“Jan van Schaik to present at NEXUS 2013”

23/05/2013

Nexus is the largest student gathering in the architecture calandar and will present an opportunity to reflect on the past, experiment with the urban condition and imagine viable alternatives for what the city may come to mean.

'Speakers from Australia, New Zealand,the USA, Canada, France and the Netherlands will come together in Newcastle to present their experiences and thoughts on city and place making, associate experimental architecture, interdisciplinary practice and grass roots urban renewal'

On Thursday the 4th July, Jan will join Stuart Harrison (HAW, The Architects RRR), Ingrid Richard(Richards & Spence) and Adrian Spencce (Richards & Spence) in conversation at City Hall in Newcastle.

Nexus will be held in Newcastle between the 3rd - 6th of July.

“Convergence-transforming our future”

30/04/2013

“Convergence is a celebratory exhibition showcasing five years of world–class excellence within the Design Research at RMIT. Encompassing three major ‘Flagship’ practice groups – Future Fabric of Cities, Nexus and Mediated Cities – the exhibition collects and reflects upon past, present and future projects that offer a cutting-edge leadership position on global design research.”

The exhibition activates 3 floors of the Design Hub. Our project 'Cloudnets' can be found on the second floor, outside the elevators.

Cloudnets is an examination of the fundamental forces that shape cities. The premise of cloudnets is that cities are driven by a desire for connectivity. The richness of urban life derives from exchanging with as many other people as possible.

The exhibition will open on Thursday the 2nd of May at 6:00 pm and will run until Friday the 24th of May.
Gallery opening times: Monday to Friday 10.00am – 6.00pm, Saturday 4th May 10.00am – 6.00pm

MvS to exhibit in “Peter Corrigan: Cities of Hope”

04/04/2013

Using Mindcraft as a visualisation tool our project is interested in re-imagining Bruno Taut's Die Stadtkrone (The City Crown) and Corrigan's iconic Building 8 on Swanston St.

Curated by Vanessa Gerrans, the exhibition will trace the “creative focus of this remarkable Australian architect, bringing to life many of his designs over four decades including architectural models and drawings by Edmond and Corrigan; set and costume designs for theatre; artworks, records and notations from his personal collection and key works selected from public collections which have enriched his practice.”

The exhibition opens Friday 12th April and will run at the RMIT Gallery until the 8th of June

Lobby given streamlined facelift

04/04/2013

In his article for The Age, Stephen Crafti discusses Scandinavian Freestyle, a new entry lobby space designed for the Hero Apartments by MvS Architects in association with Fiona Abicare.

“Apartment lobbies are like a front door. But instead of being used by a few, the space is experienced by many, sometimes hundreds of people daily”

The article appeared in the property section of BusinessDay for The Age on April 3rd 2013.

Public Presentation at AIA awards

22/03/2013

This year 240 entries will be presented across a two day program. Each presentation will run for 8 minutes with a 2 minute opportunity for Q + A. The event is open to the public and will be held at MADA, Monash Art Design and Architecture Building G at the Monash University Caulfield Campus.

Scandinavian Freestyle is entered into 2 categories - Interior architecture which is scheduled for 1:15pm in studio 6 and Small project architecture which will be presented in studio 3 at 1:30pm.

The event provides to the public a good opportunity to learn about new projects being completed by Victoria's top architects and also provides the public an insight into how architects present their work to their peers.

Photograph by Peter Bennetts

Wetlands centre open days

21/03/2013

read about the project on our website
visit the Melbourne Water educational page for more information on opening times

Since the official opening in November 2012 the Edithvale Seaford Wetlands Discovery Centre has mainly been utilised by school groups as part of educational programs. In April 2013 the centre will open to the general public on Sundays.

On the second and fourth Sunday of the month the centre will be opened by the Friends of the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands (FESWI). Melbourne Water will open the centre every other Sunday.

Opening hours for the public are from 1pm - 5 pm Sundays.

Collaborating in curatorial Space

05/03/2013

Co-presented by the Art Gallery of NSW and University of Technology Sydney, the lecture will form part of the Interior and Spatial Design public lecture serries held at UTS. Jan will discuss the We used to talk about love project as well as previous collaborations in contemporary art spaces, including the 2012 Adelaide Biennial.

The Curator and MvS Architects

01/03/2013

MvS Architects collaborated with Natasha Bullock to redesign the gallery spaces to take the viewer on an emotional journey of mystery, discovery, pressure and release. The journey is manifest in a series of interlinked rooms and corridors with new walls soaring high into the galleries coffered ceilings while compressed spaces are relieved by glimpses to the subsequent rooms. The collaboration has enabled the curatorial spread and the architecture to jointly provide a platform for seeing the artworks in a new way.

Curated by Bullock, the exhibition includes photography, photomedia, video, collage, sculpture and installation with works by Polly Borland (USA/Aus), Eliza Hutchison (Vic), Paul Knight (UK/Aus), Angelica Mesiti (France/Aus), David Noonan (UK/Aus), David Rosetzky (Vic), Darren Sylvester (Vic), Tim Silver (NSW), Glenn Sloggett (Vic), Grant Stevens (QLD) and Justene Williams (NSW).

The exhibition is open until the 21st of April 2013

Free admission

Paul Minifie to Chair Jury

28/02/2013

Paul will be joined by Simon Thorton (Simon and Feda Thornton Architects) and Sheree Proposch (Bates Smart) to review 26 projects in the Residential Alterations and Additions category.
The presentations are open to the public and will be held at Monash University Caulfield Campus on the 23rd and 24th of March.
In 2012 our project, Wattle Avenue House won the AIA Victorian award for Residential Architecture Alterations and Additions.

Scandinavian Freestyle

19/02/2013

Constructed in 1954, the former Russell Street Telephone Exchange & Post Office designed by the Commonwealth Department of Works is a unique multi-storey CBD building; the first to be completed after WW11 and the last to express the architectural traditions of solid masonry.

Influenced by European Modernism, in particular the Amsterdam School and Scandinavian Freestyle Classicism, the interlocking unadorned mass of cream-brick features in its 2001 re-development -Hero Apartments by Nonda Katsalidis Architects - via intersecting interior vertical planes, structural plates, and green columns.

'Scandinavian Freestyle' develops a language of materiality in relation to the formal qualities and associated styles present within the foyers’ interior. The project developed through a process of removing temporary structures, fixtures and adorning features. Through this process the foyer is activated by natural light and the spatial and material interconnectivities of its original forms. Objects were designed to enhance aesthetic experiences and for specific functions: seating and mail retrieval, while drapery, upholstery and artwork also present a functionality.

An emphasis on the ‘complete interior’ describes the process and project’s ambitions: to develop relations between art, décor, interior architecture and utility objects and present artistic material, configured in relationship to surrounding context and history.

Photograph by Peter Bennetts

MvS featured on Designer Melbourne

29/01/2013

see the blog post here
read more about the project on our website

Design blog, “Designer Melbourne” has just posted their second feature on MvS with our project for Stefano de Pieri and his family, Wattle Avenue House.

“We especially love the strong geographic exterior with its hexagon patterns and the shared courtyard comprising of a beautiful glazed brick wall.”

Founded by Brent Nolan Designer Melbourne.com exhibits content ranging across a large spectrum of design with a focus on local content. Our award winning project, the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands Discovery Centre has been previously featured on the blog - thanks again Designer Melbourne!

Jan van Schaik at Cultivator - Regional Creative Conference 2012

21/1/2013

Cultivator website
watch Jan's speech here

“Cultivator brings together creatives, students, business and community leaders to inspire creative thinking to solve problems, grow potential, open minds and build regional capasity”

In his address Jan spoke about the creative motivations behind the work of Minifie van Schaik Architects, especially that in Mildura.

Other speakers at Cultivator included Graham Rendoth, Ros Moriarty, Russell Kerr and Frost Design.

Wattle Avenue House on air 28th November

21/11/2012

Sacred Spaces examines architecture, urban design and planning by talking to the architects in the projects they've designed. In this episode Jan van Schaik discusses the house MvS Architects designed for celebrity chef, and Mildura advocate, Stefano de Pieri and his family. As they guide you through the house they discuss the motivations behind the architectural qualities of this award winning prototypical regional dwelling.

The program will air Wednesday the 28th of November at 8pm on Channel 31 (Digital Channel 44)

How can art and architecture transform your town?

27/11/2012

more info on the Regional Arts Victoria website
Premier's media release

Small Town Transformations supports transformative artistic projects that are connected to community and place, for and by small Victorian towns with fewer than 1,500 people. Proposals will be able to request up to $350,000 for their project, which must be presented in collaboration between at least two partners, with the lead applicant being a legally constituted organisation. Up to five projects will be funded.

Applications open in January 2013

Jan van Schaik key speaker at 23rd agIdeas Design Week

21/11/2012

visit the agIdeas website

Jan van Schaik has been invited by the Design Foundation to be a key presenter at the 2013 agIdeas International Design Week. agIdeas is one of the most well respected and world renowned design events. Taking place over 5 days agIdeas presents a variety of activities that celebrate, inspire and motivate new ideas, creativity and excellence in design.

The event will take place in Melbourne from April 29th to May 3rd 2013

2012 Premiers Design Award Interview

20/11/2012

watch the video here
read about the project on our website

The video features Kim Cato, Chair of the Judging panel for the Premiere's Design Award describing ESWDC as “being very different in its approach, being sustainable, being innovative, being well designed and being environmentally conscious”. The video also features Mary Catus- Wood from our client, Melbourne Water, describing the building as a “very unique space in a very unique location”

The Edithvale Wetlands Seaford Discovery Centre won the Premiers Design Award in September 2012.

We used to talk about love

20/11/2012

read the exhibition summary here
read the full press release here

In response to a series of curatorial sub-themes we have re-designed the gallery spaces to take the viewer on an emotional journey of mystery, discovery, pressure and release…

Curated by Natasha Bullock, the exhibition includes photography, photomedia, video, collage, sculpture and installation with works by Polly Borland (USA/Aus), Eliza Hutchison (Vic), Paul Knight (UK/Aus), Angelica Mesiti (France/Aus), David Noonan (UK/Aus), David Rosetzky (Vic), Darren Sylvester (Vic), Tim Silver (NSW), Glenn Sloggett (Vic), Grant Stevens (QLD) and Justene Williams (NSW).

Free admission

Outside Interests

19/11/2012

Wattle Avenue House featured in “Living by Design”

read the text from the article here
read about the Wattle Avenue House on our website

Zinta Heard discusses the qualities of Wattle Avenue House in the cover story of the most recent issue of The Age Newspaper's Living by Design magazine.

“The centre of the house has an exquisite, intimate courtyard…Wonderful colour, a fashionable pattern and the blue sky above; stunning in its simplicity”

photo by Kristian Haggblom

MvS featured on Archello

15/11/2012

See our profile on Archello.com

Architectural business networking site “Archello” have listed us including the Australian Wildlife Health Centre, VCA Centre for Ideas, Healesville Sanctuary Entrance Pavilion, Wattle Avenue House, Cafe Bourgeois and Star Voyager