KTA

KTA ask that all staff and visitors to our office to adhere to the following six principles of COVIDSafe workplaces (link to Victorian Government site) and:

• Ensure physical distancing (1.5 metres)
• Wear a face mask (both while travelling to the office and within the office)
• Practise good hygiene
• Record your details at reception via QR Code and inform KTA immediately if you become unwell

We diverted direct lines to individual mobile phones, and our Studio Manager will be forwarding all messages, mail, and project materials. During this period please address general studio enquires to +61 3 8662 8800, and specific project enquiries to staff mobile phones.

We hope you remain safe and connected, thank you for your understanding.

Located in Albury NSW, its compact and modest, could work for many kinds of households, extremes of climate and urban, suburban or rural sites alike. A no frills approach to sustainable design.

And it’s built to last a very long time, as our buildings should.

Thank you to the jury for recognising these particular merits which we hope are relevant to homemakers throughout Australia.

To read complete jury citation click on link

The jury have shortlisted 76 projects in 14 categories from across Australia, and we are elated to have two projects nominated.

Jury Chair, Professor Lochhead “said that the jury was, ‘privileged to see the legacies of many exceptional, motivated clients across Australia – from those painstakingly restoring precious and modest heritage, to those, both private and public clients, commissioning enduring and uplifting settings for now and the future’.”

Thanks again to all our collaborators.

This year the awards ceremony will be held via live broadcast on 5th November, we look forward to streaming the event.

Link to complete shortlist list

We are encouraged that in bestowing the Victorian Architecture Medal on the town hall the jury has recognised something of a welcome shift we see in what and how we value in architecture; that the judicious re-use of existing buildings can have significant impact on the public realm and enrichment for community incommensurate with the scale of the resources used.

These times call for precise and strategic thinking; a resourceful architecture that deploys an economy of means yet is transformative; that finds an ease of fit between old forms and new uses; that prioritises strategy over material change; that combines and confounds opposites – strength with gentleness; subtley with drama; creation with repair; the edit with addition.

An architecture that is humane.

Right now as we isolate in our individual homes the importance of shared spaces in which we can collectively gather and exchange is so evident. Yet unambiguously ‘public’ space is under threat and we as architects must advocate for and defend it. We are its guardians and protectors.

The crucial role of an enlightened and committed client, in this case Hume City Council, cannot be underestimated. On this project Hume has lead the way with its people – councillors, executives, project managers, citizens. We hope that the promise implied by this AIA recognition is delivered to the community, that the Town Hall serves its longstanding purpose to enrich the daily lives of its many different people and is reinforced as a place for new attachments, for new generations.

*Upon its completion in 1964 it was nicknamed the Pink Elephant by neighbouring municipalities appalled at the largesse and ambition of the newly built pink brick monolith by Forster and Walsh.

Better than a white one…

Thanks to all of our collaborators.

• Broadmeadows Town Hall: Heritage Architecture
• Broadmeadows Town Hall: Public Architecture
• George Street: Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing

We are delighted to be shortlisted and would like to acknowledge the efforts of our collaborative team, consultants and clients.
Image of Broadmeadows Town Hall by John Gollings

Link to read more

The AIA recently announced the 2020 NSW Architecture Awards shortlisted projects and East Street was selected in the category Residential Architecture – Houses (New). With seventeen other shortlisted projects in the category we are delighted to be amongst some really strong contenders. Thanks to our project team and Scott James Builder.

Link to ArchitectureAU article with complete nomination list

Image by Dan Preston

For KTA this means we will be shifting to virtual collaboration tools for all external meetings and workshops for the foreseeable future. For many years KTA has embraced flexible work practices, and this has allowed us to migrate smoothly to working remotely when necessary. We will be contacting clients and consultants directly over the coming days to confirm specific arrangements for all of our live projects. Feel free to contact us directly if you have queries on how we will be working with you in the coming weeks.

Our thoughts are with our extended community of clients and peers as we all find a way to stay connected in the face of a virus for which the best defence, social distancing, is anathema to the way we work, live and conceptualise our practice’s spatial thinking.

We look forward to working with the Borough of Queenscliffe Council and the local community on creating a new space which honours the many significant historical buildings of the Borough and fosters the spirit of the community. Construction is expected to commence in October 2020.