Alcorn Middleton

Alcorn Middleton Joel Alcorn & Chloe Middleton are Brisbane based Architects

03/06/2026

You may have heard it referred to as the “$10 million playground”.

In reality, the $10 million investment related to the wider park redevelopment over many years, with the playground representing only a small portion of the overall project.

What we love most isn’t the budget discussion, it’s that years later the playground is still packed with families, still creating memories, and still serving the community exactly as intended.

That’s what good public investment looks like.

Public amenities are some of the most overlooked yet important pieces of civic infrastructure. This project challenged t...
20/05/2026

Public amenities are some of the most overlooked yet important pieces of civic infrastructure. This project challenged the idea that they should simply be utilitarian or disposable, exploring instead how thoughtful, durable architecture can improve everyday public experience and contribute to better parks, suburbs and cities.

At Cameron Park Amenities, the project focused on restraint rather than addition, identifying where targeted intervention could improve safety, durability and everyday use while retaining the civic value already embedded within the existing structure.

Central to the project was the retention of the column-free covered gathering space connected to the amenities, originally designed as a shaded grandstand for cricket within the park. Today it supports informal gathering, yoga, community activity and use connected to the neighbouring playground by .

We’re incredibly grateful to the Darling Downs & West Moreton Regional Awards jury for recognising the project through both a Commendation for Small Project Architecture and the William Hodgen Award for Building of the Year.

Project: Public Amenities
Photography:

Project: Ipswich City Council Amenities - Cameron ParkPhotography: Client: Builder: = CameronEngineers: .environment....
18/05/2026

Project: Ipswich City Council Amenities - Cameron Park
Photography:
Client:
Builder: = Cameron
Engineers: .environment.collective + Hunt Michel & Partners
Landscape Architect:

A project defined less by addition, and more by careful subtraction.

Cameron Park Amenities formed part of our award-winning Ipswich City Council Public Amenities project, recently recognised with both a Commendation for Small Project Architecture and the William Hodgen Award for Building of the Year at the 2026 Darling Downs & West Moreton Regional Architecture Awards.

Rather than replacing the building outright, the design focused on identifying which parts of the existing structure carried value and how targeted demolition, selective opening and carefully resolved insertions could improve safety, accessibility, ventilation and long term durability.

The retained structure also allowed the amenities to continue operating as a shaded civic shelter within the park, supporting everyday gathering, recreation and community use beyond the building’s primary function.

These early diagrams, details and construction drawings capture the process of working intentionally with what already existed, demonstrating how thoughtful architectural judgement can transform even the most ordinary public infrastructure into something generous, durable and valued by the community.

Project: City Council Amenities_Richardson ParkPhotography: Client: Builder: Landscape Architect: Engineers: .envi...
15/05/2026

Project: City Council Amenities_Richardson Park
Photography:
Client:
Builder:
Landscape Architect:
Engineers: .environment.collective + Hunt Michel & Partners

At Richardson Park, much of the architectural thinking centred on revealing and working with the existing structure rather than concealing it.

Internal ceilings were removed to increase light, ventilation and spatial volume, exposing original hardwood beams and rafters that had remained hidden for decades. New perforated mesh elements were carefully detailed to maintain visibility and airflow while addressing CPTED, durability and maintenance requirements.

Despite the project being delivered under a design and construct procurement model, considerable attention was given to detailing, coordination and buildability throughout documentation and delivery. Much of the project’s success relied on resolving small but critical moments with clarity and restraint, ensuring the final outcome remained robust, affordable and achievable without losing architectural merit.

The result is a modest civic building where the quality of the project is carried through careful detailing, proportion, material restraint and the considered reworking of an existing structure.

Project: Ipswich City Council Amenities_Richardson ParkPhotography: Client: Builder: Landscape Architect: Engineers:...
15/05/2026

Project: Ipswich City Council Amenities_Richardson Park
Photography:
Client:
Builder:
Landscape Architect:
Engineers: .environment.collective + Hunt Michel & Partners

A forgotten but important piece of public architecture, renewed to continue serving the community for decades to come.

Richardson Park Amenities, delivered as part of our Ipswich City Council Public Amenities submission in the 2026 Awards Program.

Originally constructed in the 1960s, Richardson Park Amenities had long served the Goodna community but had gradually become underperforming, inaccessible and difficult to maintain. While demolition and replacement would have been the more conventional outcome, Ipswich City Council remained open to an alternative approach that retained and reworked the existing structure.

From project inception, we embraced the challenge of identifying what was valuable within the existing building and where targeted architectural intervention could meaningfully improve safety, accessibility, durability and everyday use. Working within the original footprint, the project was carefully developed around affordable and achievable outcomes that extended the life of the building while avoiding a generic replacement solution.

These early diagrams capture that process of selective removal, retention and adaptation that ultimately shaped the project.

19/04/2026

A modest reworking of a Queenslander, led by discipline rather than gesture.

The plan is compact and tightly resolved, yet feels open as you move through it, with rooms and hallways giving a sense of space beyond its footprint. The exterior is intentionally quiet and understated, allowing the interior to feel more expansive, shaped by natural light and a sense of depth.

A simple palette runs throughout, with white exterior cladding and interior walls balanced by the warmth of timber joinery and detailing, a proportion we kept carefully in check throughout the design process.

Spaces are arranged with a clear logic, able to open up or close down depending on the occasion, balancing privacy with connection and rethinking the everyday without drawing attention to it.

One of our most cherished homes to date.

Now on the market.

Address

351 Brunswick Street
Brisbane, QLD
4006

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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