Projects

The Iconic Arrival creates a new place for Chadstone Shopping Centre, transforming a tucked away leftover space into both an experience and an environment. The prosaic function of a drop-off, a stair and an elevator are poetically and radically shifted into the creation of a portal – a true place. Awesomely tall and cathedral-like, the Iconic Arrival is a true experience, not simply a pathway. 
Whilst its initial purpose is linking people to The Social Quarter and providing a new and central address for collection and drop off to Chadstone, The Iconic Arrival acts less like a stair, and more like a gateway – a transformational journey that shifts people – it is a portal to another experience and moment, and a shift in mindset, mood, and energy.
At the same time as building a gateway and portal, we have also created a place to meet, a place of captured moments and entertainment – a destination, not simply a journey. Ultimately, the Iconic Arrival creates a place of transition and repose and an opportunity for connection between people.

Traditional Custodians of the Land

Location

Status

Client

Architect

Base Building Architecture

Landscape Architect

Lighting Design

Artist

Facade Engineering

DDA Consultant

Structural Engineering

Signage Consultant

Fire Engineering

Traffic + Civil Engineering

Hydraulic Engineering

Visualisation

Photography

1342_the-terrace-1-web

1342_The-Terrace-1-WEB

(Height + Volume)
The ‘building’ is a welcoming, open, and expansive gesture of light, of shelter and rhythmic elements designed to transcend the simple act of ascension. We have sought to create a volumetric, safe, equitable and luxurious journey up to and down from The Social Quarter, that leads visitors into a fresh headspace, and returns them to the world afresh upon departure. 
(Ground Plane)
The ground level landscape of the drop-off has wrought sensible an incredibly complex set of transitions and grades, where we now enable vehicles to draw seamlessly into a generous driveway. Smooth transitions of pavement and kerb enable equitable and elegant access to vehicles, carparks, elevators and TSQ above.
(Meeting Place)
As a meeting place, the Iconic Arrival carves a clear and singular presence, nestled deep within the DNA of the built form landscape of Chadstone’s architecture. A mirrored ceiling reflects the already tall space – doubling the spatial experience and drawing the visitors eye to a fresh perspective of the world and themselves. Acting as the bookend and human-scaled engagement to Matthew Johnson’s stunning artwork on the carpark facade, the Iconic Arrival’s polyrhythms of light and shade, tease out the vivid nature of the experiences promised above, both day and night.
(Access)
The Iconic Arrival is a poetic rethink of access. It is a portal and gateway to an energised social engagement. In the grand tradition of public stairs, we look forward to the first wedding parties being photographed on this magical stairway leading to Chadstone’s exciting new offering.

1342_the-terrace-3-web

1342_The-Terrace-3-WEB

1342_the-terrace-7-web

1342_The-Terrace-7-WEB

1323_chelsea-rebuild-13-web

1323_Chelsea-Rebuild-13-WEB

The Waratah Studio &#8211; Chelsea Australia Garden Olinda

The Iconic Arrival

Melbourne Design Awards 2023 Environmental Design - Gold

Ten years on from the inception of the Best in Show RHS Chelsea Australia Garden (by Phillip Johnson, Wes Fleming and the Trailfinders team), Decibel Architecture has revisited and reinterpreted the dialogue between architecture and landscape. Working (once again) with the talented teams at Phillip Johnson Landscapes and Lump Sculpture Studio, the original <a href="https://db-a.co/projects/the-waratah-studio/">Waratah Studio</a> has been reimagined in a permanent, Corten laser cut reality, enabling a filigree permanent installation of the original timber studio. Built within the stunning creation of the Australian landscape design by Phillip Johnson and his team, the new sculpture is an anchor to a brilliant and engaging garden that both recreates the original Chelsea installation, and profoundly enhances the natural Olinda environment with a stunning display of Australian endemic species and waterways.
At 20 times the scale of the first iteration, the cleverly designed landscape creates a meandering journey down and through the reclaimed golf course at Olinda, revealing at key moments – the Waratah sculpture as the centre piece of this exquisite public garden. Sitting amongst a dazzling array of Australian flora, the Chelsea Australia Garden is reborn in perpetuity.

Fabrication

(Corten Steel)
Differing from the original sculpture, the studio’s petals are made from laser cut 3mm Corten© steel, allowing for a more lightweight, permanent, and elegant geometry. The delicate petals create dappled light and shadow, disappearing at certain points in the interior when viewed from certain angles. The material was chosen for its ability to patina into warm, rust-orange tones, complementing the surrounding native garden, and revealing the natural weathering of the site conditions.
(Structure)
The steel petals are supported on four inclined CHS tube legs which gently twist up from the ground to intersect with the internal frame. To fabricate the complex form, a jig was erected in the factory warehouse, allowing the form and structural connections of the steel members to be tested before being installed on site.
Each column in connected via horizonal arms that join using a bespoke splice connection, which provides necessary moment connections and rigidity for the structure. The assembly and transport conditions meant the supporting structure required on-site assembly, demanding deeply accurate fabrication to ensure the maximum load-bearing efficiency.
(Prefabrication)
Decibel once again looked to prefabrication technology to construct the Studio, choosing to laser cut the steel petals in varying shapes and intricate cut-out forms. As well as allowing for quick construction of this complex design, the process of laser cutting the geometry also reduced the margin of error and resulted in the most efficient material usage, thereby minimising waste. We designed repetition and modularity into the assembled cube faces, enabling them to be shipped to site in six preformed elements, and assembled on a bespoke Corten© cube that defines the carved-out interior of the original pavilion.
The petal faces were combined into a 5-faced cube on site, and then delicately lifted onto the ‘table’ of the supporting leg structures. Final assembly of the lower face of petals was then undertaken, locking the whole piece in place. Standing just under 9m tall, the sculpture is an extraordinary object playing with light and shade and connecting us both to the beauty and geometry of nature, and back to the award-winning garden that took the world by storm in 2013.

1323_chelsea-rebuild-1-web

1323_Chelsea-Rebuild-1-WEB

1268_cv-windsor-14-web

1268_CV-Windsor-14-WEB

CV Windsor

CV Windsor is an exciting project that has radically transformed the way people live and work in Melbourne. As briefed by the client, the development was designed as a creative hub and incubator of modern professionals giving them opportunity to live and work from home.
The cross pollination of ideas is expressed as shared residential lounges, libraries, meeting rooms and garden areas spread across the project. CV Windsor&#8217;s effortless luxury and elegant design, perfectly position it as one of Melbourne’s most vibrant locales.

Architect + Interior Design

Urban Planning + Landscape Design

(Design Response)
CV Windsor was conceived to deliver a unique typology of living for the local area. The concept developed around the idea of a “townhouse in the sky”.
Within the project there are significant and generous communal spaces at the ground and roof levels – provided to establish and enable creative living interactions between residents and foster a sense of community.
At ground level are lounge areas, a spacious kitchen and dining areas. Located on Level 8 is a shared residential garden. This garden gives residents the opportunity to grow their own food, exercise, BBQ, or relax with friends.
(Environmental Sustainability)
Environmental sustainability featured as a high priority throughout this project. The dual aspects allows for the majority of apartments to have access to both northern and southern light as well as excellent cross-ventilation. Solar panels are used to collect energy for use in communal areas. Grey water and rainwater are harvested for reuse.
(The Developer)
The client aspired to provide an owner-occupy concept in this intensely competitive market, where dollar per square metre seems the only concern in strategic composition. Here they have succeeded not only in forming a building, but in the creation of a community.
(Rooftop Garden)
The rooftop garden allows the community to grow vertically into a shared space that promotes city views and shared experiences. Amenities include private dining spaces, communal cooking areas, a vegetable garden and stunning views.
Surrounded by lush gardens, this tree-top escape is now enjoyed by the residents year-round, and provides essential connection between dream, concept, and community.
(Art Facade)
The Punt Road facade was developed into an art piece by renowned Australian artist, <a href="https://www.magmagalleries.com/kim-westcott-cover/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kim Westcott</a>. Using her printmaking background to reimagine Australian landscapes and the flora and fauna they hold; Kim has created a facade that exudes experience and growth of a building connected to nature and community.
(Interior Design)
Creating a home in the bustling city suburb of Windsor required attention to detail and the affectual qualities and materials that define a space. CV Windsor&#8217;s interiors were designed not only with material quality in mind, but with careful spatial planning that created beautiful living environments, comfort, ownership and a sense of place.
Free flowing open-plan areas are complemented by secluded working and living zones to allow both joint experiences and individual comfort.
The development of working areas within the apartments delivered multiple modes of living that encourage the occupier to curate their individualised home experience.
(Creating A Community)
CV Windsor endeavours to connect people and improve the lives of the occupants that call 105 Punt Road home. By delivering apartments designed outside of the box, this multi-residential project makes a case to redefine the way modern high-density communities live.
Whether it is through sustainable design, healthy living environments, shared spaces for communities to connect or a unique place to call home, CV Windsor creates a place for people to live, work and play.

1268_cv-windsor-10-web-2

1268_CV-Windsor-10-WEB

1327_the-lume-10-web

1327_The-Lume-10-WEB

The LUME

Australia Design Awards 2023 Pop-Ups, Display, Exhibit & Set Design - Silver

Good Design Awards 2022 Architecture and Installation Design - Winner

Australian Interior Design Awards 2022 Installation Design - Commendation

The LUME Melbourne is Australia’s first permanent digital art gallery. A gallery in which the visitor is fully immersed in a multi-sensory experience. The LUME Australia has created highly curated content across a series of art-orientated themes for both the public and private functions. It is housed across two of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre&#8217;s (MCEC) massive halls and provides a series of educational, retail and operational spaces around the principal Main Gallery.
(Collaboration)
Our client, Grande Experiences came to dB(A) with a strong concept based on its years of creating and hosting travelling immersive shows. Decibel Architecture worked closely with the client’s technical team, a specialist consultant team and the building contractor to deliver the project in a highly coordinated way within a fast-tracked programme. Due to its contextual and operational requirements, the project was subject to a level of architectural and legislative challenges unusual for exhibition design projects. We were able to apply our architectural expertise, not only in design, but in delivery, stake-holder management, consultant team coordination and communication to successfully complete The LUME Melbourne.
(The Journey)
A matte black gateway projects dramatically into the MCEC’s entry concourse, disrupting its extruded continuity and clearly marking the gallery’s entry-point. The patrons’ journey begins as they pass through one of the three wall-papered tunnels into the intimately lit Introduction and Interpretation space. The visitor’s sense of space is disorientated and compressed as they pass through a light locking corridor before it is expanded when emerging into the vastness of the Main Gallery.
(Design and Experience)
The architectural environment is designed to allow every surface, including the floor, to become the canvas upon which the gallery’s animated content is projected. Large-scale objects in space subtly divide the space into experiential zones inviting different perspectives of the immersive programme. A long mezzanine with a frameless glazed balustrade provides an elevated advantage point down onto the gallery space.
(Delivery)
The fast-track delivery model employed for the project allowed the works to be delivered within the client’s programme. A first stage of documentation allowed the structural and acoustic work to commence on site whilst the architectural and building services scope were being documented and certified. Through careful programming, the Main Gallery space was able to be handed over to The LUME’s technical team to install and commission its audio-visual infrastructure, whilst the auxiliary spaces were built and fitted out.
The delivery of major built elements such as an 80m long, 11m high acoustic wall between The LUME’s tenancy and its neighbouring hall were possible due to the successful management of a large array of project stakeholders. Finally, the committed working relationship between client, architect and builder ensured clear lines of communication and understanding of responsibilities and led the exceptional built and experiential outcomes.

Structure, Services + Fire Engineering

Structure (Fitout)

Acoustics

Building Surveyor

Construction

1316_scg-zero-1a-1

1316_SCG-Zero-1A-1

SCGZero+

The SCGZero+ project is designed to be the first “5Zero” office building – Zero carbon, Zero energy, Zero water, Zero waste, and Zero formaldehyde that houses 400+ staff in Shanghai, China. The project seeks to build on dB(A)’s experience in designing <a href="https://db-a.co/projects/pixel-building/">Pixel</a>, to achieve a new global benchmark and highest scores in LEED, BREEAM, WELL, China3Star and China Healthy Building. The goal is to achieve the world’s most exemplary status in sustainability in order to help China and the world in our race to reach net zero as soon as possible. Invested and constructed by SCG, dB(A) and SCG LDI have gathered a team of the world’s best experts in international and local sustainable design to realise the project. Working from our globally distributed virtual offices throughout 2019 and 2020, the team has minimised CO2 in design, and sought to ensure the very best innovation and insight is applied in design thinking.

Architect + Landscape Design

Interior Design + Workplace Planning

Local Design Institute

ESD + MEP Consultant

(Site)
Located in Taopu Zhichuang City, Putuo District, Shanghai, the project site area is 3422 sqm, with a total construction area of 11509 sqm – 4548 sqm below ground and 6313 sqm above ground. The proposal applies green concepts and technologies throughout the entire life cycle of the building’s design, construction, operation, and maintenance. It implements the highest domestic green standards to minimise energy consumption and environmental pollution, whilst maximising comfort and enjoyment of its purpose.
(5Zero Office Building)
The vision for the SCGZero+ project is driven by ‘Life’. ‘Life’ is a complex, ordered, and symbiotic relationship between the infinite threads of our world, woven into a harmonious tapestry. A project that achieves the world’s most exemplary status in sustainability must be a project that lives, and weaves harmony into its ideation, operations and built form. It is a project that communicates and celebrates the cycles of the natural world and educates culturally about the connectedness of our bodies and business to the complex, subtle and powerful rhythms of nature. Our architecture is driven by this notion of being connected and interdependent, of linkage and exchange of energy, of ideas and of vision.
(Construction)
The project adopts prefabricated construction methodologies, application of modular high-performance green building systems, aimed to minimise the workload on site. This in turn, reduces the noise, exhaust, and wastewater discharge caused by on-site operations. 
In addition, the solid waste generated in the different stages of construction will be minimised, and where waste is created, it will be classified according to its source, composition, physical and chemical properties, etc. for upcycling, reuse, recycling, and reclamation where possible. The management of the whole process will be translated into educational and demonstrational technical case studies for improving the systematic procedures in green construction for the future.
(Facade)
<div class="half right two-cols large-text">
The façade is our key interface with the world, it is the key to operation and Passivhaus creation. It is airtight, triple glazed, prefabricated and extremely sophisticated. We have grown the understanding deployed in Pixel to improve the living edge, to maximise PV generation and improve daylighting. The façade of the project is its skin, and like our own skin, it is a complex interface, enabling natural ventilation, water harvesting, thermally broken structures and impressive connection to exterior views and daylight.
• Passive House 
• PV Façade 
• Natural Ventilation 
• Shading 
• Triple Glazing
(Daylight)
The skylights in the building – including the main atrium – introduce more natural light into the space, paying homage to the concept of healthy workplace architecture. Interior lighting will utilise daylight sensors and circadian lighting systems to continuously adjust the colour temperature of the light in time and context. This solves the problem of fatigue caused by traditional lighting environments, and in turn reduces energy consumption when compared with traditional lighting.
(Purpose)
The purpose of the SCGZero+ is aligned with Pixel’s role in the last Decade – to demonstrate and deliver on innovative, transferrable technologies that can lead the path to changing and improving the rules upon which sustainable buildings are built. Key to this is the understanding of an integrated network of ecological thinking- not just the reduction of energy and cost, but the integration of systems and symbiosis that nature has perfected over billions of years.
The built form grows like a landscape – a multi-terraced organism that welcomes light, people and ideas. Our architecture inspires exploration, that human drive to discover and reveal new thoughts. It expresses the hope of growth, a striving for life and light that drives all the scales of life, from the smallest corals to the largest reefs. It celebrates the eternal realities and wisdom of recycled energy and material, with a Zero+ philosophy making the building a producer of energy, of clean water and of brilliant new ideas. The project invites the most innovative and entrepreneurial of minds to reconsider business as usual, and to set the benchmark for a connected human culture to prosper alongside a thriving nature, and not in exchange for that.
(Legacy)
Zero+ represents a new way of building, of embedding technology and symbiosis in everyday thinking, and of celebrating Life in this new and challenging century.
</div>

1316_scg-zero-1a-3

1316_SCG-Zero-1A-3

1336_m1-tower-apartments-1-cropped-web

1336_M1-Tower-Apartments-1-cropped-WEB

Crescent Eco Tower

Showcasing the best of residential offerings from the Xuan Mai Eco Green precinct, the Crescent Eco Tower for Hyatt House achieves an iconic design at a premium location. The crescent-shape and stepped form of the tower allowing for stunning views from the terraced balconies toward the site’s premier communal garden and cultural hub and across to Ho Chi Minh City. The site sits adjacent to our <a href="https://db-a.co/projects/eco-green-tower-hyatt-regency/">Eco Green Tower</a> project for Hyatt.

Lead Consultant + Architect

Local Architect

Engineering

Fire Life Services

(Facade)
The sophisticated facade is designed to provide articulation and emphasize the transitioning form, reminiscent of the surrounding wetlands. The perforated panels provide privacy to residents and emit a soft dappled light when illuminated at night.
(Podium)
The podium of the tower has been carefully crafted to connect into the greater Eco Green Tower shopping and events precinct. The towering form seamlessly folding into the ground, drawing visitors through to the heart of the complex, unveiling its tropical oasis. The pedestrian connections have been arranged to reveal the ground plane, providing striations across the site dappled in lush greenery, promoting biophilia and a sense of wellbeing.
(Amenities)
Tower residents enter the building through grand, double-height lobbies, connected to cafes and supermarkets. The communal hub provides function space and pool facilities accessible to all residences. The upper-terraced apartments activate the roof of the building and present unique penthouse opportunities with split-level living arrangements and presidential penthouses.
(Vision)
The Crescent Eco Tower for Hyatt House forms part of the urban uplift and development of District 7 – its architectural prowess and cultural offerings securing this vibrant location as a premium destination for both local and international visitors.

1336_m1-tower-apartments-6-web

1336_M1-Tower-Apartments-6-WEB

1336_m1-tower-apartments-7-web

1336_M1-Tower-Apartments-7-WEB

1317_hcmc-eco-green-saigon-1-web

1317_HCMC-Eco-Green-Saigon-1-WEB

Eco Green Tower: Hyatt Regency

Melbourne Design Awards 2021 Architecture – International – Proposed Gold

Asia-Pacific International Property Design Awards 2020-2021 New Hotel Construction & Design Vietnam Winner

Build4Asia Awards 2020 Future Projects Category Winner

Eco Green Tower: Hyatt Regency in Saigon, Vietnam. We are thrilled to announce that Hyatt (the anchor tenant) has together with our client the Xuan Mai Group, upgraded the offer from the select service Hyatt House and Hyatt Place to a full 5-Star Hyatt Regency, occupying the entire tower and podium. This new, iconic hotel destination will anchor the premium Eco Green Saigon Precinct in District 7 of Ho Chi Minh City – a brilliant new symbol of vision and integrity.
To visit our existing Hyatt House and Hyatt Place proposal from the competition phase, please visit <a href="https://db-a.co/projects/eco-green-tower-competition/">Eco Green Tower Competition</a>.
More updates to come.

Engineering 

Structural Concepts

Wind Engineering

Landscape Design

(Podium)
The first series of progress sketches developing the ideation on the podium for Eco Green Hyatt Regency. A mountain scape of cascading, pale concave concrete blocks, rising to the soaring cityscape of filigree glazed elements beyond, the podium houses a comprehensive programme of conference centres, restaurants, spa and wellness facilities for the major hotel development above.
(Landscape Modules)
The careful treatment of various landscape modules around the podium. Activating the ground plane and providing various thresholds for the community between the street edge and podium to high-rise, landscape and planting soften and occupy the striking tower forms as they ascend to some of the highest sky-gardens in Vietnam.⁠⁠
(Entry Lobby)
The Entry Lobby of Eco Green Hyatt Regency Saigon is a spectacular space. Rising externally to the tower tip, and soaring internally the full height of the podium, the Lobby is designed as a series of radial, hanging ribs, each shaped to create the fluid internal volume, and rising as filigree elements to draw the volume into a coherent whole. The Lobby is the heart of the Hyatt – it leads to the diverse and comprehensive podium amenities and is gateway to the tower lifts, delivering patrons directly to their room level, and directly to the Skydeck and SkyDisc Restaurant at the pinnacle of the tower.

1317_hcmc-eco-green-saigon-5-web

1317_HCMC-Eco-Green-Saigon-5-WEB

e170_ngv-pavilion-2020-4-web

E170_NGV-Pavilion-2020-4-WEB

The EMPYREAN &#8211; NGV Pavilion 2021

(A Melbourne lockdown project) We have been immersed in sombre times, introspective moments, recognising our collective grief. Time has been warped. Space stretched, compressed. Worlds tipped upside-down. Hearts and rules broken, nets and souls mended, disruption of our cycles, of our breath-catching norm. Now we are yearning to emerge and reconnect to our humanity and collective spirit – tentative, grateful, aware. It is the re-awakening of our consciousness to those things we take for granted, making visible the unseen.
The Empyrean’s core purpose is programmed by nature and chance- there is no predestined form, connotation or content involved. Here nature delivers a complex interaction of light (beyond simulation by the most sophisticated computers) despite the simplicity of the structure. The resultant shimmering jewels of profound symmetry enthral our minds and hearts. For those who visit, the experience is uplifting, life affirming and designed to bestow joy – to re-see the world from earth to skies through this fresh lens of curiosity and reflection.

(The EMPYREAN)
The word &#8220;Empyrean&#8221; originates in Ancient Greek and Roman belief systems, with the word adapted from the Ancient Greek word empyros, meaning &#8220;fiery&#8221; or &#8220;in or on fire&#8221;. For Christians in the 15th century, the Latin word empyreus was used to refer to the Empyrean Heaven, a sublime paradise consumed by celestial-born fire, thought by ancient cultures to be the highest form of heaven achievable.
(Purpose)
The Empyrean enhances and enlarges those fleeting moments which make this life so precious – some more visible than ever, others waiting to be rediscovered but no less magical. We amplify the quietly profound. It is time to reconnect with the profound beauty of this vast universe and lift our eyes skyward once again, to re-see the wonders and nascent possibilities in our universe and in the beautiful humdrum of our everyday lives.
The world we are designing reveals the extraordinary in the mundane, reframes our perceptions and sparks delight at the most intricate minutiae. The Empyrean revels in and reveals the endless potential of the fidelity that surrounds us. A geometrical, biologically inspired framework that reconnects humanity to a shared celebration of the ordinary.
(Site Plan)
Set on crisp alignment to the primary axis of the NGV; from Circle to Square to Rectangle, we have placed the transcendent equilateral Triangle. This enfilade of geometric spaces inspires interaction with nature, and (given the prelude of the Leonard French stained-glass ceiling) with the sky.
(Inspiration)
Initial impressions of the structure are of a floating biological microstructure enlarged to super-macro levels – a cell, a seed pod, an anemone, a radial crystal or geological mineral formation. A mathematical formula writ physical, the structure floats above the ground, nestled by aggregated potted plants, peering into and over foliage to the sky and to our awakening city. There is a deep internal glimmer visible beneath its spines through the axial entries, drawing the visitor into its shade and magic.
(Atmosphere)
The interior is a spectacular revelation – the gently rising contiguous underside voids of the 64 spines of the triangular structure. Each is revealed as a mirrored kaleidoscope – the inclined sides create geodesic spheres of light at their tips, suspended in a dark, endless space, refracted and reflected worlds composed of the skies above. Each view opens a window to a unique world, programmed by nature – an organically curated, geometric interpretation of the Great Hall ceiling. Each mesmerizing singular world will enchant, with the collection akin to fireworks and the milky way.
(Kaleidoscope)
Upon conclusion of the installation, each seed-like spine is designed to detach from the whole and be distributed as gifts throughout gallery gardens in Victoria, each one sharing moments of reflection and wonder into the future.
The adaptive reuse of the kaleidoscope segments enables distributive design action to ensure long-term impact and legacy. The ‘seeds’ reflect their unique environments thereby ensuring a constantly fresh connection to the worlds we live in, encouraging new linkages, exchanges of experiences and evolving use and interactions. This mirrors our aim for a circular economy in longevity of materials and experience, design for distribution and repurpose, and adaptive social engagement.
(Legacy)
The Empyrean’s legacy will continue to reveal new experiences and insights across our urban and regional skies and will symbolically connect all of Victoria to the NGV.

e170_ngv-pavilion-2020-1-web

E170_NGV-Pavilion-2020-1-WEB

e126_barangaroo-pier-pavilion_2-web

E126_Barangaroo-Pier-Pavilion_2-WEB

Barangaroo Pier Pavilion

Place is made profound by an aggregation of culture, people and meaning that binds us to the earth we inhabit. On the southern shores of Sydney Harbour, a subtle, intricate, and sophisticated tapestry of knowledge and living has existed across 40,000 years. Stories and language shimmer and slip away from recollection like sparkles of light on water. We seek to grasp these memories and weave them into our vibrant, future facing and contemporary culture.
(SEE &amp; MEANT &#8211; Place)
The rich marine ecology that brought families together to gather and harvest is written into the spirit of the land and marked by the prolific ancient middens laid up over generations. The forms and marks materialised by many hands, meals, and stories.
SEE/MEANT seeks to reveal the inextricable connection between this place and the Eora/Gadigal way of life. SEE/MEANT enables many histories and threads to be gathered and positioned within the whole, just as a midden would grow fuelled by love and participation in Place.
(SEE &amp; MEANT &#8211; People)
The cement that forms our glittering forms is made from those very same limestone shells. We seize the opportunity to provide a space that presents our common histories known and unknown to all, and that requires not just a reconstructed physical form, but the creation of a place where we might converse, share our many language stories, and find a common wealth in our experiences and hopes.
‘This moment exists now and forever –
a choice to see all that came before,
to imagine all that is yet to come,
and to consider our place
in the NOW.’

(The Flex)
SEE/MEANT sits upon the pier whose shape is formed by man, to resemble an act of nature. The curve prescribed in the isthmus of the pier reaches out across the water. It constructs a moment to look back upon all we have created. Our pavilion similarly is constructed – but with the purpose to look back in time, and forward in culture, to create a meeting point – a ‘flex’ as defined in mathematics – the point of tangential balance in any change of direction.
(Inspiration)
Our proposal targets Zero+ across water, energy, waste, and Life Cycle Analysis. It will be a net contributor to the base elements of consumption – but more importantly SEE/MEANT is a generator of dialogue, connectedness, and proud responsibility.
Sourcing not simply materials, but engagement with artistic stories, writings, and words. SEE/MEANT will be a place to inscribe what was missed, what was hidden, what was meant when we could not see. It will embed interaction with past, current, and future generations through sophisticated human ritual founded in the labyrinthine journey of self-discovery and played with to this day.
(Journey)
As humans we are all on a journey – this pavilion sits in the ephemeral now – open to all, hovering between water and sky. At once a casual collection of discarded objects, and a profoundly rigorous mathematical function wrought in space.
Simple and complex, the flex becomes a place of contemplation – framing views between water and land, between past and present. A pause on Wulugul walk, it invites consideration of deeper meanings and helps us to see what was meant.

e81_2020-world-expo-australian-pavilion-2-web

E81_2020-World-Expo-Australian-Pavilion-2-WEB

2020 World Expo Australian Pavilion

Our 2018 proposal for the Australian Pavilion at the 2020 World Expo in UAE recalls an ancient Australian culture that presents contemporary challenges and tells stories of our common human future. Our fundamental pillars are the notion of Country (in the true indigenous understanding and way beyond mere Earth and Land), and Sky (in the ancient sense of astronomy, of mythology and of cultural structures). The age-old stories we tell are part of an Indigenous Cosmology that encompasses every single thing around us. This is an ancient knowledge system designed to engage and enthral visitors.
The themes of the 2020 Expo were Opportunity, Mobility and Innovation, with an overarching theme of Creativity, Capability and Capacity. The Australian Pavilion is located on a prime site in the Mobility Precinct. Our proposal centres on the experience of movement, of continuity, and transition through the world. Song lines were an ancient way of tracking knowledge. Commencing with an understanding of the Indigenous condition and dreamtime stories of the night sky, or the Emu in the Milky way, our first Act is one of engaging with and exploring the landscape of Australia, and the connection between our Country and Celestial landscapes.
Our sincere thanks to our partners and collaborators, all of whom contributed to the many hours spent designing this proposal for Australia’s representation. Although our proposal did not proceed in this iteration, our commitment to elevating Australia’s ancient stories and to this deep and precious and enduring culture remains. We will continue our journey of deeper understanding and to realising and sharing these stories in the built form and beyond.

Lead Consultant

Indigenous Liaison + Graphic Design

Exhibition + Production Design

Audio-Visual Installation Design

Digital Engineering + Application Design

Signage + Wayfinding

Early Project Management

“For 60,000 years Aboriginal mob have been walking, sleeping, hunting, painting, weaving, scratching patterns and putting sacred marks across this great continent telling stories, loving and living in country creating the first art galleries this country and the world has ever seen” 
– David Lancashire (AGI)
(Proposal)
Throughout human history, great stories are told in three parts – a beginning, a middle and an end.
Often this is structured as the Past, Present and Future, a trilogy of parts. We have taken this fundamental structure and created an abstract of Land, Ascent, and Sky tripartite. Our story is told very simply.
Our show commences prior to touching the Land of our pavilion. Approach to the site reveals a vast quintessentially Australian corrugated iron form, cantilevered above a cool and shady Australian forest landscape of wild-flowers, grasses, shrubs, ferns, and trees. The underside of the escarpment-like form is mirrored, revealing a fractured bird’s eye view to the internal space below the mass.
(Narrative)
Australian landscapes are inscribed into our site. Carved into the earth to create an oasis beneath the similarly carved form above. The landscape will be stunning – an extraordinary Australian show garden, through which one moves and travels, plays and prays, this is a journey embedded in Country, with a Billabong fed by streams and towering waterfalls at the base that visitors descend towards.
Overhead, an oval oculus crisply carves out a section of sky – a section we can alter and control to transition from the actual Dubai sky through to a bright Australian sky, through sunset and into a star-filled night. This oculus has (at key moments) springing forth from it, a delicate stream waterfall, linking Sky to Country, and falling into the Billabong at the heart of the Oasis. This will be a truly atmospheric revelation.
(Height and Envelope)
The total height of the pavilion is 13 metres – just over half the maximum height allowance of 21 metres. In considering our site envelope strategy we wanted to ensure an efficient response was prioritised that could still create an expansive, inviting, and stunning frontage. Given the challenging budget constraints, we sought to reduce costs and to avoid blockage or interference by the adjacent covered walkway being built by EXPO to the site boundary.
By creating a compressed under-croft (still some 9m high) we increase the drama and excitement of this escarpment while the digital oculus, internal waterfall, and forest within create an intriguing and restorative destination to be explored by expo guests.
(Massing and Form)
Perforated BlueScope Australian Galvanised Corrugated iron clads the steel structure, creating a shaded, quintessentially Australian shed that glows from within at night with star-like pinpricks.
The pavilion’s site massing seeks to sculpt away the front of the building creating an inviting frontage and under-croft along the main concourse. A large central oculus is then carved through the building creating a focal point and a connection between a landscaped ground plane and the sky above. A high impact, low footprint outcome.
(Structure and Detail)
BuroHappold and dB(A) have developed the pavilion’s structure &amp; mass such that the cores &amp; primary building volume at one end allows a large lightweight cantilever to extend out from the cores. Two columns are concealed in the ramps as secondary supports for the cantilevering roof. Trusses frame the roof structure and central oculus, allowing lightweight cladding and solar to be supported on the main 25m cantilevered escarpment section.
(Baby Emu Family – Mascot)
The Mascot for the Australian Pavilion is proposed as a young family of three Emu Chicks. What are their names? Let’s ask Australia! They will be able to be digitally collected and activated as Augmented Reality characters sited on the EXPO passport stamp.