Two awards were given for the Heritage category at the National Architecture Awards to Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners and McGlashan Everist Pty Ltd.

Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners received the Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage for the Restoration of Swifts, Darling Point.

The jury said:

"Swifts, Sydney’s largest and most intact late-Victorian private mansion, was saved from dereliction and over-development when Doug and Greta Moran purchased the property in 1997. Their brief was to repair and restore the place as a family home. The process took place over a decade and the result is masterly – a restoration project carried out by an experienced conservation architect at the height of his powers.

A major achievement of the work is that the extraordinary internal painted decoration has been faithfully restored or reconstructed to its original condition. Teams of conservationists, artisans and painters have scraped, revealed, conserved and faithfully reproduced the walls and ceilings. With the commitment of a dedicated client, the inclusion of authentic furniture, fabrics and paintings has produced a real treasure trove; a wealth of experience for the eye. Externally, slate and lead roofs were extensively repaired and a great deal of work has been done on deteriorated castellated sandstone walling. It is rare that a house of this period survives intact with its original planning, outhouses and grounds. These have been respected while incorporating modern services, kitchens and bathrooms.

The result is that a superb example of a high-Victorian mansion has been saved and restored to its original grandeur for future generations at no cost to the public."

Photography by: Eric Sierins

The National Award for Heritage has been awarded to McGlashan Everist Pty Ltd for its work on Ormond College Academic Centre.

The jury said:

"The Ormond College Academic Centre is an adaptive reuse of the circa 1968, heritage-listed, two-storey, octagonal Romberg & Boyd building. The transformation represents a cohesive, contemporary integration of library, technology, pedagogy and materiality.

McGlashan Everist has created a memorable space that supports the diversity of learning styles of the modern student and which provides the ability to use and access knowledge in its many forms. The design supports a multitude of learning modalities for individuals and groups in a range of spaces that offer space and time flexibility and transformability.

A central void connects the two floors. A faceted top-lit lantern draws on Islamic architecture and the tradition of great library reading room domes to fill the centre with natural light.

Sculpting of joinery and bookshelves enables framed views of the trees and the College beyond. Timber, wool, leather, recycled copper, cork and brick offer warmth, tactility, calm and acoustic control. Sustainable design shaped the project from its inception. Attention to creating thermal mass, shading, drawing in natural light and ventilation demonstrate environmental responsibility.

The built result, thoroughly embraced by the students, is testament to the protracted research, brief development and design process and represents the community values of the College."

Photography by Peter Clarke

Architecture & Design Team

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