Humanising Building: North Lakes Medical Centre, Brisbane

The recent IPCC report highlighted that we must urgently transition to a low carbon future. If Australia wants to limit global warming to 1.5°C, as per the Paris Agreement, it must reach net-zero emissions by 2035. With buildings accounting for around one fifth of Australia’s emissions when electricity use is taken into account, improving the sustainability of new and existing housing is low hanging fruit.

Working as an architect for 15 years, and in the profession for 18, Kate Symons’ focus has always been on one thing: the client. Customising and creating bespoke residential homes has been her specialty. After 5 years of co-directing architectural practice MGA.I, in the midst of 2020, Symons established her very own Hobart based practice, Studio ilk.

Furniture and lighting designer Duncan Meerding is passionate about sustainable design. Favouring the use of timber in his designs, Meerding follows the design ethos that ‘a product should last as long as it took for the tree to grow.’ With his popular designs receiving international recognition and awards, his lighting masterpieces are set to do just that – and beyond.

Fourth generation Australian furniture designer-maker and Tasmanian Timber ambassador Jon Goulder, is celebrated for his fine craftsmanship, attention to detail and award-winning designs. His works have made their way around the world, having made custom pieces for private clients, one-off installation designs with some pieces becoming permanent fixtures in State and National museums across Australia. Commissioned by design trailblazers Broached Commissions, Goulder has just completed Broached Goulder, a collection of pieces that meld the complex intricacies of generations of furniture making- all made with Tasmanian timber species.

Tasmania’s Derwent Entertainment Centre, constructed in 1989, is Tasmania’s largest capacity indoor multi-purpose venue accommodating up to 8,800 people. An agreement between the NBL and the Tasmanian Government has recently seen ‘the DEC’ refurbished into a world class arena that is now home to Tasmania’s first NBL team in 25 years. The $66 million refurbishment has transformed ‘the DEC’ into a world class sports and entertainment facility, with the venue rebranded as MyState Bank Arena. We spoke to Thomas Floyd from Philp Lighton Architects and Mark Millhouse from Voss about how they used Tasmanian timber to create the transformation.