The Hedberg by Liminal Studio and WOHA

I’m a little ashamed to admit I made my first visit to Hobart this year, that it took a building to get me there, and that I still didn’t make it to MONA. I know, what have I been doing with my life?!

All that aside, let’s talk about the building. The Hedberg, designed by local firm Liminal Studio and Singapore’s WOHA (of Kampung Admiralty fame). Home to the lovely folks and students at University of Tasmania who welcomed me so warmly, and The Theatre Royal.

I won’t ramble on, I’ll just say that it’s a stunning building, inside and out. Suitably beautiful and functional to be home to Hobart’s performing arts. It was an absolute pleasure UTAS!

Builder: Hansen Yunken
Landscape Architecture: Inspiring Place
Lighting and Acoustics: Arup Group Limited & Southern Lighting Source

John Wardle's Ballarat GovHub

I spent a glorious day in Ballarat last month shooting John Wardle’s Ballarat Gov Hub, a new home for up to 1000 employees on the town’s ‘Civic Hall’ site. The low rise, zinc clad building has a gabled roof and mass timber structure that reference a rural shed, and can be seen from many vantage points around the town. It sits along side the library, the 1950s Civic Hall and a park, which together will become an important precinct for community, government and commercial activities in the Ballarat CBD.

Developer: Development Victoria
Architect: John Wardle Architects
Builder: Kane Constructions and Nicholson Construction joint venture
Engineer: Aecom
Landscape Architect: Aspect Studios

Here are some images from the shoot.

WOHA's Kampung Admiralty - 2018 Building of the Year

I was fortunate to take a quick trip to Singapore earlier this year and more fortunate still to sneak away for a few hours to shoot WOHA Architect’s Kampung Admiralty - named 2018 World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival. And rightly so. The building is mixed-use, combining social housing with commercial and retail spaces (food, medical etc) and includes a remarkable, terraced green roof. The stacked terraces include a kids playground, an outdoor gym, peaceful gathering places and a community farm, together providing a community park for residents and visitors. I barely scratched the surface in the few hours I spent there but impressed I was. Hot, but impressed.

Geelong Library

I haven't spent a great deal of time in Geelong but after a few visits recently, I'm on board. As manufacturing opportunities fade Geelong is making a push to become a place of arts and innovation. The impressive, award winning Geelong library by ARM Architecture, completed in 2015, is definitely a step in the right direction.