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The concept of sustainability is gaining prominence in architectural and design circles, but many of Australia’s buildings are still being built in ways that don’t account for our hot, sun-drenched climate. This year’s Australian Smart Skyscrapers Summit shows Australian architects are starting to pay attention, but as a whole the industry isn’t doing as well as it could. There are still too many residential and commercial buildings relying on energy-draining air conditioning to cool inhabitants. However, with a different approach to context and materials, our architecture could be more sustainable and better for people and for the environment.

Brisbane buildings aren’t optimised for the conditions

In November of last year, Associate Professor Rosemary Kennedy of Queensland University of Technology told the International Conference on Energy and Environment of Residential Buildings that many of Brisbane’s new apartment buildings failed to account for the area’s subtropical climate, and that this was a failure of their design.

“We need to see more use of fundamental architectural principles that are suitable for the city’s subtropical climate and lifestyle,” Professor Kennedy said. She recommended an architectural approach that “uses passive strategies and appropriate orientation with active participation of occupants to regulate the flow of heat and air, and control noise.”

Understanding a building’s location and conditions is crucial to designing it to be energy-efficient.

Flexibility is key

Others in the field have shared similar sentiments about Australia’s lack of location-sensitive design. Architect Simon Disler told ABC News that flexibility is an important part of sustainable architecture, and one that is largely missing from Australian residential buildings. He argued that a building will perform better in terms of energy use and user comfort if it is built with its location in mind.

“There’s not really any expertise, and much consideration of which way it should face regarding the sun, which is going to give you your sort of key performance,” he said.

This criticism echoes Professor Kennedy’s primary complaints about Brisbane’s apartments, which don’t address the direct sunlight the buildings face. She said that the style of design has too much glass and not enough natural ventilation for the conditions – both issues that could be solved with a combination of sensible planning and appropriate materials.

The idea of passive design

Caroline Pidcock is a Sydney-based architect who focuses on sustainability in her work. She argues that the principle of passive design – designing a building to work with its location, orientation and climate – is one of the most important concepts an architect can employ in their work.

“By working cleverly with that, you can create beautiful spaces with enormous amounts of natural comfort,” she told The Huffington Post Australia. “For me, that is a good aim – and it can be achieved for little to no cost.”

For Pidcock, sustainability comes from designing buildings specific to their situation, and in Australia, that so often comes down to deciding how to deal with the sun.

Locker Group products’ contribution to sustainable design

Locker Group has worked to develop a diverse range of architectural products that can be used to shade buildings from direct sunlight without reducing natural light or blocking the occupants’ view out from the interior. These include perforated and expanded metals, wire curtains and our Atmosphere facade system. All of these are available in a range of materials and finishes to suit any aesthetic style.

Here at Locker Group, we’re optimistic about the potential Australian architecture has to make the most of our climate, and we’re excited by the projects that are already taking advantage of sustainable design. We like to work closely with architects and designers to realise their ideas for efficient, sustainable buildings. If you’ve got a project you’d like to collaborate on with us, please get in touch and we can discuss the possibilities our products can offer.

China’s ban on what it describes as ‘bizarre’ architecture has been debated and criticised in architectural circles. China’s State Council has said it wants the country to focus on buildings that are economical, functional, and aesthetically pleasing – and anything that doesn’t fit this description will be banned. At Locker Group we think there is always room for play and exuberance in architecture, and we celebrate the creative projects our architectural products have been a part of here in Australia.

China’s ban on weird architecture

In February 2016 China’s State Council released urban planning guidelines that banned ‘bizarre’ and ‘odd-shaped’ buildings that do not reflect Chinese cultural heritage. Forbes calls the move “the latest roadblock to creative expression” in China, as it is now the government who decides what architecture can be defined as ‘aesthetically pleasing’.

In recent decades Chinese architecture has had a burst of unique, elaborate architectural projects that coincided with China’s economic boom, CNN reports. This has lead to the country being described as an ‘architect’s playground’. Notable projects include the coin-shaped Guangzhou Circle, and the CCTV headquarters in Beijing, which locals have nicknamed the ‘Big Pants’.

The State Council’s announcement signals a return to more traditional architectural values, albeit with an environmental focus.

Embracing the bizarre in our collaborative projects 

Although we are all in favour of architecture that is more environmentally friendly and economical, this does not necessarily have to come at the expense of imagination or creativity. Architecture can satisfy the criteria of function and practicality while still being visually dazzling. We believe this is proven by some of the recent Australian projects that Locker Group has been able to take part in recently.

Take KUD House in Melbourne, for example, which rethinks what small houses can be, or the John Curtin College of the Arts, which uses folded, perforated panels to create a fascinating origami effect. Then there’s Frew Park, an award-winning example of how a traditional brief like a playground design can be made into something quite unique.

Here at Locker Group we love how weird and unusual architecture can get. The imagination and scope designers bring to their projects challenges us to push our products and our techniques to new limits. If you’re working on something new and exciting please get in touch and we can discuss how Locker Group can help make your weird idea into a weird reality.

Architects consider many things when designing a building: location, environment, technology, aesthetic appeal, and most importantly the people who will use the new space. But not everyone will use a building the way the architect would like – criminals can take advantage of architectural features in unexpected ways. Luckily, Locker Group can offer some solutions.

The unintended beneficiaries of architecture

‘A Burglar’s Guide to the City’ is a new book by American architectural writer Geoff Manaugh that details the history of how burglary and building design interact. He argues that architectural decisions that are intended to benefit a building’s occupants can provide unforeseen opportunities for burglars and other criminals.

When designing a building for people to interact with, an architect will have in mind a particular way they expect people to use the space – they’ll walk through here, they’ll stay on top of here, and so on. But burglars and other criminals will look at the space and see its potential for different interactions – I could climb through there, or jump from here to there.

“A burglar comes along and says, ‘Look, I’m not going to follow the path that you, the architect, have laid out for me,'” Manaugh told Citylab.com.

Criminals will inevitably see their own paths through a space, and the trespassers who filmed themselves breaking into West Ham Stadium in London show that it’s not just thieves who revel in these unintended routes.

Burglars see architectural features as potential entry points to a building.

Locker Group’s answers to your security needs

You can’t know exactly how people will treat a space, for good or bad, until it’s built and occupied. But you can take steps to limit the opportunities for misuse, and protect your building from intrusions and theft. A good early step at the design stage is incorporating materials that make it hard to break in.

When worked into facades or fencing, Locker Group’s perforated and expanded metal can provide a physical barrier without blocking light. With the range of colour and texture options available, you can design a space that prevents unwanted intruders, yet still feels inviting to your desired audience.

For a more intense level of security, our expanded security mesh offers a cost-effective anti-climb solution. Its development was a collaborative effort between Locker Group and the New South Wales Department of Corrective Services, with a prison level of security in mind.

Expanded security mesh is available in steel or aluminium and can be galvanised, giving you options to suit the aesthetic and practical needs of your design.

Preventing crime though environmental decisions

In the paper ‘Designing Out Crime: Crime prevention through environmental design’, Susan Geason and Paul R. Wilson of the Australian Institute of Criminology discuss the idea that environmental factors can prevent crime not only by making it physically impractical (building a wall that cannot be climbed, say) but by making it psychologically unappealing. Ways to do this include making spaces well lit, or feel like they are under surveillance to dissuade potential criminals from the idea of committing a crime.

Manaugh agrees that design decisions can help with security, telling Citylab that the choices you make about landscaping or layout can help eliminate the blind spots that provide criminals with the opportunities to break in, for example.

Making buildings secure is partly a case of making smart, aware design decisions. It is also about making the most of materials that offer added protection to the structure. Locker Group products can be incorporated into many aspects of an architectural design, to provide not only comfort and delight to the desired occupants of the building, but obstruction and disincentive to undesired intruders. To find out more about how our architectural products could help your next design project, please get in touch today.

A major initiative is underway to improve urban planning development in Greater Sydney. The project is called the “Greater Sydney Project” and has recently released its 40-year vision for how they imagine transforming the city for the better, which includes more art initiatives. Discover how improved architecture is one part of many in this plan and how Locker Group can be of help in urban planning and creating artistic public spaces.

The Greater Sydney vision

The Greater Sydney Commission has released its 40-year vision for Greater Sydney and a 20-year draft open for public commentary, according to Architecture AU. Some of the Commission’s stated goals are to support arts and cultural initiatives, green spaces as well as major infrastructure investment at large. In addition, they want to improve architecture by increasing housing and streamlining processes.

Sydney has a history of prioritising public art as part of its urban planning.

The unifying goals are to create a productive, liveable and sustainable city for all, the Greater Sydney Commission website stated.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the major driving force is the huge amount of immigration that the city has experienced in the last decade and the population growth to come.

The value and production of public art 

What distinguishes great urban planning from good urban planning is that it is creative rather than just efficient, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.  Though the Greater Sydney Project hasn’t explicitly stated any plans for public art, producing it could help them achieve their goal to establish more cultural and art initiatives.

The Australian Institute of Architects explains their public art policy and why they think it is important. They believe that it is important for cities and communities to have art in public spaces. This is because it not only transforms the urban landscape, but can also create a sense of cultural and historical awareness; it is a means of engaging with the community. For this reason, public art is increasing in popularity in Australia and the world over.

What is required to have a successful public art project? The Australian Institute of Architects states that collaboration is needed with everyone involved, including the designers, the architects, the project manager and the community.

Locker Group’s experience with public art projects 

One project that exemplifies Locker Group’s success with public arts projects is its part in creating the iconic Float sculpture of 12 upturned umbrellas in Sydney. We made it in conjunction with Stone & Milnehouse.

Locker Group designed the materials to make the large sculptured umbrellas look soft and billowing with two Transit stainless steel mesh pieces. Locker Group also shaped the pieces to fit the upside down umbrella skin. Our experts have the ability to mould metal into many different forms and create unique shapes so that we can realise an artistic vision to the best of our ability.

The artist of the Float piece had a specific environmental message that they wanted to communicate to the community, which was the need to have a greater awareness of climate change. Stone & Milnehouse explain that the upturned umbrellas represent the ability to collect water rather than just being a means to shield oneself from the sun and rain. It is a reminder of our need to conserve. Locker Group was in continual conversation with the artist in order to understand the message that they wanted to convey. Located in a busy intersection, Float now provides the Ponds community with a beautiful and moving piece of art.

Contact Locker Group today to find out more about how we can help you with our wide range of architectural products that can be used for public art pieces.

Locker Group’s products can be used to improve a building’s aesthetic appeal, but we also play an important role in improving the experience of a building’s inhabitants. Nowhere is this more clear, or more important, than in medical facilities. Here’s how our architectural products can be used to contribute to patient wellbeing, and an example of a recent success story.

Safety issues within hospitals

While patients are in hospital to get better, the sad reality of the situation is that their unwell state means they are at an increased risk of harm. Opportunistic secondary infections prey on people with compromised immune systems, and The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that approximately one in 25 patients in hospital will have a healthcare-associated infection.

A significant physical harm that can come to hospital patients or others receiving medical treatment is that of injuries caused by slips and falls. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare (ACSQHC) says that one of the largest causes of harm to patients in care is falls. This is due to the increased frailty and mobility issues that often come with periods of illness, combined with an unfamiliar setting. There are various ways to address the issue, involving organisational and physical solutions.

Handrails give patients who are unsteady on their feet an added degree of stability as they walk between hospital departments or to and from the building. Locker Group handrails are low maintenance and easy to install, and can provide hospitals or other medical facilities with improved safety, particularly for entrances and stairwells.

Shade provides comfort

Minimising the risk of injury, although critical, is not the only way that Locker Group can help to improve patients’ experiences. Comfort is an important part of recuperation, and in a country as intensely awash in sunlight as Australia, adequate shade and control of natural light is an important part of ensuring relief for a building’s occupants. A 2014 presentation by Polish architects from the Silesian University of Technology says selecting the appropriate sun protection for hospital windows has an impact on patients’ psychological wellbeing and the comfort of their hospital stay.

Our Atmosphere facade system can be used to give hospital windows a shade that takes out the overbearing light and heat of daytime sun, without unnecessarily limiting natural light. It is suitable for a range of buildings that can include hospitals and other medical facilities.

An outdoor use of Atmosphere for a Sydney hospital

A recent healthcare construction project that has taken advantage of Locker Group’s metal facades is Sydney’s Royal North Shore Hospital, which used Atmosphere panels to screen the carpark of the facility. It had the additional benefit of not only providing shade but also acting as a pedestrian barrier for safety and security.

Locker Group was involved in the planning and design process from early on, working with the design team to provide a solution that achieved its aims with minimum cost and installation time. While the scale of the project meant that there were inevitable challenges to deal with, strong planning and attention to detail meant installation was completed in just 10 days, with an end result that was satisfying both to Locker Group and the hospital’s builders. Read more about the project here.

Patient wellbeing is a broad issue with many factors that need to be considered and addressed. Locker Group is proud that we are able to contribute to the quality of care that Australian medical facilities provide. To find out more about our products or how we could help you with your next construction project, please get in touch today.

With its focus on inhabitable spaces, architecture as a school understandably focuses on shape, texture and light. But colour is an aspect of design that has great potential to influence the mood of a space’s inhabitants. How can Locker Group help you incorporate colour into your architectural designs?

A video of teens breaking into the West Ham stadium in London recently went viral. This break-in has prompted West Ham to investigate its current security measures and see what can be done to prevent future incidents like this. Stadium architects could take a hint from Locker Group, who helped secure the premises of Perth Arena as well as contribute to its award-winning aesthetics.

Locker Group supplied the architectural products for Queensland’s award-winning Frew Park playground known for its imaginative urban jungle and sporty feel. The now iconic playground has won multiple awards, including the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ Award of Excellence, the IAI Queensland State Architecture Award and more.