David Rowlinson from Planet Ark’s Make it Wood campaign, explains forest certification, why Planet Ark supports sustainable forestry, and how timber is helping tackle climate change.
June 13, 2023
David Rowlinson is on a mission to help create lasting and significant behavior change in the fight to protect our environment. With a background in architecture and building engineering, David has spent much of his career in the building product sector, increasingly focusing on the environmental impacts of building and building products. Now with Australia’s most trusted environmental organisation, Planet Ark, David is the program manager for their ‘Make it Wood’ campaign. Designed to encourage the increased use of responsibly sourced wood as a building material and other household items, the campaign argues responsibly sourced, certified wood is the only building material that helps tackle climate change.
Thinking Paddock House by Open Creative Studio
June 5, 2023
Thinking Paddock by Open Creative Studio is a private family residence located 40 minutes outside of Hobart in the rural community of Sandford. This stunning outer-lying suburb is breathtaking, offering its residents spectacular views of the pristine Tasmanian landscape. The house is situated to face northwest over Ralph’s Bay, Droughty Point and in the distance, Kunanyi/Mount Wellington proudly rests. A project especially important to Open Creative Studio Principal, Daniel Moore, the home was designed as his parents “last house” and is a celebration of family heritage and the raw and natural state of this cherished pocket of land.
The Original Thinkers Podcast: Bence Mulcahy
May 30, 2023
Celebrating ten years as Bence Mulcahy, the Tasmanian based architecture firm has had a busy decade creating new forms in some of Tasmania’s oldest and most iconic locations. Founders Sophie Bence and Shamus Mulcahy built their partnership out of a shared love for great design while pursing what some say to be the most important job of all: the role of parents. The pair sought balance in their working environments, each growing their own young families, whist being drawn to push boundaries in Tasmanian architecture.
Tasmanian Oak a Favourite Signature
May 22, 2023
Constantly striving to push the boundaries to deliver projects that are different and unique is the driving motivation for Nathan Wundersitz, Owner and Design Director of South Australian firm SpaceCraft Joinery.
Timber Veneer Association of Australia Tours Tasmania
April 5, 2023
The Timber Veneer Association of Australia’s (TVAA) members have recently returned home from a Veneer Manufacturing tour of Northern Tasmania. Association members, who include some of the country’s leading furniture, component manufacturers and timber veneer manufacturers left with a thorough understanding of production and environmental credentials of Tasmania’s veneer industry, and an appreciation for the complexity and value of the sector.
Living elegance: Cataract Gorge House
March 22, 2023
“Simplicity, carried to an extreme, becomes elegance,” said Pulitzer Prize winner John Franklin. This quote resounds in the simple and rich spaces designed by Tasmania’s Plain Architecture, eloquently expressed in Cataract Gorge House, the place founding partner and Director Clare Steen calls home.
Cusp to invest in a new facility to increase production by 100%
March 20, 2023
It started with a bold idea. It progressed because of an unwavering belief that it could be done. And in June 2021 the newly branded Cusp Building Solutions launched the first certified plantation hardwood CLT in the world. From a resource traditionally used for woodchips, Cusp now creates a range of mass timber elements for the built environment. Cusp is now set to relocate to a larger manufacturing facility to enable an immediate increase in production of 100% with further increases planned for the medium and long term.
Peek House by Kuzman Architecture
March 14, 2023
Set in Melbourne’s lively and eclectic neighborhood of Brunswick sits the newly renovated Victorian Era cottage, Peek House. Amongst the area’s upbeat pubs and abundant eateries, the home is a light and bright oasis that offers its residents a minimal and calming palette to take refuge from the bustling streets within arm’s reach. Before Peek House’s transformation, the home’s original footprint had been haphazardly added on to over the years and was in desperate need of a renovation to bring the charming cottage up to date. Seddon based Kuzman Architecture was called upon to take on the task, masterfully marrying the cottage’s old charm with modern forms.
Nelson House by Biotope
March 6, 2023
Originally built in the 1980s for use as a family home in Hobart’s suburb of Mt. Nelson, Nelson House was in much need of an update. With the children now grown and out of the house, the retired owners wanted to create an oasis that they would be able to call home for the next chapter of their lives. With sustainability at the front of all design decisions, the couple chose to keep the existing house but wanted a complete overhaul and restructure of the interior. Calling upon the help of Rosa Douramanis from Hobart architecture studio Biotope, the home has received a bright and sunny update that capitalises on both natural light and natural materials.
Contemporary luxe with a homage to the past
February 27, 2023
On the edge of the river Derwent, in one of Tasmania’s most sought-after suburbs, sits 720 Sandy Bay Road. It is a newly developed residence with carefully curated materials that reflect both the history of the original home and the colours from the sweeping views of the silvery grey water it observes.
Designing for longevity, Ha Architecture looks to timber
February 14, 2023
For Ha Architecture, with every new build, interior, or urban design comes the opportunity to embed the ideas of longevity and small-footprint living. From custom residential builds to large-scale commercial, there’s always an opportunity for Ha Architecture to infuse their sense of lasting design into a project. We recently caught up with Ha Architecture Principal, Nick Harding, to discuss some of their latest projects, where the common thread is crafting a design that its patrons or inhabitants will cherish now and for years to come.
Midway House by Habiter Studio
January 11, 2023
The lure of Tasmania’s rugged beauty has retained a strong hold on designers, artists, craftspeople and holidaymakers alike. The island’s innate connection to the earth and its elements has captured hearts, frequently informing design decisions and occasionally calling its admirers to settle into its majestic landscape and make a home amongst its rolling hills, crashing waves and lush canopies. With a desire to be amongst Tasmania’s beautiful chaos, residential designer and founder of the newly formed home design studio Habiter Studio, Daniel Colthorpe, made the tree change to Hobart six years ago. His latest project reflects his deep connection to his Tassie home and pays homage to his favourite building material- timber.
Mount Pleasant Wines by Luchetti Krelle
January 3, 2023
The Hunter Valley in New South Wales is one of Australia’s renowned winegrowing regions. Home to some of the country’s finest cellar doors, it’s viticultural history dates to the early 20th century. Included in this rich history of fine wine making is the award-winning Mount Pleasant Wines by founder and wine-maker Maurice O’Shea. Committed to his craft, O’Shea’s legacy has set a high standard for modern Australian winemaking bolstered by each bottle’s elegance, balance and longevity. Having last been updated in the early nineties, the winery needed a makeover to match the wine’s valued reputation. Having received countless awards for their designs revamping hospitality venues home and abroad, the team at Luchetti Krelle was put to the task of bringing the winery to match the calibre of its wine production, and the result is nothing short of breathtaking.
Pompei by Carter Williamson Architects
December 13, 2022
Nestled in Sydney’s inner-city suburb of Forest Lodge rests one of Carter Williamson Architects latest projects, Pompei. Playing with a soft and luxurious palette filled with flowing textures and rounded shapes, the Pompei update brought life back into a Victorian-era terrace, returning the home to its former glory.
Three Capes Cabin
November 17, 2022
Three Capes Cabin is a tribute to place and one man’s tenacity. It was love at first sight when the brawns and brains behind the Tasman Peninsula build, Daniel Bush, first visited the area five years ago. Near his cabin lies a treasure trove of secret coves and Port Arthur’s historical ruins. Along the coastline, Antarctic swells smash against the ancient dolerite cliffs of the Three Capes Track, one of the most renowned multi-day walks in Australia. It took Daniel’s breath away, and that’s exactly why he sought to build, quite literally, Three Capes Cabin - so guests could detox from their working lives and drink in the peninsula’s beauty.
Tasmanian Oak ties the knot between His and Her House
October 25, 2022
His and Her House is the unity of two clients’ dream homes, each engaging FMD Architects for their separate builds before amalgamating on a third. The 158 m² home in Melbourne’s Clifton Hill is modest in size but uses clever geometry to create scale.
Tasmanian timber forever home at the peak of its game
October 5, 2022
Like a baroque painting, 3 Peaks Haus is bursting with character. The Willunga home leans into abstract expressionism through various materials, contours and colours.
Launceston's mass timber building a glimpse into the built environment future
September 29, 2022
The new headquarters for health insurance company St Luke’s Health is a building ahead of its time. The 5,500sqm Launceston project will be the most sustainable and carbon-positive office development in Tasmania, and the targeted 40% reduction in carbon will make it one of the first Net Zero Carbon projects in Australia.
Award-winning Cradle Coast Campus evokes a sense of calm with Tasmanian timber
September 19, 2022
When tasked with designing the University of Tasmania’s new Cradle Coast Campus in Burnie, John Wardle Architects, Philp Lighton Architects and Room 11 knew the building had to evoke a sense of calm while still looking visually striking. Tasmanian timber was the answer.
Five Yards House inspires architect’s own build, Casa Acton.
August 30, 2022
Five Yards House was the catalyst for Archier Director Josh FitzGerald to build his own home, Casa Acton. Josh and his partner Millie’s moveable masterpiece, nestled in Acton bushland, “questions the purpose of architecture and its relationship with the natural world” and shares similar, cost-efficient materials and design.
