Australian architecture

In 2015, ARM was given the enormous responsibility and privilege of upgrading the iconic building’s Concert Hall. The project called for modifications that were sensitive and respectful of the heritage building, whilst elevating the acoustics to a world-class standard. Our overarching aim was to upgrade the Concert Hall interior and acoustics to match the brilliance of Jorn Utzon’s exterior and Peter Hall’s interior. Daniel Boud ARM Principal Andrew Hayne describes the three principal goals for the project. “First and foremost, the goal was to improve the acoustics of the Concert Hall. Second, was to improve the functionality of the room itself, to be able to cater for different types of performances and make... More

Project Brief ​Flames Whampoa is the third restaurant by the Flames brand in Hong Kong. Metagram's brief was to establish an iconic visual identity which could solidify the visual outlook of the brand's restaurants. Both the founders of Metagram and Flames shared a background of living in Sydney, Australia. This nostalgic synergy created a consensus that the outcome of the design should simulate the wonderful Australian dining experiences fondly remembered by both parties. Metagram proposed the target of achieving a distinctly Australian dining experience using only atmospheric design strategies and materials, whilst avoiding literal references, such as pictures or cultural objects. Metagram Metagram Project Innovation/Need ​... More

For some years a Sydney-based family had enjoyed their holidays in a tiny pre-fabricated house on the beachfront lot but had finally outgrown it. They wanted to improve the accommodation and take better advantage of the opportunities of the location and aspect while retaining a relaxed, simple pattern of inhabiting the site.The design response was to retain the open, exposed, and windswept nature of the site, and to allow the envelope of the house to provide privacy, security, and protection from the elements, literally the house as a fence. Prue Ruscoe Prue Ruscoe The desire for a modest and unassuming presentation to the street drove the idea of the house as an object which had weathered in place in the dunes. The slanted roof... More

After seeing how we’d refurbished and renewed their friend’s beach shack home at Burrill Lake, on NSW’s South Coast, our clients engaged us to work some similar magic on their ‘unusual’ home at nearby Mollymook Beach. The Palm Co. While the house was set on a flat 680sq m block just one road back from the beach, the existing dwelling had some challenges. Inside, the house was dark, with a compromised, multi-levelled floorplan featuring one and a half bedrooms and no real connection to the generous backyard. Weird would be a polite way of describing the layout. The Palm Co. The late 1970s house had also been given an ill-thought-out internal makeover in the 1990s which was beginning to look tired and... More

The Rachel Foster public housing project has just been completed. This project comprises the adaptive re-use of the historic former Rachel Foster Hospital. The original hospital consisted of a series of 4 early modernist buildings and outdoor spaces in roughly the same configuration as the new scheme. The main building was retained as well as the colonnade of a second building which was incorporated into the new scheme. The project also retained an original circular garden forecourt. AJL Photography The final design consists of 260 units in 4 buildings in the suburb of Redfern. The buildings range from 4 to 7 storeys. The southern-most building has been retained and re-designed as apartments. We have developed a new façade trea... More

The River House is an informed assembly of clean lines, warm + textured materials and daring structure all housing a complex brief on a difficult site. The finished product is the result of the collaborative overcoming of many hurdles which ultimately shaped the design as much as the river itself. Caption Caption Caption Caption Caption Caption Caption Caption Caption   More