Hill ThalisWe are delighted to announce that Philip Thalis has jointly won this year’s Australian Institute of Architects NSW Presidents Award for Contribution to the Architecture Profession.
The award was announced last night at the annual awards ceremony by the current President, Brian Zulaikha.
Philip jointly won the award with long-time collaborator, Peter John Cantrill, director of Alec Tzannes and Associates.
As well as directing their respective award winning practices, the pair have worked together intermittently over the last 25 years on a wide range of architectural, urban and cultural activities.
Their joint work spans award winning buildings and competition winning schemes, research and publication, architectural tours and university lectureships.
They are currently working on a new book on the Public Rooms and Public Spaces in the City of Sydney, extending their long fascination with the city’s best architecture.
Pyrmont Point Park is now open to the public. The park features a sheltered cove with tidal guage, a children’s playground making use of sandstone remnants from the original Pyrmont Bridge and extensive grassed areas, tree plantings and water treatment systems. The architectural elements are due for completion mid year.
Construction of the Rose Bay Fruit Market is well underway, while the Midway Shopping Centre is scheduled to open in mid June.
Works on St Peter Green Independent Living units are proceeding quickly. The scaffolding has been dropped and focus now shifting to the interiors.
Surry Hills Tower 2 has been lodged with the City of Sydney for planning approval.
Meanwhile the Rose Bay Apartments have been shortlisted in the AIA Awards.
The Department of Planning is currently assessing a proposed amendment to the Barangaroo Concept Plan that significantly undermines the public domain of the competition winning proposal. Please see Barangaroo Update for a copy of our submission to the Department of Planning.
Philip Thalis presented the 2009 Paul Reid Lecture at the University of NSW on Wednesday 11th March. The subject of the lecture was Sydney: re-imagining the public project.
Sustainable Sydney 2030 was awarded the Urban Planning Achievement Award at the NSW PIA Awards for Excellence in Planning held in November. The jury considered the Sydney 2030 to be, ‘an outstanding example of a broadly based strategic plan designed to achieve a sustainable city. The Plan is visionary, incorporating dramatic proposals to reduce the impact of the car in the CBD, including the restoration of interesting pedestrian routes and pedestrian-friendly traffic management.’
Red Wall Jack Floyd Reserve won a Commendation in the Small Projects Category of the 2008 NSW Architecture Awards. The jury citation calls the park, ‘modest, monumental and memorable; the project appears to have always existed.’
The Government has submitted a Part 3A Modification application with the Department of Planning to increase development at East Darling Harbour. The current planning documents show a continuing lack of commitment to the creation of the public domain – leaving it open to amendment and adjustment to suit private development interests. Our concerns regarding the current planning documents and proposed amendments are summarized in our Barangaroo Update.
The Rose Bay Apartments have won a High Commendation in the Professional Excellence in Building Awards for Beach Constructions.
Hill Thalis is working with the City of Sydney on a joint master planning process for an Affordable Housing Demonstration Project – one of the projects identified in the Sustainable Sydney 2030 strategy.
The project involves the construction of up to 700 new affordable, social and private housing units on sites in Glebe and Ultimo.
Housing Minister Matt Brown and Ms Moore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing the City of Sydney and the NSW Government to a partnership to develop affordable housing on a 3.6 hectare site in Glebe.
“We are aiming to develop new models of affordable housing which can be replicated around Australia. We want to ensure a healthy mix of accommodation types, not a segregated city with an increasing gulf between the haves and the have-nots,” Ms Moore said.
Hill Thalis, Aspect Studios and CAB Consulting’s recently completed Pyrmont Point Park Master Plan received an award for Excellence at the AILA State Awards.
Substation No. 175 was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Domain 10 year anniversary issue. Elizabeth Farrelly describing it as having, ‘the romantic eccentricity of an Italian tower house, its slender section allowing natural ventilation throughout. A perfect inner-city nest.’
