Zenith kindly filled the courtyard with sensation examples of the high quality furniture they are carrying this year. 

Woodhead staff and exclusively invited clients filled the courtyard on a warm Adelaide evening to enjoy Paul’s talk

and discuss his contemporary view of the role the arts have in the design of our city. 

Later in the evening many of us moved from the courtyard and into Chesser Street, where the street has been transformed into a vibrant cultural laneway.  An exquisite jazz ensemble played as we enjoyed fine wine and food and further conversations with Paul. 

Paul’s Speech:

A critical determinant of humanness is the ability to imagine the world outside of its immediate use as a source of survival and procreation. An incredible ability to depict the world around us can be dated back to at least 80,000 BC, as recent carbon dating of caves in France attest. That these beautifully rendered ritualistic depictions of animals and humans happen on cave walls at a time which predates cities by tens of thousands of years is an indication of a literally primal desire to surround our environments with expressions of the ability to conjure alternate worlds, or aestheticize our experience.

To beautify our surroundings, but also to use them to articulate our questions about the purpose of existence; as cities began to take shape, these questions stood at the heart of them. Classical civilisation produced cities full of expressions of a new appreciation of the human form, the power of the public to be a political voice, and the spectacle as communal entertainment.

What we now call ‘art’ was everywhere to be seen, whether as mosaic, wall painting, funeral portraiture, statuary, or in the elegant rhythms of the airy architecture of public buildings. We know of Rome that there were large slum areas, with shoddily-built multi-storey dwellings which regularly burnt down, and of which we can only speculate about the degree to which art or performance spaces may have been present, but there is no doubt that the need for urban spaces which reflect the creative urge has a long history.

Cities show little sign of disappearing. Of course, they are growing, both out and up, and in this growth some of the established facts about life in cities seem to reinvent themselves. For example, the wealthy occupy the high ground, (in the form of high rise, high density housing with a view) and the poorer the outer fringes. This is an ironic inversion of council low-income housing in some cities which created huge concrete towers with what must be some spectacular outlooks amongst the various scenarios of struggle. I suspect that in choices in which the creative life is considered, considerably more is expected of those with higher levels of disposable income in factoring in  art in urban planning, but this may suggest a conservatism in the understanding of what creative spaces are and where they could or should be located.

The creative life is in the public domain. It is essential to our sense of who we are. Art posits various parallel realities and belief systems. It navigates the zone of our dreams, of the symbology that attempts to articulate our deepest understandings of love and mortality. It achieves this by developing languages outside of the speech of naming, describing and doing which greases the wheels of our daily lives. It also exists outside of our immediate time and space in a feedback loop linking the maker of art with its receiver, irrespective of the amount of time separating these people. It is therefore a transcendent activity, while being located within a specific time and place in terms of its gestation.

Being essential human activity, it is therefore critical to our health, particularly our mental health.  In traditional aboriginal societies, those in which ceremony still plays an active role, art is the driver. Music, dance, chant, story-telling and visual art, both on the body and using other media, help to dissolve the frontiers between past and present, summoning up ancestor figures and spiritual totems, infusing an initiate with a sense of identity which is beyond the simply here and now. This is a spiritual ecology which has everything to do with a natural one, in which a person, her place, her family, her people, the systems which support her both materially and in an other-worldly sense, are all part of an interlinked system perfectly understood by each individual, located in language both ancient and current and resulting in a sense of a complete person in a clear set of relationships with an environment.

We also have this sense of place, but in an entirely different way. Our experiences are linear, fragmented, often reactive, driven by factors largely outside of our immediate environment, whether economic, political or spiritual. Indeed, one could say that we take an awful lot on faith, while not existing within the kind of mytho-poetic structure that gives faith its order in conscious reasoning. Our urban planning often takes on a philosophical rationale in hindsight in a kind of teleological paradox. This may be the only reasonable way to plan, as a set of reactions to ever evolving and changing situations in a constant state of flux, but plans are plans, and today’s blueprints may well become tomorrow’s outcomes.

The idea of art in our society is undervalued. We know this because of its bad press, the sense that it is the domain of self-indulgent, pampered egomaniacs, heedlessly peering into their own navels, or worse. Perhaps it has to do with our early history as a series of penal colonies, Benthamite social experiments or refuges for dissenting Protestants; perhaps it has to do with the notion of post settlement Australian history as being a class struggle between poorly educated working people and slightly less poorly educated self-made entrepreneurs against our wild  and forbidding natural backdrop. Sport seemed a far better metaphor for the struggle to survive, followed by war, in the construction of our national myth.

In our early urban planning, the spaces set aside for art in its various forms mirror its role in the Mother Country, places designed to instil civic values, with art being part of the theme ‘Civilization’, rooted in ideas of canonical achievements, a ‘Great Men, Great Deeds’ view which informs the columns and architraves of our art galleries. Concert halls, rare enough in the 19^th Century, were scarcely present; town halls usually filled that purpose. Public art followed through on this theme, with men standing atop pillars, frozen exemplars of our noblest aspirations.

Art’s poor standing as a marker of communal health remained floating around the bottom until well into the 20^th century. It is to Adelaide’s great credit that its patricians had the vision to map out a festival over 50 years ago. It was by no means an obvious choice, and it set its bar very high right from the outset. I believe that decision was amongst the most important for raising the profile of art as a useful social activity in Australia, even if its target audience was, and to some extent remains, the well-healed. The fact that art is not only the domain of the wealthy is proven by the immediate emergence of the Fringe as a response to the conservative approach taken by the main festival.

Another result of great impact was the commissioning and construction of the very infrastructure which drew the nation’s attention to the festival, and which still bears its name.

Art, being the expression of people at a particular point in time, is always an expression of the values, aspirations, hopes and fears of that time. The old Anglo-European models to which I have alluded were rooted in a world-view largely underwritten by faith in God, the Queen and the Empire, the knowledge that one’s labours in this world were rewarded in the next, and that, frankly, it was better to know one’s place. Don’t forget it was during this period that in some parts of Australia indigenous people were classed under ‘flora and fauna’.

The 20^th Century certainly changed all that. We discovered that among other new and undreamt of technological capacities of our own invention was an ability to cause death and destruction on a hitherto unprecedented scale, that ideas born on the darker side of the 19^th to 20^th Century divide particularly with regard to racial selection saw their most egregious realisations; therefore the civic values espoused by prior generations became exposed to a far greater degree of moral relativism, and with that came various new views of art, and the place of art in our lives and our cities. Technology has played a huge role in all of this, both in the way we view and experience art, and in the way we live.

One result of the information technology explosion is the degree to which we are perpetually seeking to be entertained. It is almost as if the chaotic complexities surrounding us force us to seek constant distraction. Everything is very available at the touch of a screen, which raises interesting questions for artists about the nature of art versus entertainment, and therefore where and how art should be made.

The first, and most obvious, answer, is: on the streets. The emergence of street art during the last thirty years, with its origins in mural and graffiti, essentially an intervention into or onto a space via slogan, autograph, obscenity, or in its recent manifestations, elaborate and technically ambitious image, has enlivened cities by drawing our attention to their forgotten surfaces, alleys and backlots.

Artists need each other; they may think in seclusion, but they need the stimulus of each other, observing practice, sharing ideas, before retiring to the creative incubus.

Hence the idea of the precinct. Art gains by mass; the great artistic centres of the world, whether New York, London, Berlin or Tokyo all benefit from wide use of reclaimed space, often, but by no means always, with the sanction and aid of city planners. Particularly in Berlin’s case, this has resulted in rents being kept low as an incentive to attract artists, not a bad idea in a city with an already well-established infrastructure at the top end of the scale. And their audiences should in the first instance consist of their peers, or those of their generation. Art aims above all to communicate; in order to achieve that it needs to speak in the vernacular, and if in so doing it speaks above and beyond its immediate constituency, it becomes great art. And it aims to provoke, to challenge, to reinvent itself. Each generation believe they are creating ideas for the first time; most will find their origins in the roots of human experience.

Destination architecture, when it works, will always add something to a city. I never tire of seeing the Sydney Opera House, which is at once a work of art, and home to performance, but what an unfortunately Australian story surrounds its building, the result falling far short of Utzon’s original vision, and still deeply flawed in some of its intended uses. I can’t help but always return to my original theme of the need for the centrality of art in our societal journey to be understood. With its paramount place fixed firmly in our minds, it will form part of our visualising of urban environments at every stage of planning. We will all have a stake in seeing these things through, and the idea of art as a reflection of the civic values of the self-respecting contemporary city will cease to be the seen as the wishful thinking of the resentful, or the cry from the wings of a fringe interest group but rather as the natural expression of the mainstream.

Art is the unique expression of our humanity.

About Paul Grabowsky:

Paul Grabowsky is a pianist, composer, arranger, conductor – and is one of Australia’s most distinguished artists.

Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea in 1958, Paul was raised in Melbourne where he attended Wesley College. During the late 70′s he became prominent in the music scene in Melbourne, working on various jazz, theater and cabaret projects.

He lived and worked in Europe and the US from 1980-85, during which time he performed with many jazz luminaries including Chet Baker, Art Farmer and Johnny Griffin. He returned to Australia in 1986 and established a reputation as one of Australia’s leading jazz musicians with such bands as his own trio and sextet, the Wizards of Oz, and as musical director for singer Vince Jones.

He was musical director of Tonight Live with Steve Vizard from 1990-1992.

He has written the scores for over twenty feature film scores in Australia, the UK and US including ‘Innocence’ (Paul Cox), ‘Last Orders’ (Fred Schepisi) and ‘Shiner’ (John Irvin). His television credits include the series ‘Phoenix’ and ‘Janus’ and the Emmy-winning ‘Empire Falls’. His works for the theater include two operas and various multimedia works.

He is the founder and Artistic Director of the Australian Art Orchestra, with which he tours both nationally and internationally. Recent AAO projects have concentrated on collaborations with traditional and contemporary indigenous performers, something which Paul passionately advocates.

Among his numerous CD releases are two for the Hush series, designed to assist in the healing environment of Melbourne Children’s Hospital.

He has won four ARIA awards, two Helpmann awards, several Bell Awards and a Deadly award. He was the Sydney Myer Performing Artist of the Year in 2000, and received the Melbourne Prize for Music in 2007.

He was Artistic Director of the Queensland Music Festival from 2005-2007 before being appointed as Artistic Director for the 2010 and also 2012 Adelaide Festivals. 

Woodhead are thrilled to be sponsoring the event for the eleventh consecutive year. The two pursuits of Architecture and Cycling may seem unrelated, however Woodhead believe that they share many common elements. Whilst both can be extremely enjoyable, they require commitment, successful teamwork and endurance.

Woodhead is also proud to be supporting an event that in turn supports the Cancer Council of SA.

Throughout the course of the week, Woodhead will follow the race. The official Race Director’s is covered in graphics designed by the Woodhead graphic design team and boldly featuring the Woodhead logo. This car will lead each day of the Race.  Each day Woodhead staff and clients will be enjoying the race in the ‘Woodhead Bus’; closely following each stage as it travels throughout South Australia, taking in the atmosphere and scenery whilst learning to the subtleties and tactics of international professional staged races.

Sunday 15 January 2012 was the official first day of the tournament, and Woodhead hosted clients in a corporate box located along the Adelaide Rymill Park Street Circuit, where teams from around the world paraded past, offering plenty of photo opportunities for the keen cycling fans.

Woodhead will be updating this page daily with photographs and updates from the 2012 Tour Down Under.

“There has been a high level of interest from the construction industry in the Wynyard Walk project, and with (the) announcement of the shortlisted applicants, we’re one step closer to delivering what will be a new world class piece of infrastructure for Sydney,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Following a competitive registration of interest process, three applicants have now been shortlisted to tender for the design and construction of Wynyard Walk. Woodhead is Architect in the VIA joint venture, which also consists of Watpac and Ferrovial.

Early works around Wynyard Station are due to commence in May 2012 with substantial construction expected to begin by the end of 2012.

“The new walkway will allow pedestrians to walk between Wynyard Station and the Barangaroo waterfront in approximately six minutes, avoiding current steep inclines and numerous road crossings,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“When completed, Barangaroo is expected to accommodate 23,000 office workers and attract up to 33,000 visitors daily – and a large number of them will use Wynyard Walk.”

The project includes:

• a new western entrance to Wynyard Station, known as the Clarence Street portal, to provide direct access onto the station concourse
• a new 3.5 metre-high by 9 metre-wide 110-metre long pedestrian tunnel from Wynyard Station to the intersection of Kent and Napoleon Street
• a pedestrian bridge over Sussex Street with lifts and escalators connecting to the public space at the Barangaroo development and the waterfront.

The GBCA launched the Green Star environmental rating system for buildings in 2003.  Since then, more than 390 Green Star certificates have been awarded, with nearly 550 building projects registered for Green Star certification.  The previous highest figure in one calendar year was 88 certifications in 2009.

“This is an extremely positive result, and demonstrates that even in a challenging market, the green building economy is flourishing,” says Chief Executive of the GBCA, Romilly Madew.

Andrew Aitken, the GBCA’s Executive Director – Green Star, says: “Green Star has penetrated the office market in Australia to the extent that 18 per cent of CBD office space is now Green Star certified.  Beyond offices, Green Star is influencing the design and construction of a range of other building types, particularly education facilities, and we are optimistic that 2012 will surpass our achievements in 2011.”

The GBCA highlighted five standout projects this year, two of which were designed by Woodhead including:

• Flinders Medical Centre – New South Wing in Adelaide, the first Green Star healthcare facility in Australia, with a 5 Star Green Star – Healthcare Design v1 rating
• Jacana House in Darwin, the first 5 Star Green Star building in the Northern Territory, with a 5 Star Green Star – Office Design v2 rating

 “The high number of Green Star certifications this year reflects the maturity in the Australian green building market and demonstrates that, even when financial conditions are uncertain, Green Star can still be relied upon to deliver economic, environmental and social returns,” Ms Madew concludes.

For further information on Woodhead’s Green Star projects click here.

Learning Pod is comprised of five simple elements. Walls are achieved using corner pieces bridged by multiple straight sections. Seating and table space is easily added and can scale to meet the requirements of the booth. Finally, screens provide privacy, aiding focus.

Woodhead are proud to collaborate with local design companies to achieve positive project outcomes.

Together we have celebrated a year of successful project completions, project wins and continuing project innovations.

Woodhead look forward to the exciting opportunities of the New Year.

Woodhead Chairman John Churchill said “the appointment of Angelo to the leadership role is a recognition that design firms must be lead by designers who are not only skilled in their profession but understand and have a global view.

 Angelo brings to his role as CEO skills that have been developed by working with business leaders in Australia and in the Asia Pacific region on large, complex and business critical projects designed to provide sustainable competitive advantages to his clients.

 Angelo is a true professional, passionate, committed and the right person to have as a leader of Woodhead into the 21st century.  He understands how a business like Woodhead must provide an opportunity for all our people to grow and succeed and make a difference to the success of our clients.”

Woodhead has an exceptional history of designing significant nation building infrastructure projects in Australia, including Sydney Airport Terminals 1 & 2, the Royal Women’s Hospital Melbourne, Flinders Medical Centre in Adelaide, and the new campus for Southern Cross University on the Gold Coast. Mr Di Marco said the firms experience in delivering such projects, and projects in Asia, such as Singapore’s new Terminal 3 and Terminal 1 redevelopment, new the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi as well as projects in India, Africa and Indonesia for global brands such as; Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, CIMB, and Permata Bank position Woodhead well for the Asian century.

“Because we set up in Asia nearly 20 years ago we see ourselves as both insiders in Asia and capable of bridging the design understanding between Asia and Australia. Intra-Asia trade is now bigger than trade between Asia and Europe. Asian investors are investing across Asia and into Australia.

“Our challenge will be to continue to contribute to the shaping of developing economies and developed economies like Australia and Singapore through urban and city strategies. We aim to provide design and infrastructure solutions which address each country’s unique global economic and political landscape. “In fact, Woodhead was the first Australian design firm to establish a recognised China design business”.

 Woodhead has a proven capacity to deliver large projects. Our team specialises in integrated design strategies that enable our clients; Government, private sector or Institutions, to plan for future impacts on their service models and business. Woodhead are challenging the traditional notions of architecture and design to operate in a sphere of intellectual rigour, providing superior design solutions for our clients.

Woodhead have developed the plans were developed after consultation with management, clinical, surgical, nursing and allied health staff, plus the Northern Sydney Local Health District and NSW Health Infrastructure.

A number of alternatives were assessed during a workshop in November 2011, before participants unanimously agreed on an option for the first stage of redevelopment.

Under the plans, a new four-storey building will be constructed along the Burdett Street border of the hospital campus, which will include:

• Eight operating theatres;
• A sterilising services department;
• Three 28-bed in-patient surgical units;
• High volume short stay models of care;
• Increased capacity for isolation of patients;
• Surge capacity for exisiting medical beds

The Minister for Health, Jillian Skinner, was joined by clinical staff, representatives from the Northern Sydney Local Health District and Health Infrastructure at the hospital today to inspect the latest plans, which show the layout of the major redevelopment.

“I am delighted with the progress that has been made on this long overdue redevelopment,” Mrs Skinner said.

“The NSW Government has committed $50 million towards the project, with $500,000 allocated in this year’s budget to allow planning to progress,” she said.

“We’re getting on with the job of delivering on a key election promise for Hornsby hospital and I look forward to standing here within 18 months with clinicians, Hornsby MP Matt Kean, to turn the first sod.

“The community should know that there’s a lot of important planning work going on behind the scenes and before too long the public will be able to have its say on the plans when the project goes on public display in the first half of next year,” Mrs Skinner said.

“The clinical services priorities, which have been developed by the Local Health District, have formed the basis of the option chosen to progress and that’s what we have here today.”

Mr Kean said it was important to work together to get the foundations right.

“Planning is a critical stage for any redevelopment and it’s vital to incorporate the views of our clinicians and our community from the outset,” Mr Kean said.

“This is really exciting for Hornsby and I’m pleased to mark this key planning milestone for the hospital’s future,” he said.

Officially opened by Transport Services Minister Chloe Fox together with Chief Executive Officer for the Department for Planning, Transport and Infrastructure Rod Hook, the new centre is designed to provide customers with choices for information gathering and with equitable access to a diverse range of travellers.

Minister Fox explained “the 40,000 commuters who use the Adelaide Railway Station each day will benefit from the state-of-the-art centre which will have a strong focus on face-to-face customer service.”

This modern and welcoming information centre is seen as model for future information hubs across the public transport network.

Along side other leading Australian businesses, including The Body Shop, Kylie Kwong and SustainAbility, Woodhead is pleased to support the latest Climate Friendly sustainability initiative ‘Mainstreaming Green’.

Woodhead is committed to supporting the key objectives of climate action by reducing our carbon footprint and applying carbon offsets through both our own operations and those of our building projects.

Our People and our Project outcomes drive our commitment:

• Community by promoting in-house initiatives to engage staff, change behaviour and reduce our carbon footprint.
• Sustainability by promoting green building programs, technologies, design practices and operations.
• Integration of green building initiatives into mainstream design, construction and operation of buildings.

Woodhead understand that our work will only be successful if we balance our project’s needs with those of the community and the environment.

To prosper in the 21st century requires that we recognise the importance of living in balance with our physical environment and treating our people, projects and planet with dignity and equity.

Climate Friendly^{TM –} ‘Mainstreaming Green’

You can get started by joining the campaign!

Mainstreaming Green brings together a network of like-minded businesses and can:

• Find ways for you to reduce your costs and manage your footprint
• Increase your business’ visibility and competitive advantage
• Help you attract and retain staff
• Provide you with tools to engage with stakeholders
• Build an informed, savvy and green business community!

Find out more about Mainstreaming Green at www.climatefriendly.com