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.
The Tasmanian women making waves in the built environment: Lucy Given, LUC Design
March 7, 2021
Tucked away inside one of Hobart’s oldest buildings on bustling Macquarie Street, sits award-winning home retailer, LUC Design. A Tasmanian institution amongst the design savvy, owner Lucy Given’s 30 years in the design industry has informed the deliberate curation of wares from around the globe that LUC Design has to offer. Having lived in cities across the world herself, Lucy’s style is vibrant and thoughtful, only hand selecting pieces for her store that will resonate with their potential owner. With an essentialist approach, Lucy’s ethos is to buy once and buy well, for one’s own wellbeing and that of the planet.
The Tasmanian women making waves in the built environment: Kate Symons, Studio ilk
March 7, 2021
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. With a client focused approach, Symons has also taken on projects beyond the family home working on commercial and public facing projects. After the establishment of her own practice, Symons shares how she’s found her sweet spot in the industry and why the future of Tasmania’s architecture industry looks bright.
Webinar: Tasmanian Veneers
March 2, 2021
Tasmanian veneers have long been sought after for a variety of applications with some stunning examples of the capability of the product in beautiful furniture and custom doors and cabinetry. Veneer has traditionally been revered for its uniformity. The matchless repetition created by thinly slicing timber from one larger piece was sought after for cabinetry and linings, particularly in large commercial fit-outs.
From bay views to beer taps, JAWS Architects uses Tasmanian Oak to tell a local story
February 23, 2021
With a commitment to design excellence, the team at Jaws Architects have taken on a diverse range of projects around Tasmania and beyond in their 90 plus years of existence. Now, the team of twelve including Director Scott Verdouw, are highly respected for their professionalism, creative innovation and exceptional design. Discussing two of their latest projects, the Rosny Hill House and Cascade Brewery, Scott Verdouw walks us through the brief and shares why the use of Tasmanian Oak in both projects was a natural choice.
Tried, trusted and true, Tasmanian Oak is a natural fit for Hobart’s Studio ilk
February 15, 2021
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.
Neville Smith Forest Products to increase Southwood production and create new jobs
February 11, 2021
Neville Smith Forest Products is set to increase production at its Southwood mill near Huonville from 1st July 2021. The expansion will immediately create 30 new full-time jobs in the Huon Valley.
Rustic but refined, Tasmanian Timber brings a bushy luxury to these Queensland homes
February 9, 2021
Four years ago Architect Damian Goode founded his own firm, Hive Architecture, following a number of years at several well-known architecture firms in Brisbane. He now splits his time on projects between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. The sunny skies and laid-back attitude of Queensland’s coastline is a striking contrast from the wet and wild climate that favors the growth of some of Tasmania’s finest native timbers. Specified for use in several of Damian’s latest projects, Tasmanian timber added a touch rustic luxury to two Queensland homes.
Au naturale. Tasmanian Oak stuns in its organic form in these Melbourne homes
February 1, 2021
Health. Balance. Harmony. Melbourne architect and interior designer, Melanie Beynon has grounded her practice in these principles, creating designs that bring a positive effect on her client’s health and wellbeing. Practicing as an interior designer in the UK and Melbourne for 20 years and as an architect for 10 years, Melanie Beynon’s designs encapsulate a holistic approach, fixing on the finest of details to support the physical, psychological and spiritual needs of a building’s inhabitants. To help bring these principles to life on her latest projects, Tasmanian Oak was specified for its natural tones, texture and beauty.
From log to LOGR, new technology allows Tasmania’s harvested timber to be tracked in real-time
January 18, 2021
The evolution of forestry practices has greatly evolved over the last decade. From investing in research and technology to building sustainable communities, to harvesting reclaimed timber from the bottom of a remote lake, to studying the density of plantation grown timber for potential new uses, innovation has exploded across Tasmania’s forestry sector. The state’s forestry suppliers and companies are employing the most innovative systems and processes to ensure efficiency from tip to toe, all with the technology to prove it.
