Santana Row is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and covers 42 acres. Its dense high-end retail, residential, restaurant and office created a city center. The building – with earthy tones and pastel stucco with urban moving houses – clearly evokes old Europe, and the developer introduces antique metalwork, pottery and stone fountains to…
Fuzzy public and private boundaries As private indoor spaces shrink and shared family spaces become more prevalent, the public realm is changing. Previous private activities, such as work and communication, have increasingly appeared outside the home, while the public sector has characterized indoor or home environments: privacy, interior furniture and decoration, pocket parks, and guerrilla…
Foreword The story of Perth’s low-density real estate and development is well known. There is an increasing need to develop plug-in housing for a growing population, resulting in a more compact urban form, which has become an inevitable part of talking about density. This reasoning has been widely accepted over the past decade. However, understanding…
One of the clear differences between the inner and outer suburbs of Australia is the quality and type of retail products. The upscale urban suburbs (such as Melbourne’s Fitzroy) have independent owner-operated retail operations. Busy “third places” such as cafes, bars and restaurants are commonplace, where people spend time between home (“first” location) and work…
Extended space Studies have shown that humans do not like to be kept in cages, but prefer to stay in larger, more open spaces. Different factors, such as the shape of the room, the color of the surface, and the location and brightness of the lighting, all affect our perception of space. These are the…
On a global scale, the future of urban life has been intensely discussed through the World Urban Campaign. The central point is that the future battle for more sustainable development will win or lose in the city. It is speculated that this is based on the fact that 54% of the world’s population lives in…
Foreword We believe that buildings are classified and designed for specific uses: libraries, such as schools, prisons or hospitals. The room or open area (also called “space” in modern terms) is also determined by its function, so we mark it as a bedroom, living room, conference room, office, study or even a gift wrap (if…
Foreword House prices may now fall, but Australians’ concerns about housing affordability have not eased. House prices in Sydney and Melbourne fell by a few percentage points, which is a cold comfort to first-time buyers. They still pay 50% more than five years ago. Prices may fall further, but even so, housing prices will remain…
According to reports from Fairfax Media today, the Labor government will announce a $9 billion grant for the Melbourne Metro Tunnel. In addition, the Labour government has invested 40 million Australian dollars to make the project “ready.” Before the shovel digging the ground, the railway tunnel is facing a series of engineering challenges. According to…
Foreword The drastic cuts in environmental projects and staff in today’s federal budget are not the only “green” cuts that Australians should focus on. The Australian federal government is currently investigating simplified environmental regulations, “green tape” and one-stop shops, which appear to revolutionize the way Australian environmental regulations work. In the end, it has the…