Latest news with #Hassell
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
‘Legacy-making' Sydney metro stations take out top prize in NSW Architecture awards
Sydney's recently opened network of city metro stations have taken out one of the top prizes at the Australian Institute of Architects' 2025 NSW Architecture awards, announced on Friday night. Dozens of Australian architecture firms, engineering companies, landscape designers and public art experts shared in the 2025 NSW architecture medallion for their work on the Central, Barangaroo, Gadigal, Victoria Cross, Martin Place, Waterloo, Sydenham and Crows Nest stations in what the judges hailed as a 'legacy-making' and 'city-shaping' cross-sector collaboration. 'The project is transformative, not just in transport terms but in how it redefines civic experience in Sydney,' the judges' citation said. 'This is infrastructure that supports not just movement, but social and cultural connection as a catalyst for future development and change. It demonstrates the far-reaching impact architects can have on shaping public life and delivering tangible benefit to society and the environment.' More than 130 NSW projects were shortlisted for the awards, with the first building constructed for the new city of Bradfield and the surrounding area of Aerotropolis – the site of Sydney's future second international airport – collecting the Premier's prize. Hassell's First Building – the first stage of an advanced manufacturing readiness facility – is a prefabricated timber pavilion that can be disassembled, expanded or relocated for future use. 'A new city requires a big dream … it's incredibly exciting to see that dream taking shape here in Bradfield,' the premier, Chris Minns, said of the Hassell design. 'The way this building plays with natural light, the way it sits at home in the landscape, it's incredible attention to detail, it's craftsmanship – not to mention the innovation and progress that will happen here. In short, it's a beautiful place.' GroupGSA's restoration of a collection of early 20th-century industrial buildings in Rosebery won the Lord Mayor's prize – restricted to projects within the City of Sydney – for the project's imaginative commitment to heritage, sustainability and urban vitality. The brick factories and industrial sheds, constructed between 1921 and 1940, and the neighbouring textile mills have been unified into a single precinct, connected by a central pedestrian spine that knits tenant spaces, showrooms and retail outlets together and presents a freshly energised street front for passersby. 'This is not capital-A architecture,' the judges said. '[It is] the result of extraordinarily skilful handling – in patching, opening up and scrapping back found fabric – creating an interesting, cohesive experience for workers, visitors and the neighbourhood.' 'Like a trifle made to a cook's whim' was how judges described BVN's Yarrila Place, in Coffs Harbour, which won the Sulman medal for public architecture. The new civic and cultural space in the north coast town emerges from the ground with a solid brick base before giving way to deep green ceramic panes, curved and glazed like leaves of the enormous fig tree the building is anchored to. 'BVN have taken all the ingredients of a civic hub – library, gallery, museum, makerspace, civic offices and chambers, and more – and layered them with deliberate unpredictability,' the judges said. 'Proportions, adjacencies and stackings defy conventions.' Heritage work was acknowledged with Design 5's massive remodelling of the White Bay power station, which collected the Greenway award for heritage, while the conservation award was won by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and Purcell Architecture for its research-led, methodical and careful approach to restoring Australia's oldest building in continuous use, the NSW Parliament House in Sydney. The Colorbond award for steel architecture went to a residential house in Leura. Marra+Yeh Architects' Eco-House, set in a rare hanging swamp, was praised for its holistic and deeply thoughtful approach to sustainable architecture. The house's roof design deflects prevailing winds and captures water for reuse in bushfire defence and irrigation, while its interior configuration is season adaptable, ensuring comfort and minimal energy use year round. BVN collected another award in the residential category for its transformation of a typical suburban block of land in Byron Bay into a dwelling christened the Lighthouse, which seamlessly blends interior with exterior with an open, central garden forming both the entry and heart of the home. Also in the residential category, Casey Brown Architecture was recognised for its major interior remodelling of Babylon, architect Edwin Kingsberry's eccentric 1950s residence perched on the ridge dividing Pittwater and Avalon. Its new interior was 'full of contradictions – ramshackle and refined, rich and restrained,' judges said. The final result was a highly original interior that was 'unexpected, joyful, and completely unique'. Among the dozens of other winners, of particular note were AJC Architects' win in the Enduring Architecture category for its Moore Park Gardens residential project in Sydney and Tzannes' 39 Martin Place, which won the Sir Arthur G Stephenson award for commercial architecture. Wardle's handsome industrial park of the future design, Bourke & Bowden, situated in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Alexandria, was also recognised in the commercial category. The Australian Institute of Architects' NSW president, Elizabeth Carpenter, said in a statement the 2025 winners highlighted a profession that was 'not only responding to urgent challenges, but leading with integrity, innovation and care'. 'The awarded projects are powerful reminders that architecture is both an art and a responsibility – one that connects communities, strengthens cultural understanding, and shapes more sustainable and inclusive futures,' she said.
West Australian
4 days ago
- Business
- West Australian
Former WAFarmers president John Hassell reflects on farming advocacy and providing voice for industry
East Pingelly farmer John Hassell continues to advocate for the Australian farming community despite stepping down as president of WAFarmers earlier this year. A fifth-generation farmer descending from pioneer Captain John Hassell, Mr Hassell has farming in his blood. He crops a combination of wheat, barley, canola, oats and lupus across 1400ha and has a self-replacing flock of 3500 Merino ewes. Since stepping down from the helm of WAFarmers at the end of his four-year term earlier this year, Mr Hassell has had more opportunity to spend time and focus on his farm. Kojonup farmer Steve McGuire took the reins from Mr Hassell as WAFarmers president. 'There's no shortage of things to do, so I haven't been bored; we've been straight into seeding,' Mr Hassell said. 'My son and I did the entire program between the two of us. I think we did pretty well — got in and even got the long weekend off in June.' Living on farm with Mr Hassell is his wife Michelle, son George, daughter Chelsea and three grandchildren. Mr Hassell's latest venture is installing tile drains to address waterlogging in paddocks, improving yields, suppressing weeds and disease, enhancing soil structure, and allowing for optimal seeding, spraying and spreading. 'It's a contracting job that I'm looking forward to, and I enjoy getting out and talking to people,' he said. Mr Hassell is still actively against the Federal Government's ban on live sheep exports and remains a firm supporter of the sheep industry despite dropping prices, and remains the vice-president of the National Farmers' Federation. He said farmers were turning away from sheep to cropping as a result of the ban and 'massive downward pressure' on the price of wool. 'It's not so economic to run wool, and the price of sheep meat and the productivity of sheep is not growing as fast as cropping,' he said. 'It's an economic reality that you do more cropping.' In the lead up to the Federal election, Mr Hassell spent time as a campaigner and spokesman for Keep the Sheep — lending his voice to the communities that would be impacted as a result of the ban and not simply because he was a farmer. 'It's been a major change that, unfortunately, has had an impact on the schools, the footy teams, and the local IGA — all these things that the Keep the Sheep campaign was about,' Mr Hassell said. 'If I don't have live sheep to sell, or if I can't sell live sheep, the price goes down — I'll change my enterprise mix and I'll survive, but my community won't. 'It was only ever about community, about the truck drivers, about the shearing contractors, about all the people who you know actually make up a part of our town.' He said the 'worst thing' about the announcement of the ban was there was no set date for it to come into effect. 'There was no incentive for anybody to put any incentive, any money, or any investment into any part of the supply chain because it could have been banned the following week,' Mr Hassell said. 'No one knew. 'I think that huge amount of uncertainty just absolutely knocked the confidence out of everybody.' Mr Hassell said the ban announcement led to an almost immediate oversupply of sheep, causing the price of sheep to crash 'almost instantly'. 'I think the Federal Government made a massive mistake in doing that, and in doing that I don't think they realised just how much damage they did to our communities and to our businesses,' he said. As NFF vice-president, Mr Hassell is focused on ensuring farmers across the country receive representation, as is the case with South Australian farmers experiencing the drought. 'We're trying to find ways around getting fodder from WA through to SA, which has got some restricted biosecurity there,' he said. 'They put a kind of blanket ban on WA . . . they need to probably have a closer look at where their biosecurity issues are, because WA is pretty good in terms of no serious disease issues. 'They've got one little pest that they're worried about — the green snail — and we've got to try and find a way of making sure they don't take it across the border when they take hay and fodder.'
Sydney Morning Herald
05-06-2025
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
This tiny CBD garden provides an oasis for the office-weary
The small green space in the courtyard of 120 Collins Street is vibrant and leafy. It seems to go unnoticed by most commuters as they walk by. But it's just picked up a prize at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture's (AILA) Victorian awards. 'It's a really beautiful garden. Really dense and lush, and it's not necessarily something you find in the city all the time. So it's offering a really different experience to the public,' said AILA Victoria's jury chair and landscape architect Bridget Keane. Other projects that received accolades at Thursday night's ceremony included Richmond High School, Deer Park Station and the redevelopment of Ballarat's Bridge Mall. But Keane and the other judges were impressed with the efficient use of the site's small 310-square-metre space. It includes a range of indigenous and exotic plants, chosen with the help of staff at the Royal Botanic Gardens. There's also plenty of seating, as well as a smaller rooftop garden on an upper level that acts as a viewing space. Loading 'We have Treasury Gardens and other gardens surrounding the city … But this shows us how within this type of … podium environment, we can really have an amazing contribution to green space,' Keane said. '[It's] acknowledging how much can be packed into a small place and how many different things it can do.' Susie Quinton, the principal landscape architect at Hassell, the company that designed the garden, called it an oasis that looks to offer refuge to those in the CBD. In a recent international survey of more than 2500 office workers, Hassell found the most valued amenities were green spaces and fresh air. 'We know the healthcare benefits of landscape and greenery,' Quinton said. 'It's so important for workers and the public to have that opportunity within the really formalised, structural grid of Melbourne. 'It doesn't take much. The green space [at 120 Collins] is not big, but it really challenges green infrastructure and small spaces, and that public realm to work harder,' she said.
The Age
05-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
This tiny CBD garden provides an oasis for the office-weary
The small green space in the courtyard of 120 Collins Street is vibrant and leafy. It seems to go unnoticed by most commuters as they walk by. But it's just picked up a prize at the Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture's (AILA) Victorian awards. 'It's a really beautiful garden. Really dense and lush, and it's not necessarily something you find in the city all the time. So it's offering a really different experience to the public,' said AILA Victoria's jury chair and landscape architect Bridget Keane. Other projects that received accolades at Thursday night's ceremony included Richmond High School, Deer Park Station and the redevelopment of Ballarat's Bridge Mall. But Keane and the other judges were impressed with the efficient use of the site's small 310-square-metre space. It includes a range of indigenous and exotic plants, chosen with the help of staff at the Royal Botanic Gardens. There's also plenty of seating, as well as a smaller rooftop garden on an upper level that acts as a viewing space. Loading 'We have Treasury Gardens and other gardens surrounding the city … But this shows us how within this type of … podium environment, we can really have an amazing contribution to green space,' Keane said. '[It's] acknowledging how much can be packed into a small place and how many different things it can do.' Susie Quinton, the principal landscape architect at Hassell, the company that designed the garden, called it an oasis that looks to offer refuge to those in the CBD. In a recent international survey of more than 2500 office workers, Hassell found the most valued amenities were green spaces and fresh air. 'We know the healthcare benefits of landscape and greenery,' Quinton said. 'It's so important for workers and the public to have that opportunity within the really formalised, structural grid of Melbourne. 'It doesn't take much. The green space [at 120 Collins] is not big, but it really challenges green infrastructure and small spaces, and that public realm to work harder,' she said.
NBC Sports
29-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Nationals prospect Robert Hassell III hits 1st career home run
SEATTLE — Even after hitting his first career home run, Robert Hassell III didn't have much time to hang around the clubhouse and talk about it. His girlfriend was waiting. Eager to meet her at the team hotel, Hassell hustled onto the Washington bus and — with the help of a Nationals staffer — fielded questions from reporters via cellphone. 'I don't want to have her waiting too long,' Hassell said. 'My apologies.' Playing his sixth major league game, Hassell had three hits and two RBIs for the Nationals in a 9-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners. The 23-year-old prized outfield prospect was drafted eighth overall by San Diego in 2020 and traded to Washington — along with James Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore — for Juan Soto and Josh Bell in a blockbuster deal at the August 2022 deadline. Hassell began the night batting .118 (2 for 17) with one RBI since making his debut. Before the game, Nationals manager Dave Martinez pulled Hassell aside and advised him to focus on the present rather than allowing himself to become over-amped. 'You want to try to do a lot,' Martinez said. 'But, this game is tough enough. It's tough enough.' Hassell responded with by far his best performance yet. He hit an RBI single in the fourth inning and a solo homer in the eighth that made it 7-0. The sweet-swinging lefty tried to focus on hitting balls to the opposite field. But when he got a pitch to jump on, he turned on a four-seam fastball from Mariners right-hander Blas Castano and drove it over the right-center fence for what Hassell called the best home run of his baseball career. 'This is the best one,' he said. 'Something I've been waiting for, and you imagine what it's like and all that, and it finally happened and I feel blessed.'
