Daryl Jackson, one of Australia’s most distinguished architects, died on Saturday after battling a long illness. The Victorian Chapter of the Institute of Architects said his work dominated architectural thought from the mid-60s onwards, and his studio, Jackson Architecture, continues in its work to this day.
His early work includes manifesting “sculptural” brutalist buildings, including the Harold Holt Swimming Pool in collaboration with Kevin Borland, Canberra School of Art, Methodist Ladies College Library and Princes Hill Secondary College. Later he took on the Melbourne Cricket Ground’s Northern Stand, Great Southern, the Royal Melbourne Hospital redevelopment and 120 Collins Street tower.
David Wagner, the AIA’s national president elect, said his guest lectures had “inspired many around him” and “influential over a generation of students” during his time, including on his son Tim and daughter Sara, who are both in the industry.
Jackson was awarded an AO in 1990.
CCS is a monumental fail, but still, the hands are stretched out for public funds
According to Rod Campbell, research director at The Australian Institute the carbon capture lobby, valued at $700 million, told its donors in 2024 that it had more money it could spend and to stop giving it more.
But hey this doesn’t mean it stops asking the government for more handouts.
At an event in Melbourne that calls itself “Australia’s premier carbon capture and storage event”, the gas industry, which “already gets most of its gas for free”, was dedicated to asking for more publicly subsidised infrastructure as well, Campbell said.
The event, whose name CO2CRC CCS, reads like a poorly designed code language, included among a bevy of speakers – seven from the company organising the event – Resources Minister Madeleine King.
But why bother? As is now widely known, the institute reminded its followers on Tuesday CCS (carbon capture and storage) has been “one of the biggest and most expensive failures in the history of climate policy in Australia”.
The project repeatedly missed deadlines, fallen monumentally short of targets and gobbled up billions of taxpayer dollars.
And this “epic failure” is unlikely to change anytime soon. Failure rate is at 100 per cent for a gas-fired power station and 98 per cent for a coal-fired power station. We’re shocked that a 2 per cent success rate is grounds for more public investment, but there you go.
If you can’t beat em, join em
Brookfield Properties has followed the trend to flexible workspace with the conversion of four of its floors at Perth’s Brookfield Place.
The facility One Two Five by Hub takes the move a step further with a strong “hospitality led” model in a premium dining environment.
The facility, St George’s Terrace, will include 825 desks across suites, private offices and dedicated desks.
It was designed by Hassell, which says the interiors reflect contemporary aesthetics while prioritising comfort, flexibility and connection.
Luxury features over the 2500 square metres space include an on site café, a five-star hospitality trained team providing concierge services, premium food and beverage options, curated members’ event program, wellness spaces such as breakout areas, parents and relaxation spaces, sports lounge with gaming facilities and live streaming of major sports events and end of trip facilities.
Danny Poljak, President of Brookfield Properties and co-head of Real Estate Australia, said the facilities will support both existing tenants and entice traditional small to medium enterprises as well as organisations looking to scale in response to project demands.
CSIRO launches new energy rating finder
In case you missed it, CSIRO has launched its energy rating finder to help consumers understand how well their thermal shells are performing. This includes walls, floors, roof, windows and insulation.
The database is informed by the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) assessments, and consumers just need to enter their address into the finder to be able to access their home’s rating, if available. However, not all homes are in the database; only homes built after 2016 and those undergoing major renovations are required to meet minimum standards under NatHERS.
CSIRO data scientist and platform developer Melissa James said the database will improve as the NatHERS assessment expands.
Meanwhile, if your home isn’t covered, the CSIRO tool RapidRate can help estimate your home’s efficiency based on basic information.
Architects Declare new appointments
The Australian Architects Declare has made several new appointments to its executive board. This includes appointing Ande Bunbury as chair, Kendall Claus as deputy chair, and Antony DiMase, who had been a director, has now been appointed secretary.
DiMase takes over from Steffen Welsch, who resigned from his role but will continue to be involved with the organisation.
Bunbury runs his own architectural firm, Ande Bunbury Architects, and had previously worked on sustainable buildings at Sustainability Victoria. Claus is currently a regenerative design advisor with Perkins & Will, as well as teaching sustainable architectural practice at the University of Sydney. Di Mase also runs his own architectural firm, DiMase Architects, as the practice director.