From the Team

TEAM page Focusing on the Positives for 2022

ne year ago few would have expected COVID-19 to still be dominating our lives during another festive season. But it is, and this year’s celebrations will once again be slightly mooted as Western Australia – and the rest of the world – remains cautious and vigilant.

Nevertheless, we can still look forward to some newly restored, and well-deserved, personal “freedoms”, while – on the business front – the building industry maintains the buoyancy it enjoyed (in general) throughout 2021.

So, all in all, 2022 beckons with a prevailing sense of optimism and a determination to continue meeting and overcoming these unprecedented challenges.

That positive mood is highlighted in our final issue of the year which, as always, showcases the finest of Western Australian construction professionalism, design innovation and standardbearing adaptation.

Residentially, we take a trip down memory lane to the 1956 Olympics and, more than six decades later, note how a definitive collection of river and ocean view apartments on the border of Mosman Park and North Fremantle honours the legacy of a stalwart of Western Australia’s sailing history.

Taking aspirational living to a new level is a haven of tranquillity in the centre of one of Perth’s most liveable hubs that sets the benchmark for residential developments; and we also check out a multi-level masterpiece in Mindarie with multiple rooftop gardens, a luxurious swimming pool and breathtaking ocean views.

OHighlighting social housing projects in the state, we step inside two state government projects: one, an initiative in Innaloo that has transformed a modest brick home for a single family into a social housing complex consisting of eight modern apartments; and another in Claremont that provides move-in-ready homes designed for style, easy-living practicality and affordability. Moving on to the heart of the Busselton region, meanwhile, we imagine what retirement would be like living in a new over-50s lifestyle resort. Commercially, we feature a flagship shopping redevelopment project on the northern Perth coastline that also incorporates residential living opportunities on site; as well as the ultimate makeover of one of Perth’s largest department stores. In the sphere of community services, we report on the development of a master plan vision for a former military hospital that dates to World War II and is now the largest private hospital in Australia. And finally, functional design meets future needs in a campus project that exemplifies Seton Catholic College’s philosophy that “every interaction matters”, using materials (a combination of limestone with timber accents) designed to lift the whole community. A poignant sentiment to embrace as we share these final moments of 2021 with family and friends, and stoically prepare for the new year...