Journal Article. Fast Architecture.
Architecture Au, August 2024
A few questions & provocations on an exhibition of pre-fab housing by Blok Modular x Vokes and Peters – commentary by Dirk Yates.
Awards. Good Samaritan College, Polding Place.
Commendation, Regional Project of the Year, Social Impact Award
Australian Institute of Architects, Queensland Chapter, Darling Downs & West Moreton, 2024
From the awards jury,
"Polding Place at Good Samaritan College is a resolved piece of adventurous architecture that goes beyond the design brief. A simple, robust structure that allows for future adaptability, the building edges are made active, extending it beyond its footprint to improve the amenity and character of the newly formed courtyard. This and the verandah become extensions of the classroom space, supporting students’ learning activities. The project is commendable for the social and cultural impact it offers the school, student wellbeing, and the wider community.."
Journal Article. Red Hill House and Studio.
Houses Magazine, #158, June 2024
A review of Zuzana and Nicholas’s home and architectural studio, playfully elucidating ideas of twinning in relationships, construction, planning, children’s toys, as a feminist home and workplace.
Review by Dirk Yates.
Award - Commendation, Good Samaritan College, Polding Place.
38th Dulux Colour Awards, Commercial and Multi-Residential Exterior, 2024
From the judging panel,
"An exemplar of an all-encompassing tonal colour strategy … a sophisticated design resolution using colour as the defining element."
Practice Profile. Speculative Architecture.
Architecture Australia, January 2024
One of five architectural practices profiled in Architecture Australia’s Introducing the “next gen”.
“Shaped by founder Dirk Yates’s training in visual arts and involvement in a broad arts community, Speculative Architecture’s work is characterized by an unassuming desire to carve out spaces and opportunities for others.” Profile by Ashley Paine.
Exhibition. Pestorius 1+1.
Brisbane, 19 August to 7 October 2023
In early 2023 Speculative Architecture was invited by gallerist David Pestorius to participate in an ongoing project of pairing an original 1965 working drawing of the Pestorius Sweeney House with a vintage photograph of it.
Original photo by Gabriel Poole, 1967. Sweeney House designed by architect Geoffrey Pestorius.
Photographic model by Speculative Architecture.
Exhibition catalogue essay. Lyle Duncan: Making a Name.
Tweed Regional Gallery, 2023
An essay by Dirk Yates of an exhibition of artworks, including solar photograms, by artist Lyle Duncan.
Journal article. Hopscotch House.
Houses Magazine, Issue 149, December 2022
A review of John Ellway’s Hopscotch House, by Dirk Yates, describing the fun of names, architectural games, and how design can sometimes feel like a picnic.
Journal article. Noosa Heads House.
Houses Magazine, Issue 146, May 2022
What do Adolf Loos, Shane Warne, and Kenneth Frampton have in common: the Vokes & Peters’ Noosa Heads House, we think.
A review by Dirk Yates on the stylings of a contemporary Australian building.
Project Review. Bauhaus Now.
Artichoke, Issue 74, March 2021
A review of Speculative Architecture’s Bauhaus Now exhibition design at the Museum of Brisbane, by Michelle Bailey.
“What is commendable about Speculative Architecture’s approach to the Bauhaus Now exhibition is Yates’s thorough understanding of the way visitors approach, move through, linger, absorb and interact with the works on display. Both the chromatic experience and the ever-changing pace of the exhibition are masterfully controlled. Yates’s contemporary design strategy boldly espouses the teachings and techniques of the Bauhaus, borrowing its multidisciplinary approach to practice by deploying graphic design, colour theory and strong audience engagement to create a memorable journey from Bauhaus to Brisbane.” Excerpt from article.
Journal article. Simple Special Stuff.
Barbara, Issue 01, 2021
A brief article, by Dirk Yates, on the sensibilities and enjoyment of Nielsen Jenkin’s Mt Coot-tha House. Barbara Journal is an endeavor to promote architectural discussion in Brisbane, by editors Gordon Macindoe, Sarah Manderson, Felix McNamara, Esther Pearce.
Journal article. Milani Gallery & Studios.
Architecture Australia, July 2020
In early 2020 Dirk was invited by the editor of the national publication Architecture Australia, Katelin Butler, and guest editors Anita Panov and Andrew Scott, to provide a review of the recently completed Milani Gallery and Studios by architects Vokes and Peters. The theme of the magazine issue was ‘smallness’ and the review provided an opportunity to explore cosmopolitan attitudes towards the display of contemporary art and the local character of the place in which it has been generated and is received.
Urban Framework Study. Small Gestures for Big Feelings.
Brisbane City Council, 2019
In mid-2019 we worked with Brisbane City Council to identify wayfinding and urban improvement projects between Fortitude Valley and the CBD. Speculative in nature, the document that we produced identified key locations for improved pedestrian access, pocket parks, views through the city as wayfinding, and improved amenity for local neighbourhoods.
Public Lecture. Friendly Streets.
State Library of Queensland, 2019
Organised by the Australian Institute of Architects and hosted by the State Library of Queensland, Dirk Yates of Speculative Architecture and Jonathon Goh discussed their award winning projects Corps à Corps at the IMA Courtyard and the Ryan St Library. The talk was aimed to demonstrate how architecture and the consideration of streetscapes can be used to build vibrant and connected communities.
Public Workshop & Engagement. My Subtropical Place.
Brisbane Open House, 2019
Speculative Architecture & KIN partnered with Brisbane City Council to co-host a free rooftop event as part of Brisbane Open House in October 2019.
At the event we hosted a design workshop for participants to develop & sketch subtropical design principles for how to keep their home cool in summer and warm in winter, along with other experts in landscape and sustainable design providing advice about 'Your Subtropical Place' - whether that is your home, balcony, street or local park.
Project Profile. Looking Back, Seeing Through: Contemporary Australian Pavilions.
Architecture Australia, March 2018
An examination of Australia’s high-profile pavilion programs, through the lens of shifting global practices in art and architecture, including Speculative Architecture’s Corps a Corps collaborative work at the Institute of Modern Art. Essay by Susan Holden and Ashley Paine.
Essay. Style, Fashion, Taste: Milan and the Dirty Words of Architecture.
A (Dulux) Study Tour of Milan, 2018
An article written during an emerging architect prize tour of Europe, by Dirk Yates.
Link to full PDF.
Essay. Order versus Rules: the Social Capital of Berlin.
A (Dulux) Study Tour of Berlin, 2018
An article written during an emerging architect prize tour of Europe, by Dirk Yates.
Link to full PDF.
Essay. What They Said, What They Do, and Finding Ourselves In-between.
A (Dulux) Study Tour of London, 2018
An article written during an emerging architect prize tour of Europe, by Dirk Yates.
Link to full PDF.
