THE LIGHTWAVE BLOG
A place to review and voice opinion and
insight on the development of environments
24 October, 2011
What constitutes an educational environment?
The first encounter with any educational environment can be extremely intimidating. Whether young or old, the magnitude of the environment, its finishes, scale and configuration can heighten the physiological reaction to being ‘out of your comfort zone’. Despite an intimidating nature, these types of environments seem to be traditionally synonymous with the design of educational architecture. Whether a [...]
18 October, 2011
A modular building comes to kingscliff
The streets of Kingscliff were brought to life last week when a modular building for Tweed Valley Respite Services was installed on their site in Cudgen Road, Kingscliff. The commercial building was a modification of one of our standard residential buildings the “Sanctum”. Fulton Trotter Architects chose to capitalise on the advantages of the efficiencies [...]
5 October, 2011
Lightwave takes a trip to Russell Island
Last Friday, Lightwave facilitated a design charette on Russell Island, located just off the coast of South East Qld. Armed with the task of creating a new vision for the existing Russell Island Community Hall, we hit the streets… or rather the waters… to understand what the community hoped to gain from this development. The [...]
21 September, 2011
The future of organic construction materials
Recent advances in science and biology have demonstrated that organic building materials can be grown from the microscopic level, just as coral reefs can grow to enormous sizes as a by-product of the process of tiny organisms. Organic alternatives to petrochemical building products are a step in the right direction for a green future in [...]
5 September, 2011
Vision
Vision is probably something we’d all love to say we have. Surely though vision is nothing more than the ability to see… but see what? See the car in front of you as you sit in traffic trying to get to work or the meeting you’re running late for! See that time is getting away [...]
30 August, 2011
Need assistance with furniture procurement?
Resortium Concepts collaborate with Lightwave in providing furniture packages for hotels, resorts, motels and multi residential housing. For further information visit their web site at www.resortiumconcepts.com.au
30 August, 2011
A modular solution for a remote location
This recently completed modular home in a remote location in the Northern NSW hinterland provided an affordable architecturally designed home to a couple who in traditional circumstances may not have thought to engage an architect or be able to afford the construction costs of an architectural home. The modular building process to build this home [...]
28 August, 2011
Rammed earth – Lightwave discovers the essence of WA
Working across cultures and regions requires Lightwave designers to carefully and sensitively uncover and understand the essence of a place. Indeed, I argue that being an outsider allows opportunities to discover the unique attributes of a place and rearticulate them into the built environment in ways not previously considered. Our current work in Western Australia [...]
22 August, 2011
The design process – what does it really involve?
Often as designers we have to grapple with complex and often interconnected issues in order to derive an outcome to an architectural problem. How we go about it is often a combination of some of the following; briefing, scope of the project, knowledge of both the client’s needs and the function of the building and [...]
15 August, 2011
Education design… the BER wrap up
You would’ve had to have been living under a rock not to have heard something about the Building the Education Revolution (BER) over the past year. As part of the Australian Government’s economic stimulus plan, the program aimed at modernising schools through the delivery of necessary infrastructure, and by doing so, supporting local jobs and [...]
25 July, 2011
Architecture’s place in the fashion industry
Architecture has become a powerful tool in the fashion industry. The synchronisation of a brand’s corporate identity with its shopping environment has expanded the scope of facades, fit out and joinery detailing to produce some amazing responses. Architecture has been adopted as a potent communicator of a brand’s macro design viewpoint. Uniquely positioned and detailed [...]
20 July, 2011
Planning modern cities – an alternative approach to urban design
The rapid industrialisation of Eastern Asia over recent decades has seen a substantial movement of people from rural areas into cities. The demand on urban infrastructure has seen the need for accelerated construction of new cities; and the buildings to accommodate both their inhabitants and their commerce. China is the obvious example but the story [...]
