With great sadness we announce the passing of Darrel Conybeare, founding Director of Conybeare Morrison (CM+) and Street Furniture Australia.
Darrel is perhaps best known for his pioneering work improving the design of cities in Australia and internationally, over a career of more than 60 years as an architect, city planner and urban designer, and for his lifelong commitment to the quality of the public domain through the design and manufacture of street furniture.
His celebrated work to transform Macquarie Street and Circular Quay for the 1988 Bicentennial Celebrations, together with his creative master planning input for the Sydney 2000 Olympics are but two of his major high profile career achievements which showcase his passion and drive for city making. He helped establish urban design in its infancy as an essential design process and defined the true spirit and art of the discipline.
After being awarded First Class Honours and the University Medal at Sydney University in 1962, Darrel studied in America at the University of Pennsylvania attaining a Master of Architecture and Master of Civic Design, going on to work at high profile practices, including, by invitation, that of Charles and Ray Eames in Los Angeles. On return to Australia, he made a major contribution to the 1971 City of Sydney Strategic Plan as environmental and urban design director, before founding an ambitious multidisciplinary practice, Planning Workshop, and going on to establish Conybeare Morrison (1980), Street Furniture Australia (1986) together with Bill Morrison, and Context Landscape Design (1991) with both Bill and Oi Choong.
Darrel was an inspiration with his curious and constant stream of new ideas, and his gentle and thoughtful leadership style. He was a champion of city making, a true visionary, teacher, poet, mentor and a friend to many.
A celebration of Darrel’s life was held on Tuesday 11 February 2025 at Pier 2/3 Walsh Bay, on Sydney Harbour in a fitting tribute to his contribution to the establishment and practice of urban design in Australia. Speakers provided a colourful picture of Darrel from childhood onward and included family members, school friends, clients and high-profile members of the architectural profession. It was a joyful but sorrowful farewell.
Successful products are often followed by copycats. Over the past year we have become aware of an increase in reproductions of the Linea range attempting to create a similar aesthetic at a lower price. This can compromise the overall durability and environmental credentials of projects being delivered, affect ongoing maintenance requirements, and in some instances pose a risk of injury to the public. The design of Linea is deceptively simple while delivering exceptional attention to detail. Details matter not only for beauty, but also for providing durability, and safety, that will last decades. Linea strictly uses the highest quality and sustainable materials, has passed rigorous strength tests, and is designed for longevity, with easily replaceable parts. The product range is the result of hundreds of hours of research and development …
Street Furniture Australia’s entire product range and manufacturing operation has received carbon neutral certification through Climate Active™. Achieving carbon neutral certification marks a significant milestone in our operation and the culmination of a four year long process of detailed measurement and analysis. Climate Active™ is the only Australian government-backed carbon neutral certification programme for businesses to measure, reduce, and offsets their carbon emissions. It is one of the most rigorous carbon-neutral programs in the world. An approved Emissions Reduction Strategy (ERS) is central to achieving certification through Climate Active. Street Furniture Australia has elected to use SBTi validated science-based targets to ensure their ERS is meaningful and aligns with the 2015 Paris Agreement – to limit global temperature rises to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels. For those emissions that can’t be …
Our Presentation Specialists bring a fun, interactive and informative workshop to your office. In 30 minutes (plus Q&A) you will explore materials and finishes, touch and feel samples, and bond with your colleagues over delicious treats in the comfort of your office. There will also be a mystery prize for a lucky winner (optional). ‘The presentation content was informative, engaging, interactive and relevant. Genuinely one of the better supplier workshops! It was efficient yet insightful. The interactive nature of it enhanced engagement with the team,’ Sam Westlake, Senior Associate, Hassell, Sydney. ‘Possibly our favourite product presentation to date! Engaging, great content and appreciated the physical samples and prototypes,’ Alexa Ongoco, Senior Landscape Architect, TCL, Brisbane. ‘Thorough presentation with actual product to see and test. Melissa and June were very warm and …
