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10 projects to get excited about in 2020

10 projects to get excited about in 2020

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From our pavilions at the Dubai Expo and the Venice Biennale to the best new buildings in our capital cities, these are the projects we’re most looking forward to in 2020.

Photography: Peter Bennetts

New Museum for Western Australia, Perth, Hassell + OMA

Opening in November 2020, the New Museum for WA is a little vague on its collection, describing it as “the stories of our incredible people and places, and a gateway to explore all of Western Australia”.

The bold and distinctive design is inspired by Western Australia’s land formations and is a mix of contemporary and historic architecture, and integrates four heritage-listed buildings with a dramatic new building.

The museum is more than three times the size of the previous one and includes eight new galleries, a 1000sqm special exhibitions gallery and multipurpose spaces.

Image supplied

Adelaide Festival Plaza, Adelaide, ARM Architecture, Taylor Cullity Lethlean, in collaboration with Hassell

Trucking along since 2016, the Adelaide Festival Plaza is set to unveil its first section in 2020.

The plaza redevelopment will see 16,500m2 of public space established in the areas surrounding the Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide Railway Station, Adelaide Casino, Parliament House and Old Parliament House and Station Road.

The state government has committed $180 million towards the project, supported by a $430 million contribution from Walker. These commitments will be enhanced by the $330 million expansion of the Adelaide Casino by SKYCITY Adelaide Pty Ltd.

Australia Pavilion, Dubai Expo, Bureau Proberts and Urban Art Projects (UAP)

Titled Blue Sky Dreaming, Australia’s pavilion at Dubai 2020 encapsulates optimism, ambition and creativity. It celebrates Australian diversity and collaboration and envisions infinite possibilities founded on 60,000 years of innovation.

The pavilion will highlight Australia’s contribution to astronomy including in optical/infrared and radio astronomy and theoretical astrophysics, along with our other inventions and local talent.

Melbourne Connect Adaptive Reuse Tower, Melbourne, Woods Bagot

The University of Melbourne will transform the 1960s 3AW building into an open, welcoming, light-filled, contemporary building through the adaptive re-use of existing materials.

Set to be finished in February 2020, the tower will be part of a precinct with shops, cafes and retail spaces as well as accommodation targeted at graduate students and visiting academics.

The street-facing exteriors of the buildings will include a glazed facade with varying patterns. The Swanston street facade features a repeated, triangular form for each panel, with adjustable coloured opaque pieces to control the amount of sunlight that shines through.

Image supplied

Ballarat GovHub, Ballarat, John Wardle Architects

A new home for 1000 government workers, the Ballarat GovHub is set to be completed by the end of 2020.

The design orchestrates the internal program by drawing collaborative activities to the facade of the building and thereby revealing the work of those serving the community to the passing public. The intention is to heighten the sense of openness between the local community and government.

Brick chambers at ground level provide a tactile, engaging presence to house retail and office activities. The external metal cladding system above ground controls heat load through the outer skin with its pattern of integrated windows.

Image: Anthony Richardson

Australian Pavilion, Venice Architecture Biennale, Tristan Wong and Jefa Greenaway

Designed together with architectural anthropologist Elizabeth Grant, writer/producer Tim Ross, designer Aaron Puls and graduate of architecture Jordyn Milliken, the Australian Pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale will address the exhibition’s theme ‘How Will We Live Together?’ with a series of powerfully optimistic works that foreground agency, deep listening, Indigenous knowledge and connection to context.

The pavilion sets out to create an immersive experience of country, language and diversity, including articulated spaces that speak to our neighbours, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Central to those spaces will be an opportunity for pause, contemplation and reflection.

The biennale will take place in 2020 from 23 May to 29 November.

CRT+YRD – Nightingale Village Precinct, Brunswick, Hayball

The Nightingale Model continues to grow with CRT+YRD – one of six architect-designed buildings that make up the Nightingale Village precinct in Brunswick.

CRT+YRD is Hayball’s first building to be constructed under the unique model of design and financing. The courtyard at the heart of the building was the primary catalyst for the design, and has also become the characteristic motif for the whole project, providing abundant lighting as well as passive ventilation and surveillance throughout.

It’s set to be completed sometime this year. The other buildings will be designed by Architecture Architecture, Austin Maynard Architects, Breathe Architecture, Clare Cousins Architects and Kennedy Nolan.

Update: Although originally set to be finished in 2020, ADR has just learnt that the Nightingale Village project won’t be finished until 2021.

Image: Doug and Wolf 

Puffing Billy Railway Visitor Centre, Dandenong Ranges, TERRIOR

The sleek Lakeside Station is a key destination of the Puffing Billy Railway, located between exotic park and native bush landscapes on the edge of what was Nobelius Nursery.

TERRIOR won the design competition for the centre back in 2018 and the $20 million project is set to be completed in December 2020. It’ll have a cafe, commercial kitchen, visitor information services, interpretations, function rooms, staff offices, retail, educational facilities and amenities.

The design was shortlisted in last year’s World Architecture Festival Future Projects Culture category.

International projects set to be completed in 2020

For good measure, we thought we’d throw in two international 2020 projects to round out the list.

Image supplied

National Stadium, Japan, Kengo Kuma

A mix of excitement and trepidation awaits Kuma’s National Stadium when it’s unveiled in time for this year’s olympics.

Kuma was one of the Japanese architects to protest the original winning design, penned by the late Zaha Hadid in 2015. When that design was scrapped due to escalating costs, Kuma’s design replaced it following an anonymous competition.

Image supplied

Zayed National Museum, United Arab Emirates, Foster + Partners

Conceived as a monument and memorial to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding president of the UAE, the Zayed National Museum will showcase the history, culture and social and economic transformation of the Emirates.

Architecturally, the aim has been to combine a highly efficient, contemporary form with elements of traditional Arabic design and hospitality to create a museum that is sustainable, welcoming and culturally of its place.

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