better than others, but what has developed is a practice culture that is shared and valued.

I have learned that the relationships built around work are meaningful and that they are, of course, different to other relationships in our lives. There are boundaries and such relationships need to be principally built around the work of the practice. None of my staff are my Facebook friends and while we socialise it is not the main way we connect and communicate. The practice is about the work we do. It is important that the values and ideas are clear to all and that each person, including me, plays their role in implementing these ideas. The staff ‘buy-in to the game plan’ – to use footy speak – is crucial to our collective success as a practice. It is my role to bring overarching ideas and values to the practice and to ensure these ideas and values are implemented to their richest level for each and every project.

It is important to define open-ended roles for staff, so that they can grow into those roles. I seek to remove obstructions through the training and direction – so that they can fulfill their potential more quickly. For me, it is very much about getting young people to become project architects and to be able to manage a project with less and less intervention by me. Being their mentor is not the key here – in fact it is quite the opposite – it is to get them to become colleagues for whom sharing a vision for the practice is what matters. Measuring performance is easy because it is all about how well the ideas have been implemented and how much individuals are able to contribute to the well-being of the practice.

While much of these ideas probably come out of a social consciousness, it is really a business decision to do this training and mentoring work. To run a small practice that wants to grow and do better and better work is difficult. We all know that, and good people are needed to realise the potential of any practice. The business aim is all about retaining good staff for longer and attracting good staff as we continue to grow. When I started my practice I gave no thought to the impact of employing people and the effect this can have on their self-esteem and to their lives. It has been a pleasant surprise to see staff take on greater leadership roles at site meetings, client meetings, at our regular team meetings and to take strong positions on design issues. To see staff doing good work with little or no direction from me and for that work to be recognisably based on the ideas and values that have made this practice thrive has made the work worthwhile and enjoyable.

This work is not without its frustrations, mistakes and misgivings – but as with any long-term project it requires patience and faith. Training and mentoring has made a difference to my practice and it has been an experience that has been shared with others – something I set out to do when I started the practice. I enjoy seeing the transformation I can bring to clients through the work of the practice. In a similar way I have enjoyed employing good people and seeing them grow into fine young architects.

tags: creative re-use, hospitality, lighting, refurbishment

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The council people told the Architect he was crazy for thinking buildings were living things. They told him if he won’t do what they want they will find someone who will. The Architect was sad. But he didn’t let their doubts stop him. He continued along his path and presented the council with a scheme which kept the building in place, but was somehow different. The council engineers said “You are no good and should stop being so difficult”. When the house was built all the people started enjoying the spaces and said, “Hey!! This is great!! I like it here. I can be what I want to be and I feel happy here”.

They heard what council said to the Architect and planned a protest. The crowd shouted how much they enjoyed the spaces, they wanted to keep them and make more with all the existing buildings. So the council were forced to see that the Architect was right. The people had spoken. The Architect went back to the office where he was inundated with calls for new jobs.

He took on all the work, hired a lot of new staff and lived happily ever after – designing amazing spaces all over Melbourne.

Story 2
Once upon a time there was a boy who dreamt of big things. He dreamt of changing the world for the better? “but how?” he thought. The city is too big and all these buildings are being pulled down. “This is crazy,” he thought. So he started to build a simple room that only had the primary needs of the dwelling itself. Back to nature was his theme. This simple building responded to its environment. It was cool in summer, warm in winter. It was filled with natural light and made the people living in it very happy.

The people thanked the Architect for their new home, telling their friends about the experience. They told their friends about the bedroom that looked onto a forest where creatures lived and how you could dream about all sorts of crazy things, see the stars and feel the sunshine and be happy and sad at the same time.

Their friends who longed for a simple dwelling asked him to build the same building for them too. “Sure,” said the Architect, “ I can build you a simple magic dwelling. But where?” Then they realised a problem. They did not want to move from their current place. It was close to work, schools, shops and they liked their neighbours. So the Architect and his team set about taking their existing, old, tired home and making it as magical as any new simple magic dwelling. “Easy,” said the Architect, “ I will just use all the things that are right here.”

Suddenly the building felt new again and the light started to shine on all the people who came. They are all happy and start promoting the architect, to other people.

He became famous as a magical architect who brings old building to life.

Story 3
Once upon a time, there was an Architect, who lived in Melbourne. He designed buildings for people he liked and talked a lot about reusing buildings and light. One day, a client came to him for a refurbishment of his house. The client, Simon, and the Architect had a lot things in common and talked for hours about how they could re-imagine the spaces of Simon;s old house. He began to draw his plans, trying to make the most of what the house had to offer Simon, while also bringing a new vibrant life to the house, using light.

The Architect said, “ I need a team of talented young groovy architects to help me build my dream”. He found Mel in a cafe, Angelique on a hockey field, Jim in a bar and Niea on her I-phone. “Great!” he thought, “Now I have everything I need to build Simon his dream”. Until he met the difficult town planner that kept asking him to change their design because she believed it wouldn’t work with council requirements. The planner couldn’t understand the ideas the Architect and his team were using in Simon’s building and how they could change the fabric of the city for the better. All she knew were the black and white rules of an outdated planning code.

The team struggled to see how to get passed this troublesome planner. Somehow they had to make her see the quality of Simon’s building. Simon was upset that it was taking so long but the Architect knew what he was doing. Finally, he got his permit and when the building was finally built, Simon had a huge party for all his friends. He also invited the difficult town planner, so she can see a great building she was trying to hold off at first place.

When the planner arrived at the house she was delighted by how the spaces flowed into each other and connected within the outside. She saw the house was bathed in natural light and all the people inside were happy. She made a promise to the Architect that the planning code would change to make more places like this and they were both very happy.

Story 4
Once upon a time, there was an Architect in North Fitzroy. He concentrated on daylighting and sustainability. He believed that good design should be enjoyed by everyone in Melbourne – the city he lived in and loved. He built a team of young talented workers to help him in his quest. Together they had lots of fun making buildings, making models, and changing the world. They drank lots of coffee until one day a storm came without notice. One of their buildings was not accepted by people in the neighbourhood. The people were angry with the Architect, saying his buildings were too expensive and not big enough. They wanted more and more but didn’t want to pay for it.

The Architect was distraught. “How could the people not see what he was trying to do?” He pushed, met and talked but nothing seemed to work. The people just didn’t want to listen to the Architect. So the Architect thought, “I will listen to them and understand what they are saying.” He designed buildings that seemed familiar but different. They were full of light, shade, colour, and movement. People were confused at first, but soon thought, “ Hey! This is great! You listened to what we feel”.

People in the neighbourhood were happy again and loved his new design and worked together to create it.

That’s because the building was for them.

tags: art, dream, fun, humanity

The farcical nature of our city’s major building preservation is mirrored in the state’s residential planning laws, and in particular the increasingly outdated ResCode.
ResCode – those clauses of the planning scheme which govern residential design – is now over a decade old and has outgrown its usefulness. In Melbourne’s inner suburbs in particular, ResCode produces poor outcomes in all the areas it is supposed to be protecting: design, environment and community.

From the outset, ResCode was a flawed response to the Good Design Guide it replaced. The code attempted to strengthen the notion of ‘neighbourhood character’ as a planning criterion, something essentially ignored by its predecessor. But it defined neighbourhood character inadequately, the result being that a subjective measure was placed at the core of planning decisions.

The application of ResCode is further complicated by its reference to planning overlays such as heritage, neighbourhood precincts and environmental.
The end result is a highly complex code which imposes very restrictive building envelopes on one hand but fails to ensure quality or coherence of design on the other. What we have seen as a result is the evolution of a new type of building: a peculiar blend of ‘half-barn’ asymmetrical roof-lines, period skins (including facades) and modern interiors. It’s like we’re trying to build the world’s fastest car while insisting that it looks like a Model-T Ford.

ResCode’s complexity has also resulted in highly inconsistent interpretation by local governments and VCAT, with subsequent inconsistency of project approvals. The code’s convoluted administration has led to the evolution of a ‘cottage industry’ of heritage advice, private planning advice, 3D modelling services and so on, none of which leads to a more productive or innovative design environment.

While ResCode has its problems, the issues with residential planning in this state don’t stop there. Urban design is further hampered by a statutory planning system which is grossly underfunded and poorly administered by overstretched local councils. The efficiency of the system is made worse by the ability of third parties to hold rights over applications – something which has led to an adversarial system which does nothing to support the very communities which the system is supposed to be working to maintain. There is ongoing uncertainty in every quarter about what fundamental terms like ‘heritage’ really mean. And there is constant pressure to increase density without, currently, a clear picture of what Melbourne should be aiming to look like in the long term.

Interestingly, despite all these shortcomings, there seems to be very little interest in reform of ResCode and the systems around it. The new Liberal state government has shown no interest in reviewing, let alone improving, the residential planning code. Local governments as a whole seem to be happy to live with the status quo. And even major industry bodies including the AIA, planning groups and property groups are remaining quiet on this issue.

Preserving the facades of iconic Melbourne buildings may be a nod to the past, but it doesn’t substitute for having a clear and workable approach to planning. Allowing ResCode and the rest of Victoria’s urban planning systems to wallow in their inadequacies is not something with which we should be satisfied.

tags: architecture, melbourne, planning, urban

Mel
When so much of our lives is spent indoors, daylight becomes the primary connection with the world around us.

Jim
With the abundance of technology now available to light and condition our buildings, it is important to remember that – at its most basic level – architecture is the art of filtering the outside world.

tags: architecture, daylight

We are very excited to have been selected for the Shed Light exhibition at Federation Square this year. Paul Beale from Electrolight suggested we enter over lunch and I am glad we listened to his wise words. Our installation will be one of seven that will be built as part of the annual “Light in Winter” festival.

Our installation will be constructed – from our new favourite material – cool room panel and supporting light-weight steel. The structure will be light-weight, moveable and has been inspired by a simple gum leaf, churches from the 1960s and 70s and camping tents. Our structure is designed to respond to the beauty of daylight and it will provide shade and wind protection whilst creating a space in which to converse, perform and explore the spoken word.

The design work was a collaborative team effort by Angelique Brett and Jim Stewart. We will keep everyone up to date on how we are going with the project as we get closer to the exhibition date.

Architecture, must contribute to community well-being by strengthening the relationship between the environment and the people it serves. Buildings must be enduring and responsive to the changing needs of people. Through the history of architecture, very often it is buildings with a great simplicity that are the most enduring and the most adaptable. Perhaps this is why I appreciate old buildings so much. Where others see something old and broken, I see the potential of spaces that can be re-configured and brought back to life through careful intervention. From a sustainability viewpoint, re-using old buildings is the simplest way to reduce consumption of resources. However its true value lies in the capacity to delight people here and now on the transformative energy of re-imagined spaces.

tags: creative re-use, sustainable

I am interested in how the movement of the sun influences the shape and form of buildings and interiors. I enjoy making spaces that respond to the subtleties of light. The art of day lighting invites us to be more in tune with the environment. Understanding day lighting requires us to become better educated so that we can use science and technology to make the most of art, light and architecture. With daylight design we have an easy way to connect people to the environment. It gives us a great way to start conversations because light affects us all. Even in confined urban spaces, we can connect and delight people with the natural environment through light’s subtle and changing effects.

On the subject of lighting – Antony along with Dave Anderson and David Poulton has been active at the IES to promote a new design award for Daylighting Design in Architecture. And the practice is about to submit an exhibition entry in this year’s “Light in Winter Festival” for “Light Shed” which is being curated by Electrolight. Our entry which we will publish shortly will be all about daylight and recycling the light pollution of the city. Our gum leaf structure will be constructed from cool room panel and stainless steel which we have grown to love from the work we have been doing at Matilda Bay Brewery.

tags: daylight, lighting, media

tags: affordable, community, recreation

We are currently working with Matilda Bay Brewing Company to develop a tasting room.

In keeping with the workmanlike image of the brand, our approach is to fit out the space as if it were a canteen for the brewers themselves.

Our strategy for reinvigorating this unloved urban passageway in Deer Park is to tell the story of how the suburb got its name. The aim is to reconnect locals with the a sense of place, while using light and colour to make the passage more inviting. We have borrowed from the distorted perspective artwork of Felice Varini to make an interesting spatial story with minimal cost.

For the past four months we have been working with primary students from the Victorian College for the Deaf to explore the exciting world of design. It has been great to see students develop their skills in three-dimensional thinking and work together to transform a sketched idea to a realised design.

The project is part of an extensive workshop program administered by Regional Arts Victoria and the City of Melbourne. For more information click here

It’s far too easy to regularly spend time in a place without truly looking at it.

On the way to the office one morning, I took a couple of hours to explore the route that I so often see through the tram window.

It revealed to me many moments of hidden life, texture and detail.

MEL

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We are excited to announce that our LifeCycle lamp has won 2nd place in the Lightcycle 2011 award as part of the State of Design Festival.

Check out the exhibition this weekend (10am-4pm 30-31 July, Donkey Wheel House, Bourke Street Melbourne) and vote for us in the People’s Choice Award!

Ready Steady Light – see our entry into this fun competition at Federation Square to make a light using a Cecil Walker Bike and as many LED lights as we could attach to its frame.

Thanks to team Jess Boyd, Dave Anderson, Karren De’Ath and Claudia Scalisi for their brilliant contribution.

Thanks to Jess for these brilliant photos!

Some work that Jim Stewart from our office has completed for his final year – this early childhood facility for the Wakathuni community in WA is the focus of Jim’s penultimate design studio at the University of Melbourne.

Each year David O’Brien runs a hands-on project in an Aboriginal community in northern Australia.

Students work together to construct a full-scale building that benefits the community – then develop design ideas to inform the following year’s project.

JS

Well we are about a week away from completing a refurbishment to an existing warehouse in Brunswick for Scribe Publications.

We have been working closely with JC Rawlings and the client on the project and it is exciting to see the project come together.

It shows that these buildings don’t necessarily need to be pulled down and turned into apartments in order to have a life beyond its original intention. The building will now house editors, marketing people and others as Scribe Publications continues to grow.

We couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

UPDATE: Project page up now!