What a handsome elegant bunch..... except the guy in the party shirt! Super excited to see the recent years of hard work come together for the wonderful new mixed use project from the Hesperia team - you will know them from the State Buildings and many other well known quality driven outcomes.

Our role is to breathe new life into the former Shenton Park Hospital with our old favourite - adpative re-use. The most wonderful balance of heritage retention and new architecture to ensure a new lease of life.

We were fortunate enough to join the team with MJA Architects, Place Laboratory and Palassis Architects amongst a number of wonderful consultants - URBIS (Planning), LINK (Mechanical), BEST (Electrical), FLOTH (Hydraulic), HERA (Structural), FCDS (Energy), JMG (Certifier), Flyt (Traffic), Encycle (Waste) and Gabriels (Acoustics)..... i know its a long list..... but a good project takes many hands to make light work.

You want in? Visit the website here to register your interest...... Lets get digging!

All things pirate and sea faring this month with the announcement the A (Aye) Shed has been leased to one of our all time favorite brewing companies Gage Roads, producers of very fine beer. And i like beer.

We are very fortunate to team up with these good folks, they seem to embrace outdoor adventure and the iconic WA lifestyle of sand, surf and seagulls..... mmmmm - just like the FINESPUN Van.

Even our stoic Mark McGowan offered his two cents at the recent announcement - "in a challenging economic period, this is a major demonstration of confidence by a key player in the WA hospitality industry, that will generate jobs in both the construction and operational phases."

Whatever you think - its going to be bloody good for Fremantle and WA. We are looking forward to getting stuck into this one, its a super building and a wonderful opportunity for all involved.

Oh - and how good is Mike Edwards illustrations.....

We've come out of the VID bursting and would love to hear from freelancers / self employed architectural technicians and/or interior designers looking for extra work.

We need help with drafting duties, administration, schedules, concept documents, quick 3D models, interior selections and more.

We:
• are a small architectural studio (core team of 3) that works entirely remote – Perth and SW WA based.
• work across various sectors, with a focus on hospitality and adaptive re-use projects.
• are seeking like-minded self-employed contractors / freelancers who are GOOD at what they do and like to do it on their own terms.
• work in AutoCAD, Vectorworks, REVIT and Sketchup – and a lot of Yellowtrace. Team meetings are held over Zoom.

You:
• are an 'architectural technician' and/or 'interior designer' and looking for extra work.
• will already be a self employed contractor and proficient at what you do and able to work autonomously.
• will have 5 years minimum experience (sorry….. no recent graduates or students need apply) – experience with hospitality preferred.
• work remote, from home, a van or whatever works for you – Perth and SW WA based preferred
• are honest, reliable, trustworthy, efficient and easy to communicate with.
• are switched on, tech savvy, have a keen eye for design and a love for soulful spaces.
• have good drawing and graphic skills and able to convey ideas quickly.

For those eligible – please send an email to hello@finespun.com.au with your interest - we will keep all correspondence confidential.

In Jordan Petersons book - 12 Rules for Life , he states number 6 as "set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world" - As architects, we are involved in one of the highest energy consuming industries currently on the planet - that being the process of building and the use of manufactured materials in the process. It would seem wise for architects to get their house in order before criticizing the world around us - that includes myself.

A good start is the Architects Declare movement which advocates numerous initiatives to act on the climate emergency; au.architectsdeclare.com - including switching to green power and undergoing a carbon audit, both good initiatives - however im a little sceptical this does little to fix peoples poor consumption habits, it merely allows them to handball or buy themselves out of their patterns and give themselves a pat on the back for it - often called 'greenwashing'. Its a subtle art but easy to spot for those who see behind the curtain.

Im also seeing an increase in 'eco-gentrifcation' being used by developers as another layer in their marketing toolbelt to lure purchasers - most often these are token gestures tacked on to the project to appear aligned with environmentally sustainable inititiatives.

I better stop, im starting to criticise...... but surely the real answer is to live a more simple life.... avoiding mega consumption in all its ugly facets - you dont need that new phone, that bigger house, that  poor quality trinket from China and on it goes.

Im doing my best to get my house in order too - our studio is a remote working practice, staff work from home so we avoid using cars, we work specifically on adaptive reuse projects which increase the life span of buildings, we use local materials as much as possible, we use local talent for collaborations, we video confernce to avoid meeting travel, avoid paper consumption through correct use of apps and the mobile office is powered completely with renewable energy source....... you gotta try - this planet is too bloody good to destroy.

New to working from home? Sitting in your undies writing emails because your work pants dont fit anymore? Pale skin and slightly depressed because youve been locked in for a month? Bad back from working on the couch all day? Not sure if its Tuesday or Sunday? You need some Working from Home (...... or your Van) Hacks!

The good folks at ArchiTeam are running a Working from Home Hacks Virtual CPD this Thursday 28th May at 10am-12am (AEST) via Zoom...... thats 8am Perth time. You also get 2 formal CPDs!

Join me, Leisa Heart (Adaptive Change mindset), Debra Panipucci (Adaptive Change mindset), Vincent Choi (RPtecture) and Aimee Goodwin (Project 12) for a personal workshop and Q&A.

Visit Eventbrite CLICK HERE for tickets (or free for members!)

ArchiTeam Cooperation was founded in 1991 and is a membership association for Australian architects working in small, medium and emerging practices - its mission - to empower and support small practice architects to thrive!

Theres a song in that title. im sure of it. To be honest, like many industries, we've been affected with the recent situation - we work on alot of hospitality projects and many of our clients are holding tight until they can see the end of the tunnel. Ive grown to love many of our clients and no one saw this coming.... i feel deeply saddened for the loss of livliehoods to many of those staff.

On the other side of the coin, its been a welcome reset for the globe in my opinion. Those intelligent enough, knew the trajectory of the human race was heading down the wrong path for some time - ironically self inflicted. And then the Rus, the Vid, the Rona turns up, naked to the eye and ever so small - but it completely stops the human race in its tracks.

We have abused the planet, pilfered natural resources, harmed the animal kingdom and killed other humans - all in the name of progress and profit. If only the plants and animals could talk...... where's the Lorax when we need him?

If there was ever a symobolic moment that the human race was packed full of nuffies, its was the panic buying for toilet paper. There have also been many beautiful signs of human compassion and evolution. People looking out for their neighbours and those at risk, people spending more time with family, people out and about in nature exercising, people growing their own food and cooking healthy meals, people working from home and driving less and a hell of a lot more. Im thinking many folk will carry this attitude into the future.

It has reminded me to return to the original reason for venturing into architecture - to work on spaces which provide occupants shelter, warmth, comfort and joy - spaces which enhance our better human qualities of connectedness. In all this its reminded me of Frank Lloyd Wrights 10 point qualities written for his apprentices within his autobiography.... its concise and very powerful......... someone say Manifesto!?

Interesting times hey? First of all, dont be a dickhead and hoard stuff. In fact the more you hoard, the more valuable your property is and we all know where Mad Max ended up - those motorcycle dudes will surround your property and barge down your door. Although to be honest, im a little keen to see where we can take those rigged up vehicles.

Speaking of rigged up vehicles, The FINESPUN Van is my version born two years ago - i would love nothing more than adding armour and installing a flamethrower on the roof.

I spent my youth traveling the globe. As such i've lived in vans much of my life. The FINESPUN van (@the_finespun_van) is the fourth van ive occupied, but surprisingly the first one ive ever converted on my own.

I tried the work-life balance - not very good at that. I enjoy working and life too much to balance either one, so im suggesting a new model - the 'work-life blur'. When you enjoy your work and your life just as much that they tend to blur into each other. For me, offices are so 1990s.

So do as rebels will, i ditched our bricks and mortar architecture studio 2 years ago with a rumbling idea (some may call it a mid-life crisis!) to rid myself of the four walls we call Office...... I mean why-not - its the future - we should be able to CAD telepathically by now, instead of clicking and typing away on primitive devices..... pfff!

I thought, what if we spent the next years Office rent on a personal project such as a van conversion which has the potential to capture some of my youthful traveling days, my love of the outdoors, constant change and combine all of this together in my day to day working life?

The FINESPUN van is the result of this thinking. A ex courier Mercedes Sprinter mid wheel base high roof van. What was to be last years rent, paid off the fitout of the van - a mobile office equipped head to tow with everything a small architectural office needs; meeting zone, creative drawing zone, kitchenette, music, coffee, beer in 12V fridge and all completely powered by the sun. The whole van is powered on 2 x 200W panels stored in 2 x 120A AGM batteries. My gear plugs into all this and we connect to the internet via a 12 volt router with two sim card slots and long range antennae for extended out of range trips. Water is stored internally and attached to pumps and filters and the whole van converts to a double bed when you're ready to lie down.....

The FINESPUN van now allows me to capture moments of 'me-time' during my working week - early morning surf / swims dont feel so guilty. Those spare moments in between meetings i make the most of, under a shady tree with a nice view and respond to emails, take video calls and sketch away. Site meetings in the van are now regular occurance, much quieter than a noisy construction site.

As a small remote team we use tools like BLRT (an app which enables you to mark up PDFs, record your voice and send to team members) and Zoom / Skype for video calls. Our project files are all cloud based and synchronised locally on our computers. Its not perfect but will continue to evolve.

See more images here: http://www.finespun.com.au/project/finespun-van

Hail vanlife! Stay positive, stay connected and help out your fellow human where you can. Dont be a dickhead!

A little bit of press ramping up in various corners. This one from the Financial Review for Fini Group's mixed use development in Shenton Park - Victoria House. We are excited to see this one get running on the ground with our design partners MJA Studio working on the residential component and Place Laboratory digging up the dirt for landscape works.

For more information and pre-sales head HERE.

So 2020 is here - how great - its the FUTURE! I was an avid Science Fiction reader when i was younger and many of the Sci Fi books i read were based in the 21st Century and 2020 seemed like we were heading in one of two directions. Option A - Everything was dystopian and going to turn to shit OR.... Everything was utopian and going to be OK. Both scenarios were filled with significant technological advancement - much of which has come to realisation in todays world.

If there was ever a time to read Sci Fi books its now. I would start with Isaac Asimov's FOUNDATION, Philip Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SLEEP, Arthur C Clarke 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY, Frank Herberts DUNE, George Orwells 1984, Aldous Huxleys BRAVE NEW WORLD and Robert Reeds HORMONE JUNGLE.

Elon Musk also credits his visionary mindset to his reading of Sci Fi novels when younger. Im a huge fan of this kind of very broad and long term vision thinking - it goes beyond generations and has its foundations in saving Mother Earth and human civilisation.... and if Mother Earth cant be saved because of our limited vision then Elon has a plan for that too on Mars..... but i suggest he got this idea directly from the FOUNDATION series. Long Live Mother Earth!

Merry Xmas WA. FINESPUN is now 10 years old. 10 years of Making Perth Great Again.

I know you're laughing.....RELAX. Of course im kidding. One small design studio cant make Perth great again all by itself..... the main thing ive learnt over these 10 years - it takes an army of SINCERE individuals, teams, companies and government to shift the future direction of the fair maiden. We've been lucky enough to be involved in some of WA's built fabric - especially those public realms where people get to unwind outside of their work and home environments - for that im very grateful.

Our annual Xmas wrap up of selected projects 2019 can be found HERE. As always i dont do this alone in a big white van........ BIG thanks to my colleagues Michelle Miller and Marcos Prado - im seriously lost without them.

Enjoy the festive season - relax, have fun, get your toes in the sand and have a FINE break from the daily grind.