A S F E A T U R E D I N A U S T R A L I A N C O N S T R U C T I O N F O C U S

GMB ARCHITECTS

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Written By Anne Lindert-Wentzell

It was Frank Lloyd Wright, the American 1900’s archi-tect, who said, “Architecture is the triumph of human imagination… a magic framework of reality that we touch upon when we use the word order.” For him ar-chitecture was a unified organism, a symbiotic relation-ship between humanity and nature.

Harold Guida, LFRAIA AIA, can subjectively add that architecture, “Is an intellectual and emotional frame-work; an attitude about craft.” He would know. As a partner in Guida Moseley Brown (GMB) architects for thirty years, Harold’s firm has been involved in numer-ous projects – all of varying size and value. “Every new project,” he adds, “is a new challenge.”

GMB Architects evolved from Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp Architects, (MGT), a US firm responsible for the design and documentation of the Parliament of Aus-

tralia from 1980-1989. As an architectural, interior de-sign, and urban design firm, GMB Architects operates throughout Australia and internationally through col-laboration with local architects, and do so from Can-berra, Australia’s national capital.

GMB Architects has extensive experience in major public buildings, educational/research facilities, large scale residential developments and commercial/cor-porate projects. The firm comprehends and appreci-ates the importance of place. Each project responds to those variables that define its expression whether cul-turally, environmentally, socially or historically. A com-prehensive understanding of place enables intelligent design solutions that prove successful both aestheti-cally and functionally. GMB Architects always engages its projects in the spirit of art. “We’re hoping that our buildings are viewed by others in much the same way as art is viewed – interesting, timeless and of compel-

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GMB ARCHITECTS

GMB Architects evolved from Mitchell/Giurgola & Thorp Architects, (MGT), a

US firm responsible for the design and documentation of the Parliament of

Australia from 1980-1989. As an architectural, interior design, and urban design

firm, GMB Architects operates throughout Australia and internationally…

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ling interest. A fine work of art that will be seen repeatedly,” says Harold.

Internationally, GMB Architects has re-cently seen the completion of the inte-rior architecture of the Plenary Hall for the Legislative Council, a key component of the new Hong Kong Government Centre. For this prestigious Hong Kong project, GMB Architects collaborated with Rocco Design for the winning international com-petition submission. The Legislative As-sembly had its first official function in the Plenary Hall in October 2011.

The Helios Residences in Singapore was another GMB project in association with P & T Architects, Singapore that provided a 140 unit apartment complex in Singa-pore’s most densely developed residen-tial areas. For this project GMB Architects won the MIPIM Asia awards and a Skyrise Greenery Award in 2011.

“The best projects come

about when you have an

excellent client…”

With four partners and a staff of 28, it is GMB Architects’ attitude toward its craft that enables the firm to win competitions and awards. Projects strive to incorporate a mesmerising presence; a timeless design. It takes staff cooperation and enthusiasm to make such projects succeed. “We have an attitude throughout the office,” says Harold. “Everybody is thinking about how to make what we do, all those things. It is a thought-fulness that has an emotional presence that is well crafted at every scale.” Harold sees GMB Architects as not only business manag-ers – it’s a collective of highly skilled minds, all interconnected with each other. Large projects can have a team of five to 10 peo-ple. “It’s a very open collaborative place,” says Harold, where almost everyone on the staff is working on more than one project at a time – everything from early stages of design to construction. “It keeps you alive,” says Harold. “You have to keep thinking, at different rates of decision making. It makes for an interesting workplace.”

Guida Moseley Brown emphasises conservation. It is paramount to the firm. The team has won numerous national awards for Ecological Sustainable Design (ESD). Such was the case for its Mawson Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes. During the building’s construction, recycled, renewable and low volatile organic compounds (VOC) materials were utilised wher-ever possible. Occupancy sensors, skylights and energy efficient materials enabled the Mawson Institute to claim the Sustainable Architecture Award in 2010 by the South Australian Chapter of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects. Business partners and developers acknowledge the conservation issue. “Some projects are designated to have a certain rating by the client, particularly for university education,” says Harold. “Developer clients see that there’s a benefit in having a building that has a high rating. It’s more rentable in the market. It’s an added val-ue.”

GMB Architects’ Botswana High Commission project in Canberra has also won awards such as the Romaldo Giurgola Award for Public Architecture, ACT Chapter RAIA, and the Art and Architec-ture Award, ACT Chapter RAIA, both in 2010. The Commission is an architectural design that incorporates specially designed and fabricated elements such as brick patterns and colours, custom rugs and timber panels. All is showcased to highlight the cultur-al, social and historical landscape of Botswana.

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It was in January of 2005 that GMB Architects won the design competition for Canberra Airport’s new facili-ties. The Airport was purchased from the Federal Gov-ernment 11 years ago and although privately owned, it’s one of the major public buildings. The project is unique in that the airport is being built around an exist-ing functional airport and the focus is on passengers. Grown out of the formal landscape of Canberra, the airport presents a visual destination upon its approach from a vehicle. It’s integrated with the geometry of the landscape. Elaborates Harold, “One of the unique aspects of the airport and its ultimate architectural definition, is that it’s related to the landscape in the manner of many public buildings in Canberra. The land-scape is important whether it’s a natural one, wetland for instance, or if it’s a man–made formal landscape such as the planned city of Canberra.”

As for passenger consideration, Canberra, being the national capital, sees many business travelers who utilise the airport daily. They often proceed straight to the gates and don’t acquire tickets or check bags. “The route to the gates is a wonderful open space with vista to the airplanes and the hills beyond. The movement [within the airport] is an easy and wonder-ful one, full of daylight,” says Harold. A new feature in the airport will be Australia’s first fully enclosed taxi

rank, a welcoming design feature for travellers. Paul Mutton, RAIA, partner at GMB Architects elaborates, “Canberra is one of the coldest capital cities in Austral-ia. Queuing outside can be quite uncomfortable in the winter… Travellers from Sydney or Brisbane are more accustomed to the more temperate climates, so they’ll appreciate the enclosed waiting spaces.” The airport’s design is environmentally friendly – there are water tanks for rain collection from the roof, which is filtered and reused for toilet flushing and air conditioning sys-tems. Phase 1 was opened for use in November 2010. At a cost of $420 million the airport is scheduled for completion in 2013.

GMB Architects’ success as a mid–size firm can be attributed to having the right combination of cli-ents who strive for a common goal. “The best pro-jects come about when you have an excellent cli-ent, who is well funded and has that common goal in mind – a meeting of the minds really. We’ve been fortunate to have such clients that allowed us to finish excellent projects,” says Paul.

One of the things GMB aims to communicate is that at least one third of its projects are out of the country involving both public and private work. For the past 20 years many of those projects have

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Images: John Gollings

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been in Asia involving master planning and design of cities – such places as Chi-na, Malaysia, and Singapore. Many are repeat clients from Asia. Presently, two projects in Asia involve interior design.

Says Harold, “Very few people in Canberra and probably most in Australia are very rarely aware of the work that we do in Asia. Our work there is often published in architectural magazines in those countries, and some are published in magazines in Australia. Many are very large and significant projects. Being a practice that operates in many places means that people aren’t aware of the breadth of work we do.”

In terms of prospects for the future, in light of a struggling world economy, GMB Architects has been fortunate that the financial crisis has not affected the firm’s work as greatly as in North America or Europe. “From that perspec-tive, we don’t see things as being as difficult as architects do in other places,” says Harold.

Concludes Paul, “The breadth of scale that we work at is fascinating, from the small-est detail up to the largest urban plan. It is

Images: John Gollings

Our team has worked with and supported GMB on many projects over the years our most recent include The Canberra Airport, Austaid and Department of Tourism along with international project such as The Hong Kong New Government offices TAMAR and Helicon in Singapore.

We are a team of professional designers from varied background and professions who all share a commitment to Sustainable Design.

Our business focus is solely for the disciplines of Environmental Sustainable Design, Material Science and Facade Engineering which complement one another and together provide a whollistic understand of building design and their performance.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN DELIVERY

Our business has been formulated through consultation with our clients and staff to deliver what they need and want. We have achieved this through:

• Providingthebestandseniorpeoplefocusedandavailabletoworkonyourproject,andtoteachanddevelopothers

• Employingthebestsustainableandfacadedesignstafftoworkanddeliverprojectstogether

• Theefficiencyandflexibilityofanimblebusiness,tomakedecisionsandrespondasacompanytotherequeststhathelpourclients business and their projects

• Ensuringacoststructurethatisnotpenalisedbylargecorporateoverheadsbutallowsworktobedeliveredwiththebestand most current technology

• Usingtheknowledgeandexperienceoflargeandinternationalprojectsandbusinessoperations–derivedfromourpeoples’experiences,associationsandcooperationwithotherspecialistconsultantsanduniversities

• Maintainingreliable,accurateandinnovativetechnicalresultsthroughcollaborationandpeerreviewthroughassociationswith other specialist consultants and universities

Surface Design

GMB ARCHITECTSwww.gmbarchitects.com

675 Victoria Street | Abbotsford VIC 3067

Phone: 02 8412 8119 | ABN 93 143 238 126