The National Awards for Sustainable Architecture have been won by architectus + ingenhoven architects for the design of 1 Bligh Street, Sydney and Six Degrees Architects for the design of Heller Street Park and Residences.

 

1 Bligh Street, Sydney — architectus + ingenhoven architects

The jury said:

"The office development at 1 Bligh Street, Sydney was designed to achieve a 6 Star Green Star rating and a 5-star National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) rating, incorporating a number of innovative environmental strategies. It sets a new benchmark for sustainable high-rise commercial developments in Australia.

The proposal was developed with four critical considerations: view, public space, work environment and green building status.

Designed around the principles of flexibility, efficiency and communication, the building features a naturally ventilated glass atrium that runs the full height of the building, enhancing workplace connectivity while introducing natural light and ventilation.

The fully glazed double-skin facade is a major contributor to the Green Star rating and has been specifically developed to optimise amenity for the occupants, maintaining views while providing optimum daylight levels and solar control. The facade system includes an inner skin of performance glass, automated ventilated blinds and an outer skin of clear glass that is separated by a naturally ventilated accessible cavity. In addition to the facade and atrium, the development includes recycled concrete, steel with 50 percent recycled content, recycled timber, solar cooling, tri-generation systems, black water treatment, rainwater harvesting and sewer mining."

Photography by H.G Esch

 

Heller Street Park and Residences — Six Degrees Architects

The jury said:

"Heller Street Park and Residences introduces a new typology for medium-density housing that sets a precedent for the future application of disused infill sites within inner suburban landscapes.

The site has been divided into a ratio of one-third residential and two-thirds community parkland, a strategy that has minimised the removal of contaminated soil. The excavation works were folded into a mounded slope, carving out a protected community park and ensuring that the problems of the site were not simply transferred to another location.

Rainwater collection from the ten townhouses is used to supply irrigation to the park, providing yet another reminder of the importance of private residential interventions that support the local community.

The timber-clad townhouses nestled into the rolling landscape adhere to sustainable building principles, including passive heating and cooling, the implementation of cross ventilation, deep window reveals, solar panels, ventilation through the hallway skylight ‘chimney’, and timber cladding sourced locally from the Melbourne docks. The true success of this project is the provision of public green space in a dense urban environment. The development promotes the use of communal gardens as opposed to private backyard space. In turn, ten townhouses and the local residential community of Brunswick celebrate in sharing a space that gives back to all."

Photography by Patrick Rodriguez