Shape Australia took home four awards and a commendation across multiple categories at the Master Builders Association of NSW Construction Awards (MBA Awards).

The MBA Awards celebrates excellence in construction, workmanship, innovation and dedication to the industry.

Shape Australia was recognised for a range of restoration and fitout projects across hospitality, office and public buildings including the $30M-$50M fitout of the world-class western precinct at The Star in Sydney (Hospitality Buildings Refurbishment); the $10M-$25M redevelopment of the State Library of NSW (Restoration/Re-use of a Historic Building); the $10M-$15M interior fitout of WeWork’s space on Castlereagh Street (Interior Fitouts); the up to $10M refurbishment of the iconic Sydney restaurant Flying Fish at The Star (Hospitality Buildings); and the up to $4M-$6M EY Wavespace digital innovation hub fitout (Merit in Interior Fitout).

Shape won these awards for innovation, ensuring quality of construction, providing exceptional construction management and reducing the volume of construction materials going to landfill.

The Star western precinct

The brief for The Star Sydney, one of Australia’s leading entertainment precincts, was to create a unique world class experience for guests as they entered the property. The Grand Foyer entry scope involved the design and delivery of an AV system and water display package. The fully programmable ‘Aquatique’ water feature interacts with the other AV elements within the space while operating from 100 per cent recycled water. All of these components come together to create an immersive, sensory experience for guests.

The State Library of NSW Building

With a history dating back to 1826, the State Library of NSW on Macquarie Street in the heart of Sydney is Australia’s oldest library and home to renowned historical and contemporary collections.

The Michael Crouch Family Galleries and John B Fairfax Learning Centre in the heritage Mitchell building represent the Library’s first major building project in over 50 years. The project introduces a three-storey circulation gallery that extends from the public and group entrances to the historic reading rooms, galleries, auditorium and event spaces.

Redundant storage spaces and mezzanine levels on the east were demolished to make way for newly created galleries, amenities for the growing number of public visitors and staff, as well as compliance and accessibility upgrades throughout five levels of the Mitchell building.

WeWork

To create a new WeWork space measuring 4433 square metres on levels 26, 27 and 28 of the Premium Grade ANZ Tower at 161 Castlereagh Street, Shape completed a full custom fitout including office partitions, kitchen spaces, new bathrooms and upgraded service provisions. The interior design by WeWork was inspired by the surrounding green spaces at Hyde Park and the Botanical Gardens to create a positive and healthy space for their diverse community of members.

Flying Fish

Flying Fish is a high-end seafood establishment in Sydney that has been serving its signature dishes to the public for 14 years. Shape was engaged at the concept stage of the refurbishment to help with the design, construction and transition in collaboration with several stakeholders, including the restaurant owner operators, Star Capital Projects, Star Food & Beverage, as well as head chefs, designers, consultants and artists among others.

The architects designed a new space with spectacular Sydney skyline views and incorporating many bespoke touches such as hundreds of hand-blown glass feature lights scattered throughout the restaurant, stucco finished feature walls, custom themed carpet and floor finishes, macramé draped columns, large on-floor red and white wine displays, an illuminated stone topped fish display as well as a new feature bar.

EY Wavespace

The brief for EY Wavespace was to provide a fluid space that would pull in visitors through specialist finishes, lighting and AV. The floor would have multiple arrangements and operations without any major walls while still achieving a relatively acoustic space. Using a combination of an open floor plan, utilisation of heavy acoustic curtains, material selection and specific AV requirements, Shape and the consultant team were able to deliver a space that could be multifunctional and still facilitate client collaboration. 

Pictured: The new water feature at The Star, Sydney. Image credit: The Star