AR 168 by Niche Media

Architectural Review

ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW

THE BUSINESS OF ARCHITECTURE ISSUE 168 | 2021 JOBMAKER BUSINESS JAHM FEATURE PARAM-O DESIGN PLANET CITY SUSTAINABILITY

The Business of Architecture

Being BKK

GEORGE HUON, SIMON KNOTT AND TIM BLACK ON TURNING 21

AU$15.95

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ISSN 2200-243X 01

9 772200 243006

The buildings of tomorrow. The Sustainable Buildings Research Centre (SBRC) was the first building in Australia fully accredited under the Living Building Challenge (LBC), as well as being the Illawarra’s first six-star Green Star Building. The LBC is arguably the highest built environment sustainability accreditation in the world today with its ambition to encourage buildings to be net zero energy and water, to connect more readily with the natural environment, and provide comfortable and restorative places to live and work. Located on the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus, the SBRC not only embodies sustainable design, but is a ‘living’ laboratory for improving building and material design and operation, where researchers and students develop, prototype and test sustainable building technologies and tools for residential and commercial applications. The ‘high-bay’ roof is divided into two discrete sections using COLORBOND® steel in the colour Surfmist® and COLORBOND® Coolmax® steel. These materials were chosen for their high solar reflectance (low absorptance) and ability to improve the thermal performance of a building. The building also meets the high standards demanded by the material and waste requirements of the LBC with the BlueScope materials used being manufactured locally and incorporating recycled content. BlueScope is also committed to responsible/sustainable sourcing practices that create, protect and build long term environmental, social and economic value. An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is available for COLORBOND® steel which identifies the environmental impact of the product over its lifecycle. To obtain a copy, please visit steel.com.au/epd. And to find out more information about specifying and building with BlueScope products, please visit steelselect.com.au or call our technical team on 1800 753 658.

Architect: Cox Richardson Architects. Project: Sustainable Buildings Research Centre. Location: North Wollongong, New South Wales. COLORBOND®, BlueScope and the BlueScope brand mark are registered trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. © 2020 BlueScope Steel Limited ABN 16 000 011 058. All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS

LEAD PROFILE As BKK Architects celebrates its 21st birthday, principals Simon Knott, Tim Black and George Huon share their story so far

AR REGULARS

BUSINESS

EDITORIAL

EMERGING PRACTICE Isla Sutherland meets Peter Kennon of Kennon Studio

FINANCE Preparing your practice for EOFY, this year and every year

MAKING THE MOST OF JOBMAKER Is your practice eligible to claim?

THE BUSINESS OF ARCHITECTURE

BOOKSHELF Design: First Knowledges, Building On Country by Alison Page and Paul Memmott

FEATURES

DESIGN

DESIGN Updates to the PARAM-O parametric design tool

LEAD PROJECT ACMI Renewal by BKK Architects

EMERGING PROJECT Packington Street by Kennon Studio

JAHM The Justin Art House Museum is the perfect post-architecture project for SJB founder Charles Justin and Leah Justin PLANET CITY Liam Young’s speculative architecture envisions a new world solution to climate change SHIFTING HOMES A multimedia project spotlights the challenges of rising sea levels in Samoa

ISSUE 168

APPLICATION 56

SHOWCASE New products under the spotlight

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Associate Publisher and Commercial Partnerships Manager Jillian Hood

8 EDITORIAL

Editor Madeleine Swain madeleine.swain@niche.com.au

One of the most pertinent observations of the pandemic for me has been the negation of the supposed aphorism, ‘we’re all in the same boat’. As pointed out by numerous commentators on social media, we are all in the same storm, not the same boat. And some people have superyachts, with a full complement of staff catering to their every whim. While others are barely clinging to a blow-up raft...

Production Production manager Jessica Appleton jessica.appleton@niche.com.au Editorial designer Keely Goodall

Publishing Chairman Nicholas Dower Managing director and Group publisher Paul Lidgerwood

The point is to practise kindness and reach out to others who are struggling whenever we are able to do so. To share, to treat others as we would wish to be treated and to collaborate in order to navigate a way through whatever challenges still lie ahead.

Financial controller Sonia Jurista

The spirit of collaboration and community mindedness came up again and again while putting together this issue of AR. For our lead profile (page 10), we talk to the three principals of BKK Architects. Not only were they determined to all be involved in the interview, rather than leave it to one spokesperson, but this is a practice that thrives on collaboration. Regularly working with other prolific and productive local practices like Kerstin Thompson Architects and Kyriacou Architects, BKK is able to work on big, city-shaping projects, despite its modest size. The ACMI Renewal is a case in point and features as our lead project on page 28.

Cover: George Huon, Simon Knott and Tim Black of BKK Architects © Gwendolen Swain

I’ve long wanted to include a feature on Charles and Leah Justin, the inspiring couple who run their own art house museum in Prahran. From being one of the three founders of SJB Architects, Charles has continued to collaborate, only these days it is with his wife and the many artists, photographers and architects who give talks and exhibit in their space. The promotion of sustainability and an effective response to climate change demand collaboration and a committed joint effort – emphasised in both Liam Young’s Planet City project (page 48) and the project selected to represent Australia and the Pacific in the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale, Shifting Homes (page 52), itself the result of a collaboration between artists Daniel Stricker and Vincent Heimann. However you’re sailing through the troubled waters of this global crisis, I hope this issue gives you some respite, diversion and food for thought. Madeleine Swain Editor

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10 LEAD PROFILE

BEING BKK THE THREE LEADERS AT BKK ARCHITECTS TYPIFY THE COLLEGIATE NATURE OF MELBOURNE ARCHITECTURE PRACTICES. AND IT’S BEEN THAT WAY SINCE THE VERY START… / MADELEINE SWAIN

In days of yore, 21 was when we were given the key of the door and launched out into the world as fully-fledged adults. Things aren’t that cut and dried anymore, but as BKK Architects celebrates its 21st birthday, its maturation as a practice is undeniable. Recent high-profile projects include a collaboration with Kerstin Thompson Architects on a cultural centrepiece for the City of Whitehorse, another with Kyriacou Architects on part of the Victorian Level Crossing Removal Projects and, of course, the award-winning ACMI Renewal. The practice has also just been announced as part of the preferred team on a $15 billion, city-shaping infrastructure project – the NE Link – partnering with TLC (Taylor Cullity Lethlean) and Warren and Mahoney as the urban design/landscape team. The most surprising thing perhaps is just how much the practice has managed to accomplish, considering its non-hierarchical structure and determination to ensure everyone gets their say. The interview for this profile with partners Simon Knott, Tim Black and George Huon ran way over time and could easily have lasted for hours longer. Along with co-founder Julian Kosloff, Knott and Black officially incorporated the studio in 2000. Kosloff was at the practice for 17 years before he and fellow principal Stephanie Bullock moved on to form Kosloff Architecture. It was an amicable parting of the ways, says the trio now. “It was just a decision to go in different directions,” says Knott. The team initially came together through their shared experience at RMIT. “It was and still is a fantastic learning hub and breeding ground for architecture,” says Knott, adding how it instilled a “collegiate sense around Melbourne of talking about architecture and ideas”. According to Black, one of the best things about RMIT from a practice perspective was that, unlike most local schools, it didn’t have a general studio space on campus. “This led students to set up their own studios in a cheap rented space within the city and that was a very formative time for us. Simon and I shared one for some years.” While Huon started out as an artist, coming to architecture as a mature student, Black and Knott both spent time studying commerce

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as well as architecture. And Black has since returned to study to acquire an MBA; however, their business savvy was mostly learned on the job, they say. Knott gained vital experience working with Neil Clerehan when he was just 25 and the great man was in his 70s. It meant he was able to meet people who had spent 40 years living in houses Clerehan had designed. “They talked about how much they loved them and how much Neil had changed their lives and their kids and grandkids had grown up in these houses. It really instilled in me the sense of the importance of architecture and how much it could change people’s lives.” A move to Wood Marsh built on this foundation. The studio was growing from a few people to a larger practice and taking on much bigger projects, and Knott found himself taking on a project architect role “well before my time”. Both practices taught him how to use his initiative, he says. “The sink or swim thing was pretty real at Wood Marsh...” Black also learned from the best, cutting his architectural teeth working for Peter Elliott, where he was exposed to much more than how to be a great designer. “Peter is a very good leader and manager; he’s incredibly well-rounded as an architect,” he says. Starting their own practice was still a leap into the unknown, however. “I think we went into it with a fair amount of naivete,” says Knott. “We had a couple of computers and started around the kitchen table. I think if you said ‘this is what’s involved’ I’d probably have thought twice about doing it. “Architecture has become a lot harder in the 20 years we’ve been in practice,” he adds, indicating the relative simplicity of planning processes and gaining building permits when they started out. “We did very much learn on the run,” he says.

MARVELLOUS MELBOURNE MENTORS The trio stress again and again that their biggest help in the early years came from their peers. They were part of a monthly practice management group with studios like Jackson Clements Burrows,

PHOTOGRAPHY © GWENDOLEN SWAIN

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12 LEAD PROFILE

“ARCHITECTS ARE NATURALLY CONTROL FREAKS. YOU HAVE TO BE REALLY OBSESSED AND ACROSS DETAILS TO DO PROJECTS WELL. AND IT CAN BE QUITE HARD TO LET THAT GO.” – SIMON KNOTT

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Simon Knott

Jeremy Wolveridge, and Neil + Idle, sharing information. “This goes again to the collegiate nature of architecture in Melbourne and how supportive it is. I think it’s quite unusual,” says Knott. “We had a pool of fee agreements and fee letters and all the stuff that takes a long time to develop.” And they weren’t shy about asking for assistance when it was needed. “We used to ring people up, like Karl Fender or John Denton. They were incredibly generous with their time. Ian McDougall, Peter Elliott, Roger Wood... They’d happily have lunch with you. I remember John Denton and Karl Fender quite freely giving us their advice, which was just tremendously beneficial.” The flow-on effect of this is that now they’re very conscious about playing the same role for the next generation. “It comes from a strong feeling that you’re better off supporting each other, rather than trying to just compete. It’s a much better profession when everyone’s pulling together in the same way,” says Knott, who has also fostered a significant media career in print, TV and radio. For 10 years he was part of the team presenting The Architects on 3RRR with Christine Phillips, Stuart Harrison and Rory Hyde. “We’ve always found that if you’re generous in this profession, it just comes back in spades; it comes back tenfold,” he says.

has ever seen, so there was a huge opportunity out there for us. And we’ve never really looked back,” says Knott. That’s not to say it was a smooth ride, however. In an amusing riff on the actor’s nightmare, Knott recalls a recurring dream. “We were all sitting around a table with this giant telephone, waiting for it to ring,” he says. “[We were thinking] ‘where are we going to get work from? How do you do it? Because you don’t get taught that at university.” Black’s commercial acumen kicked in and he began putting systems and processes in place, which didn’t always make immediate sense to his partners, although later they could see their worth. One of the best strategies they deployed was scheduling periodic external reviews of the business. “We’ve done them regularly throughout the practice and it’s a really good lesson in how to run a business,” says Black. The sessions were pivotal in not just understanding the day-today processes and procedures, but also in giving them the opportunity to always look at the big picture. “[It’s] really blue sky thinking about ‘who do we want to be competing against, what sort of practice do we want to be seen as and how do we grow?’,” says Knott, adding that actually forming those three- and five-year commitments have brought them to where they are now.

EARLY DAYS

ENTER THE ARTIST

BKK’s first office space was part of a government subsidised incubator project – little more than cubicles and fitballs. They had no windows, but plenty of ambition. As is so often the case, the foundation was in residential architecture, which they say will continue to be important to the practice. “But we always imagined working on bigger projects,” says Black. “At a young age, Simon and I had run some very big public projects. And I think we both had a taste for that.” The timing was great for them too. “When we started practising in 2000 it was the start of one of the biggest building booms this country

Huon joined the practice around the five-year mark. “I started as a student and never left. It was quite small then – just the three directors and a couple of staff.” Currently, there are around 26 in the practice, comprising both full and part-timers. Huon may have joined thanks to a tap on the shoulder and the suggestion that it may be a good fit, but he has stayed for the ethos. “Something that was clear to me was the strong emphasis on having a culture. As the practice has matured, strategy has become much more important, but culture has always been front and centre.”

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14 LEAD PROFILE

“AS THE PRACTICE HAS MATURED, STRATEGY HAS BECOME MUCH MORE IMPORTANT, BUT CULTURE HAS ALWAYS BEEN FRONT AND CENTRE.” – GEORGE HUON

“We want it to be a fun place to be. Architecture is hard sometimes and you can work long hours, so it’s got to be enjoyable, otherwise it’s just a slog,” adds Knott. Staff at the practice are encouraged to teach and do other things outside of the discipline and they are given time off to do this, say the leaders, pointing to research that says staff are more productive working fewer than 40 hours a week. The focus on diversity relates to more than staff well-being. “It’s about the quality of your working life and also in the work you do, having a degree of diversity in your portfolio of work,” says Huon. Knott says this element is just as strategic as the emphasis on the work/life balance. “If you want to ride through the peaks and troughs, there’s no point just being in one sector of architecture.”

RESPONSIBILITIES The way the practice has evolved there is now an administrative team to execute much of the day-to-day running of the business, but individuals have organically gravitated towards certain roles. “I tend to look after the nuts and bolts of where the paper is and how much coffee is left, while Tim’s focused a bit more on the financial aspect of things,” says Knott. “But this is not exclusive. It’s very much a shared endeavour.” “I sometimes pick the coffee too,” says Black. “There’s nothing that really goes on in the practice that we’re not aware of,” stresses Knott. “It’s not like things happen in silos, but a really good lesson in practices is learning how to delegate. I think architects are naturally control freaks. You have to be really obsessed and across details to do projects well. And it can be quite hard to let that go. “But as we’ve got older we’ve learned to do that and we have the most fantastic practice manager now in Missy Saleeba. She’s really been a dynamo here.” No one is boxed into a management role and everyone remains equally active in project work. “It’s a really strong guiding principle of

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the practice, both in design and management, that many heads are better than one,” says Knott. With this approach, transparency is a given, which is why the trio all sit in the middle of the office, rather than tucked away in separate offices. “We try to give project architects an understanding of how the fee structures work,” says Knott. “And it’s tough to make architecture profitable, particularly now when projects go five years plus. A lot of things can go wrong in that time.”

MANAGEMENT The current business model is a limited pool of shareholders with a profit share scheme operating among the most senior members of staff. Whether this will migrate into a broader shareholding arrangement is an ongoing discussion, they say. It’s an interesting time in the practice’s evolution, with the trio hitting middle age and strategy discussions turning to what BKK will look like over the next 15 years. COVID derailed such things as succession discussions, though on the whole, the practice has fared better than many over the last 18 months, with projects already underway and a smaller studio environment making logistics easier to organise. Of remote working, Knott says that while “there was probably a bit of a generational divide in that a lot of the younger people were really happy to have the flexibility” it brought home to the practice leaders the importance of the water cooler conversations. “It’s a fundamental part of your education,” he says. “It’s not just time on the project through which you learn. It’s through overhearing conversations. That’s certainly how I learned as a student. You learn through other’s mistakes. You learn through arguments that you hear over the phone and how projects get delivered and how you negotiate.” Collaboration is in the practice’s DNA. The preference for keeping the studio numbers modest, combined with a hunger for substantial projects, means teaming up with other practices – including Kerstin

George Huon

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16 LEAD PROFILE

“WE ALWAYS IMAGINED WORKING ON BIGGER PROJECTS. AT A YOUNG AGE, SIMON AND I HAD RUN SOME VERY BIG PUBLIC PROJECTS. AND I THINK WE BOTH HAD A TASTE FOR THAT.” – TIM BLACK

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Tim Black

Thompson Architects, Warren and Mahoney, landscape architects TCL TCL, McGregor Coxall and Kyriacou Architects – has become more and more important. “They are collaborations in a genuine sense, a really blended team,” says Knott. “We feel to be a bit more nimble and a bit smaller, a bit more studio-focused, is also what clients are looking for, because they can actually deal directly with us. They’re not stretched to dealing with that big entity.”

BKK on:

ADVANTAGES

Effects of COVID on the business: We were very lucky with COVID… as we actually had some really good large-scale projects already well underway. We had teams formed and leadership in place to guide those teams. Where we found it most difficult was when we picked up new work – forming new teams was much more challenging.

BKK’s other great strength during lockdowns has been its embrace of technology. Even before COVID-19, the teams were already part of federated models in the cloud of up to 120 consultants – all working on digital models for significant infrastructure projects. All they had to do was “really quickly and quite painlessly” take their computers home and deliver on the projects without “skipping a timetable of programming and deliver them within the same fee structures,” says Knott. “It was quite phenomenal.” The practice also has its own three-dimensional printer. “Model making has always been a really important part of the creative process, not just as a means to represent completed designs, but actually as a way to explore emergent design,” says Black. “A lot of the 3D printed models that we’ve got on display are conceptual rather than necessarily formal. “It was interesting, last year, when I got sick of the drudgery of being on Zoom calls six hours a day, I put a trestle table next to the computer and built some hand models for a house we’d done, which I hadn’t done for a couple of years,” he adds. But all the tech in the world is secondary to the end users, they believe. “Architecture is not about building objects, it’s about building spaces for people,” says Knott. And that explains their proudest achievement to date. “I think the best creative thing we’ve done is not necessarily the buildings,” says Knott. “It’s actually the practice and it’s what we’ve created here.” ar

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Best advice they’ve received: Randall Marsh always said, “You can explain your ideas around design errors if things don’t turn out the way you thought, but the one thing that will get your clients riled up is money, so you really need to manage the money well.”

Architecture’s advantages in a pandemic: The good thing about architecture is it goes for a number of years. So a short, sharp economic headlock doesn’t do us the same harm that it does say a hospitality or creative venture. Wish they’d known starting out: The importance of understanding your staff and nurturing people. The soft skills are much more difficult to develop. Advice to new practices: Learn when to hold them, when to fold them, when to be tenacious and fight for the outcome, and when you need to be nimble and navigate a different path. Future plans: We’re not looking to be a 300-person practice but we’re starting to lift the ambition a bit towards working in the Asia Pacific region. Growth areas Healthcare, aged care, knowledge industries within advanced economies, affordable/public housing and the continuing urbanisation, despite the COVID conundrum of emptying out of our cities.

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PHOTOGRAPHY © TIMOTHY KAYE

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EMERGING PRACTICE 19

KENNON STUDIOS PROGRESSIVE YOUNG MELBOURNE ARCHITECT PETER KENNON HAS SWIFTLY BUILT UP A CONSIDERED PORTFOLIO OF PROJECTS ACROSS THREE STATES, ALONG WITH A REPUTATION AS A PROMISING EMERGENT INDUSTRY FIGURE. HE TALKS TO AR ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE PAST IN DESIGNING FOR THE FUTURE, AND HOW BIOGRAPHY CAN INFLUENCE MATERIALITY.

PHOTOGRAPHY © TIMOTHY KAYE

/ ISLA SUTHERLAND

“I always knew I wanted to have my own practice,” says Kennon Studio founder and director Peter Kennon. Formerly an associate at a large national practice, Kennon now runs his own studio in South Yarra with five employees and little more than two years behind it. The practice has been formed closely in collaboration with James Harbard – “a colleague and brilliant architect in many forms,” says Kennon. The group is now expanding with the new work opportunities. Kennon has already produced an impressive body of work of various typologies and scale, from extensions to eight-storey buildings, and private homes to grand civic gestures. His practice focuses on conceptual design and commercial planning, with a collaborative client-centric approach. A precocious student, Kennon did not respond well to the prescriptive nature of university study and instead carried out his own investigative research in the library. “My most valuable experiences in university were finding out what I was interested in,” he explains. As a student, Kennon produced paintings and sold them for his livelihood. His artistic flair means Kennon is sensitive to the expression of personality in a space and can manipulate design to reveal things about its inhabitants. Since university, Kennon has been able to generate an autonomous style that fuses minimalist grace with formalist rigour, and ties in a connection with past with a future-oriented outlook. Customising a home to cater for a family’s future, he believes, requires a deep understanding of their personal biography and history.

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Kennon is curious about the relationship between memory, identity and architecture. He composed a master’s thesis entitled ‘The Senses of Place’, exploring the role of human senses and our experience of home. “An interest of mine from an early age was how interiors can make you feel. I would remember places from my childhood and from my home and recall how they made me feel instantly – whether it was safe, on edge, uncomfortable or excited. My thesis was about [being able] to understand that.” Kennon used this curiosity to find the role of memory in the creation of a home. “I discovered that each person has their own understanding of the meaning of home; they have their own idea because they have their own memory of it. There is a subconscious component in everybody that means their home is what feels like home to them. You have to find and discover through that person what that is.” This became an integral part of Kennon’s conceptual process. “What I used to do was have my clients describe their childhood home, and they’d recount these spaces and talk about the materials, textures and light traits, and they didn’t really realise that they were giving away all of these cues on what they were wanting to recreate.” One of Kennon’s most high-profile projects was celebrity hairdresser Joey Scandizzo’s house in the affluent Melbourne suburb of Toorak. It is a prime example of his process in action. The house is an architectural response to its owners; the brief was extracted through conversation, and through this generative approach to design, Kennon tried to deduce the clients’ metaphysical understanding of the meaning

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“I WOULD REMEMBER PLACES FROM MY CHILDHOOD AND FROM MY HOME AND RECALL HOW THEY MADE ME FEEL INSTANTLY – WHETHER IT WAS SAFE, ON EDGE, UNCOMFORTABLE OR EXCITED.”

of home and distil this into its material form. As a result, there is an inextricable connection between psychology and built environment, and the materiality to the joinery is imbued with significance. “In the Scandizzo house, for example, Joey would describe how his old man was a builder and came from Italy, and all he wanted to do as an immigrant was build something that was stable, heavy and concrete. Concrete for him symbolised a sense of permanence: setting roots and creating a new life. The first proposal to Joey was then to build a house out of concrete. But it wasn’t the same as the ordinary, outer suburban concrete box he grew up in; it was very highly detailed and a delicate concrete form. His wife, Jane, grew up in Mount Macedon where there is a strong connection to the outdoors. So you take that as a brief without them giving it to you. They are the source of inspiration.” The result is both original and familiar. Robust, the charming Victorian front evolves into the hyper-contemporary in situ concrete rear with steel framed floor-to-ceiling windows. The masculine, monochromatic structure is softened by the expansive glass and precise detail, creating lightness in a heavy material. The windows create a permeable border between inside and out, and produce a soft infiltration of light through the home. Of all his projects, however, there is one Kennon remembers most fondly. “Your first project is always your proudest, because it takes so much for you to do,” he says. Kennon was first approached by Chapel Street restaurant Mr. Miyagi for a plan to extend its liquor licence.

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BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY © CHRIS OTT

20 EMERGING PRACTICE

L-R: James Harbard, Peter Kennon.

Instead, he came back with a design for a holding bar, for guests to sit and have a drink while they waited to be seated at their table. The bar took a conceptual process. The main restaurant has the grungy, masculine atmosphere of a Tokyo laneway, inspired by the character of the fictional karate master after whom the venue is named. Kennon’s vision for the bar came from the story of Mistress Yukie – Miyagi’s beautiful, fashionable and sophisticated mistress. This was conveyed in the materiality of the space, in its soft, curvaceous details and feminine hues. This became Yukie’s Snack and Cocktail Bar. Together, the main and accompanying space reflect the dual nature of contemporary Japanese culture: the purist, rigorous and excessive characteristics of traditional culture, and the contemporary looseness epitomised by karaoke scenes and aesthetically unconventional fashion designers. “I’ll never forget the first few weeks that it was open and seeing it packed with music and people laughing,” recalls Kennon. “It’s just the most rewarding thing to see people having fun and feeling good in that space.” Kennon says the most rewarding part of running his own practice is getting to see how placemaking contributes to a sense of identity. He relishes the way families take to his designs and make them their own. “You may go back to a home in a year’s time and see how they’ve framed the pictures on the wall, or stuck them on the fridge. You’ve imagined all these things all along and they’re just how you’ve envisioned them, and that’s really quite special.” ar

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FINANCE 23

PREPARING YOUR PRACTICE FOR EOFY AFTER A BUSINESS YEAR UNLIKE ANY OTHER IN RECENT MEMORY, THERE WILL BE SOME UNEXPECTED CONSIDERATIONS FOR PRACTICES FINALISING THEIR BOOKS AT THE END OF THIS FINANCIAL YEAR. / GORDANA MILOSEVSKA

Gordana Milosevska, founding director Management for Design

s a leader it is your responsibility to not only exercise your expertise in the running of your practice, but to also identify what areas require expert advice. A common aspect of running an architecture, engineering or design practice in which creative leaders may lack confidence is financial management and preparations for the end of financial year and tax season. Management for Design has created a list of recommendations to be considered in the lead-up to the end of the financial year, and the impending tax deadline.

1. Consider your income You should ensure that the fees for projects worked on in the month of June are captured as income, and then that income should be reviewed to ensure completeness – i.e. that all billable projects worked on throughout the month (and indeed the rest of the year if you have not already) have been billed. JobKeeper payments are considered assessable income and so need to be included on your tax return; however, cashflow boost credits are classed as non-assessable income and so your practice will not pay tax or GST on them. Some practices may consider a deferral of their assessable income – check in with your finance expert when deciding.

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2. Capture your expenses All costs should be captured and substantiated for the month and/or financial year to ensure appropriate tax deductions are available. A good rule of thumb to follow is that a deduction is available for expenses that cover a period of no more than 12 months. By way of example: n insurance premiums n internet and telephone services n rent n subscriptions, and n donations. Are all considered deductable expenses. It is usually prudent to bring forward any deductable expenses, such as

subscriptions and insurance premiums, so the deductions can be made for the current financial year and count towards reducing taxable income.

3. Review aged debtors Once all avenues have been exhausted in collecting an outstanding debt, consider writing it off as a bad debt. Practices should review all outstanding debt to assess the likelihood of recovery and to ensure that debts with poor prospects of resolution are identified and declared prior to year’s end. That way they will not be included as assessable income. If you have any clients that are operating on the cash method, you can additionally use this time to encourage

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24 BUSINESS

payment – make it clear that if they pay you before 30 June they’ll get a tax deduction!

4. Complete reconciliation of accounts To ensure the accuracy of your numbers throughout the year you should be keeping track of all accounts monthly, but it is imperative to do this at the end of the financial year. Reconciliation (the comparison and review of two sets of records to authenticate that the figures agree and are without disparity) of all accounts is recommended to document and confirm that account balances and your business records as a whole are correct.

5. Review Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) The importance of setting and reviewing meaningful KPIs cannot be overstated. What is measured can be managed, and what is managed can be nurtured and will grow exponentially. As an example, here are some KPIs that should be applied and reviewed at years end: n profit margins n debtor days n fees/person n costs/person n work generated n staff utilisation, and n expenses as percentage of income.

6. Review your technology All systems should be reviewed to ensure that subscriptions to essential programs and services are up-to-date and rolling over into the new financial year. Practices can also review their aged or depreciated technology and consider writing off hardware that is no longer viable or needs to be replaced.

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7. Create a budget for 2022 A budget sets the tone for the year ahead and encapsulates the strategy for the practice in numbers. By setting a budget you are putting in place a benchmark to which you expect to work. A budget should be set annually and then reviewed monthly – typically at the start of the new financial year. This is essential for forecasting where you think your practice will be in 12 months. Some important considerations when setting any budget include: n work generated n work in hand n number of people n cost of people n cost of overheads, and n current opportunities. To ensure a successful budget, include the following: n a detailed profit/loss budget n a detailed cash flow budget n involvement of key stakeholders in the process, and n clear communication of the final budgets.

8. Assess your superannuation contributions In order for your super guarantee contributions to qualify for a tax deduction you must ensure that they are paid by 25 June, as it will take until 30 June for it to clear and become deductible. You should also keep in mind the changes being made to super from 1 July 2021, which include: n The superannuation guarantee percentage will increase to 10 percent (subject to any further announcements made by the Australian Tax Office). n The concessional superannuation cap for employer contributions and

TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY OF YOUR NUMBERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR YOU SHOULD BE KEEPING TRACK OF ALL ACCOUNTS MONTHLY, BUT IT IS IMPERATIVE TO DO THIS AT THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR.

salary sacrifice amounts will increase from $25,000 to $27,000. n The non-concessional superannuation cap will increase from $100,000 to $110,000.

9. Investigate your potential for instant asset write-offs and offset tax losses Depending on the size of your business you may be eligible for a significant instant asset write-off for any depreciating asset installed or first used within certain time-frames. An overview of aggregated turnovers and deductions able to be claimed requires careful consideration, as there is significant complexity involved in the process – consult a professional! An example of the guidelines to be eligible for one of the brackets is provided below. For entities with an aggregated turnover of <$50 million: n Full deduction for the cost of depreciating assets that were first used or first installed between 2 April 2019 and 12 March 2020 for assets costing up to $30,000 This program was originally slated to run until 30 June 2022, but as announced in the recent federal budget it has been extended to 30 June 2023. Another decision to be considered and discussed with your finance expert is

whether it will be appropriate to use the new temporary loss carry-back measures to offset your tax losses. If you do so, you will be permitted to offset tax losses against prior taxed business profits; losses from 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 can be carried back against 2019-2018 profits.

10. Enlist a tax accountant or finance expert to optimise performance It is our recommendation that practices work with either an external accountant monthly or hire a CFO (chief financial officer) or head of finance internally. The language of business is accounting, and unless you are wellversed in it you are dabbling! Some owners will have copious amounts of reports and yet lack the financial fluency to read, interpret or understand them. Most leaders will have enough to do between generating new work, designing and ensuring that existing projects are on track; the practice should instead put an expert in charge of this area.

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By outsourcing the accounting function to a specialist service partner, the business will be free to focus attention on other key areas that have a direct impact upon profitability. This will also allow the directors to lead with confidence in a competitive market, secure with the knowledge that the finances are in safe and expert hands.

FINAL FACTS TO REMEMBER: n The business tax rate is set to

drop from 27.5 percent to 25 percent in 2022. n If you are looking to hire new personnel between 16 and 35 you may be able to claim the JobMaker hiring credit (see page 54). n Discuss the timing of your tax return with your tax accountant, external finance expert, or internal CFO/Head of Finance. ar With over 25 years of experience in accounting and financial control Gordana has built a broad base of practice-informed expertise in a variety

of industries. These include hospitality, retail, security and investigation, and fashion. Through the application of this breadth of knowledge Gordana has been instrumental in enabling businesses to attain financial stability and sustainable growth. As a founding director of Management for Design, she applies her valuable skills as a FCPA to enhance the business efficiency and performance of architects, engineers, and design businesses. She is astute, proactive, and a great communicator – qualities that make her a natural leader and mentor in any team situation – and she is passionate about sharing her knowledge to help other business leaders succeed. Management for Design’s financial and business management skills can maximise the potential of architects, designers, engineers, planners, and other creative professionals. To find out how it can help your business, visit m4d.com.au.

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26 DESIGN

UPDATES TO PARAMETRIC DESIGN TOOL PARAM-O IS A NEW BUILT-IN PARAMETRIC DESIGN TOOL THAT IS NOW AVAILABLE ON BOTH WINDOWS AND macOS.

he tool comes from Building Information Modelling (BIM) software design company Graphisoft and allows architects and engineers to create building component libraries parametrically. Graphisoft claims users will be able to create custom objects and building elements quickly without needing to write a single line of GDL code or script, due to the software tool’s easy-to-use graphical interface that was developed specifically for architects. PARAM-O was first introduced as a technology preview on Windows in July 2020 for Archicad 24, but is now for the first available for Mac users, with a builtin macOS version. The move should make it easier for existing users to upgrade to the latest version and capabilities of the software, even in mid-project.

FEATURES The tool allows architects, designers and engineers to quickly create parametric design components with limitless variations. Students in these disciplines are able to create unique shapes and forms swiftly, says Graphisoft, adding that it promotes the experimentation with various designs and shapes. The parametric capabilities of PARAM-O mean large and established architectural practices are able to develop custom, reusable, manufacturer-specific object libraries that comply with their own offices’ design and documentation standards and requirements. Peter Koncz, BIM manager at New York’s Leroy Street, says, “The nodes

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make it so easy to work in PARAM-O. Because we carefully design every project down to the smallest detail, we need to build a lot of custom components. Creating reusable parametric objects without writing code has made this process quick and easy for us.”

UPDATE IMPROVEMENTS Focusing on an enhanced Integrated Design workflow, PARAM-O’s update includes the use of a predefined or customised Excel database file to automatically map Manufactured Profiles to SAF Cross Sections at export – saving time and effort compared to mapping by hand. The same database file can be used at import, export or both.

INSTALLING PARAM-O To start accessing the tool, users need to update their Archicad 24. Since the Archicad 24 Update 3, PARAM-O has been part of the Archicad product and, therefore, doesn’t need to be installed separately, as it is updated together with Archicad. However, the previously installed PARAM-O (before Update 3) was installed separately as an add-on and the Archicad update will not be able to update it properly. If this applies and users have older versions of PARAM-O, they’ll need to uninstall it, unless their version is in the Archicad ‘Add-ons/ Standard’ folder, in which case it will be automatically overwritten by the latest version. There is no need to uninstall in this case.

THE TOOL ALLOWS ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS AND ENGINEERS TO QUICKLY CREATE PARAMETRIC DESIGN COMPONENTS WITH LIMITLESS VARIATIONS.

For users who have already installed Archicad 24 Update 3, a previously installed PARAM-O will not be updated. While the Archicad update will be installed, it will give error messages, so if this happens, the earlier version of PARAM-O will again need to be uninstalled before the user can proceed.

To uninstall earlier versions of PARAM-O: n go to the folder where the older Param-O.apx file was installed (typically, the Archicad ‘Add-Ons’ folder usually at C:\Program Files\ GRAPHISOFT\ARCHICAD 24) n delete the.apx file, and n restart Archicad. ar

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Features of the release include: n PARAM-O is now a built-in Archicad tool (no separate download is needed) n PARAM-O is now available on both Windows and macOS n the software has an improved 3D appearance with textures and contours, and n user-defined parameters in GDL will no longer be overwritten when updating in PARAM-O; custom parameters are saved.

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ALL PHOTOGRAPHY © SHANNON MCGRATH

LEAD PROJECT 29

ACMI RENEWAL

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY © SHANNON MCGRATH

Project description by BKK Architects ACMI is the largest museum in the world focusing on screen culture and the moving image. The renewal of the 2002 museum space by BKK Architects and Second Story represents a quantum leap forward for this museum typology, but also for all types of experience design and digital culture; it questions the very nature of the physical museum itself. The project is unlike traditional museums that house physical artefacts. Instead, it is a museum that celebrates the physically intangible, virtual and ephemeral culture of the moving image, the consumers of which play an active role in its continual reproduction, they are watchers, players and makers. One of the central drivers of this new museum is to extend its boundaries beyond its physical structure at Federation Square, out into the city and into people’s homes, revolutionising the way we understand exhibitions and how we can (re)continue to interact with them long after we’ve left. The original ACMI museum never envisaged the method of its evolution, nor did it anticipate the success of the institution. A major issue was the disconnected nature of the spaces and lack of legibility within ACMI, combined with an absence of identity and a clear point of entry. Visitors often went to one component of ACMI but not others. The design process was genuinely collaborative; BKK worked hand-in-hand with Razorfish and many other design disciplines, as well as ACMI’s Indigenous curatorial team, to develop the strategic design framework from Day 1. The result is a seamless museum space that is non-static and traverses the traditional boundaries between the physical and virtual – between exhibition and dwell spaces. A new

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permanent exhibition, The Story of the Moving Image, is a major work. A number of design moves were undertaken to achieve this: n Connect the city and museum: Bring the museum out into the city through the reinstatement and reinforcement of the original (internal) laneway design. n Connect multiple levels and programs: Disconnected spaces were united and legibility improved through, first, the carving out of the interior, and then the major insertion of the timber Living Stair. n Strengthen identity: Create a new identity for ACMI and make it distinct from Fed Square, while respecting the original Heritage architecture. n Animate the lightwell: Through amplification of the lightwell, the central spine was strengthened; it becomes a beacon at night and also allows light (the fundamental component of the moving image) to fill and animate the space. n Create dwell spaces: Spaces, such as the Living Stair and Urban Lounge, were created to pause, relax, hang out – a ‘third space’ for the city and museum. n Use editing as a process: The process was as much subtractive as additive – removing layers or repositioning elements of redundant space to reveal and amplify the best qualities of the original design. n Facilitate enhanced learning: Spaces were created to support the doubling of student numbers across ACMI’s vital and popular teaching programs. The ACMI renewal is a world-first adaptation of a museum into a multilayered physical and virtual platform that can expand over time.

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30 LEAD PROJECT

THE ORIGINAL ACMI MUSEUM NEVER ENVISAGED THE METHOD OF ITS EVOLUTION, NOR DID IT ANTICIPATE THE SUCCESS OF THE INSTITUTION. Q and A with architects How was BKK chosen for the project? BKK was selected through a staged, open, tender process progressing through an Expression of Interest, a Request for Tender and a final interview of the two shortlisted teams. Interviews were conducted by ACMI and the project manager, Root Partnerships. What were your greatest challenges with this project? Dealing with an existing building, and especially one as well-loved as the Alfred Deakin Building, was always going to be a challenge. The original building at Federation Square (by LAB Architecture\Bates Smart) had never intended to house a cultural facility, let alone one shared across multiple levels by other co-tenants. The design process was further complicated by the building’s Heritage listing in the middle of delivery. How did it differ from other recent BKK projects? BKK was appointed in parallel with Razorfish, the project’s Exhibition and Experience Designer. The independent engagement of two lead designers was intended to foster a comprehensive three-way collaboration between ACMI, BKK and Razorfish and indeed it did; the result is a seamless user experience from arrival, through public spaces, to each of the Museum’s distinct offerings. What was the timescale between commission, design and completion? The project commenced in December 2017 and the build was completed in 2021; the original opening date of May 2020 was delayed due to COVID-19. How did you make your material choices? We sought to pay homage to what was already present in the Alfred Deakin Building but clearly identify new insertions. These interventions were designed as moments of counterpoint to Federation Square’s angular geometry and cooler coloured material palette. Custom circular ceiling coffers were derived from the pixelation of digitised moving images and were juxtaposed against LAB Architecture’s fractured, angular coffers. Colourful examples of Victorian flora were referenced as a counterpoint to the muted desert landscape tones found in Federation Square’s hard paving of Kimberley sandstone. The introduced floral colours were developed into linear forms, influenced by compressed film art. The Urban Lounge is also an exploration of the use of fabric in cinema and performative culture. Timbers throughout the Living Stair add warmth, yet draw upon tones found in the existing sandstone flooring.

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Seating nooks, such as those in the Federation Square Foyer and shop, provide moments of human scale – a contrast to the vastness of the atrium. Additions also celebrated the art of editing; in the Reception Desk at Level 1, for example, one can see the residual impression of the relocated Cinema stair, acknowledging its former location. Identity also played out as an important layer in a full rebrand by the UK design studio North and bolstered by new signage and wayfinding by local design agency, Büro North. How involved were the clients during the design and build? Again, the entire project was really a three-way collaboration from start to finish between ACMI, BKK and Razorfish. ACMI brought a very strong creative and curatorial team to the table, well beyond the functional and operational contribution a client might typically make to a project. That said, the renewal also required enormous technical input from ACMI to ensure a successful outcome. Were there unexpected or confounding obstacles that arose during construction? COVID was obviously an interesting scenario that no one could have predicted; it had an impact on the way we could work, as well as the arrival of materials and products from overseas that were particularly key to the exhibition fitout. What was your main inspiration for the design? The driving ambition was to reposition the museum as a civic space – to expand the institution’s role as a repository of culture and to invite the public in to simply dwell. The original vision for Federation Square looked to extend Melbourne’s laneways across Flinders Street. Our work, through the heart of the Alfred Deakin Building, sought to reinvigorate this vision by

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LEAD PROJECT 33

AS A CLIENT AND KEY DESIGN COLLABORATOR, ACMI REMAINED CLOSELY INVOLVED IN THE DESIGN PROCESS THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT AND ACTED AS BRIDGE BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES OF THE PROJECT. 4. a design to improve our visitors’ experience – a welcoming space that invited our visitors to explore and dwell, and 5. a redesign that was sympathetic to the vision of Federation Square’s original architecture (by LAB) but which also made ACMI a notably distinctive space within the Square itself.

creating a direct link between the city and the river that celebrates the atrium, establishes a distinct ACMI identity and provides greater access to ACMI’s diverse offerings. Now the project is finished, what elements do you love most and why? Two things stand out – the first is seeing people occupy and use the public space as we’d hoped and the second is how well the architecture and exhibition spaces work together to create a singular vision. Has there been any need to revisit the project since completion and, if so, were those issues resolved easily? No. Despite the ongoing disruptions of the COVID situation, ACMI has successfully opened and operated all of its main facilities including the permanent exhibition, Museum shop, cinemas, education hub, café and corporate function centre, as well as the blockbuster Disney: The Magic of Animation exhibition (running until 17 October 2021).

Post occupancy evaluation Chris Harris, ACMI director Exhibitions and Touring and ACMI Renewal project design lead, and Katrina Sedgwick OAM, CEO share their response to the project. What were the top five elements that were most important for the finished building to have integrated into the design? Our priorities were: 1. to create a warm and inviting, connected and coherent building across the four levels of our very vertical museum 2. design aligned to ACMI’s brand personality: bold, playful, smart, original and transformative 3. that the existing building be easier to navigate and ACMI’s program offer and its various spaces be more explicit and easily read, both through design and wayfinding

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How was BKK chosen for the project? In July 2017 ACMI issued an Expression of Interest for the project open to architectural firms/design consortia registered in Australia. A select Request for Tender to five shortlisted bidders was issued in September 2017. A selection panel consisting of key ACMI project staff, our project management consultant Root Partnerships and key government stakeholder Creative Victoria selected the winning bid based on their creative response to and understanding of the brief and Victoria Government procurement guidelines. How was the briefing and consultation period handled? How long did it take and were there any obstacles or difficulties along the way? ACMI had developed a masterplan in 2016/17 with Art of Fact, which was done in deep consultation with ACMI senior management and staff. This formed the basis of the written design brief for the project, which was further developed by ACMI staff in consultation with Root Projects and other museum consultants. Briefing occurred through live presentations by key ACMI staff and a written brief. The project itself was divided into two halves, Exhibition and Experience Design (EED) and Architectural Design, and each was contracted separately to separate teams through similar procurement processes. At the core of the project was the complete redevelopment of our 10-year-old permanent exhibition Screen Worlds, and the brief ACMI created required a new exhibition that was far more integrated through our building and our visitor journey. It was an important part of the briefing for architectural services that the EED brief was also shared with the architectural project brief. ACMI also chose to commission a co-design methodology requiring that the two design sides of the project collaborate with each other and with ACMI’s project team on all aspects of the design, so introductions between the two teams were made and ACMI led a two-month briefing and consultation period with both parties, both separately and together. ACMI and BKK also consulted closely with Federation Square, LAB Architecture and Heritage Victoria on the designs. As a client and key design collaborator, ACMI remained closely involved in the design process throughout the project and acted as bridge between the two sides of the project. ACMI’s key project team consisted of: Root Projects, creative director (CEO/director Katrina Sedgwick, project director (deputy director Graham Jefferies) and

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34 LEAD PROJECT

THE DRIVING AMBITION WAS TO REPOSITION THE MUSEUM AS A CIVIC SPACE – TO EXPAND THE INSTITUTION’S ROLE AS A REPOSITORY OF CULTURE AND TO INVITE THE PUBLIC IN TO SIMPLY DWELL. separate leads in design lead (director of exhibitions and touring Chris Harris), experience lead (chief experience officer Seb Chan), content lead (chief curator Sarah Tutton). All designs from both sides of the project were reviewed and approved by this team. COVID-19 and mid-project Heritage listing of Federation Square both added significant complications to the project. How involved were you during the construction period and how long did that process take? As outlined, the ACMI team’s involvement in all aspects of the project including design reviews and approvals continued throughout the project, including the build period. COVID-19 and some underlying built conditions caused construction timeline complications, so the entire period of closure and building took 18 months instead of the initial nine months; however, this includes fitout of all EED elements of the project. Now that the project is finished: How well does it respond to those top elements, individually? Overall, highly successfully. ACMI is very happy with the outcome and our visitors concur. 1. The architectural design and wayfinding (Büro North) design aligns well with our new identity and existing brand – ACMI now has a sense of sophistication and playfulness that speaks to us as a ‘21st century museum’. 2. BKK’s use of natural materials, colour and light have all contributed to a more welcoming space. The key design move of removing the central escalators and replacing them with a massive timber stair case serves the dual purpose of bringing together the multiple levels of our building and also providing a central welcoming softer focus for visitors. 3. The new layout and wayfinding are much more successful, and we feel the building is now whole and perceived as a functioning single museum space. 4. LAB has been involved in the design consultation process and BKK’s design. While significantly different in style to some aspects of the original materials and design of Federation Square, BKK’s design is successfully faithful to the original LAB concept of embracing and extending Melbourne’s laneways, among other original LAB design concepts. 5. Both the design and wayfinding help serve as a solution to this aspect of the brief (see ‘staircase’ point 2). Are there any unexpected or surprising elements that have become apparent through daily use? While we planned to attract more diverse visitors and to provide popular comfortable zones for visitors to dwell within the museum,

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the degree to which we have been successful in this has been surprising. Also the way our staff have enthusiastically embraced the new spaces as their own has been fantastic. What has been the reaction from other visitors/stakeholders? Overwhelmingly positive. Visitor feedback, as measured through surveys (97 percent visitor satisfaction) and social media reviews have been excellent. Stakeholders see the project as very good value for money and the new ACMI is already recognised as an important cultural asset for Melbourne and Victoria, and the architectural, interior, exhibition and brand design have won several prestigious awards. Are there any elements that will need further adaptation or augmentation? Museums constantly need to change, particularly in the fast-paced cultural landscape of the 21st century. A further element of the brief, explicit in the EED section, but also in the architectural, was the requirement for inbuilt change. This has been achieved in part through better service design, but we also feel the design lends itself well to incremental change over time – through elements like non-fixed furniture, flexible cabinetry and flooring, and so on. We expect over time the success of the project will require expansion, something our limited real estate footprint makes very difficult. Have you needed to go back to BKK with any queries or responses to the project? Only minor built quality issues, not with many design issues. Some aspects of better universal accessibility have needed addressing post opening. And, if so, was the practice able to handle any issues successfully? Yes. ar

36 EMERGING PROJECT

PACKINGTON STREET

Packington Street is a park view property in the heart of the inner Melbourne suburb of Prahran. Formerly a dilapidated workers’ cottage, it operated prior to this project as a university share house for 20 years, suffering the predictable wear and tear associated with a string of uncommitted residents. The light quality was very poor, and the property still utilised an outdoor toilet. The client did not intend to live in the house, and Kennon Studios was approached to renovate in preparation for its sale. This meant creating a home for an imaginary client, which is the inverse of studio founder and director Peter Kennon’s usual interrogative and client-centric process, where his clients make up the brief. “When you don’t know the end user, you have to plan for the user that they might be, and allow for some flexibility for them to customise it to their own ways of working and living,” says Kennon. Accordingly, he studied the demographics of the area, tried to discern the ideal inhabitants for the little three-bedroom property and designed the space accordingly. “You don’t necessarily have any client feedback – you have to make it up,” he adds. Whatever he did, he did it right, as the Packington Street project broke all of the records in Stonnington for sale price per square metre. “It shows the value of good design,” he says. “It’s proof that what we do creates value.” The conceptual brief was to make the place into a welcoming and warm home, “which was pretty hard”, Kennon laughs. The home had a Heritage overlay, and the façade was important to the streetscape. It is one of three identical houses in a row of Edwardian-style red brick properties but, as a workers’ cottage, it had no substantial Edwardian façade or period detail.

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PHOTOGRAPHY © TIMOTHY KAYE

/ ISLA SUTHERLAND

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EMERGING PROJECT 39

“SMALLER HOUSES LIKE THIS ENABLE YOU TO TRIAL THINGS AND INVESTIGATE NEW DETAILS AND IDEAS AT A LESSER CONSEQUENCE. IT’S A TESTING GROUND FOR USING IT ON A MUCH BIGGER SCALE.”

The new rear extension is modern and light. As is symptomatic of Kennon’s style, it fuses an old style with contemporary detail to create something that is tastefully eclectic. The house fronts a patch of green space called Lumley Park, popular with families and dog walkers. “This was an enormous selling point, because we were able to build more house with less garden, without the property being totally devoid of greenery,” explains Kennon. “The major concept for the project was, when you face east-west, with minimal courtyard space and close neighbours, no natural light can penetrate the middle of the site.” With a footprint only five metres wide, letting light into the heart of the home was crucial for achieving the homeliness and uplift the client desired. “When cutting off the building we designed a ceiling that would curvaceously allow light in at the top level and wash along the ceiling and down the top of the walls, so there was a glow of light – not a harsh glare,” says Kennon. The curvature of the ceiling means the sunlight hits this curved white wall and douses the interior in a warm, white glow. The light source is organised in response to the rhythm of the sun and produces a comfortable, diffused illumination throughout the year. “Light from above is so much more interesting than light from the side, because you can shape the ceiling around how the light is going to fall. That’s something I’m really interested in.” Kennon’s inspiration for the innovation was a 1976 project in Denmark by Sydney Opera House architect Jørn Utzon. Bagsværd Church features a bright, naturally illuminated interior of white walls and

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40 EMERGING PROJECT

“LIGHT FROM ABOVE IS SO MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN LIGHT FROM THE SIDE, BECAUSE YOU CAN SHAPE THE CEILING AROUND HOW THE LIGHT IS GOING TO FALL. THAT’S SOMETHING I’M REALLY INTERESTED IN.” a ceiling with distinctive rounded vaulting. Lateral windows across the width of the nave bring in a soft light from above, creating an almost holy glow. “It’s a nice concept because the light has this calming effect. It leaves this beautiful atmosphere that you feel very comfortable in. That was the whole design concept for the extension,” says Kennon, adding that he believes this solution is the future in metropolitan residential design for achieving light in densely populated, east-west oriented neighbourhoods. “Another strong design piece that we spent a lot of time and effort on was the rear façade. It was designed with glue-laminated timber, which is a sustainably sourced structural method, normally done out of steel and clad in something. We were able to design the structure out of recycled timber.” This was the practice’s first experiment in a material of this kind. “When you have to learn about a system and a material, its always very stressful – you have to learn to execute to a perfect outcome first shot,” Kennon explains. “Smaller houses like this enable you to trial things and investigate new details and ideas at a lesser consequence. It’s a testing ground for using it on a much bigger scale.” The Packington Street revitalisation is a successful example of how thoughtful design can add value to a space. It was also a clever experiment in bringing warmth and softness into a tired and dull property. The project set a precedent for the practice in terms of its solutions to constraints of light and space. It has also encouraged the studio to take a more experimental approach in sustainability interventions, particularly on projects of a comparably small scale. ar

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42 FEATURE

HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS ARCHITECTURE CAN BE BOTH A BUSINESS AND A VOCATION, BUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTERWARDS? ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF FAMED MELBOURNE PRACTICE SJB HAS FOUND THE PERFECT POST-ARCHITECTURE PROJECT, ONE THAT IS TESTAMENT TO THE SOUND BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL PRACTICES HE HAS EMPLOYED THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. / STEPHEN A RUSSELL

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“WE’VE NEVER SOLD A WORK, BECAUSE WE REGARD THE COLLECTION AS A DIARY OF OUR LIVES. WE COLLECT A LOT OF EMERGING ARTISTS, AND WE DON’T HAVE LABELS [N THE MUSEUM], SO PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHETHER IT’S SOMEONE FAMOUS OR AN UNKNOWN.” – CHARLES JUSTIN If you’ve ever found yourself traversing the busy residential stretch of Hotham Street in the inner Melbourne suburb of Prahran, chances are you’ve spotted the protrusion of a vast and intriguing geometric building that stands out from the crowd of suburban apartments surrounding it. As astounding inside as out, Justin Art House Museum (JAHM) blurs the delineation between art and architecture purposefully. The passion project of Charles and Leah Justin, it was partly inspired by their love of Kew’s Lyon Housemuseum, another purposebuilt institution combining art gallery and residence. A spacious main gallery sits on the first floor, with their gorgeous apartment on top. Downstairs, art hangs on the wall of the glowing foyer, but is also built into the fabric of the building. The staircase shows off an interactive lightbox commission from artist Ilan El. The glazed walls of the adjacent lift feature an abstract work by Tasmanian artist Paul Snell. Even the façade is canvas. Designed by multidisciplinary artist Tunni Kraus, subtly striped metal cladding harks back to suburban awnings prevalent from the 1930s to ’50s.

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opposite and above: JAHM. © Jaime Diaz Berrio

Opened in 2015, the kernel that would grow into JAHM came to the Justins as they were navigating the shape of retirement. She was a director at the Jewish Museum of Australia, and he co-founded architecture firm SJB with Alan Synman and Michael Bialek. SJB was structured with a succession strategy built in. “Basically, get the old guys out and let the young guys come through,” says Charles. Moving into retirement, they wanted a home that was more accessible, but that would also house the 300-plus artworks in a collection they’ve been amassing for 40-odd years. It’s a collection they are passionate about sharing with the public on intimate tours of no more than 25 people. “It’s rare for the owners of house museums to conduct tours themselves,” Justin notes with a wry chuckle. “Usually collectors are either too rich or too busy to expose themselves to the public.” Justin says JAHM was a great solution for a meaningful life in retirement. “It’s both intellectually and socially stimulating. We meet so many interesting people and, educationally, we’re learning so much.”

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CHARLES IS FASCINATED BY THE DICHOTOMY BETWEEN ART AND ARCHITECTURE, SO MUCH SO THAT THE JUSTINS INVITE AN ARCHITECT TO SPEAK AT JAHM TWICE A YEAR. Their collection is currently in storage, because sharing the life work of fellow art obsessives was part of the original mission statement. The current building-wide exhibition Storylines and Songlines is on loan from good friends Arthur and Suzie Roe, who came on the very first JAHM tour. It showcases works by First Nations and nonIndigenous artists side by side, asking visitors to consider their place in contemporary Australian art. “We really get into an in-depth relationship with the art and act as facilitators, leading people through exhibitions that are thematically curated. After each tour, people come up here and the table is groaning with food, so they can have something to drink and discuss what they’ve just seen. We’re trying to create this idea of a soirée, like a salon.”

BUILDING THE DREAM The Justins were canny about erecting the financial foundations for JAHM while still working. Charles looks at the cost of running the house museum practically, too. “It’s almost equivalent to someone owning and

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above: JAHM top floor. © Jaime Diaz Berrio opposite page: Storylines and Songlines. © James Morgan

running a holiday house. So it’s just the choices you make in life, what you want to do with your assets and resources.” Keeping things in the family, the multistorey building was designed by their daughter Elisa, founder and director of Justin Architecture. It shows off its unusual shape internally and includes an expansive balcony with a view to the city skyline and to gum trees. The apartment is every bit as much a part of the tour as the gallery below, with tall, long walls and glass cabinetry. “In our married life, we’ve lived in four architect-designed homes,” says Justin. “The first three I did, and this last one by Elisa, albeit I was interrupting. And this is, by far, so much better than the first three.” With intelligent flow, an abundance of light and many hero moments, the magnificent result is a testament to family, and to their passion for sharing art. “We wanted to create a place that had inherent flexibility to it. That’s why there’s track lighting in every room. We’ve got screens so we can enclose and compartmentalise the place.” The Justins are clear that their love of collecting is exactly that. They are avowedly not investors. The journey began when Charles designed

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above: Charles and Leah Justin. © Stephen McKenzie right: Interactive Steps designed and photgraphed by Ilan El.

a home for a friend as a favour in the earliest days of his 40-year career at SJB. He was rewarded with the opportunity to purchase one piece of art, with no budget limit imposed. The work they chose cost $400 when he was earning about $100 a week. “And I think it’s still worth $400, maybe,” Charles says. “We’ve never sold a work, because we regard the collection as a diary of our lives. We collect a lot of emerging artists, and we don’t have labels [in the museum], so people don’t know whether it’s someone famous or an unknown.”

BUT IS IT ART? Charles is fascinated by the dichotomy between art and architecture, so much so that the Justins invite an architect to speak at JAHM twice a year. “What it does is address that question: when does something become a work of art? What’s the tipping point? If you go to the National Gallery of Victoria, you see in their applied art section they’ve got chairs and pottery and dresses. Well, why did that stuff get selected and others didn’t?”

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Charles says, while a practising architect, he was very conscious about delivering on the client’s needs. “The functionality of it, the utilitarian part, and also hitting a budget. In some ways, art is freed from that.” But he doesn’t see them as separate ideals. “I think art is in every aspect of your life. Somebody will talk about the idea of living an artful life. What does that mean? I think it’s imbuing your life with another dimension above existing. This sort of elitist view of art as what’s in a museum? I don’t think it applies, because you can fill your house with art.” During their tours, Leah often introduces the idea that a museum is a collection of artifacts, and that those artifacts in themselves unlock a story. “She says that when you walk into someone’s home, it’s full of that stuff,” says Charles. “Every object holds a memory. And so we take a much more expansive view with regard to what constitutes art.” One trip to JAHM, and you’ll be convinced architecture is art. ar To discover more about JAHM and its exhibitions or to book a tour, visit www.jahm.com.au.

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48 SUSTAINABILITY

HOW TO SAVE THE PLANET IN 15 MINUTES SPECULATIVE ARCHITECT LIAM YOUNG MAY NOT HAVE A MAGIC BULLET FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, BUT HE’S TRYING TO PROVE IT CAN BE DONE IN HIS PROVOCATIVE SHORT FILM, PLANET CITY. / ELISA SCARTON

“

his isn’t another negative story about how we’re all going to die from climate change,” Liam Young says, as his Uber navigates traffic one summer evening in Los Angeles. “Rather it’s trying to say that there are ways forward through collective action and a global consensus that don’t mean we’re going to live in a context of scarcity. It just means we’re going to live differently and that difference can also be beautiful and wondrous and fun.” Young outlines his way forward in 15 evocatively rendered minutes for a short film entitled Project City, which made its debut as part of the NGV Triennial held in Melbourne earlier this year. The Australia-born speculative architect and director is the co-founder of Tomorrow’s Thoughts Today, an urban futures think tank that explores the local and global implications of new technologies. He also heads Unknown Fields, a nomadic research studio that travels on expeditions to chronicle these emerging conditions as they occur on the ground – COVID-19 pandemic restrictions permitting. “Project City was designed to be both utopian and dystopian simultaneously, depending on who sees it,” beams Young from across the Pacific. “Some people say they would love to live there. Others are scared off, asking, ‘Why aren’t there more trees? Why is it pink?’ It’s the last place they want to be.

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ECONOMIES AND SCALE “CLIMATE CHANGE IS NO LONGER A TECHNOLOGICAL PROBLEM. IT’S A CULTURAL AND POLITICAL PROBLEM.” And so they see it as a cautionary tale, projecting it through their own lens, with their own biases and contractions.” Teaming up with host of LA-based creatives, including costume designer Ane Crabtree, of The Handmaid’s Tale fame, Young offers up a glimpse into an alternative future where the entire population – all 10 billion of us – occupy 0.02 percent of the planetary surface in one hyper-dense, self-sufficient metropolis. That 10 billion figure is not arbitrary. Nor is Young alone in presenting his alternative vision of a future planet Earth. BIG ‘starchitect’ Bjarke Ingels ended 2020 by suggesting a solution to the climate problems in store for the world’s projected 2050 population. Dubbed the Masterplanet concept, it involved scaling up existing infrastructure to cover the entire planet. Central to this thesis was the creation of a single power grid to supply every country with renewable energy, thereby solving the current problem of inconsistent supply. It’s something of which Young is sceptical.

“A massive consensus is going to be needed in order to engage with problems we face at scale,” he says. “It’s collective action and it involves systemic change, not a singular magic bullet, technological solution or master energy grid that will solve the renewable energy system. “It’s about a total rewiring of who we are and how we define ourselves and our interests.” In Planet City, we live in 221,367 square kilometres of ‘residential mountains’, some of which rise up 165 storeys. Power comes from 49,445,671,570 solar panels, while 2357 algae farms filter pollution and provide supplementary food when we’re craving something other than the fresh fruits and vegetables grown in the vertical orchards and mega farms that occupy the space between our buildings. In this closed-loop world, we generate no waste and navigate the streets on 4,311,543,982 bicycles. It sounds incredible. Impossible. Science fiction at its most adventurous, but Young is quick to point out that it’s none of the above. “So many of the architects that are engaging with climate change come to it from a very solutionist perspective – here’s a problem and we could make a new building or a new material that’s going to solve that problem for us,” he says.

50 SUSTAINABILITY

“THE IDEA OF PUTTING 10 BILLION PEOPLE IN ONE TINY CITY IS ABSOLUTELY INSANE, BUT IF WE CAN PROVE THAT IT WORKS THEN THERE’S LITERALLY NOTHING STOPPING US FROM MAKING SIMILAR KINDS OF SACRIFICES.”

“But all the technology required to solve climate change, dig us out of the hole that we’ve created for ourselves, is already here. There’s no technology in Planet City that doesn’t already exist in a proven capacity today. There is no magical energy system, no newfangled batteries and we haven’t solved fusion reaction.” Inspired by US naturalist and biologist Edward O Wilson’s HalfEarth concept, which restricts human development to 50 percent, thereby relieving the pressure on the rest of the planet to return to nature, Young consulted a global network of scientists, theorists and economists. Planet City is a work of speculative architecture from a self-described speculative architect, but it’s not fantasy architecture. “Star Wars is fantasy. It’s something you watch on a Friday night with a bag of popcorn and disappear into after a long week. The idea of putting 10 billion people in one tiny city is absolutely insane, but Planet City is not a proposition, it’s a provocation.

REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS “If a city of 10 billion people can run off renewable energy, why can’t Sydney? If Planet City can be based on reimagining our diet from meat to algae and sustainable produce grown in indoor farms that are recycling carbon, why can’t the diet of Melbourne evolve in

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the same way? If we can prove that it works then there’s literally nothing stopping us from making similar kinds of sacrifices.” But Young approaches his fictional world from more than just a technological lens. Keen to separate it from the Monomyth or ‘single white male hero’ perspective on which so much of Western cinema is based, he has devised Planet City to play out as a continuous festival procession, dancing through the city on a 365-day loop. “I wanted to tell a different kind of story. One that wasn’t about conflict or a singular hero,” says Young. “So one of the first things we did was map every religious and cultural holiday, every festival and celebration on a calendar. And what we saw was that there are literally thousands of festivals across any given day. “So we imagined this kind of carnival moving through the city and, as it moves, it changes its identity and morphs from one culture to another.” The carnival atmosphere also draws attention to Young’s other major thesis – his contention that climate change is no longer a technological problem, but rather a cultural and political one. He objects to architects “getting a bunch of billionaire investors” and rebuilding the earth “in their own image”, describing it as nothing more than an “extension of the colonial project”.

In Planet City, the remaining 99.98 percent of the Earth’s surface is returned not just to nature, but to its rightful owners. “We aren’t imagining some Judge Dredd-style dystopian future where there’s a giant wall around the city and no one is ever allowed to go out,” he explains. “We imagine certain communities would be allowed to stay on the land and manage it as part of the rewilding process much like national park rangers or stewards. “In turn, our relationship to the natural world would be more akin to a national park. We’d no longer be in an extractive relationship to the landscape, but rather a custodial one, because a big part of any gesture or remedial act of climate change moving forward needs to also address the radical systemic inequalities that exacerbate it every day.” If you missed Planet City at the NGV Triennial in Melbourne, you can catch snippets on Young’s eponymous website (liamyoung.org). The Australian speculative architect will also be speaking about the project at TEDMonterey, scheduled for the first week of August 2021, and is currently working on both an exhibition for the Getty Center in Los Angeles and a documentary series that explores the real-world applications of the technologies featured in the film. ar

52 INTERNATIONAL

SHIFTING HOMES THIS AUSTRALIAN AND PACIFIC CONTRIBUTION AT THE 17TH VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE IS INFORMED BY THE PERILS OF CLIMATE CHANGE – SPOTLIGHTING RISING SEA LEVELS IN SAMOA AND WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THOSE AFFECTED.

nder the curation of Tristan Wong and Jefa Greenaway, Shifting Homes is the creation of artists Daniel Stricker, from DP Immersive, and Vincent Heimann. The virtual reality (VR) piece was one of 10 Australian participants selected to represent Australia and the Pacific in the Architecture Biennale. All of these have been included in the INBETWEEN exhibition, which focuses on cultural diversity and the power of architecture to build connections between First Nations cultures in Australia and the Pacific region. A Shifting Homes NFT (non-fungible token) artwork was also launched concurrently for sale with half of the proceeds donated to the village of Poutasi (featured in the piece) and the other half to future DP Immersive social impact

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projects. The artwork was powered by PoS blockchain, claimed to be the most environmentally friendly bitcoin, and carbon offset by Offsetra. Simultaneous global launches for Shifting Homes took place on 21 May 2021 in New York (NewLab with OVR Technology), Apia SAMOA (presented by the Australian High Commission to Samoa) and Melbourne, through the AIA, which also unveiled the INBETWEEN exhibition. As part of the project, DP Immersvie, in partnership with The Hub, SkyEye, the Ministry of Communication and Technology Samoa, and the National University of Samoa has also announced a remote learning program to empower and educate participants in the Pacific region (Samoa, Papua New Guinea and

Fiji) to create their own unique immersive experiences. The program teaches students VR, AR (augmented reality), NFT creation, photogrammetry, LiDar scanning and commercialisation in order to create a new ‘global village’ platform working with social impact experiences in new media.

THE ARTWORK The independent state of Samoa is a low-lying South Pacific country that is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels. Recent discoveries of ancient complex societies along the unprotected shorelines of the state are also being threatened by the rising sea levels. Shifting Homes presents a VR world of archeological features, vanishing cultural histories, and past, present

SHIFTING HOMES PRESENTS A VR WORLD OF ARCHEOLOGICAL FEATURES, VANISHING CULTURAL HISTORIES, AND PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE MODELS IN ORDER TO PREPARE THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES FOR THE CHALLENGES ON THE HORIZON.

and future models in order to prepare the local communities for the challenges on the horizon. The narrative is told from the perspective of the influential citizens of the village of Poutasi, Falealili district, southern coast of Upolu, specifically Mayor Seuseu and the village’s High Chief, Joe Annandale. Seuseu provides the emotional backbone of the piece by revealing a personal story of his village, including the distressing move to vacate his family’s long established ancestral home.

enigmatic star mounds, stone pathways and walls extending many kilometres. Elevating ocean levels are now threatening to destroy these prehistoric sites and dislocate coastal communities. On the southern coast of Upolu in Samoa, we conducted remote sensing to find archaeological features, preserve vanishing cultural histories and ultimately begin preparing local communities for further displacement. “This information allowed us to bring the village to life within Virtual Reality (VR), recreating its past and present in an immersive and vivid way. Vitally, the VR experience presents future outcomes for the village in regards to climate change. Through experiencing rising waters and further dramatic outcomes indicated through scientific data,

Shifting Homes emphasises the urgency of this issue to outsiders. “Like many low-lying island regions, this Samoan village is currently dealing with climate change and its physical, mental and spiritual impacts. Our partner, the National University of Samoa nominated this village as it is a traditional village on the southern coast that is not being protected in lieu of climate change, and is one of the first places to be affected by rising sea levels. It is also significant due to its ancient archaeological sites. It evokes not only the modern village life and connection to Country, but traditional village life as well. The site extends into the virtual world, bringing to life its cultural and spiritual heart to connect with the outside world.” ar

ARTISTS’ STATEMENT “Rising sea levels threaten recent discoveries of ancient complex societies along the shorelines of Samoa – featuring monumental earth platforms,

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54 BUSINESS

MAKING THE MOST OF JOBMAKER WHILE JOBKEEPER WAS THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S PRINCIPAL SCHEME FOR HELPING BUSINESSES TO SURVIVE THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF COVID-19, NOW THAT IT HAS ENDED, A NEW INCENTIVE TO KICK-START THE ECONOMY HAS BEEN LAUNCHED. BUT WHAT IS JOBMAKER AND CAN IT BENEFIT YOUR PRACTICE?

aunched on 7 October 2020 in line with the Federal Budget, JobMaker is a scheme that gives financial incentives directly to companies that take on new staff aged between 16 and 35. The question of whether this is leading or will lead to further age discrimination from employers is for another time, but the thinking is that with younger and less experienced employees being the ones that experienced the most negative impacts of pandemic related lay-offs, the scheme will have two main advantages – helping those potential employees get started or back into full-time employment, and financially rewarding the businesses that give them work. The scheme was conceived with hospitality, retail assistants and the like in mind, but it could equally benefit recent graduates and other early career employees in the A&D industry. There are two tiers, with eligible employers able to receive up to $10,400 a year for each new hire aged between 16 and 29, and up to $5200 for each new hire aged between 30 and 35. Employers have been able to register for the scheme since December 2020 and can access it until 6 October 2021.

ELIGIBILITY To be eligible for the JobMaker Hiring Credit payments and receive the Credits, employers must first register with the scheme and tick off a number of criteria, including the following. The employer must: n be a business in Australia, not-forprofit organisation operating in Australia or deductible gift recipient (DGR) n hold an ABN (Australian Business Number)

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n be registered for Pay As You Go

(PAYG) withholding n be up-to-date with income tax and

GST returns for the two years up to the end of the JobMaker period for which they are claiming n satisfy payroll increase and headcount increase conditions n satisfy reporting requirements, including up-to-date Single Touch Payroll (STP) reporting, and n not belong to an ineligible employer category.

INELIGIBILITY There are a number of considerations that would preclude an organisation or practice from receiving JobMaker Hiring Credits. They include the following. If the employer: n had the Major Bank Levy imposed on it, or a member of its consolidated group, for any quarter before 30 September 2020 n is wholly owned by an Australian government agency or a local governing body n is a company in liquidation or provisional liquidation n is an individual who has entered bankruptcy, or n is disqualified because the entity terminated the employment or reduced the hours of work of an existing employee or employees for the sole or dominant purpose of receiving increasing payments under the JobMaker Hiring Credit scheme. It’s important to stress that applicants will be ineligible or disqualified if they enter an arrangement to artificially inflate their headcount or payroll in order to fraudulently increase JobMaker Hiring Credits. If this happens, that employer

THE SCHEME WAS CONCEIVED WITH HOSPITALITY, RETAIL ASSISTANTS AND THE LIKE IN MIND, BUT IT COULD EQUALLY BENEFIT RECENT GRADUATES AND OTHER EARLY CAREER EMPLOYEES IN THE A&D INDUSTRY.

will lose all entitlements for any JobMaker period that ends after the termination or reduction in hours occurred, or any subsequent periods.

APPLYING FOR JOBMAKER Employers must first lodge before making a claim and to do this they need to meet their lodgement obligations – and all due tax returns, business activity statements (BAS) and any other GST returns (if registered for GST) – for the two years up to the end of the JobMaker period for which they are claiming. If they’re not up-to-date at the time of making a claim, that claim will be denied. Note, that all payments under the JobMaker Hiring Credit scheme are assessable as ordinary income, but they are not subject to GST and do not need to be included in BAS.

IMPORTANT DATES The first reporting date for the JobMaker period from October last year to January 2021 was in April 2021, but the next seven are listed below. Note that employers must meet the STP reporting obligations for each JobMaker period for which they wish to claim and the STP reporting is due three

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days before the end of the particular JobMaker claim period. Also, employers only need to register once and this must be done before the due date of the first JobMaker period subject to a claim. For example, to claim for the second JobMaker period, as detailed above, an employer needs to register by 31 July 2021.

MISSED OUT? For employers worried that they may have missed the boat there is some leeway. To access the scheme they need to hire eligible young staff between 7 October 2020 and 6 October 2021, but since 1 February 2021 it has been possible to claim payments in arrears, every three months for up to 12 months. For practices that are ineligible, it’s good to note that there still are other grants or support payments that they may be able to access. The Department of Education, Skills and Employment (www.dese.gov.au) has further information about these. Further information about JobMaker and eligibility to receive it can be found at www.ato.gov.au/General/JobMakerHiring-Credit. ar

Period

JobMaker period

STP reporting due date

Claim period

2 January 2021 – 6 April 2021

28 July 2021

1 May 2021 – 31 July 2021

7 April 2021 – 6 July 2021

28 October 2021

1 August 2021 – 31 October 2021

7 July 2021 – 6 October 2021

28 January 2022

1 November 2021 – 31 January 2022

7 October 2021 – 6 January 2022

27 April 2022

1 February 2022 – 30 April 2022

7 January 2022 – 6 April 2022

28 July 2022

1 May 2022 – 31 July 2022

7 April 2022 – 6 July 2022

28 October 2022

1 August 2022 – 31 October 2022

7 July 2022 – 6 October 2022

28 January 2023

1 November 2022 – 31 January 2023

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56 APPLICATION – SHOWCASE

► Halliday + Baillie New HB860 Brass Soft Edge Flush Pull The Halliday + Baillie HB860 soft edge flush pull is a new product series designed for those projects searching for a traditional look with a classic twist. Milled from solid brass, it marries Halliday + Baillie’s traditional linear flush pull with a rounded, softer facing. To help ensure a seamless look throughout a project, it can be matched with a privacy sliding lock for specification on privacy doors for cavity sliders. It also matches the finishes in the Halliday + Baillie Brass D pull range. Sold individually, they are suitable for timber, aluminium or steel sliders. hallidaybaillie.com/flush-pulls

▲ Krost Casali Designed and manufactured locally by Krost Business Furniture, Casali is a statement reception counter that uses a simple and refined palette of materials. Influenced by a division of space, proportions and light, Casali assists with the resonation of culture and aesthetic within a business, creating the ultimate front of house experience. Using expert craftsmanship, Casali’s unique design is layered and tactile through its curved profile. Finished with Steccawood battens and a choice of either a compact laminate or laminate worktop, it creates a functional and timeless counter. Available in a range of sizes and finishes, Casali creates organic warmth and rich texture for reception areas, responding to the needs of the modern workspace. www.krost.com.au/products/ reception-counters/receptioncounters/casali

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► Shaw Contract Dialogue Collection The Dialogue collection is an integrated family of products designed to work together with different points of view, drawing inspiration from language in its many forms. From spoken word to vintage type, Morse code to handwriting, each starting point has been abstracted into new patterns and textures that speak to one another and the people who inhabit the space. This collection includes both Carpet Tile and LVT that complement, connect and engage with one another in a multitude of brilliant combinations. www.shawcontract.com/en-au

◄ ABI Interiors Aura Collection

◄ Laufen Sonar Collection

Now more than ever, people are gravitating towards biophilic design, creating an infusion of the natural world into the home. The Aura Collection is especially motivated by this desire and introduces an element of nature into the home by transforming a typically overlooked fixture into something quite personal.

Designed by Patricia Urquiola, the Sonar Collection from Laufen brings together cutting edge material technology with a stunning design. The free-standing bath features an integrated overflow and a gently rippled exterior that mimics the way sound-waves travel through water. It measures 1600 by 815 by 535 millimetres, and one of its highlights is the use of the high-tech material, Marbond. The result is a highquality mineral composite, robust material, which is antibacterial, easy to clean, resistant to chemicals and UV-resistant.

The Aura Collection sees the Elysian kitchen mixer in an entirely new perspective. It introduces six new finishes: Posy, Clay, Solis, Flora, Dusk and Almond. Coloured tapware is scarce, especially in these grounded hues. To create a range that echoes nature’s comforts, while also merging art and function, opens a world of possibility for homes and projects. abiinteriors.com.au

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Featuring a head and backrest, which further enhances the physical comfort, the Sonar bath is a statement piece in any bathroom. www.laufen.com.au

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58 BOOKSHELF

DESIGN: BUILDING ON COUNTRY by Alison Page and Paul Memmott with the National Museum / MADELEINE SWAIN

Design: Building on Country is the second book in the six-book First Knowledges series (edited by Margo Neale), a series that aims to provide “a deeper understanding of the expertise and ingenuity of Indigenous Australians”. Page and Memmott’s contribution to the project is a deep exploration of design and architecture, but is casting a much, much wider net to fully contextualise the cultural meanings, relevance and history of Indigenous design and practice, by referencing everything from the design of boomerangs to fish traps, Songlines, kinship and camps. The book offers a definition of Australian Aboriginal architecture as a “selected, arranged and constructed configuration of environmental properties, both natural and artificial… to result in human comfort and quality of lifestyle”. Commencing with personal accounts of their own stories and relationships to the material, Page and Memmott go on to examine spirituality and the Dreamtime, shelters and Country, engineered structures, materials, kinship, placemaking and contemporary Indigenous architecture and design, concluding with thoughts and suggestions for a new Australian design, and the implications it may have for a country needing to develop its response to climate change and future challenges.

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PAST AS TEACHER “The teachings of the elders are not the teachings of the past. They are the teachings of the future.” – First Nations architect, Douglas Cardinal, from Blackfoot, Red Deer, Alberta. The book not only sets out to disprove colonial and current misconceptions (and untruths) about Indigenous relationships to Country and the objects First Nations people make and use, but also to clearly propose that the traditional knowledge and practices that have been ignored, suppressed or marginalised should be not only reappraised but used to inform future practice. This overarching theme is something that has become increasingly apparent in recent decades, but is persuasively and cogently presented by Page and Memmott. They examine the connection between wayfinding and Songlines, and the importance of placemaking that is inextricably connected to the resources available – emphasising the increasingly popular practice of restaurants making space for attached spaces to grow their own produce, for example. Page and Memmott cite architects like Ken George, who was attempting to implement an architecture informed by traditional practices nearly 50 years ago, but was perhaps “too visionary for the conservative bureaucracies of the era”. Today, however, they see greater cause for optimism through

the work and efforts of contemporary practitioners such as Kevin O’Brien, Dillon Kombumerri, Jefa Greenaway and Merrima Design. Contemporary Indigenous practice comprises three elements, they say – ingenuity, sustainability and storytelling – and the book’s raison d’être is explaining what this means. Deceptively easy to read, Building on Country contains concepts and descriptions that may require revisiting, particularly for non-Indigneous readers, but it will act as a useful resource. One small criticism is the placement of the illustrations – they are sometimes separated from the text and referenced by chapter and figure numbers alone, when an identifying page number may have been more helpful. The book is full of profound ideas and revelations, none more so than this observation from Page, which appears in the closing chapter: “When this country was colonised, my ancestors buried their systems, technologies and knowledges in the ground, like seeds they were preserving… and designed them to lie dormant, knowing that when Country cried out for them and fires came ravaging through, the seeds would germinate and the time would finally come for them to grow. That time is now.” ar Design: Building on Country is published by Thames and Hudson.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY SUBSCRIBE NOW AND SAVE! inside and AR publications now available through shop.niche.com.au. inside is the definitive handbook for every interior designer. Australian architecture and interior design is asserting itself with more confidence than ever before. inside is your companion to the latest projects from across the country, your guide to the very best established and emerging studios and practices, and your introduction to the issues and topics driving this industry and its practitioners. AR has been the independent voice of Australian architecture for over 30 years. It is widely read and respected by the architecture and design industry. Targeting principal owners of architectural practices, practising architects, key stakeholders and those tasked with running an organisation, AR informs architects about the latest product innovations, current world class projects and all there is to know about the business of architecture. AR provides inspiration to both existing practice owners, as well as upcoming architects in the early stages of their careers.

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L AUF EN 1892 | SWI T Z ERL A N D

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Articles inside

BOOKSHELF

SHOWCASE

MAKING THE MOST OF JOBMAKER

SHIFTING HOMES

PLANET CITY

FINANCE

JAHM

LEAD PROJECT

EMERGING PROJECT

LEAD PROFILE

EMERGING PRACTICE

DESIGN

EDITORIAL