Steel Profile magazine enters its fourth decade with renewed vitality, with a refreshed design and additional content developed from recent reader feedback. Not many magazines can claim similar longevity or influence, but Steel Profile has remained relevant to its wide readership by charting the exciting evolution of steel, from humble structural component to today’s high-end finishes and effects. Issue 132 continues this tradition by celebrating the best recent architectural examples using this quintessentially Australian material.
In Tasmania, FMD Architects’ outstanding Coopworth residence takes the use of steel in housing to new heights and recently won the House category at the 2021 World Architecture Awards. Located on Bruny Island, where it’s exposed to harsh weather extremes, the building is clad entirely in Colorbond steel to great effect. Coopworth continues to garner praise for its precise forms, response to landscape and rigorous materiality. In an accompanying interview with the architect, Fiona Dunin, we hear how this remarkable practitioner designs houses to last at least a century, and how steel has been integral to the success of her buildings throughout her 30 year career.
At the other end of her career timeline we meet Sobi Slingsby, an up and coming Sydney-based architect not long out of university and currently earning her stripes working for award-winning residential architect, Peter Stutchbury. With a keen interest in designing for the impacts of climate change, and already with an AIA award under her belt, Slingsby will be one to watch.
Rounding out the issue is a group of exemplary projects from across the country that demonstrate the value of good design using steel products and the dynamic qualities the material continues to contribute to Australian architecture. From the thoughtful civic architecture of the WA Museum Boola Bardip or Yagan Square in Perth, to an experiential footbridge in Sydney and the mind-boggling façade of a university building in Melbourne, there’s lots to excite and inspire.
With stunning photography and in depth reviews, this issue is a must-read for design afficionados and architecture lovers wanting to stay up to date with the latest steel innovations.