The Sydney Forum for Architecture and Urban Design Inc is a not-for-profit association incorporated in the state of New South Wales, dedicated to exchanging ideas on placemaking - how to make cities better, more liveable places.
Although its prime focus is on Sydney, it also examines urban issues in other cities around the world. For more information, click here THE SCULPTOR WHO LEFT HIS MARK ON SYDNEY'S SANDSTONE
Despite the blistering heat of the last Saturday in November 2020, nearly a dozen SFAUDi members joined architectural historian Philip Drew for a detailed inspection of the work of Thomas Wran. From the facade of the GPO in Martin Place, to the royal coat of arms on the Chief Secretary's building in Macquarie Street, the work of this English sculptor is now a significant part of Sydney's built heritage. 
Romanesque window mouldings by Thomas Wran on the rear elevation of Sydney's Great Synagogue in Castlereagh Street.
ESCAPE FROM THE POST-COVID BLUES
Read how Jon Johannsen believes the civic realm and working from home will evolve on the far side of the Covid 19 pandemic: 
100 YEARS OF THE BAUHAUS - click here for Julius Bokor's look at the Bauhaus story and its legacy posted 23/04/20 ROBIN BOYD'S BAD DREAM IN A TIME OF CLIMATE CHANGE - click here for Philip Drew's view of the recent bush fires disaster. Posted 21/04/20 MASCOT & TEMPE HOUSE WALK, 07/03/2020
SFAUDi members during the visit to Mascot, Wolli Creek and Tempe House on Saturday, 07/03/20. The guides were David Wilson (far left) and Garry Stanley (far right).
SOUTH AMERICAN REFLECTIONS SFAUDi's tour of South America in 2018 found a multi-layered world of extraordinary richness and diversity, with an urban and architectural heritage that owes as much to Europe as it does to the New World. Whether this can be seen as a weakness or a strength, is a matter of opinion; but in this analysis, Julius Bokor reflects on the historical clues that can be found in the facades of the region's often ornate buildings, and considers why the stability and prosperity of the English-speaking democracies have been so elusive in this part of the world. Click here for a PDF version of Julius Bokor's article 
The Aubrey Hotel, Santiago, Chile
HUNGARY'S COMPLEX HISTORY
As Victor Orbán propels his country towards a more authoritarian future, Sydney architect Julius Bokor - who recently revisited the land of his birth - looks at the historical background to Hungary's current disturbing direction. - click here to download PDF SIRIUS ESCAPES DEMOLITION - TO BE REFURBISHED After a lengthy and hard-fought campaign by SFAUDi, the Save Our Sirius group and other organisations, (see earlier articles on this website), the Sirius apartment complex in The Rocks is to be retained and refurbished by its new owners, Sirius Developments Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of investment company JDH Capital. On 28/06/19, the NSW Housing Minister, Melinda Pavey, announced that the building had been sold for $150 million, and that the proceeds would go towards providing new public housing However, the refurbished Sirius will not include any public housing element, the building has not been listed on the NSW Heritage Register, and it’s not clear how extensive the alterations will be or whether the long term retention of the building has been fully assured. WOOLLOOMOOLOO WALK 18/05/2019
Architect Andrew Andersons, who designed the 1972 extension to the Art Gallery of NSW, explaining to SFAUDi members his concerns about the Sydney Modern project, during a visit to Woolloomooloo on Saturday May 18th, 2019. The tour also included a visit to the the Finger Wharf and the Housing Department residential area, the open space areas and community garden, and the Juanita Nielsen Community Centre on the corner of Nicholson and Dowling Streets. The tour concluded with lunch at the Old Fitzroy Hotel (below)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Proposed AIIA Study Tour to Mexico and Cuba, 2020
AIIA NSW is proposing a ten-day study tour to Mexico and Cuba towards the end of 2020, probably in October. Costs excluding air fares to and from Mexico, but including air travel from Mexico to Cuba, will be $3,645 twin share or $5,145 single. The tour will be led by Richard Broinowski, immediate past president of AIIA New South Wales, and Ambassador to Mexico and Cuba from 1994 to 1997. Richard has discussed the proposed ten-day tour with Anywhere Travel, and the proposed itinerary, subject to change, is as follows: Mexico Six days, seven nights. Accommodation at the Umbral, a new boutique hotel near the Zocalo in Mexico City, run by Hilton Talks with Mexican officials and the Australian Ambassador and staff in Mexico City Exploration of Mexico City, including the Zocalo, Cathedral, National Palace, Palacio de Bellas Artes (above), Chapultepec Park and the Museum of Anthropology, Frida Kahlo's house in Coyoacan, Plaza Hidalgo Full-day side trips to Teotihuacan, Taxco and Cuernavaca 
Havana
Five days, beginning in Havana, staying at the Oberostar Packard Hotel on the emblematic Paseo del Prado, next to Velasco Palace and the National Capitol Discussions with officials, foreign diplomats Comprehensive sight-seeing in Havana, including Old Havana walking tour Trip to Pinar del Rio province and rural town of Viñales Please send expressions of interest to Richard Broinowski rbroinow@bigpond.net.au Or nswexec@internationalaffairs.org.au if possible by 15 July 2019 to enable planning. 
SFAUDi RETURN VISIT TO NEWCASTLE EASTER 2019
posted 26/04/19 The new light rail service that’s helped to connect Newcastle’s CBD to the city’s waterfront is already attracting a higher than expected number of daily passengers, as we discovered on our Easter Saturday excursion.
Despite a few teething problems with the technology that recharges the trams’ batteries at each tram stop, the system is now running smoothly - to a generally positive response from residents and visitors alike. This follows significant local opposition when the project was first announced, although older Novocastrians tended to be more vocal in their criticism, while younger residents were generally in favour. Now the new light rail service is up and running, there appears to be a growing consensus that it's a major improvement to the city's infrastructure, will help to make Newcastle a more liveable place, and should be extended in the near future. As with our first excursion to the city exactly a year earlier on April 28, 2018, David Wilson, Principal Network Planner at Transport for NSW, who played a major role in planning Newcastle’s light rail project, was our guide. 
SFAUDi members and friends in the courtyard of Newcastle’s Lucky Hotel on Easter Saturday 2019. Left to right: Paul Rappoport, heritage architect; Patricia Gosling, architect; Liane Ringham, market researcher, CEO of Inside Story Pty Ltd; Paula Valsamis, architect; Virginia Cuppaidge, Newcastle-based artist; David Wilson, Principal Network Planner at Transport for New South Wales; Jenny Wilson (Jenny Towndrow) writer specialising in architecture, design and planning; Caroline Goh, originally from Singapore; partner John McCrum, engineer who designed the ticketing system for Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit system; Judith Rintoul, architect.
A Newcastle tram preparing to recharge at the Queens Wharf light rail stop, just across from the Three Bears Kitchen café and restaurant
THE CAT THAT WORSHIPPED JUPITER: HOW SCULPTURE BECAME THE VOICE OF ARCHITECTURE
by Philip Drew posted 07/04/19 read article 
DULWICH HILL: THE SURPRISING SUBURB WHERE GREENERY & NEW APARTMENTS MEET VICTORIAN ELEGANCE
posted 26/11/18
Dulwich Hill and Lewisham are not the most obvious Sydney suburbs for a SFAUDi architectural walk, but in fact these rapidly improving neighbourhoods contain a rich seam of architecture from the late nineteenth century onwards. Sections of The Boulevarde (someone added the extra “e”) have heritage protection, with grand Victorian mansions veiled in cast iron lace which would not be out of place in the Garden District of New Orleans, and two former flour mills - Waratah Mills and the Flour Mill at Summer Hill have been converted into upmarket apartments. From California bungalows on the Abergeldie Estate to the fine late Victorian facade of the Dulwich Hill School of Visual Arts and Design on Seaview Street, there is something for everyone, not to mention the well used Johnson Park with its heritage-listed sports stand - and all within easy walking distance of several stops on the new light rail extension. The Dulwich Hill light rail connection has also helped to stimulate the construction of new apartment buildings down the hill on Wardell Road: if the copious graffiti were cleaned up, and the ugly overhead power lines put underground, this could visually enhance the good integration between the light and heavy rail station groundworks and Jack Shanahan Park. 
Cast iron lace and Victorian stucco in the heritage section of The Boulevarde, Dulwich Hill/Lewisham
This free standing 19th century house shows clear signs of French influence
SFAUDi members after their walk on 24/11/18, outside The Larder - one of the many eateries and cafes that have opened on Marrickville Road, Dulwich Hill, in recent years
2018 SFAUDi SOUTH AMERICAN TOUR
Members of the 2018 SFAUDi tour of South America pictured on Cerro Santa Lucia (Santa Lucia Hill) in the centre of Santiago, Chile, on 18/10/18. The gateway (behind the group and below) was originally part of Fort Hidalgo, built in 1820. Details
THE IMPACT OF URBANISATION AND MASS TOURISM ON AUSTRALIA'S FRAGILE LANDSCAPES
Read Helen Armstrong's analysis of conflicting imperatives here: 
AN ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE ON SYDNEY'S TROUBLED LIGHT RAIL PROJECT
Paul McGillick argues that grievance is threatening to stifle what should be a celebration of urban transformation. Read article 
HOBART: BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
As the Tasmanian economy finally gets out of first gear, there are big changes happening in the Hobart CBD. Read Paul McGillick's article here: 
FROM SUBMARINES TO BARBECUES
posted 24/09/18 
SFAUDi members at HMAS Platypus on Saturday, 01/09/18, during a tour of the new waterside walk connecting North Sydney Ferry Wharf with Kesterton Park. The former submarine base is being gradually opened up for public use and enjoyment, and also includes a barbecue and picnic area, and a submarine themed children’s playground. Work is currently underway on creating new public areas and conserving some of the original buildings. A waterside café is also planned for the future. Simeon King, of Aspect Studios (which has been involved in the project) was the group’s guide (top image, pictured fourth from the left).
GREEN SQUARE WALK
The Infinity development under construction in July 2018 at Green Square, Sydney. Designed by Koichi Takada Architects, it will be one of the defining buildings of the new Green Square Town Centre, with an underground pedestrian connection to Green Square Station. Part of the glass entrance to the new library is on the right.
Posted 25/07/18
It’s Australia’s largest urban renewal project - the eight billion dollar Green Square scheme in Sydney - so it was a fitting location for our SFAUDI urban walk on Saturday July 14th 2018. Our members’ response to the transformation of this former industrial area into an attractive and sustainable urban environment was generally positive, in contrast to their concerns about the quality of the massive residential developments that have been built in Rhodes. The walk began at the new Joynton Avenue Creative Centre, formerly the Esme Cahill nurses quarters, which will provide artists’ studios, workshops and gallery spaces, and will also be available for community hire. The building’s transformation, which includes a dramatic canopy designed by Peter Stutchbury, extending from the arched windows of the original 1936 era facade, has drawn widespread praise, and won the Australian Institute of Architecture NSW Architecture Medallion. The walk continued to the unfinished Infinity building at Green Square Station, which will provide an innovative corner-piece to the new Green Square Town Centre - which is now finally underway after two decades of planning. Infinity has been designed by Koichi Takada Architects. The fluid form of the building, essentially two interconnected loops, is - according to Koichi Takada - designed to create a “seamless connection between the public and the private ......a haven for its residents but also an embracing and sculptural portal for the easy everyday flow into and out of its private, public, recreational and retail zones and its open, light-flooded heart”. Other developments nearing completion are the new library - designed by Stewart Hollenstein, and Mirvac’s 28 storey Ovo development, which in addition to being the tallest building in the new town centre, (a useful landmark for disorientated newcomers) will also include some affordable accommodation. The next destination on the walk was the East Village complex, whose shopping centre, with its distinctive “timber mushroom” columns, was also designed by Koichi Takada. The large numbers of people who already inhabit Green Square’s new apartments have already triggered the establishment of new cafés and restaurants, including Allpress Espresso on Epsom Road - where the SFAUDI grouped stopped for coffee, followed by lunch at Café Vité on Elizabeth Street, which has only be operating for twelve months. With 55,000 residents expected to occupy Green Square over the next twelve years, expect many more cafés, bars and restaurants to open their doors in the months and years ahead! 
SFAUDi members in front of the new canopy projecting from the Joynton Avenue Creative Centre. The transformation of the 1930s era nurses quarters was carried out by architect Peter Stutchbury
Contrasting old and new in Green Square
A FAST TRACK REVIVAL FOR NEWCASTLE'S CBD
posted 03/05/18 After numerous attempts over the years to revive Newcastle’s CBD, New South Wales’ second largest city is finally reaching a tipping point to become an attractive place to live and work. Already, population pressures, traffic congestion and lack of housing affordability have prompted large numbers of Sydneysiders to head north, to enjoy a more affordable and relaxed lifestyle - the way Sydney used to be. On Saturday, April 28th 2018, SFAUDI members - including David Wilson of Transport for NSW - made the trip themselves to see some of the projects that are transforming the heart of the city. Chief among these is the Newcastle Light Rail Line, currently under construction, which will run 2.7 kilometres from the new Newcastle Interchange at Wickham to Pacific Park in Newcastle East, replacing the heavy rail line which created both a physical and psychological barrier between the waterfront and the city centre. The light rail project is part of a $500 million program to revitalise the centre of the city and provide a catalyst for further urban renewal, as well as forming the basis for an extended light rail system in the future. 
SFAUDI members on Newcastle’s light rail construction site, with David Wilson of Transport for New South Wales, (fourth from the left.) In the background is the recently completed NeW Space - the University of Newcastle’s $95 million education precinct and city campus.
A view of the Newcastle light rail line currently under construction, looking east along the light rail corridor in Hunter Street.
The disused platforms of the old Newcastle Station, following removal of the heavy rail track. Various ideas have been suggested for the station’s future, including conversion into a space for cafés, eateries and an arts precinct.
The decommissioned Newcastle Signal Box (left) with barriers fencing off the new light rail construction site
SFAUDi TRIBUTE TO JØRN UTZON
SFAUDi members gathering at the Observatory Hill bandstand in Sydney to mark the centenary of the birth of Jørn Utzon, the Danish architect of the Sydney Opera House, who was born in Copenhagen on April 9th, 1918. (Posted 10.04.18)
THE RELEVANCE OF JOHN RUSKIN TODAY
Dr Anuradha Chatterjee gave a well-attended talk to SFAUDi members on April 12th 2018 on the impact John Ruskin has had on architecture throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Dr Chatterjee is an architectural historian and theorist based in Sydney, and her talk followed the publication of her book “John Ruskin and the Fabric of Architecture” published by Routledge. UPDATE: On 25/05/18 Dr Anuradha Chatterjee announced that she had been elected a Companion to the Guild of St George (set up by Ruskin in 1871, 1878) and was now one of two Australians who are Companions. She was compelled by the premise that the Guild's "purpose has never been to pursue antiquarian projects" and that it "aims to work in the spirit of Ruskin's Company, promoting Ruskin's values in the modern world." She said it will be interesting to see how she brings her postmodern/ post structuralist/ feminist thinking to bear further upon unravelling the potentialities of Ruskin's writings. SYDNEY MODERN EXPLAINED
Nicholas Wolff, Project Director of the planned expansion of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, explaining to SFAUDI members on March 28th 2018 how the new gallery buildings will step down from the land bridge over the Eastern Distributor to a currently underutilised lower level currently occupied by two disused oil tanks constructed during the Second World War.
One of the oil tanks will be retained and incorporated in the new Sydney Modern Project, which has been designed by Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryun Nishizawa of Tokyo-based SANAA, who also designed the New Museum in New York and the Rolex Learning Centre in Lausanne.
The Sydney Modern Project is intended to transform the Art Gallery of NSW into one of the world’s great art museums, enable it to host more major international art exhibitions, and create “a vibrant new cultural hub”.
THE DYNAMICS OF DORMANCY
Reviving and re-energising the Outer West town centres of the Sydney Basin - by Jonathan Drane posted 03.02.18 
A solution to dormancy? Greater Sydney will be a global metropolis of three productive, liveable and sustainable cities: Western Parkland City, Central River City and Easter Harbour City.
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