Book launch: CM+ celebrates 40 years of …urban thinking
Darrel Conybeare, Oi Choong and Bill Morrison.
Bill Morrison and Darrel Conybeare, co-founders and directors of Street Furniture Australia, are celebrating 40 years of design practice with their architecture and urban design studio, CM+.
The two young architects, shaped by formative experiences in the US and UK working with major players such as Eames, William Holford & Partners and the Farrell/Grimshaw Partnership – started their own venture in 1980 to shape cities through the still-fledgling practice of urban design.
Their work includes the redesign of Macquarie Street and Circular Quay in Sydney for the 1988 Bicentennial, designing prominent Canberra spaces such as City Walk, universities in China and Kuching Waterfront in Malaysia.
Bill and Darrel’s philosophy considers how a design might discover a the urban pulse and heritage of a city, reveal its urban character, and recognise what is good about a place. Their work is concerned with city form, movement, memory and the spaces between buildings.
More than 80 Australian and international projects are explored and illustrated in a new book produced to celebrate the work of 40 years, published by Piper Press, available at selected book shops.
The book was launched in Sydney in April with a gathering of clients, colleagues and friends, addressed by guest speaker Professor Philip Thalis, Director of Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects.
‘… urban thinking’ by Darrel Conybeare, Bill Morrison, Richard Nugent and Oi Choong.Professor Philip Thalis, Director of Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects.Richard Nugent, Design Director with CM+.Clients, colleagues and friends gathered to celebrate.CM+ and Street Furniture Australia colleagues and alumni.
The Street Furniture Australia factory, in Regents Park, Western Sydney, is both a manufacturing hub and R&D studio for our Australian-designed and made street furniture products. We run fun and informative group events for customers throughout the year, to share how products are designed, tested and built, and the latest products and projects. Director of Tract Julie Lee said: “It was a great opportunity for our team to look behind the scenes and understand the innovation, research and climate positive outcomes Street Furniture Australia is focusing on. Thank you for having us!” Place Design Group Associate, Liam Isaksen, said: “The factory tour is a fun experience to learn about the design and manufacturing process of public furniture we use in landscape architecture design. Seeing the work behind the scenes and …
Did you catch these most-read case studies, furnishing tips, new product announcements and special industry events in your StreetChat updates in 2023? Each month our StreetChat enewsletter publishes new projects, products and trends from the public domain; subscribe to receive it in your inbox. 10. Which design firm can see Longhorn Cattle from their office window? 2 countries. 9 cities. 300 landscape architects. Street Furniture Australia and USA partner Spruce & Gander visited offices in Australia and Texas. There were key similarities and some notable standouts. 9. Jazz at The Mint: Product and Book Launch Sydney landscape architects gathered at the iconic Mint Courtyard to launch a design book by our founding directors Darrel Conybeare and Bill Morrison, and expansions to the Linea collection. 8. 2023 Good Cause Giveaway goes to …
Street Furniture Australia has designed and built prototype charging stands as part of a Transport for NSW program to deliver free phone chargers at 15 Sydney train stations. Developed by Street Furniture Australia’s inhouse industrial designers in collaboration with Transport for NSW, the prototypes offer wireless, USB-A and USB-C charging, and can power 7 devices at once. They were built at the Street Furniture Australia factory in Western Sydney. Two Power Spots are now installed at Liverpool and Campbelltown stations. The $1 million Power Spots Project rollout to 15 transport hubs including Bankstown, Hurstville, Lidcombe, Penrith, Wynyard, Central, Town Hall and Bondi Junction will be completed by late 2024. NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the Power Spots provide peace of mind: “In the modern world, our phones are our …
A leading voice in placemaking, Kylie Legge is an architecture graduate, planner, place maker, author, facilitator, curator and entrepreneur. She is founding Director of Place Partners, a multidisciplinary placemaking consultancy based in Sydney, Australia and Place Score – the world’s first place experience measurement company. How did you get started and find your unique career pathway? My career has tended to veer off the beaten track. I’ve never been too worried about what other people think and am risk-hungry. I’m also interested in disruption – looking for better ways of doing things. At 23 as an architecture grad I talked my way into an internship at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. I lived a double life, working in a dive bar by night and at the most …
Thoughtfully designed and well-built street furniture, with durable materials and a consistent maintenance program, have lasted 30 years – or longer – in the public realm. Here are our top tips for street furniture that stands the test of time. 1. Select a timeless design Go for an aesthetic that will not date easily. Avoid trends that do not prioritise comfort, ergonomics and durability. 2. Select responsible, durable materials In our 35 years of designing, manufacturing and supplying street furniture, we have refined our selection of responsible and durable materials. We use only responsibly-sourced materials that can be recycled in our products and packaging. Durable materials retain their strength and integrity – they do not bow, sag, rust, stain or leach over time. Our selected eco-certified hardwood, aluminium (both anodised …
ChillOUT Hubs: Smart Social Spaces Creating Connected Green Places has won a National Award for Best Planning Ideas – Small Project from the PIA (Planning Institute of Australia), the national body representing planning and the planning profession. Collaborators UNSW, Street Furniture Australia, Georges River Council and University of Sydney have received recognition for an “outstanding planning idea” in the smart open-air community ChillOUT Hubs that offer shelter, furniture, greenery, public WiFi and power for devices. ChillOUT Hub prototypes were installed in 2020 at three sites in the Georges River Council area – a busy streetscape in Kogarah, town centre in Mortdale, and suburban park in Hurstville. They were co-developed by the collaborative team initially formed in 2018 for the Australian Smart Cities and Suburbs program. Street Furniture Australia thanks CM+ …
