How will you grow old? Can you live forever? What kind of ancestor do you want to be? Will your house outlive you?

The twenty-first century has ushered in a longevity revolution with the life expectancy of human beings almost doubling in the last hundred years made possible by healthier lifestyles and improved medical care. This is echoed in Australia, which has one of the highest life expectancies in the world.
But growing older tomorrow will be very different than today.

The retirement of Australians relies upon the financial security of the home and superannuation. As home ownership is becoming an impossibility for many younger Australians, how does this shift future models of living for the elderly and for society? What can one learn from radical forms of dwelling currently underway in Australia and overseas? What models of home ownership can adapt to the maturing of society and a changing market economy?

New Agency is a research project that posed these questions. Taking the form of a public investigation, Sibling has collected and displayed its research as an exhibition in Melbourne and Sydney, with film screenings in Perth, Sao Paulo and Melbourne, and as a meditation at the 2019 National Architecture Conference in
Melbourne.

The research culminates in the publication New Agency: The future of ageing and dwelling that collates the findings, including the provocation of a cooperative housing model in order that land and housing in Australia are provided for the common good – for both young and old. Sibling believe transitions in housing markets are possible through rethinking finances, land ownership, and rental relationships. Read the publication here

This publication was made possible with assistance from the Alastair Swayn Foundation.

Publication design by Lloyd – MST.

 

 

We currently have two employment opportunities available in our Melbourne studio for a registered architect and studio manager roles.
Please email a CV and portfolio (max 10mb) to sister@siblingarchitecture.com with either “Architect position” or “Studio Manager position”  in the subject heading. Applications open until October 5th.
Details of the two roles as follows:

Registered Architect or Experienced Graduate :

This is a full time position where the applicant has had a minimum of five years post graduate experience. The ideal applicant will have had experience in public architecture, they will be an all rounder with a diverse skill set demonstrating the following:

– Confidence in design
– Clear communication, both verbal and written
– Proficiency in technical documentation including coordination of architectural design sets
– Experience in running projects including dealing with consultants, clients and managing timelines
– Graphic skills for presentations
– Proficiency in Revit, Rhino and Adobe Suite are a plus

Studio Manager:

The studio manager position is a 2-3 day/week role, where you will be responsible for the operations and administration of our busy and dynamic practice. Key responsibilities include:

– Coordinate the smooth running of the studio. Be accountable for all office operations including, reception duties, answering phones, greeting clients
– Work with our IT consultant to manage IT/technical issues
– Work with our accountant to reconcile expenses and payment requests, communicate invoices for payment
– Manage QA and Oh&S systems
– Manage HR procedures
– Organise events and studio activities
– Coordinate travel schedules as required

The ideal applicant will be a pro-active, highly organised and resourceful person and have had experience working in similar roles within architecture or related industries. Architects looking for a change in the conventional role are welcome to apply.

Two of our projects have been recognised at this years Dulux Colour Awards – Surfside Primary School and Rodda Lane!
Surfside Primary won the Commercial Interior – Public and Hospitality category, and Rodda Lane received a commendation in the Commercial Exterior category. Thank you to the jury for recognising both of these projects, not only for their inventive use of colour but also for their contribution to community and education.  The Dulux Colour Awards are in their 35th year and celebrate innovative use of colour through excellent design.

Congratulations to Nicholas Braun who has now registered as a landscape architect on the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA!)Adding to his expertise as a registered Architect, Nicholas’ passion for nature and landscape feeds into all of Sibling’s projects. Whether they be urban or suburban, private or public, landscape and urban design is always considered integral to our architectural project outcomes.

Some recent projects in which Nicholas has integrated landscape and urban design thinking are Rodda Lane, Bega Valley Regional Gallery and the Hello Houses.

We are hiring! Are you an architect with over 7years industry experience looking for a change? We are looking for a talented design focussed architect with excellent management skills, confident in client facing responsibilities, managing projects and staff.

Experience in education and cultural projects preferred as are REVIT skills. If this sounds like you please send a brief CV and folio to: sister@siblingarchitecture.com with the heading ‘Senior Project Architect’

Nicholas Braun will be speaking at Design Matters #03 as part of Open House Perth on August 12th. Speaking alongside Officer Woods and Iredale Pedersen Hook, Nicholas will discuss some of Sibling’s recent housing projects and reflect on the  issues that drive contemporary housing design. The event will be hosted at The Rechabite in Perth, link to event here.

Pleased to have Rodda Lane recognised at the Inde Awards where it has been shortlisted in the Learning Space category. This project offers an alternative space within RMIT’s CBD campus for socialising and informal learning n an outdoor setting. New landscaping, urban infrastructures and material treatments give a bold and proud identity to this network of disparate laneways woven between campus buildings. Read more about the project here.

Earlier this year Amelia Borg graduated with an MBA at the University of Melbourne Business School! Needless to say we are super proud of her and in awe of how she stayed focused on both study and practice throughout the pandemic Amelia’s skills have helped us deliver the best in our projects through understanding the complex needs of the clients that we work with, establishing a supportive and balanced studio culture for our team, whilst building upon the socially engaged agendas of our practice. Running an architectural practice has been and continues to be a challenging endeavour, we are continually learning and Amelia’s skills have only reinforced this venture we call Sibling Many thanks to the Steve Ashton Bequest who supported her studies with the Steve Ashton Scholarship for the Architectural Profession.

Pleased to share that the Music Market and Rodda Lane have both been shortlisted at this year’s AIA Victorian Chapter awards!

Music Market has been shortlisted in the heritage and interior categories and Rodda Lane for the Colorbond Steel award.

Fingers crossed for the award ceremony announcements in June.

Glassbook House, Family Framework House (featured below) and Hello Houses have been nominated for the 2021 ArchDaily Awards in the Houses Category. Great to be recognised against some high calibre projects both locally and internationally! You can find out more about the awards and how to vote for your favourite project here.