The business of architecture
When we are first approached by prospective clients, we have found that few fully understand what an architect does. Many interview draftspeople and volume builders also, and find it difficult to distinguish between the various levels of expertise and design engagement on offer. Invariably, a large part of our first discussion is devoted to explaining how... Continue Reading →
20090804.1313 20090805.1005 Water pools in water holes above Tolmer Falls, flows down waterfalls along Walker Creek, splashes into the pool at the base of Florence Falls. It is always agitated, bubbling and swirling and rushing. impossible to capture in still ink. I try anyway. Drawing the water is a study in contrasts - hot and cool,... Continue Reading →
Driving a pod to slaughter What is it? Taiji is a small town in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, inconsequential except for its notoriety as the site of the regular and highly controversial slaughter of large numbers of dolphins. Endorsed by the Japanese government, details of the slaughter are systematically concealed by local authorities, so much so... Continue Reading →
What is it? A proposal is currently before the Victorian State government that recommends abandoning mandatory 6-star thermal efficiency requirements for housing as part of a broader agenda to cut government red tape. Documents obtained by The Age newspaper reveal state Treasurer Kim Wells has suggested that "consideration could be given to a voluntary thermal... Continue Reading →
Interior looking through kitchen with cosy nook to right What is it? A house by Neeson Murcutt Architects for clients Jo Nolan and Luke Hastings, and the subject of the Our Houses architectural talk on Wednesday night. The series is unique in inviting both architects and their clients to discuss their projects, attracting not only... Continue Reading →
What is it? A recently completed, 6-month study commissioned by The Age and undertaken by Tract Consultants and Deloitte Access Economics into the liveability of Melbourne's 314 suburbs. The term liveability is in itself difficult to define, with research into its parameters marking the start of the study. According to Adam Terrill of Tract Consultants, the definition... Continue Reading →
The 8th of November, 2011: an historic day for Australia, the day the federal Senate approved a price on pollution, 36 votes to 32. The Labour party's clean-energy package will be rolled out from July next year, with a carbon tax for the country's 500 biggest polluters initially set at the (world's highest) fixed price... Continue Reading →
Back in 2007, an american high school science teacher uploaded this video explaining a unique and thought-provoking argument for action on climate change. Its relevance may be somewhat diminished today, with general consensus on the existence of climate change having been reached and most countries pursuing some sort of preventative action, but the core idea... Continue Reading →
What is it? Australia's first volume production all-electric vehicle, with zero drive time emissions (depending on how its owners source their electricity, potentially zero emissions, period). First seen on a billboard hovering over the CityLink tollway. The i-MiEV (which we presume stands for the obligatory "i" followed by Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle) is powered by an... Continue Reading →
What is it? Entry into, and finalist of, the 2011 James Dyson Student Design Awards by Alexander Vittouris. First seen in a Habitus Living article, here. With extraordinary technical innovation, Vittouris did not build the Ajiro, a single-person velomobile, but grew it from a rapidly-growing strain of bamboo over a re-usable steel structure. This concept is derived from the... Continue Reading →