As a huge low pressure system lashes the east coast of Australia, we’re once again reminded that our buildings need to be able to withstand everything that the climate can throw at it. Steel has long been the go-to material for durability and issue 132 of Bluescope’s Steel Profile magazine highlights several projects testing new boundaries in steel innovation, as well as the inspired minds behind them.

Located at the southern end of Tasmania and buffeted by wind and rain, FMD Architects’ remarkable Coopworth residence has already won a slew of accolades including a 2021 World Architecture Award. In an accompanying interview with the architect, Fiona Dunin, we hear 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 who has already been recognised for her work by the AIA. With a keen interest in designing for the impacts of climate change, Slingsby’s exploratory designs reflect the passion and urgency of her generation.

These longform articles are a Steel Profile hallmark and the introduction of an interview with a young architect was generated from recent reader feedback. A further enhancement in this issue is the inclusion of a Steel Details section across all project articles to provide a closer examination of each building’s technical properties.

In Perth, the WA Museum Boola Bardip (Hassell & OMA) uses steel in its skin and in its bones to unify old and new. A generous, shimmering, dramatic main entry is followed by a visually arresting series of circulation devices running both horizontally and vertically throughout the building.

Still in Perth, Yagan Square (Lyons & Iredale Pederson Hook) won the National Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture and it’s not hard to see why. It is one of Australia’s first public spaces designed collaboratively with First Nations People, where layers of Country are represented as strata of materials across the buildings’ facades and topped with a canopy of steel in the shape of the lakes that were once on the site.

In Melbourne we visit the groundbreaking Arts West building (ARM & Architectus) and hear how the steel blade innovations advanced through that project have informed and been developed further in subsequent work.

And in Sydney, we find the Christopher Cassanti bridge (KI Studio & Arup) combining form, texture, colour and motion through tubular steel to generate a memorable experience for bikeriders and pedestrians.

With stunning photography and full product details provided for easy reference, this issue is a must-read for future-thinking architects looking to incorporate the latest steel innovations in their next project.

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