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We are delighted to learn that Parramatta Aquatic Centre has won the Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design at the AIA National Awards.

Jury Citation:

With an overt public agenda – creating a local-council-operated aquatic and recreation centre for Parramatta – the urban generosity of this project transforms the reach of a public building. The design effortlessly integrates a large program of pools, a gym, a cafe, change rooms and multipurpose rooms hidden in plain sight with sensitive layering of built and landscaped form.

The seamless integration of landscape provides a protected sanctuary for pool users, while the partial burying of the centre gives a restored ecosystem back to the surrounding neighbourhood. Historic sightlines are maintained towards Parramatta River, instilling a renewed sense of place in a previously forgotten site and maintaining the importance of the river to the city.

Protection is key to the success of this building. The pools are carved into the edges of the interior, ensuring climatically appropriate spaces for play and learning. The building’s oculus, open to the sky and housing the main outdoor pool, becomes a central gathering point for the community, shielded from the surrounding urbanity of roads and railway tracks. The integration of a rain garden fosters its own microclimate to dampen the heat of Western Sydney.

Parramatta Aquatic Centre raises the agenda of a local government facility, exemplifying the transformative qualities of public spaces for not only their immediate users but the wider community and the urban form. The resulting landscape becomes a beacon for the adjacent city towers while framing these same contextual sightlines for swimmers sheltered within the building below. The simplicity of the form is multifaceted, seemingly solving planning and program constraints with climatic and culturally sensitive responses in a single move. The materiality rejects the established norms for a public pool, creating a robustness and longevity that celebrate Country and provide a distinctive contribution to the urban fabric.

We are excited to share that Parramatta Aquatic Centre has won an Award for Public Architecture at the AIA National Awards.

Jury Citation:

Parramatta Aquatic Centre is situated on Mays Hill, directly across the rail line from the UNESCO World Heritage site of Parramatta Park and Old Government House. The site has a 60,000-year history of occupation by the Burramattagal people, a clan of the Dharug.

The project is a consummate example of a public facility that moves beyond the brief to transform space at the edge of a transit corridor into a newly realised, publicly accessible locale. Acknowledging both Burramatagal heritage and the colonial history of the area, the project strategy assimilated Mays Hill as a traditional outlook point. The deft insertion of the facility within the landform is an act of respect and preservation and exhibits considerable expertise in accommodating a 15,000-square-metre footprint.

Conceived as a community landscape, the pool sits as a sunken court, allowing the public to meander around Mays Hill and view the Parramatta vista. The circle becomes both focal ring and core around which subsidiary facilities are incised, allowing a clear and logical program, with natural light filtering through generous roof lights. The drawing-in of park flora is a counterpoint to what might be traditionally experienced within a public pool setting; water-sensitive design is a strong consideration, including the re-establishment of endemic tree species over the parkland. The inclusion of aligned facilities and a cafe promotes a social community atmosphere within the whole.

Parramatta Aquatic Centre is a masterful outcome for public design that ensures the conservation of a key landscape asset for the city of Parramatta.

Andrew joined Elizabeth Farrelly on ‘The Sydneyist’ radio show to talk about Parramatta Aquatic Centre and the civic, social and landscape opportunities of the project and the project winning the Sulman Medal.

If you missed TheSydneyist lastnight on Eastside Radio 89.7FM you can stream the episode by clicking on the ‘Read More+’ link below.

We were very excited that Parramatta Aquatic Centre was awarded an Urban Design Award 2024 NSW AIA Architecture Awards!. A huge thank you to everyone involved at ABA, Grimshaw, and McGregor Coxall.

Jury Citation:

The Parramatta Aquatic Centre (PAC) transcends the typical, transforming itself into an oasis both within and outside the centre.

It fosters a sense of discovery where pool users and passersby can connect and interact. Criss-crossing public pathways through, above, and into the centre expand the facility’s purpose from its core function to make the building itself an expansive public space.

The key challenge - accommodating 15,000sqm within a public park - is resolved through a singular insight: burying the building beneath gardens that together form a perfect circle. This innovative design prioritises camouflaging the building's physical footprint, embedding connections between the building and parkland.

The PAC breaks away from the sterile steel boxes often associated with aquatic centres, drawing inspiration from the surrounding landscape. Recycled construction waste form the retaining gabion walls, with concrete and native planting creating a sense of inevitability to the outcome. The park's flora is extended into the heart of the centre, reinforcing its connection to nature.

Adding another layer of significance, the PAC incorporates a tapestry of First Nations interpretive elements. This project is an exemplar for local governments seeking the greatest value for their projects, prioritising community, sustainability, and cultural connection.

We were thrilled to win the Sulman Medal for the Parramatta Aquatic Centre on Friday night! A huge thank you to everyone involved at ABA, Grimshaw, and McGregor Coxall. At ABA, Chris Mullaney had a big hand in both our GPARC and PAC competitions. Eric Ye played a crucial role in exploring the circular design concept, continuing through the DA and documentation phases. Charles Choi and Lucas McMillan were key members on the competition. Eva Ponsati led the project at ABA through detailed design and documentation, with assistance on interiors from Cameron Deynzer.

Our collaboration with Grimshaw was seamless, on the back of 35 years of friendship and architectural conversations between Andrew and Andrew Cortese. Thank you to Andrew C for opening the Grimshaw Sydney office to our team, and for your feedback, advocacy and support. Thanks also to Michael Janeke and Mark Gilder, and to Amalia Mayor and Marlena Prost for helping frame the competition entry. A big thanks to Josh Henderson as the project lead at Grimshaw, Elena Lucio for being such a force in design development, documentation, and on site, and Kathryn Chang for her façade and interior documentation.

Working with McGregor Coxall was a pleasure from start to finish, collaborating with Phil Coxall, Xavi Font Sala, Matt Ritson, Kemi Amede, Alexandra Duff and Tangent Le to develop an Aquatic Centre that placed landscape as the focal point of the site strategy.

Thanks to Parramatta Council, including Sue Raven for her aquatic feedback, David Moutou and Ben Chaplin for client-side guidance, and Boz Lukin and David Hands for project delivery. Also to Warren Green for his input on the brief development as a consultant to Parramatta Council. A big thank you to Kim Crestani for her drive to make the project a success as part of the Design Excellence competition jury.

The team at Lipman, led by Darren Chignell, did a fantastic job on site, maintaining quality amid rain and post-COVID supply challenges.

Finally, a big thank you to Min Dark and the ABA team at Surry Hills for keeping the office running smoothly while I spent much time at Grimshaw and on-site.

Jury Citation:

The Parramatta Aquatic Centre, a collaboration between Parramatta City Council, McGregor Coxall Landscape Architects, Grimshaw and ABA, is an example of a different way of conceptualising aquatic centres.

The masterplan is clever in its simplicity. The siting of the pool responds to the park’s topography and context and is located to maximise retention of existing trees. The circular design is cut into the park, maximising public views in, out and over the facility. This makes the experience of visiting the pool more about the landscape experience than the built form, appropriate given the location within World Heritage Listed Parramatta Park. The facility is functional and rational in its internal planning, with materials chosen for strength and durability. Natural light filters through to the internal programmed spaces.

This project is an incredible addition to ‘Public Sydney’ and demonstrates the importance and value of strong urban design and landscape input to drive the best public outcomes.

We have new email addresses! ABA have recently updated our email domain to ‘___@aba.sydney’, matching the domain of our new website launched late last year.

Any email to our old domain ‘___@aba-architects.com.au’ will be automatically forwarded to our new addresses.

Please update your address book if you have not already.

We are thrilled to have received the Best Kitchen Award on Dwell Award 2020.

The project has been a beautiful collaboration with our clients Will & Julia Dangar, Interior design consultants Karen McCartney & David Harrison, and with Robert Plumb Build.

Photography by Prue Ruscoe.

Recent photography of Gunyama Park Aquatic Recreation Centre captured by Brett Boardman.

Construction is complete and the facility will open in February 2021.

Construction continues on our Gunyama Park Aquatic Recreation Centre. In a recent drone photography by Brett Boardman. The centre is due for completion in 2020.

ABA’s Bismarck House is on Better Homes and Garden at 7+ channel.

Link to the video can be found here

After three months working remotely, ABA returned to the Surry hills office this week. To give us a reason to come back, and to give the spirit of the architects bookshop a new home, Andrew took the chance to repurpose the bookshelf here, just around the corner in Marlborough Street.

ABA’s Bismarck House is featured in the June 2020 edition of Elle Decoration UK Magazine. A preview of the article can be found HERE

ABA’s Brick House is featured in the book Design Lives Here, edited by Penny Craswell, published by Thames and Hudson.

Andrew Burges will be talking on formative years in his architectural education, reflecting on the influence of the teaching of Swetik Korzeniewski as part of the Antecedence Series at the Institute of Architects on 10.11 in Sydney and the 17.11 in Melbourne. See the link for the talk here

Andrew is in Europe on an architectural study trip, visiting and learning from inventive timber buildings and structures. The trip forms part of the Intergrain Timber Vision Travel Bursary Award, which ABA won last year for our East Sydney Early Learning Centre project.

ABA’s Brick House has been shortlisted for the 2017 IDEA Awards in the Residential Single category. Winners will be announced at the annual IDEA Gala Party in November this year. A full list of shortlisted entries can be found here.

ABA’s Brick House has received a commendation in the popular ‘New House over 200sq.m category’ at the 2017 Houses awards at the National Gallery of Victoria on Friday night. A link to the commended projects can be found here. A link to the winning projects can be found here

Andrew presented alongside other esteemed architects at the AIA Tuesdays at Tusculum Talk, Designing where we work, love and play. The talk invited select award winners from the NSW Chapter Awards to present their projects through the lens of work, love and play.

ABA’s East Sydney Early Learning Centre was awarded this year’s Travel Bursary Award in the Intergrain Timber Vision Awards. The project also received a commendation in the Commercial Exterior Award category. A full list of award winners can be found here. The jury’s citation can also be read here.

We were thrilled to receive a residential architecture award for our Brick House at the Australian Institute of Architecture Awards on July 1st. Thanks to our client and builder Shane Green Building for their collaboration on the project. Congratulations to all the award winners. A list of awarded projects can be found here.

We were very happy to receive an AIA award for Educational Architecture, and a commendation for Interior Architecture, for our East Sydney Early Learning Centre. Thanks to City of Sydney for their leadership in engaging us to provide a best practice childcare design, and congratulations to the contractor Belmadar for their efforts on such a challenging site. A list of awarded projects can be found here.

ABA’s East Sydney Early Learning Centre was featured on Channel Ten’s ‘Australia by Design: Architecture’ program. The program hosted by Tim Horton (Registrar for the NSW Architects Registration Board) showcases the human story behind some of the most innovative and creative designers & builders in Australia. It highlights their award winning ideas, achievements and projects. To find out more about the program and to watch the episode, click here

Andrew Burges will be reflecting on his consultation with the City of Sydney Inclusions (Disability) Panel through the design of the GPARC Aquatic Centre as part of a Preconference Workshop for the 2016 Universal Design Conference. The workshop, entitled ‘Best Practice in Public Facility Design’, will review the success of the COS Inclusions Panel in developing a more human centred approach to Universal Design. See the conference link to the workshop here

ABA’s Gunyama Park Aquatic and Recreation Centre is featured in Australia’s Exhibition at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale. Curated by Michelle Tabet with Aileen Sage directors Isabelle Toland and Amelia Holliday, The Pool is a fantastic exploration of the role of the swimming pool in the collective experience and construction of Australian cultural identity. See the New York Times review of the exhibition here

The interviews with prominent Australians discussing the different themes or ‘lanes’ of cultural identity can be heard here (http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/pocketdocs/features/the-pool/).

The link to The Pool exhibition book can be found here (http://www.manic.com.au/Pool-The-Architecture-Culture-and-Identity-in-Australia.html).

Andrew’s review of the stunning 1972 Gissing House by Harry Seidler is published in Houses Magazine 91. The link to the article can be found here. (Photo Credit - Chris Colls)

Andrew kicked off the University of Queensland Architecture lecture series with a talk on ‘Geography Making’ featuring recent public, competition and residential projects at the . Andrew’s interview with the State Library prior to the lecture is in the link here

A video link of the lecture can be found here https://vimeo.com/121851732

ABA’s Skylight House has been selected as a finalist for the Think Brick Horbury Hunt award, celebrating innovation and craftsmanship in the use of brickwork. View the Skylight House and other selected entries here

ABA’s Skylight House wins the best alterations and additions over 200 sq.m award at the 2014 Houses awards. See the jury’s comments here

ABA has won an excellence in timber award at the 2013 Australian Timber Design Awards for its custom cladding design for the Pittwater House. Congratulations to all the design winners, who can be seen here

ABA won the 2012 Heritage award for its renovation and rooftop pavilion addition to a 1930’s modernist dwelling in Darling Point. A link to all the 2012 winners can be found here

The project can also be found in Issue 87 of Houses Magazine.

A detailed practice profile of ABA has been featured in Houses magazine 86. The article by Natalie Ward explores early influences and the evolution of the design approach of the practice. A link to the article can be found here.

ABA has been shortlisted for its Australia House competition entry. The competition, for a new artist in residence studio in the rural Japanese Niigata Prefecture as part of Echigo – Tsumari Art Triennale, had 154 entries from around the world. The jury of Tadao Ando, Tom Henigan and Fram Kitagawa awarded first prize to Andrew Burns Architects. See the press release here.

ABA’s Harbourside Villas and boathouse are featured in this month’s addition of Houses Magazine.

ABA has won the 2011 Woollahra Council Heritage Award for our renovation of an interwar functionalist residence at Darling Point. The renovation of the two storey existing building, including a new third level rooftop ‘pavilion’, worked closely with the original intent of the original Nesbitt design while creating an contemporary adaption of the projects guiding modernist principles.

ABA’s Stone House in Bondi has been featured in Kitchens + Bathrooms