From tip to toe, Van Bone is a tribute to all that is good in Tasmania
October 18, 2021
A cruisy 50-minute drive outside of Hobart’s CBD towards the Tasman Peninsula sits Van Bone restaurant in Marion Bay. Upon arrival to the venue’s lush grounds, if your breath’s not taken by the area’s stunning scenery and million-dollar views, the new restaurant’s end to end dining experience surely will.
Proudly perched in West Launceston, Birdhouse Studios by Gillian van der Schans offers a glimpse of Tasmania’s high-end-but-humble design
October 13, 2021
Gillian van der Schans is a veteran to the Tasmanian design industry. Born and raised in Tasmania, van der Schans had a short stint in Sydney to complete her studies but returned back to her island state where she knew she wanted to establish her career in architecture. Lecturing undergraduate architecture students at The University of Tasmania for eight years, van der Schans then went on to establish her own practice that she has maintained for the last two decades. Having created dozens of mostly residential projects for clients around the state, van der Schans’ love for Tasmania’s rough and rugged landscape has kept her on her toes – and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
A tub fit for a prince
September 21, 2021
Deep within Tasmania’s lush forests rests the prince of all Tasmanian timbers- Huon Pine. A conifer, Huon Pine is renowned for its exceptional durability, workability and beauty; the envy of Australia’s craftsmen and timber enthusiasts. In 2021, craftsman Emanuel ‘Manny’ Oppliger of Wood + Water, was commissioned to use this timber to make a custom piece in a private residence. While Huon Pine furniture has always been prized, Oppliger’s specialty lies elsewhere- in making custom handcrafted timber bathtubs.
Flinders Residence by Abe McCarthy Architects
August 16, 2021
At the base of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula where the Western Port meets Bass Strait, sits the coastal town of Flinders and the newly built Flinders Residence by Abe McCarthy Architects’. Capturing views of the often-turbulent Southern Australian waters and the lush and rolling seaside landscape, Flinders Residence is modern Australian farmhouse meets comforting luxury.
Maximum style, minimum waste
August 9, 2021
The word ‘liminal' means at the threshold; exploring the potential of what can be. This word is also the name of Hobart-based LIMINAL Studio and it’s what drives their approach on every project. Constantly on the threshold of or relating to a sensory threshold; exploring the possibilities of what can be; discovery in transition…LIMINAL Studio is where transformation takes place. And from their long list of award-winning architectural projects, spaces and objects, it’s clear that this transdisciplinary studio is doing just that.
Lands Building Office Redevelopment by Xsquared Architects
August 2, 2021
Xsquared Architects designed and documented a total refurbishment of the iconic Lands Building at 134 Macquarie Street in Hobart, Tasmania. This was a substantial project for the Department of Primary Industries Parks, Water and the Environment. All 11 floors of the office building were changed. Xsquared Architects created a standardised floor layout to provide each branch with the same level of amenity. This occurred by involving the different client groups in extensive consultation and dialogue.
Tasmanian Oak transforms this 1800’s pub and bistro by Enth Degree Architects
June 28, 2021
Just on the outskirts of Melbourne sits Templestowe Hotel, lovingly known by locals as The Tempy. Originally established in 1868, the venue just received a sparkling renovation by Melbourne based architecture studio, Enth Degree Architects. Revamping the large venue and seamlessly combining the hotel’s different spaces to create a cohesive style throughout, Tasmanian Oak was used as the common thread to stitch the warm but modern design together throughout this welcoming community hub.
Assessing Quality and Durability When Specifying Timber Flooring
June 28, 2021
Naturally warm and attractive, timber remains among the most popular choices for flooring. One of the world’s oldest building materials, timber’s physical properties and potential for sustainability are highly regarded. Combining premium aesthetics with durability, timber has been a reliable choice for interior applications for centuries. It is also eco-friendly, being less emissions-intensive and more sustainable over its lifecycle than other building materials like steel and concrete. However, when specifying timber for specific applications, the varying properties of different species must be taken into account.
Bona Vista by Studio Prineas
June 9, 2021
Nestled in Sydney’s quiet inner-west, Bona Vista by Studio Prineas reinterprets the characterful features of its Federation frontage, forging a warm domestic setting for family life. Applying a holistic gaze, Studio Prineas developed a considered vision for all aspects of the project; architecture, planning, custom joinery, furniture and styling.
Pirie Street Extension by Preston Lane
May 31, 2021
Set atop the rolling hills in Hobart’s suburb of New Town sits Pirie Street Extension. Situated on a sloping site, this charming Tasmanian weatherboard cottage has just received a renovation and extension from the award-winning architecture firm Preston Lane Architects, that brings the early 20th century home into modern times.
Blonde Aussie beauty
May 13, 2021
Tasmanian Oak is a high to medium density timber which is sourced from three almost identical species of eucalypts: E. delegatensis, E. regnans and. E. obliqua. It was named by early European timber workers who believed these eucalypts showed the same strength as the mighty English Oak. It also shares the oak’s pale, straw-toned colouring – something that makes it unique among Australian hardwoods, which generally play into the darker end of the spectrum.
A reflection of the present and past
May 10, 2021
Tasmanian architect Rosa Douramanis has called Hobart home almost her entire life. Growing up and commencing her studies in Sydney, Rosa arrived at the island state and set down permanent roots. Now, having practiced architecture for over 25 years, Rosa is a veteran in the industry and prides herself on homing in on sense of place, carefully articulating each project to a site’s favourable attributes or demanding restraints.
Showcased on a global stage, Tasmanian CLT proves it is the product of the future
May 3, 2021
Bringing innovation to the world, the Expo 2020 Dubai provides an opportunity to showcase ideas whilst connecting and collaborating with other nations across government, business, culture, research and education. Taking place from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, with 190 countries represented in a single location, Expo will generate ideas to address the needs of a fast-changing world and connect Australia to new global opportunities.
Going green with stone and wood: Limestone House by John Wardle Architects
April 26, 2021
John Wardle Architects’ Limestone House is a home unlike any other in Australia. Staying within the confines of two environmental agendas, the Living Building Challenge and Passivhaus, the contemporary home is brimming with robust natural materials and designed to ensure the house will generate more energy than it will consume, making it one of the greenest houses in Australia. Specified for its beauty, locality and certification, Reclaimed Tasmanian Oak was used inside in beautiful contrast to the home’s namesake limestone material in this stunning Toorak home.
Fitzpatrick + Partners Studio
April 13, 2021
"We're very much known for the big picture right down to the detail, and I think designing into a new place where we're going to live, it was very important that the studio express what we are, where we're going and what we do. We are on a pathway towards becoming carbon neutral, and so the selection of the materials was really important to us. Both for the physicality of the material, what it offers in terms of that carbon neutrality and the journey, but also what it says to our clients. Tasmanian timber offers such a wide range of products for many, many different uses, so tends to be our go-to to start with, but also we get great support from the local industry. We can actually talk to the owners, the designers, the craftsmen of the products, and say, what about? how can we do this? what's your opinion? It's always that openness to explore, and if they don't know, there's always someone down there on the end of the line that can give us those answers. The entry wall and the ceiling are all solid Tas Oak profiles, so it's very much built like a stud wall with bearers and bracing, but we just closed up the centres and then got a bit smart, so we did all the engineering and cutting of the works with the CNC machines and all the fixings come from the back, so it's a very fine combination of a great product and some smart engineering. We worked with Simon Ancher. Simon's a Launceston-based furniture designer. Fantastic portfolio work, easy person to work with, can-do attitude. We've got some lovely pieces in all our work stools scattered around the studio, some meeting room furniture with leather cushions, and then all our breakout spaces as well, done by Simon. One of the key decisions was the floor and being an architectural studio, there are endless choices of materials. It's a Tas Oak floor, but it's laid on a plywood backing. It's an efficient use of timber, we weren't wasting a valuable resource. Fantastic for an office environment in that it gave us a great speed of delivery, so the planks arrived, they were laid, they're pre-finished, we didn't have to worry about sanding floors and that made it possible to put it into a work environment on a very large area, where it's over 700 square metres of the flooring here, in an efficient time. The light colours that the Tassie Oak offers allow reflected light back up onto the ceiling and back indirectly into the workspace, and then into the evenings, the warmer tones are picked up in the Tassie Oak and it really enhances that comfort, warmth. People actually now come in and visit and say, wow, look at that timber floor. Yeah, right. Why did we always start putting carpet into working environments? It seems a crazy thing to do." James Fitzpatrick (Principal), Fitzpatrick + Partners (Sydney)
Tasmanian Oak delivers the wow factor in fitzpatrick+partners new Sydney CBD office
April 13, 2021
Playing a role in the development of a city’s skyline is no easy task. But with decades of experience, knowledge and expertise, that’s just what the bustling office of Sydney based architecture firm Fitzpatrick + Partners have been doing. From high rise office buildings to ingenious health infrastructure to bespoke residential projects, Director James Fitzpatrick has played a crucial part in designing the look and feel of Australia’s biggest cities.
New early detection bushfire technology decreases response times and increases safety
April 13, 2021
A new camera-based fire detection system called Firehawk, is being trialled in Tasmania by locally based business SFM on Lenah Estate (formally Norske Skog) located in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley. Firehawk provides fire detection imagery for a time efficient aerial-based response to threatening bush fires.
The Tasmanian women making waves in the built environment: Kyra Wood, Postdoctoral fellow, University of Tasmania, Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood
March 7, 2021
Following the completion of her studies in Architecture at the University of Adelaide, Kyra Wood practiced architecture for several years, before continuing her education as a researcher looking at the cultural aspects of architecture and design in countries like Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Fast forward to today, Kyra is a postdoctoral fellow studying timber as a building material at the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Sustainable Architecture with Wood. With a fascination for discovering how materials impact the built environment, Kyra says there’s no time like the present to learn new things. And so she does. Taking her fascination for timber to the National Institute for Forest Products Innovation, which is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and State governments and the timber industry, Kyra has been working to uncover how characteristics of Tasmania’s timber could be improved, helping to reduce waste and increase value by creating a highly durable and sustainable building material. Endlessly passionate about her work, Kyra hopes that her research not only sparks the interest of the architecture industry’s leaders but also can create lasting change.
The Tasmanian women making waves in the built environment: Claire Ferri, Bury Kirkland Ferri
March 7, 2021
Hobart’s leading interior design studio Burk Kirkland Ferri, was established in 2017 after a partnership formed between Claire Ferri and the former Bury and Kirkland (est.2002) after having successfully consulted as an interior designer for the practice. The reigns now sit in Director and Principal Designer Claire Ferri’s lap after having taken sole ownership of the thriving studio in 2019. Claire has led charge on some of Hobart’s most iconic hospitality and residential interiors, including the award-winning Tailor Tasmania Pod house featured on Grand Designs Australia, Ettie’s, Fondru’s, The Whaler and most recently the Spring Bay Mill in Triabunna. Without prescribing to a specific design aesthetic, Claire’s designs are developed through exploring the inner workings of her client’s minds, often creating a masterpiece of work without the client having a clear awareness of, or words to express their personal tastes, but the result is precisely what they wanted - and more. Playing with textures, natural and local materials, Claire’s designs are intended to be deeply loved and made for longevity.
The Tasmanian women making waves in the built environment: Laura McCusker
March 7, 2021
With over two decades of furniture making under her belt, Laura McCusker has called Tasmania home for the majority of her furniture making career. Having set up shop in an old apple packing shed just north of Hobart’s CBD, Laura has been on the receiving end of numerous awards, making custom pieces that have been celebrated in Australia and beyond. Drawing inspiration from unusual forms, Laura’s furniture is often made from the ordinary, then painstakingly reformed into a timeless piece of art, built to withstand the happenings of a lifetime and beyond. We caught up with Laura to uncover her favourite projects, her proudest achievements and how the voices of females in the furniture making industry can be elevated to give everyone a fair go.
