Smart Cities – the good, the bad and the risky
Digitisation, Artificial intelligence, real-time data and the Internet of Things are accelerating exponentially and they’re reshaping our behaviour, our lifestyle and our society. Are Smart Cities the way we want our cities to be in the future? There are a lot of debates surrounding the pros and cons of Smart Cities. What should Architects do […]
Choose Local
Ask people where they buy their daily milk and bread and chances are, they would respond by saying the grocery store down the road. You wouldn’t get the bare necessities anywhere else, would you? We take them for granted in the same way we do the supermarket five minutes down the road. These daily essentials […]
Art or Architecture?
The question of whether architecture is art has been debated throughout history and is still a polarising subject today. With ‘art’ loosely defined as ‘the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or power’, […]
“The Minimalist”
The great irony of minimalism. Many people avoid the term minimalism, due to its subjective and cultural boundaries. Cliché definitions aside, for the purpose of this blog post, feel free to re-label your version of simplification to any “-ism” you prefer. As an Interior Designer I believe that curation is in the specification of materials […]
Competitions – do they work?
Throughout the Australian architectural realm, the topic as to whether competitions serve as an effective model for procuring design has been the centre of contentious debate. The competition process is no newfangled initiative either, we’ve seen the implementation of this method into some of the most historically significant buildings in Australia over the last century. […]
The role of an architect.
As architects, we have had a significant presence throughout history, though over time our role and influence on society, culture and form have evolved into something much more dynamic. There is now a greater complexity attached to the profession, in that we are assuming the roles and values of teachers, philanthropists and conservationists. Additionally, we […]
The Home as a Habitat
A tale of structures, succulents and success. I’ve been working at Hillam Architects for almost one year now and it’s clear there is a significant design emphasis on the incorporation of nature and greenery. One only has to look towards the names of our projects; Botanical, Eden and most recently, Orchard Terrace, to see a […]
I Built It
When we admire a piece of music, marvel at a work of art, savour a delicious meal, or appreciate architecture which inspires the imagination; it’s easy to lose sight of the collective effort that created this outcome now worthy of being celebrated by the masses. Many of us will have walked through town with that […]
Represent – Drawings for a purpose
The first professional architectural job, for most of us, is daunting to say the least. The initial set of drawings produced for a real purpose – to get an award winning piece of iconic architecture built, let’s be real –was probably a toilet, or a bathroom, or a reflected ceiling plan, or something equally as […]
It’s never too late to change
“We cannot control change, we cannot predict the future, but we can be more adaptable” Beth Comstock Former GE Executive It has been 17 years since Revit Technology Corporation was bought for $133 million by Autodesk. Revit was originally released in 2000 with very few customers, and so Autodesk saw an opportunity that was […]