The new Surf Life Saving Club will be the first project to be delivered by Devonport City Council from the Urban Design Framework for the Mersey Bluff, a prominent natural feature forming part of the foreshore reserve.

The design of the new building provides an abstract vehicle for experiencing the unique qualities of the dynamic coastal environment, establishing a strong connection with its setting whilst creating a bold image to assist with marketing and promotional activities.

Seen from all angles, the building is treated as a sculptural element carefully placed in the manicured coastal environment, the dynamic plan form drawing on the cusp of the beach and protective Bluff headland.

To facilitate separate identities, the development is composed of two distinct pavilions sharing a common foyer space; one to house the surf club, the other incorporating high quality restaurant and cafe facilities to serve the local beach users.

An aluminium skin wraps over each pavilion, the roof forms rising and falling to modulate the internal spaces and evoke notions of waves in motion.

The new building delivers a level of sophistication to meet evolving public expectations and provide security for the future of the surf club, a valued community asset.

STATUS:

Under Construction 2010

JAWSARCHITECTS in association with Eco Cabins have released their new range of pre-made Transportable homes.

After identifying modular housing as a flexible, simple and environmentally sustainable alternative to onsite construction, our design team has developed the MAKO series of houses with modular interchangeable components. The system adopts the benefits of EcoCabins’ prefabrication systems while allowing for an individual design response to site orientation, views and solar aspect.

The result of this collaboration is affordable, attractive architect designed sustainable homes – MAKO.

JAWSARCHITECTS have developed a series of standard modules based on a 1.2m grid. These modules can be arranged to provide a number of design possibilities to suit your specific requirements and site constraints.

The modular system provides flexibility whilst taking the guesswork out of design and budgeting.

Further information on design options, pricing and specifications can be obtained from JAWSARCHITECTS or Eco Cabins.

STATUS:

Completion January 2010

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Scott Verdouw

Originally a dairy farm, Fahan School is set among magnificent grounds and gardens in suburban Hobart.

Established in 1935, the school has since become an oasis hemmed in by encroaching houses.

The undeveloped western side of the school provided an opportunity for expansion and to create a focus to this edge, defined by Wayne Rivulet.

The Gymnasium and Performing Arts Centre were conceived as one project to maximize potential for linking spaces to add value for the school.

A strategy was developed to integrate the buildings with the terrain and establish a dynamic precinct, defined by movement within, under and between the structures.

The pre-cast concrete structure is integral, the materiality of both buildings drawing from the existing ground condition through the exposed dolerite aggregate.

Buildings are accessed by bridge and sunken into the hillside to aid their thermal performance, minimize the visual impact and contain noise.

The earth-covered roofs negotiate site levels, creating a unifying external space offering places of prospect, reflection and impromptu performance.

The circulation within is defined by ramps, stairs and corridors submerged into the ground, their external form configured as topography.

Natural light from above defines movement, bold colour creating inspiring spaces with a sense of delight.

STATUS:

Completion January 2010

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Jonathan Wherrett

The outdated facilities at the former Rocherlea Primary called for rebuilding the school at the adjacent Brooks High School.

A row of Cypress Pine trees has played a prominent role in the identity and memory of the school for both students and the community.

The concept for the new school involved transporting this legacy, utilising the structure of pine trees as an organizational device, seeking to inspire, nurture and provide a welcoming community atmosphere.

The placement of the buildings is likened to a stand of pine trees, the roofs forming a protective canopy allowing light and breezes to filter through. Buildings align with the existing ring road, the entry pathway a pedestrian ‘street’ forming the spatial backbone of the school.

The pathway provides access into the public forecourt containing community orientated spaces.
The forecourt divides the learning areas into two distinct precincts; an infant orientated area and general student learning, each with tailored play gardens and activity zones.

Controlled by a common external form, each classroom unfolds its own identity to form a society of structures. A variety of material, colour, texture and scale has been used to encourage a positive learning atmosphere.

The buildings incorporate a number of passive energy saving features.

STATUS:

Completion December 2009

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Ray Joyce, Fiona Graham

The Sport & Recreation building at the Sandy Bay Campus of University of Tasmania has been subjected to many ad hoc alterations and additions. This redevelopment allowed a more holistic approach to be taken, addressing fundamental inadequacies whilst creating a fresh identity to attract new members.

A stronger profile is created through the provision of high quality and fully accessible facilities, the natural ventilation and daylight strategy optimizing the functionality of the centre.

An expanded entrance provides a singular access point and a secure foyer, the external expression creating a strong presence. Particular components are articulated by abstract references to the structure of muscles and tendons, colour helping to convey a sense of activity and energy.

A major functional reorganization placed noisy activities centrally, with a layer of quieter activities positioned on external walls. Daylight is introduced to the centre of the building via a new stair, the void acting as a thermal chimney to assist with natural ventilation of the ground floor.

Upstairs, the end walls have been opened up with additional glass louvres introducing more daylight and efficient cooling of the space, supplemented by roof ventilators. An external sun shade controls glare and provides shading.

STATUS:

Completion January 2010

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Jonathan Wherrett

JAWSARCHITECTS were engaged by prominent Hobart developer, Sultan Holdings to design a major mixed-use complex on a vacant site within Sullivans Cove in Hobart.

The development, an important urban repair project, will transform the existing open car park into a building complex which offers new and exciting links and public spaces, giving access to a wide variety of commercial, retail, hospitality and entertainment uses, all located over a large underground public car park, with residential apartments above.

The new buildings along Montpelier Retreat have been designed to reflect the scale, pattern and materials of the historic Salamanca precinct in a contemporary manner and will create new life and activity at the street edge.
A significant new public space will be created, to be known as ‘Cottage Green’. Here the opportunity will be taken, using any archaeological remnants, to portray the story of the early days of settlement, encounters with the local aborigines and the development of ‘New Wharf’ and Salamanca Place.

The upper levels of the complex are set well back and are not generally visible from the streets surrounding the site. The apartments occupying these levels have been sculpted and fragmented so that when viewed from distant positions in the Cove, they will merge with the finer grain of residential roofs behind.

STATUS:

Planning Approval Received June 2009

The surf club has over time become an integral part of the culture of the coastal city of Burnie. Idyllically situated midway along the North facing foreshore, the club has provided uninterrupted service to the community since the early 1960s. The importance of this culture is reflected in Council's decision to make it the centerpiece of a redeveloped waterfront on this prominent site.

The building has suffered many unsympathetic alterations and additions, visually separating the city and waterfront. In addition to the environmental and economic benefits, the important elements of the original building were retained to preserve the history of local surf culture on this site.
Two restaurants, a function room, gymnasium and public change facilities have been fused to the existing building; a sense of fun embedded into the complex through the nautical motifs on the change rooms and expressive sweep of the roof.

Two glazed circulation zones differentiate the existing and new fabric, with new elements set back so that the original surf club remains evident. The signature roof and cantilevered deck provide an important visual connection with the city centre whilst allowing uninterrupted views to the waterfront.

All elevations have been carefully designed to be experienced from all sides. Services are contained behind permeable screens, the timber slats and exposed steel acknowledging Burnie's industrial heritage and links to the local timber industry.

The redeveloped Surf club aims to create a memorable place for community events and activities – a valued and inviting destination for both locals and visitors.

Careful consideration has been given to site the new building unobtrusively into the landscape, open spaces to the sun, shelter from the weather and to create areas that engage with the natural surroundings. The building subtly refers to forms, colours and materials found within the park and reinterprets them in a contemporary manner.

STATUS:

Completion December 2000

An innovative solution to containing loud music and providing convivial outdoor spaces was achieved by burying the building and opening to sun drenched tiered courtyards.
The Tasmanian University Union Bar can now accommodate up to 1200 patrons and internal sound levels of 110dB (A) are inaudible to surrounding residents.

STATUS:

Completion December 2003

The Tahune 'Airwalk' takes the visitor on a thrilling ride through the giant eucalypts of the cool temperate rainforests of southern Tasmania. A new experience, accessible to all - from the very young to the very old.

STATUS:

Completion September 2001

Currently under construction, this house on the suburban fringe of Hobart explores the idea of the architectural promenade as a means of understanding the building and its immediate context as well as defining its place in the greater landscape.

The house is sited at the bottom of the eastern face of Porter Hill on the edge of a bush reserve. The site has commanding views over the houses below across to the eastern shore of the River Derwent and down to Bruny Island.

The design of the house has been driven to a large degree by recognition of the potential bushfire threat faced by the site's proximity to the large area of bushland to the south and west.

From the access driveway, the house steps up the hill in a series of gently curving forms that arc around the site to form a protective semi- enclosed central courtyard.

Conceptually, a linear plan has been transformed by wrapping it around a pivot point. This provides a means of offering a more diverse range of visual connections to the landscape and physical links to outside spaces.

The house is organized over two main levels, with additional minor changes in level acting as subtle zoning devices within each that offer access to a number of different external spaces.

The building is conceived as a series of concentric layers, sliding past one another to define movement patterns, provide solidity or transparency, enclosure or spatial continuity. Stairs, hallways, ramps and decks are located to allow the user to experience the geometry of the house and integrate the external spaces with the interior.

The layering of the house seeks to form a dialogue with the local geography, echoing the folds of hills that surround the Derwent estuary.

Conversely, radial walls define rooms or dissect the curves to create opportunities of counter-movement and to connect spaces.

External materials finishes are robust and subdued, providing a neutral palette in the bush environment.

Masonry perimeter walls on the south and west faces form a defensive barrier to the predominant weather systems and potential bushfire threat. Double-glazed windows in these walls create opportunities to engage with the adjacent bushland, yet still provide adequate protection against these hazards.

Roofs all fall away from these parapet faces into the central courtyard in order to avoid gutters or eaves facing potential fire frontages that might normally be vulnerable flame ingress points.

Rainwater is allowed to fall from these roofs and is collected in a drainage swale as part of the landscape works.

Spaces fronting the central courtyard to the north and east are predominantly glazed, allowing passive solar gain in winter, but shaded by extended eaves to provide summer sun protection.


The building is constructed with etched bluestone concrete block as the predominant external wall finish. Feature stone walls, small areas of steel cladding and cement sheet will complement the blockwork in selected areas to help define the layering of the building.

STATUS:

Under Construction 2010

Perched off the edge of the tertiary sand dunes - slung from a timber frame, a tough timber wall shields this beach house from the southerlies gusting off Storm Bay.

STATUS:

Completion December 1998

In desperate need of a new life, this Heritage listed school building has been transformed into elegant , contemporary apartments that allow the original classroom volumes to be read.

STATUS:

Completion January 2004

Dismal Swamp is a polje or sinkhole like a giant colosseum, a cauldron starting with an unusual geological formation and mixing in a brew of the mythical and the majestic.

The architecture too, is a curious blend of buildings, sculpture and structures which accentuate and describe this wondrous place.

The Visitor Centre is perched high on the rim of the polje and floats amongst the tree tops overlooking the swamp below.

Curved Blackwood beams and crown-cut veneers sourced from the nearby forest echo an era when Coopers fashioned barrels from the Blackwood. This warm timber cocoon embraces the guest shielding them from the savage westerlies.

The natural spring of the endemic Celery Top Pine beams bounces and sways the springboard amongst the giant eucalypts. The slide slips sensuously through the forest canopy propelling the visitor at an alarming pace to commence an amazing journey of discovery in the ancient forest.

The floor of the sinkhole is a featureless, flat plane, forested with an endless stand of Blackwood. To be lost in this environment creates an overwhelming experience of disorientation and alienation.

The key concept behind the Dismal Maze is the notion of developing this disorientation further and pushing the boundaries of emotional response to this alien environment, creating in the visitor's mind, a disorienting experience.

A maze winds around the sink hole floor leading the visitor on a journey of experience. The maze and the elements that are located within it actively support and reinforce the range of information that makes up the Blackwood interpretation story.

The elements to be discovered within this maze are a series of extraordinary structures evidencing different methods of construction and materials and involve a range of interpretation methods appropriate to telling the Blackwood story in an innovative and exciting manner.

STATUS:

Completion December 2004

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Richard Bennett, Nick Osborne

A new civic centre for Kingborough. Views from the forecourt place the civic centre as the focus of the valley and the region it serves. Daylighting and solar heating are harnessed; noble materials and landscaping reflect beachside origins.

STATUS:

Completion January 2000

An iconic ecotourism destination in the Otway Ranges of southwest Victoria which combines the thrill and excitement of an elevated walkway through the tree-tops of Victoria’s finest stands of Myrtle, Beech and pristine forest.

The visitor centre is a low elegant Japanese style pavilion with robust rough sawn eucalypt columns on a rhythmical grid.

A crisp palate of greys and greens was drawn from the stunning surrounding forest to create a relaxed, yet contemporary and inviting space whilst providing a neutral backdrop where the foliage outside becomes the main focus for the visitor.

STATUS:

Completion November 2004

An exciting and rare brief for Tasmania has been the redevelopment of the Boardwalk at Wrest Point Casino for Federal Hotels. Situated on the foreshore of the River Derwent this innovative new bar and restaurant appeals to a demanding contemporary market.

STATUS:

Completion November 2002

The Storm Bay development in the beachside suburb of Taroona has provided an opportunity to resuscitate a neglected corner hotel and consolidate the adjacent streetscapes.

The surrounding suburb is a varied mix of turn of the century, pre & post war, 1950's – 60's though to present dwellings incorporating well established tall trees and settled gardens.

Incorporating the original Taroona Hotel, the development includes fourteen residential apartments of various size, two serviced apartments, a café and lounge bar. Three distinct apartment types are available in separate groups spread over the site, each responding to its immediate location, but incorporating similar design themes. The architecture of the whole site is generally one of restrained clean lines and functional spaces, responding to the surrounding residential areas with consideration to natural sunlight, outdoor entertaining areas and a focus to the superb outlook over the River Derwent towards Storm Bay.

The original hotel dates from circa 1946 and is an interesting example of "post war streamline moderne" architecture.

The new commercial section of the scheme creates a clear distinction between the post war structure and the new architecture. The new additions are of a comparative scale to the hotel, maintaining a consistent height to the Channel Highway streetscape.

The design of the two new residential buildings refer to the general design principles of the existing hotel, but
develop a more contemporary architectural language.

The apartments sited along Channel Highway are again of a comparative scale and set back to the existing hotel, with landscaping at the main entrance. Materials are contemporary and simple, yet expressed as natural elements.

The Jenkins Street townhouses are reduced further to a domestic scale and architecture,

The shared outdoor spaces at Storm Bay have been designed to complement the architecture, provide a beautiful and low-maintenance public/private interface, promote harmonious pedestrian and vehicular movement through the site and contribute to the broader landscape of Taroona.

Private garden spaces will use a combination of low-maintenance local native species and exotic plants in beds, with grass lawn areas, built-in garden furniture, paved entertaining spaces and brush fencing.

There are three interior concepts which have been developed for the apartments. Each concept is uniquely different yet encompasses the same materials and finishes. A basic palate of earthy tones has been incorporated with warm and neutral materials to create contemporary, spacious and elegant spaces, with each palate evoking a different atmosphere. Fittings and appliances with simple, clean lines emphasise a modern and functional aesthetic.

STATUS:

Stage 1 Completion November 2008

ARCHITECTS IN ASSOCIATION:

Stuart Tanner Architects, Jacob Allom Wade

The Tower Road Nurses' Home was constructed in the mid 1950s with a powerful horizontal aesthetic, positioned on high ground on the northern edge of New Town, an inner suburb of Hobart.

By the end of the century, the building had outlived its original purpose and languished empty and neglected.

A small development group purchased the unwanted building and broke new ground for Hobart by converting it to suburban apartments.

A typical floor which once accommodated 32 nurses now comprises 5 or 6 apartments – 23 in all. The design emphasis is on liveability rather than overt luxury.

While new architectural elements such as balconies and canopies signal the new use, the raw strength and lines of the building continue to assert its original character.

STATUS:

Completion November 2005

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Richard Eastwood

The original work to this corporate office focused on refurbishment of the public foyer space and boardroom. A sculptural wall was inserted into the tenancy, becoming a threshold between private, semi-private and public spaces. The form of the wall in the reception area is a series of planes which push out from the wall to create a dynamic interface with the public.

The wall modulates natural and artificial light in a variety of ways. Light sources are accentuated by utilizing screens to filter and bounce light into these changing planes. A ceiling pelmet acts as a light shelf and a double glazed translucent glass wall runs past the boardroom allowing connection to the workspace whilst maintaining visual and acoustic privacy.

The language of this redevelopment was used as a catalyst for another office refurbishment five years later.

Working within the confines of a single office, this component explores the prospect of the workspace as a consolidated joinery installation, a folding plane. The existing column provided a point of reference from which a continuous planar element wraps, turns and folds throughout the space. The folds provide for the necessary functional and storage requirements of a contemporary, corporate workspace, whilst subtly defining the public and private zones.

A sense of transparency, warmth and strength is imbued in the materials used which compliment the existing corporate colors.

STATUS:

Completion December 2005

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Ray Joyce

To live in Hobart is to live in the shadow of the wall. To its west, Hobart is defined by the escarpment of Mount Wellington, its physical dominance forming a protective shield from the fury of the Roaring Forties. The easterly aspect with its breathtaking views across the Derwent estuary to Bruny Island belies the adversity of the site, subject to extremes of weather including winter snowfalls.

Situated in its foothills and placed on a shelving of the steep pastoral landscape, an existing bluestone cottage constructed by the owner becomes a latent genesis for the composition.

The house comprises a sequence of three distinct pavilions, set within and forming a series of courtyards nestled into an existing escarpment and connected by a circulation spine running along the contours of the hillside. The soul of the house finds its ultimate expression in the massive bluestone entrance wall running perpendicular to the main axis.

In microcosm, the north wall of the house draws on the memory of the moutainscape, its strong lines abstracting the harmonious counterplay of tectonic forces evident in the mountain’s form, connecting the house emphatically to its cultural and physical contexts. Anchored firmly to the cutting at its western end, the tapered and angled form works against the natural slope of the land ultimately reconnected as the site falls away.

Deep reveals, fractured incisions in the face of the wall, help define its strength with the play of light and shade. Penetration of the wall, marked by a simple canopy, reveals a number of dualities evident in the building. The solidity of the wall becomes a counterpoint to the transparency of the glazed pavilions beyond. A feeling of openness is generated by a plan that alternates built form with open space, constantly balanced by the reassuring presence of the wall. From within the main pavilion, the introspective nature of the courtyards is countered as the wall is read again, its plastic expression embracing the views and extending the spatial dynamics of the room beyond its physical boundaries to the infinite horizon.

The traditional loadbearing construction technique evident throughout the building uses a shutter system developed by the owner, providing an equal proportion of stone and mortar. The natural textures and colours of the materials imbue the house with an austere luminosity and warmth when illuminated through the large expanses of glass, creating an ethereal light and a monastic silence.

STATUS:

Completion January 2006

17-21 Hunter Street is a four- storey sandstone building built between 1830 and 1840 and for much of its life was part of the Henry Jones IXL jam manufacturing complex.

In more recent years, the ground floor has become a Hobart institution as the 'Drunken Admiral' restaurant, while the upper floors have generally remained derelict and unoccupied.

The building is highly significant to the history and evolution of the Hunter Street precinct. To respect this significance, no changes have been made to the external walls, whilst a new lift, stair and five contemporary apartments have been inserted into the existing building shell.

Planning of the new spaces minimizes contact of new walls and fitments with the original building fabric and enabled the modern apartment installations to sit comfortably within the old stone walls.

STATUS:

Completion August 2005

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Richard Eastwood

The new College of Aluminium Training is comprised of large workshop expanses and staff and student facilities.
The fluid plan and canopies of the administration areas were inspired by maritime forms and the building was situated to gain the maximum benefit from direct sunlight, and expansive views of the Derwent River stretching from Mount Direction to Prince of Wales Bay and Mount Wellington beyond.

STATUS:

Completion January 1997

The original Clarence Campus buildings were constructed as Warrane High School in the early 1960's and passed to TAFE Tasmania in the 1980's. After twenty years under TAFE operations, the buildings had become under-utilised, poorly configured for contemporary Vocational Education and Training programs and contained finishes, fittings and building services that had reached the end of their life cycle.

A five-stage redevelopment program was undertaken to address these shortcomings. The sequence of work takes into account the relocation of groups to either vacate accommodation for redevelopment or occupy redeveloped spaces.

Apart from addressing the tangible inadequacies, the design approach has been to retain and highlight the framework and features of the original structures, with the addition a new layer of design elements.

The new works have consolidated the disparate buildings to create a new first point of contact and a social focus for the campus. The way-finding within the campus benefits from a unique address for each building and a completely accessible circulation path between all levels, including provision of a new lift to upper floors.

New external building elements allows for selective inclusion of natural light, modification of the internal environmental conditions and incorporate a passive approach to glare and heat control.

All the buildings are to have their own identity, linked by a common design philosophy. The key objective has been to transform the campus into an exciting and vibrant learning environment by employing light, colour and movement as design devices.

The planning of the new campus allows a greater interaction between the internal and external environments, both in the sense of direct physical access or in the form of views out to the surrounds. Feature lighting throughout the campus is individual to space and function. Sometimes colour is linked in, sometimes scale is manipulated, and sometimes distance. Variation and interest is the key.

Colour is used as a tool for creating character and identity. A common base palette will run continuously through the campus as a whole, not only to tie the campus together, but also for flexibility and ease of adaptability in the future. However, individual buildings display a distinctive interior colour palette, the purpose of which to provide a distinctive address for zones within the campus and its associated user groups.

Pattern is a tool employed to create movement and link the distinct components of the campus together; particularly in the selection and layout of carpets, but also in the design of the signage and building graphics.

STATUS:

Completion January 2006

ARTISTS:

Kieran Bradley, Gerhard Murtz

GRAPHIC DESIGNER:

James Newitt

Moorilla Estate, established in 1958, is Tasmania's oldest commercial winery and vineyard. Located 12km north of Hobart on a peninsula in the Derwent River, the estate has a significant physical and cultural context into which the new Moorilla Wine and Food Centre has been inserted.

The building occupies the apex of the site in both topographical and hierarchical terms to capitalise on sun and views of the river and the wider landscape and to provide a strong public face to the estate. It is also sited immediately adjacent to the outdoor wine making facility so that patrons have a direct interface with the winery at work.

The two storey building consists of an entry, reception, lobby and function rooms on the lower level and restaurant and wine tasting bar on the upper level. The 't' shaped plan was generated by acknowledging two perpendicular axis. One runs the length of the peninsula [entry axis] the other relates to the head of the peninsula where the dominant contour addresses the river [view axis].

The dominant element of the architectural expression is the roof plane which unites the parts, provides a gesture to entry and works as a contemporary verandah - providing shade to the extensive glazing and defining the outdoor dining decks.

The palette is concrete, steel, aluminium, timber and glass – all expressed honestly inside and out.

The Concert Stage at the Northern end of the green and the Micro Brewery at the southern end of the restaurant, complete the composition by using the ‘view axis’ as an ordering device.

ARCHITECTS IN ASSOCIATION:

Craig Rosevear Architects + Jacob Allom Wade

STATUS:

Completion November 2005

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Brett Boardman