Good design emerges through a shared dialogue and encompasses both creativity and strategy. A strategic approach to function and aesthetics in the design of buildings within urban ecological systems is imperative. Hames Sharley finely tunes the specific aspirations of clients with the broader social and environmental challenges to enable a shared philosophy and strategy and to guide the project to fruition.
As designers of the built environment, it is essential that we keep learning and developing our understanding of society’s evolving needs. National Exchange (NEX) is Hames Sharley’s fortnightly webinar series that provides our architects and designers with direct access to speakers at the forefront of architectural research and thought leadership, empowering them to integrate new ideas and techniques into their practice.
Modern police stations are integral to Australian communities. They are dynamic hubs encompassing diverse functions and spaces – far beyond simply law enforcement – with a design approach that is deeply collaborative at every level. But in the face of great change, how do we design the police stations of the future?
To better understand the impact of climate change, we recently investigated how different LGAs are approaching the imminent threats of Rising Sea Levels (RSL) and Rising Flooding, Coastal Erosion and Climate (RFCC) on our coastline morphology and communities.
Helping people navigate and understand how a place works involves careful consideration and planning to improve accessibility, orientation and connectivity, along with those intangible moments of magic that lift a space to cultural icon status visited the world over.
In an effort to better understand commuter behaviour, Hames Sharley recently assessed its own employees’ commuter behaviours in response to the relocation of its new Perth studio. The research, conducted by Hames Sharley’s Emil E Jonescu, Stephen Moorcroft and Dean Symington, made a surprising conclusion – that a simple office relocation and change in mode of working has the potential to increase employee activity levels, ultimately improving health and wellbeing in the workplace.
The world is currently on the brink of irreversible damage due to climate change. At the 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it was noted that many vulnerable communities had already started to experience food insecurity and ecosystem crises, with the projected rise in global temperatures set to cause such significant environmental damage that it would displace an estimated 200 million global citizens by 2050. That’s less than thirty years away.
William Hames, Chairman and Caillin Howard, Managing Director at Hames Sharley, discuss the firm’s continuous improvement strategy and innovation drive the latest edition of APAC Outlook’s magazine.
Discussions around gender inequality are commonplace. From closing the gender pay gap and promoting more women into senior management positions, to supporting female athletes, historical gender imbalances are being rectified by addressing largely unconscious bias.
Compared to many nations, Australia has weathered the COVID-19 outbreak relatively well. While others still languish in lockdown, most of us have returned to something approaching normal life (snap restrictions to stamp on localised outbreaks excepted).
Hames Sharley, like the AFL is taking steps in the right direction to make significant improvements in this area and become more gender-inclusive; not just adding female teams, but by creating spaces which accommodate for women too.
When you think of designing for aged care, the use of light might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But a growing body of evidence suggests the clever use of lighting can have extraordinary effects on seniors’ health, safety and peace of mind.
In her book, Invisible Women, Caroline Criado Perez cites numerous examples of how women have been forgotten in a world designed by men, for men. From speech recognition software not trained to detect female voices to office air-con which is generally around five degrees too cold for women because it’s designed for male bodies; there are countless examples which demonstrate the ways in which women have been simply forgotten when it comes to designing the world they also live in.
For parents, getting out and about with little kids can be a challenging experience. From feeding ever-hungry newborns to dealing with toddler meltdowns and the sudden need for nappy changes - or head-to-toe outfit changes! - the parents’ room is a welcome respite for any parent in need of a break.
The way people interact with a building and move within its spaces, finding shelter and comfort, is essential to architecture’s concerns. The considered accommodation of our day-to-day rituals within residential settings – arriving home, the reception of guests, the family meal, conversations around the coffee table, bathing, going to bed, waking up – is what humanises a space, makes a home and shapes our identity.
Hailed as one of the most environmentally friendly building materials, timber is versatile, strong, renewable, and beautiful. However, wood is often associated with deforestation, and the frequency of forest fires have increased in recent years. And so, we ask Yaara Plaves: is building with timber really sustainable?
The overcrowding of Emergency Departments (EDs) has been a serious issue facing many Australian hospitals for at least the last decade. It’s a complex issue resulting from multiple issues; from inadequate funding, to doctor shortages, and a scarcity of beds.
If ever there has been a stand-out in the retail environment due to recent circumstances; by observation it can be viewed two-fold; a greater uptake in online retail, and the resilience of convenience-based bricks and mortar. This is not necessarily a reflection of the entire retail landscape but more an observation of two performers in retail that have the potential to drive innovation within developments moving into the future.
With global temperatures steadily increasing, sustainable design is more important than ever. But beyond constructing energy-efficient buildings, embracing biophilic design and finding clever ways to capture and recycle rainwater, architects must also consider the life cycle of their building materials for minimal impact on the environment.
The lines between work and play are blurred as newer developments boast a diverse mix of residential, retail, commercial and entertainment spaces all in the one area. This new style of mixed-use design is increasingly being embraced for new developments across Australia, in the city centres and suburbs alike.
As part of the NEXUS // 1.5 venture offered by Curtin’s School of Design and the Built Environment (DBE), students were asked to undertake the design research through a project-based study of Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) between March – June of this year.
EasyMile’s small, box-shaped shuttle is putting master planned communities on the fast track to becoming early beneficiaries of autonomous vehicle technology, according to Urban Development Portfolio Leader, Chris Maher.
With homelessness affecting hundreds of thousands of Australians, this is no longer a situation we can ignore. It is time for Australia to follow the footsteps of countries such as France, Finland and Greece, to determine how we can implement urban planning tools to help alleviate homelessness.
The COVID-19 pandemic has meant big changes to the ways we interact with each other as a society. Now, with Australia slowly emerging from lockdowns and restrictions, we’re faced with the prospect of returning to normal again. But when it comes to architecture and urban design, what will normal mean? Can it really be business as usual?
To those outside of the industry, the idea of taking a virtual tour of a new building before it’s even been constructed, every detail brought to life by wearing VR goggles, might sound like science fiction. But for designers, these futuristic technologies are becoming par for the course, rapidly transforming architecture as we know it.
As the country ends lockdown and stores begin to re-open, how will retail reshape itself amidst the possibility of ongoing social distancing requirements? What impact will this have on landlords when it comes to planning and managing space? And how will new developments adjust their plans to suit?
As architects, we’re constantly asked about how we will adapt. New technologies, new ways of thinking, new societal expectations – they all affect how we design. Architecture is dynamic in its nature, constantly adapting and changing with society.
According to interior designer and Hames Sharley Principal Errol Chiplowitz, the popularity of integrated resorts worldwide (that combine accommodation, retail, gaming and entertainment) looks set to rise after the COVID-19 pandemic. Chiplowitz, who has 25 years’ international experience in the sector, says now is the time to prepare for an inevitable return of demand.
The computer entirely transformed every aspect of how architects work, from their first impressions to creating complex construction documents. But however impressive technology can get, there’s a lot to be said for continuing to work on paper.
Dubai Design Week 2019, the Global Grad Show brought together the world’s top Graduates to showcase a diverse range of innovative design projects between 12-16th November. Hames Sharley’s WA Studio Project Assistant Georgina Spooner attended the event and presented her Honours thesis project in the ‘Planet’ category of the exhibition.
World Architecture Day is a celebration of both great architecture and the people who produce it. The brainchild of the Union International des Architects (UIA), its aim is to bring together architects, designers, planners and more to share their experiences and viewpoints.
It’s no big secret that one of the greatest problems facing the world in the 21st century is stemming the decline in the environment. Everyone can – and indeed should – do their part to ensure that future generations need not contend with climate change and a collapsing ecosystem.
Those in the industry have heard the same ‘hottest retail trends’ for a few years now; it’s all about experiences, niche offerings, personalisation, omni-channel, social media integration and the introduction of new technologies like virtual and augmented reality. But the truth is, these supposedly hot trends are dangerously close to becoming outdated.
NAIDOC Week is a week for Australia to come together to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year, it runs from the 4th to the 17th of
Australia has a vast number of war memorials – something in the order of 6000 across the country – displaying a phenomenal breadth of design and variation. While you may be familiar with the war memorials in your own community, however, experiencing the full range of commemorative sites would be a massive undertaking.
Many know Marion Mahony Griffin in relation to her work undertaken for Frank Lloyd Wright, and with her husband and business partner Walter Burley Griffin, but she was an incredible architect in her own right.
Industry bodies play a bigger part in our every day lives than many people realise. As well as unifying and supporting their members, industry bodies work hard to champion the rights of those not only within the industry, but also strive to make positive changes which benefit the wider community.
Created in 2005 by the Union International des Architects, World Architecture Day is a day to show appreciation for the work architects do and to celebrate some of the great global architectural works. This year the event takes place on October 1st with a series of events and publications.
Wayfinding in the architectural realm has evolved to encompass a combination of elements including visual graphics, tactility and materiality, interactivity, and animated and audio-visual installations. With technology advancing apace, how best should major wayfinding and signage projects be approached and what does the future hold in store…
For today’s developers, urban planners and governments, development around transit areas requires extremely careful planning. Here we explore the key principles that will allow projects to truly serve and support their surrounding communities.
We are often oblivious to the many factors which are involved in creating successful internal spaces. Particularly in terms of the colour palette specified. Interior Designers have many influences, both obvious and complex, which play a key role when deciding on colour.
Cities are centres of population, commerce and culture, yet it is not widely known how this way of life came about. Looking to the past, however, enables us not only to decipher how cities came to be but also how they are defined and what they mean for the future of our societies.
In recent years we’ve found great benefits in using 3D printers and virtual reality hardware, but it’s our investment in a time machine that’s really allowed us to experience what life is like for communities in the future.
Here we follow the Mancio family as they set out for a day at their local library…
During the mid 20th-century Australian shopping centres were developed within a retail hierarchy that was based on modern suburban family life. Today people live in apartments in the city and inner urban areas and seek their daily needs and convenience goods and services in the city.
In the 21st century, automation is a fact of life, with robots having a metallic hand in the production of everything from cars to toys, but when it comes to the construction industry, the automated workforce is conspicuous by its absence. In a recent address to Consult Australia, Valentina Sansbury asked why construction has been so slow to build on automated assistance, and offered a vision of how robotics can be an asset to increase productivity within the industry.
At Hames Sharley, we like to invest in the latest technology, which allows us to provide a better service for our clients and partners. In recent years we’ve found great benefits in using 3D printers and virtual reality hardware, but it’s our investment in a time machine that’s really allowed us to experience what life is like for communities in the future. Here we follow the Mancio family as they set out for a day at their local shopping centre…
Approximately 85% of our population live within 50km of the ocean and our climate has facilitated a deeply embedded culture of life at the water’s edge. Therefore it is natural that our nation has become leaders in the field of waterfront urban design. But what are the factors that make a truly great waterfront? We present ten key considerations when for planning the perfect place at the water’s edge.
Over the years futurists have predicted many innovations that have failed to come to fruition, from flying cars to hoverboards, but when you consider the cost implications and logistics of these inventions, it’s understandable that technology might fail to keep pace with our aspirations for the world of tomorrow. That said, one exciting and long-anticipated innovation is so close you can… well, you can almost touch it.
When unsightly concrete blocks were placed on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney, intended to provide security against terror attacks, the public outcry was vociferous and immediate. But never mind the bollards, because safety measures shouldn’t have to spoil the streetscape…
As Mexico recovers from the devastating effects of its recent earthquake, The Malay Mail has reported on a Japanese innovation that looks to add protective functionality to buildings while introducing an aesthetically pleasing, sleek design motif.
Extreme weather conditions have made news headlines in the past month, with major hurricanes making landfall in large parts of America. As floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey receded, The New York Times reported that much of the damage to infrastructure could have been avoided.
All buildings age and what was once an A grade building is eventually downgraded until its inevitable slide into obsolescence. That is unless it is retrofitted, refurbished and repositioned back to its former glory - and that’s where Building Upgrade Finance comes in…
You can’t ever underestimate the value of face-to-face interaction. The benefits are many: you can bounce ideas off others, unlocking creativity that might not otherwise be accessed via email or text; you can gain more information when negotiating a deal, or you can simply gauge whether someone really likes that idea you floated.
The CSIRO and Energy Networks Australia have just released a new plan to secure Australia’s energy supply, reduce our bills and reduce our emissions to zero by the middle of the century. Their roadmap relies upon a coordinated approach by the states in order to potentially save Australians AUD$1 billion by 2050 and cut residential power bills by an average of $414 annually.
We are a nation obsessed with food. We’re also getting more particular about it. We talk about whether it’s organic or home-grown, whether it’s slow cooked or triple smoked, whether it was inspired by Jamie or Bill. That’s right, Oliver and Grainger. We’re on a first name basis these days. What does this mean for the food court?
