Bates Smart

At the upcoming European Healthcare Design Conference in London, @batessmart director Mark Healey and @architectusau senior associate Ryan Browne will present ‘Regenerating a community’s connection to healing (country)’ – discussing how hospitals can play a greater role in community health. The Peninsula University Hospital redevelopment created a connected health campus that reflects the surrounding community needs, allowing for future growth, and positioning it firmly in the discourse of how the health of country directly effects the collective health of the community living on it. Artworks by: @pop_and_pac

Sydney is one of the least affordable housing markets in the world. Addressing that requires more creative thinking about how public land is utilised. Yesterday, the @sydneymorningherald examined how global cities are tackling housing crises, and what Sydney can learn. Philip Vivian is quoted on the case for unlocking Sydney's rail corridors for affordable homes, pointing to over-rail development within 400 metres of stations as one of the most significant untapped housing opportunities in inner Sydney. It's a position @batessmart has been exploring for some time. Our 'Urban Infrastructure Housing' research (published in 2019) identified 103,100sqm of urban infrastructure land available for development across the City of Sydney, within five minutes' walk of a rail station. We proposed the Goulburn Street Carpark as a pilot project – 750 car spaces replaced by a 460-unit Build-to-Rent tower with a minimum of 160 affordable apartments – and have since tested the concept at Central, Newtown and Burwood stations, yielding a minimum of 1,625 affordable units across all three sites. The @CityofSydney 's draft discussion paper 'Housing for All,' released last month, identifies numerous NSW Government owned sites across the local government area as priority locations for new housing. These rail corridors, maintenance yards, stabling facilities and infrastructure sites represent exactly this kind of opportunity. The research exists. The sites are identified. We welcome the City's discussion paper and encourage industry, government and community to engage with it. Visit our website to read our research → check our bio #HousingForAll #AffordableHousing #UrbanInfrastructure #BuildToRent #CityTransformation #UrbanRenewal

Build-to-rent (BTR) is rewriting the architectural brief. Featured in the @ausdesignreview , @batessmart Associate Director Lucy Sutton explores how BTR is changing the way architects design for longevity. “We’re engaging with both operations and leasing teams very early,” she says. “While we’re designing, they’re already thinking about how the building’s going to run, how spaces are used, cleaned and maintained.” BTR presents an opportunity to deliver more liveable, resilient and enduring homes – "building less, designing better and becoming a driver of quality.” Read more in the bio → article by Tim McDonald on #ADR 📸 @felixmooneeram , @gemmola

Bates Smart is honoured to have five projects shortlisted in this year’s @architecturensw awards, recognising excellence across housing, commercial and interior architecture sectors. Congratulations to our #citymaking teams. Newmarket South for @cbusproperty | Residential Architecture - Multiple Housing with @aboutsjb and @neesonmurcuttneille Waterloo Metro Quarter - Social Housing for @mirvac_residential @johnhollandgroup | Residential Architecture - Multiple Housing CBRE Sydney for @cbre_aunz | Interior Architecture Lyf Bondi | Commercial Architecture 42 Honeysuckle Drive for @domagroup_ | Commercial Architecture Check our bio for the news 📰

This weekend the @royalexhibitionbuilding celebrates 125 years since the opening of the first Parliament of Australia. Built in 1880 the UNESCO building remains one of Melbourne’s most celebrated landmarks and an enduring icon of Reed & Barnes – the practice that would become Bates Smart. Visit for a weekend of history, architecture and community connection! Free entry 9 –10 May from 12pm – 5pm. Head over to @melbournemuseum for details. 📸 @tomroe__

Welcoming Pinsent Masons to their new Sydney home at 33 Alfred Street, Circular Quay – Sydney's first skyscraper. The interior draws from the building's modernist design: horizontal planes, geometric clarity, rich colour, reflective metals, iconic 60s furniture and vintage lighting pieces. A luxurious workplace where modernist heritage meets residential warmth. @lifeatpinsentmasons 📸 @smartanson

435 Bourke Street, Melbourne has officially topped out, marking practical completion of the first stage and bringing one of Australia’s most anticipated next-generation workplaces closer to full completion. Designed for @cbusproperty and under construction by @multiplexconstruction__au , the tower will set a new benchmark for premium sustainable workplace design with one of the world’s first solar skin facades. Congratulations to everyone who has helped bring this city-shaping project to life. Model 📷 Jason Edwards Event 📷 @kitspix

Bates Smart were pleased to welcome students from @rmituniversity and @swinburne to our Melbourne studio last week. The @interiordesign.rmit students heard from a range of Bates Smart team members, who shared their career journeys along with honest insights on navigating the industry. Meanwhile, the @soda_swinburne students toured Orica House, gaining a deeper understanding of the significance behind this iconic building. We always value the opportunity to connect with the next generation of architects and interior designers. 📸 @shermantanphoto

At 120 Collins Street, our workplace for Corrs Chambers Westgarth @corrslawyers draws on the formality and material heritage of one of Melbourne’s most distinguished addresses. Considered, layered and refined – it feels more like a luxury residence than an office, with its own distinct Melbourne identity. Stay tuned for more.  Photographed by @nicoleengland . Styled by @sweedesign . See the full project on our website 🔎 more in the bio Project collaborators: @buildcorpgroup , Generate property Property Group, @electrolight__ , @district_au , @evolved.engineering , Dr. Emily Cormack, Vivid Green, @asentis_au

From refuse to re-use. @batessmart Managing Director Philip Vivian on Sydney's laneways – once abandoned to cars and service trucks, now being reclaimed as some of the city's most vital pedestrian spaces. The challenge, as Philip puts it: how do we take back the city and reclaim these spaces for people? It's a question that drives how we think about laneway integration across our projects, and car-free, human-scaled environments are at the heart of it. Great to see this conversation in the wider city, thanks to @julie_power_smh_journo at @sydneymorningherald . Full article in the bio 🔗 Photography by @felixmooneeram

Exciting news… Banksia Apartments has been granted development approval by the @cityofsydney . Our affordable housing project with @citywesthousing will bring 161 affordable rental homes in perpetuity to Green Square. A mix of duplexes and apartments are designed around sun, air, outlook and privacy. Landscaped communal areas and ground floor commercial space anchor the project in one of Sydney's most connected urban centres. Banksia is also the first project to complete the City of Sydney's pilot Alternative Design Review pathway, demonstrating how planning reform can strengthen both assessment efficiency and design outcomes for social and affordable housing. A proud milestone for our team. More in the bio link 🔍 @citywesthousing | @paddockstudiolandscape | @cityofsydney

Fifteen years, one publication. Since 2010, Journal has captured not just our projects – but the thinking behind them. This special edition brings together a curated collection of @batessmart work built on the conviction that design can uplift the places we live, work, heal and gather. Opened by @katelinbutler 's essay, Civic Responsibility: the value of good design. Brought to life through the beautiful graphic design of @dominichofstede at @typographic.services . Journal: Selected Projects 2010-2025 is now available to read on our website – tap our bio link. Print Production: @wrkwrks #batessmart #citymaking #transformativethinking #futurecities #journal #publication #architecturebook