architecture

Posts Tagged ‘architecture’

Perth Arena

April 16th, 2013 by Rob Frith

If part of the function of Perth Arena’s freak yachting accident exterior is to excite public debate it must be judged a success. Like an in-your-face youth with unresolved childhood issues and a new tattoo, its lumbering slab sides are confrontational and immediately polarising. Perhaps as the landscape around it changes over the next decade it will stop trying to pick a fight with its mates.

By comparison the interior is its heart of gold; the voluminous access spaces that wrap around the arena proper soar with religious delight, broad stairways turn at angles that pull you forward and the sea of timber panelling that lines the walls and ceilings in contrasting regal blues and rich warm woodiness cosset and inspire.

We spent the better part of a day being inspired with Stylewoods director Alan Carter. Alan spent the better part of last year down there overseeing the manufacture and installation of the interior panelling.

Meanwhile, outdoors…
“Totem”, is the name of the tall, yellow, multi-faceted sculpture on the east side of the arena. For some reason it’s been nick-named “The Pineapple”, can’t think why… Anyway, we photographed that for artist Geoffrey Drake-Brockman. I’ve cribbed this from his website ’cause I was struggling to describe it – “Totem is an interactive spatial robot. It has 108 reconfigurable petals and is able to react to pedestrian movement. Totem incorporates a laser projection artwork titled “Translight” that projects nightly onto the Eastern wall.”

Geoffrey scurries inside – yes there’s an inside!

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Posted by Rob Frith Tags: architecture, arena, art, Design
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Better late than never

May 15th, 2012 by darren

Red Meets Blue offices

About this time last year Rob and I popped down the street to the Red Meets Blue offices to photograph their interior fitout. At the time, Rob said, “These images would make a great blog post.” Then we forgot about it – until yesterday.

I rediscovered these whilst trawling our back catalogue for the past year for a folio update. Rob, flicking through some of the prepped materials said, “You know, these images would make a great blog post.” Total déjà vu

We strarted at Red Meets Blue late in the afternoon and were there well into the evening. John Ciniquina has created an inspiring lofty space full of playful details to work with. It’s always a joy working collaboratively so the fact that the RmB team had strong ideas about the shot content and styling was a boon.

Originally two separate offices, RmB knocked out one wall to convert the two into a single office space. Loads of room, great wooden surfaces, polished concrete floors… it reminded me a lot of the offices I’d been to in New York and I have to admit I’m a little jealous.

Speaking of New York, look carefully in one of the wide shots and you can see the one of John’s own Diana Camera images, of what looks like Midtown, used as wallpaper. Anyway, here are the images… one year later. But better late than never, right?

: Red Meets Blue offices

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Posted by darren Tags: architecture, Design, interior, location, New York, red meets blue
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AIA WA Chapter Awards 2011

June 22nd, 2011 by Rob Frith

	Around the middle of June every year the occupants of the nuthouse start sitting a little closer to the edges of their seats. It’s awards time, specifically the Australian Institute of Architects Awards time. All the buildings we’ve fallen in love with since this time last year have been judged by the peers of their creators, gowns are donned, trophies are polished and distributed. Of course a large part of the excitement for us is bathing in the reflected glory of the projects we’ve been associated with! Can we share them with you?
A couple of buildings garnered awards across a number of categories, The State Theatre Centre by Kerry Hill Architects (above) won the Jeffrey Howlett Award for Public Architecture as well as the Julius Elischer Award for Interior Architecture. Paul Wellington and Elizabeth Karol picked up commendations in Residential Architecture, Mondoluce Lighting Award and Sustainability as well as an Architecture Award in Interior Architecture for their beautiful Hamersley Road, Subiaco house (below).

	Kerry Hill also had a win in Multiple Residential with Beachside Leighton North (left). Katherine and Marco of vittinoAshe will be finding room among their knick knacks for the Iwan Iwanoff Award for Small Project Architecture (below). Watch out for this North Perth renovation in an upcoming issue of InDesign magazine.


	Other residential projects that received an award or commendation include Hartree + Associates Architects for a dramatic home featuring cast concrete and cantilevered upper floor in Pennell Road Claremont (above); Officer Woods’ brilliant re-interpretation of the classic West Aussie beach house in Guilderton (left and above left) and Walter Hunter and Penny Watson Architects’ wild re-model of Christian Lyon’s home in Peppermint Grove (below).

	Phillip Griffiths Architects got a Urban Design commendation for William Street Renewal project, a part of the state government’s overhaul of the Perth Cultural Centre (left). Taylor Robinson’s mastery of hospitality interiors had them taking home an interior architecture commendation each for Sentinel and The Boulevard (below left and below)

	Our own tipping pool isn’t always on the money… in particular this office loved what Wayne Dufty at DNA Architects did with the Patrick Autocare logistics building out near the airport (left). DNA left empty handed, this time anyway. And of course we managed to convince ourselves that, despite some tough competition, Kerry Hill Architects were a shoe-in for the George Temple Poole for the STC. That prize was won by Hassell’s 140 William Street project.

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Posted by Rob Frith Tags: architecture, award
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State Theatre Centre of WA

April 12th, 2011 by Rob Frith

A mind-numbingly intense start to 2011 has been offset by the great projects we’ve been involved in. New client Kerry Hill Architects kicked off our relationship with a fantastic commission, photographing the new and entirely spectacular State Theatre Centre of Western Australia. This new building is the cornerstone of the state government’s makeover of the Perth Cultural Centre precinct. Kerry with colleagues Patrick Kosky and Simon Cundy have created a bit of a Tardis on an awkward “J” shaped site that connects Roe Street with the Cultural Centre. Their masterstroke according to Phil Goldswain in the March/April 2011 edition of Architecture Australia was the stacking of the main 575 seat theatre and the smaller Studio Underground theatre one on top of the other. The building presents beautifully from the street, that however is only the beginning of the journey. The ground floor lobby is at once cavernous and intimate. Jewel-like focus is counterpointed with grand vistas that wouldn’t be out of place in a Kubrick film. Shifting scale runs through the entire complex; the staircase to the Heath Ledger Theatre lobby stretches out forever thanks to generous landings every seven steps, once at the top a low dark ceiling gives way dramatically to a three story high void in which sits the imposing drum that houses the theatre. There’s more. Much more. More than you, dear reader, could bear to have us write about. Best thing you can do is get down there and have a look. Book a show, it really doesn’t matter which one ’cause the building could well be the main act on your first visit.

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Posted by Rob Frith Tags: architecture, theatre
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SoDAA – Bremer Bay House

May 5th, 2009 by Rob Frith

We’re horizon snobs here at Acorn Photo. It’s just that they’re not all created equal. Why the remote south coast of Western Australia should be blessed with a disproportionately large number of them is beyond us all though.

We’re not alone in recognising it either. There’s a queue forming somewhere outside Albany to get a slice of the Brember Bay pie.

Architect Daniela Simon of Studio of Designers and Architects (SoDAA) has staked her claim with a house that is both dramatic and sympathetic to its environment.

Oh, and it’s disturbingly functional as well.