RELATED AWARDS

2017 New South Wales Architecture Awards winners
2017 Tasmanian Architecture Awards winners
2017 Victorian Architecture Awards winners
2017 Queensland Architecture Awards winners
2017 Northern Territory Architecture Awards winners
2017 Western Australian Architecture Awards winners

Last night, one of the most anticipated annual architecture events in Australia was held in Canberra. The Australian Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2017 National Architecture Awards was the culmination of months of chapter awards around the country, from which 44 projects emerged as winners.

These projects, selected from amongst the state and territory winners, were chosen from a highly competitive field of more than 983 entries (of which 72 were shortlisted). In total, the national jury presented 35 awards and 13 commendations across 14 categories.

“The jury gave preference to projects demonstrating the contribution [that] architecture can make to the public good; projects that were inventive in their responses to context, site and program; and those that celebrated an understanding of materials and making,” says Ken Maher, jury chair and immediate past president.

While we take a closer look at the Named Award winners in the long list below, there are a number of notable projects worth mentioning here.

For instance, among the awarded projects were several familiar faces from our Sustainability Awards. This year’s Best of the Best winner, Gen Y Demonstration Housing Project by David Barr Architect, received a National Commendation for Sustainable Architecture last night at the 2017 National Architecture Awards. The Best of the Best winner from the 2016 Sustainability Awards, 88 Angel St by Steele Associates Architects, took home a National Award. The FJMT-designed EY Centre, which took out the Commercial category at the 2017 Sustainability Awards, also received the Harry Seidler Award for Commercial Architecture at the National Awards.

Several projects were recognised more than once at yesterday’s awards evening. These included Albert Park College Environmental Arts Hub by Six Degrees Architects; UQ Forgan Smith Building – TC Beirne School of Law and Walter Harrison Library Refurbishment by BVN; Juanita Nielsen Community Centre by Neeson Murcutt Architects in association with City of Sydney; and Captain Kelly’s Cottage by John Wardle Architects. Each of these projects received two accolades.

Without further ado, the full list of winning projects from the 2017 National Architecture Awards is below.

COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE

HARRY SEIDLER AWARD

EY Centre by FJMT (NSW)
Photography by Gareth Hayman

The design of the EY Centre skyscraper in Sydney’s CBD consists of two overlapping rounded towers with a timber and glass façade. The building incorporates sustainability initiatives and achievements including a world-first closed cavity façade system, a 6-star Green Star Office As Built V3-certified rating, an Australian-first Gold WELL certification, along with 6-star Green Star Interior and As-Built ratings. Last week, the project received the Commercial Award at the 2017 Sustainability Awards.

NATIONAL AWARD

Willinga Park by Cox Architecture (ACT)
Willinga-Park-by-Cox-Architecture-Image-Ginette-Snow.jpg Photography by Ginette Snow

NATIONAL COMMENDATION

NewActon Nishi by Fender Katsalidis Architects (ACT)
Photography by John Gollings

EDUCATIONAL ARCHITECTURE

DARYL JACKSON AWARD

East Sydney Early Learning Centre by Andrew Burges Architects in association with the City of Sydney (NSW)
Photography by Peter Bennetts

This adaptive re-use of a four-storey 1920s warehouse building in Sydney has seen the birth of a childcare centre inspired by its urban surrounds. While the building retained its masonry façade, the experience inside has been conceived as a ‘mini-city’. Over the three floors of ESELC, circulation space is conceived as a network of streets and laneways, while gardens and playgrounds are similar to the green spaces found interspersed throughout the real urban world. A sandpit takes place of a central plaza and yellow pipes stand exposed in the centre’s ceiling.

NATIONAL AWARDS

Albert Park College Environmental Arts Hub by Six Degrees Architects (VIC)
Albert-Park-College-Environmental-Arts-Hub-by-Six-Degrees-Architects-Image-Simon-James.jpg Photography by Simon James

St Joseph’s Nudgee College Hanly Learning Centre by m3architecture (QLD)
St-Joseph-s-Nudgee-College-Hanly-Learning-Centre-by-m3architecture-Image-Christopher-Frederick-Jones.jpg Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

UQ Forgan Smith Building – TC Beirne School of Law and Walter Harrison Library Refurbishment by BVN (QLD)
UQ-Forgan-Smith-Building-TC-Beirne-School-of-Law-and-Walter-Harrison-Library-Refurbishment-by-BVN-Image-Christopher-Frederick-Jones.jpg Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

ENDURING ARCHITECTURE

NATIONAL AWARD

17 Wylde Street by Aaron M Bolot (NSW)
Photography by Max Dupain

HERITAGE

LACHLAN MACQUARIE AWARD

Albert Park College Environmental Arts Hub by Six Degrees Architects (VIC)
Photography by Simon James

This Melbourne project involved the redevelopment of a heritage-listed Naval Drill Hall and former Post Office. The existing ground and mezzanine spaces were adapted into four large multipurpose and science classrooms, while the main Naval Hall space was retained as a teaching, meeting and performance space. The old Post Office building was stripped back to its original finishes, and is now home to administrative, meeting and musical rehearsal spaces. The Environmental Arts Hub accommodates 250 year nine students, 25 members of staff, artists in residence, and members of the local community.

NATIONAL AWARDS

Juanita Nielsen Community Centre by Neeson Murcutt Architects in association with City of Sydney (NSW)
Juanita-Nielsen-Community-Centre-by-Neeson-Murcutt-Architects-in-association-with-City-of-Sydney-Image-Brett-Boardman.jpg Photography by Brett Boardman

100 Harris Street by SJB (NSW)
Photography by Felix Forest

NATIONAL COMMENDATIONS

Captain Kelly’s Cottage by John Wardle Architects (TAS)
Image: JWA
Embassy of Sweden by Guida Moseley Brown Architects (ACT)
Photography by Anothony Basheer

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

EMIL SODERSTEN AWARD

Indigo Slam by Smart Design Studio (NSW)
Photography by David Roche

Behind a façade of sculpted concrete, this home in Sydney offers what the judges describe as a “minimalist and honest material palette, exquisitely deployed with a restrained approach to colour”. Floors are brick paved, walls are set render and fittings are kept simple. The project has received an avalanche accolades at recent awards programs such as the INDE.Awards, the 2016 Interior Design Excellence Awards, last year’s National Architecture Awards, and the Inside World Festival of Interiors 2016.

NATIONAL AWARD

UQ Forgan Smith Building – TC Beirne School of Law and Walter Harrison Library Refurbishment by BVN (QLD)
UQ-Forgan-Smith-Building-TC-Beirne-School-of-Law-and-Walter-Harrison-Library-Refurbishment-by-BVN-Image-Christopher-Frederick-Jones_2.jpg Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

NATIONAL COMMENDATIONS

Canberra Airport – International by Guida Moseley Brown Architects (ACT)
Photography by John Gollings
The Gipson Commons, St Michael’s Grammar School by Architectus (VIC)
Photography by Trevor Mein

INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE

JØRN UTZON AWARD

Amanemu by Kerry Hill Architects (Japan)
Photography by Masao Nishikawa

Amanemu is a resort located within the Ise-Shima National Park in Mie Prefecture on Japan’s south-east coast. The project comprises 24 guest suites, four villas, public spaces, and a spa (this latter includes a traditional onsen). The design of the accommodation pavilions is a contemporary interpretation of the traditional Minka farmhouse, with steeply pitched roofs and charcoal timber walls. Interior spaces are conceived as finely crafted timber boxes inserted below the low-slung eaves of the pavilions.

AUSTRALIAN AWARD

SkyVille @ Dawson by WOHA (Singapore)
Photography by Patrick Biringham-Hall

SkyVille @ Dawson is a public housing project commissioned by the Housing & Development Board of Singapore to explore the future of public housing. The central innovations are the public, external and shared spaces that have been interwoven through the cluster of towers, reaching from ground to roof. Each home is designed to be part of a Sky Village that comprises 80 homes alongside a naturally ventilated community terrace and garden. The apartments are designed as column-free, beam-free layouts to allow diverse family sizes, lifestyles and future flexibility.

PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE

SIR ZELMAN COWEN AWARD

East Pilbara Arts Centre by Officer Woods Architects (WA)
Photography by Robert Frith

EPAC in the Western Australian town of Newman is a purpose-built creative facility for cultural expression, education, public exhibitions and sales of work. Architecturally, the structure is a large-span steel framed shed with thermally de-coupled insulated gallery and support areas deep inside. It accommodates flexible spaces for exhibitions, events, and offices. “The architects have quadrupled the client’s original brief for a 500-square-metre arts centre by placing it within a 2,000-square-metre industrial shed,” the judges note.

NATIONAL AWARDS

Juanita Nielsen Community Centre by Neeson Murcutt Architects in association with City of Sydney (NSW)
Juanita-Nielsen-Community-Centre-by-Neeson-Murcutt-Architects-in-association-with-City-of-Sydney-Image-Brett-Boardman_2.jpg Photography by Brett Boardman

The Globe by Brian Hooper Architect and m3architecture (architects in association) (QLD)
The-Globe-by-Brian-Hooper-Architect-and-m3architecture-Image-Christopher-Frederick-Jones.jpg Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

Sunshine Coast University Hospital by Architectus Brisbane and HDR Rice Daubney as Sunshine Coast Architects (QLD)
Sunshine-Coast-University-Hospital-by-Architectus-Brisbane-and-HDR-Rice-Daubney-as-Sunshine-Coast-Architects-Image-Chris-Wardle.jpg Photography by Chris Wardle

NATIONAL COMMENDATION

Act for Kids Child and Family Centre of Excellence by m3architecture (QLD)
Photography by Trevor Mein

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – HOUSES (ALTERATIONS & ADDITIONS)

ELEANOR CULLIS-HILL AWARD

Captain Kelly’s Cottage by John Wardle Architects (Tas)
Image: JWA

Captain Kelly’s Cottage involved the restoration of an existing weatherboard cottage on a remote bay of Bruny Island in Tasmania. The original cottage was deteriorating due to its age and its harsh environment. There had been a number of unsympathetic alterations to the small cottage over the course of its life. Part of John Wardle Architects’ work involved the removal of these non-original works, respectfully returning the cottage to its original form. Unique construction techniques and contemporary interventions were utilised, ensuring the building was more responsive to today’s standards.

NATIONAL AWARDS

Annandale House by Welsh + Major Architects (NSW)
Annandale-House-by-Welsh-Major-Architects-Image-Michael-Nicholson.jpg Photography by Michael Nicholson

Burleigh Street House by ME (QLD)
Burleigh-Street-House-by-ME-Image-Christopher-Frederick-Jones.jpg Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

Jac by Panovscott (NSW)
Photography by Brett Boardman

NATIONAL COMMENDATION

Dornoch Terrace House by James Russell Architect (QLD)
Photography by Toby Scott

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – HOUSES (NEW)

ROBIN BOYD AWARD

Tamarama House by Durbach Block Jaggers Architects (NSW)

Photography by John Gollings

Tamarama House in Sydney is handmade with a palette of oak, concrete, render, mirror and painted steel. The home has been described by the architects as “two carved volumes hover one above the other, separated by [a] narrow glazing band and canopy”. This is “outlined in concrete, capturing textured panels of render and brick”. The house accommodates two major floors connected by a sculptural spiral staircase with two mezzanines, is progressively revealed. A north-facing sunken garden engages with the street.

NATIONAL AWARDS

Cape Tribulation House by m3architecture (QLD)
Cape-Tribulation-House-by-m3architecture-Image-Peter-Bennetts.jpg Photography by Peter Bennetts

Coogee House by Chenchow Little (NSW)
Coogee-House-by-Chenchow-Little-Image-Peter-Bennetts.jpg Photography by Peter Bennetts

Mitti Street House by James Russell Architect (QLD)
Mitti-Street-House-by-James-Russell-Architect-Image-Toby-Scott.jpg Photography by Toby Scott

NATIONAL COMMENDATIONS

Dark Horse by Architecture Architecture (VIC)Photography by Peter Bennetts

Rose House by Baracco+Wright Architects (VIC)
Photography by Andrew Kidman

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – MULTIPLE HOUSING

FREDERICK ROMBERG AWARD

Tropology for DHA by Troppo Architects (NT)
Image: DHA

Tropology introduces a new housing paradigm for Defence Housing Australia (DHA) in Darwin. Understanding storage requirements for transient defence personnel residents and for “top end” extracurricular activities, the site plan was developed as a matrix of multi-purpose semi-outdoor and outdoor spaces. The design incorporates two-storey-long, thin plans that allow for cross-breeze. While the ground-level living spaces connect with both garden and street, the upper-level sleeping spaces provide Buffalo Creek views and draw evening sea breezes.

NATIONAL AWARD

Crown 515 by Smart Design Studio (NSW)
Crown-515-by-Smart-Design-Studio-Image-Ross-Honeysett.jpg Photography by Ross Honeysett

NATIONAL COMMENDATION

RMIT Bundoora West Student Accommodation by Richard Middleton Architects (RMA) (VIC)
Photography by Dianna Snape

SMALL PROJECT ARCHITECTURE

NICHOLAS MURCUTT AWARD

Lizard Log Amenities by CHROFI (NSW)
Photography by Simon Whitbread

Lizard Log Park is sited upon former pastoral lands within western Sydney’s Cumberland Plain. CHROFI collaborated with McGregor Coxall to design and deliver the project, which called for a new playground, amenities blocks, event space. An events pavilion, car parking, shade and BBQ facilities were also required. The events space takes the form of a multi-functional pavilion that sits within a series of amenities and shade structures throughout the park. A translucent fibreglass roof allows daylight to diffuse through a perforated zincalume soffit.

NATIONAL AWARD

North Bondi Amenities by Sam Crawford Architects with Lymesmith (NSW)
North-Bondi-Amenities-by-Sam-Crawford-Architects-with-Lymesmith-Image-Brett-Boardman.jpg Photography by Brett Boardman

NATIONAL COMMENDATION

The Piano Mill by Conrad Gargett (QLD)
Photography by Marc Treble

SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

DAVID OPPENHEIM AWARD

Central Park Sydney by Tzannes and Cox Richardson and Foster + Partners (NSW)
Photography by Brett Boardman

The jury describes Central Park as “an exemplar of socially and environmentally responsible urban renewal, transforming a former brewery complex through private sector investment”. The project in Sydney incorporates 2,200 residential units, additional student housing, and a mix of retail and commercial uses. Sustainability features include a central thermal plant, trigeneration and a water recycling plant including greywater and blackwater recycling. Additionally, many of the historic street-front buildings were conserved and adapted to new uses, such as bars, cafes and student housing.

NATIONAL AWARD

88 Angel St by Steele Associates Architects (NSW)
88-Angel-St-by-Steele-Associates-Architects-Image-Oliver-Steele.jpg Photography by Oliver Steele

NATIONAL COMMENDATIONS

Gen Y Demonstration Housing Project by David Barr Architect (WA)
Photography by Robert Frith
Mt Alvernia College Anthony and La Verna Buildings by m3architecture (QLD)
Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

URBAN DESIGN

WALTER BURLEY GRIFFIN AWARD

Frank Bartlett Library and Moe Service Centre by FJMT (VIC)
Photography by John Gollings

The Frank Bartlett Library and Service Centre has reinvigorated a town in Victoria that was previously separated by the rail line and lacking a central community gathering space. As described by the architects, a “gently curved and stepped platform of landscape and concrete follows the line of the railway, shielding the impact of trains while opening up to the town centre to create a sunlit public square”. ‘Floating’ over this space are two timber-clad structures that house the two main reading rooms.

NATIONAL AWARD

The Goods Line by ASPECT Studios with CHROFI (NSW)
The-Goods-Line-by-ASPECT-Studios-with-CHROFI-Image-Florian-Groehn.jpg Photography by Florian Groehn

AWARD FOR STEEL ARCHITECTURE

COLORBOND® AWARD

Arts West, University of Melbourne by ARM + Architectus (VIC)
Photography by John Gollings

Arts West’s façade of horizontal steel fins features images of objects from the University of Melbourne’s 23 cultural collections. It also offers shading and natural lighting for the breakout and informal learning spaces inside. The architects pioneered 3D virtual modelling techniques for the façade by adapting gaming software. “These techniques were used not only to design the steel fin array but also to directly communicate it to the fabricators,” says the jury. “This innovative use of steel as a decorative and functional façade element defines a new direction for potential uses for this versatile material.”

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Tent House by Sparks Architects (QLD)
Photography by Chrsitopher Frederick Jones

Completed last year, Tent House accommodates four bedrooms within an operable and insulated box structure that is topped with a fabric ‘fly roof’ and flanked by a wall of tropical trees. The walls (or doors) of the box slide open manually, while the roof (or lid) has an automated sliding operation. With the roof fully open, the translucent tent membrane comes into view and a new volume, light, and material is experienced.

Nicholas Rider

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