The Australian Federal Police’s Forensics and Data Centre, designed by HASSELL, has been awarded the top honour at the Australian Institute of Architects’ (AIA) 2018 ACT Architecture Awards.

HASSELL was awarded the prestigious Canberra Medallion for the forensics centre by the Minister for Planning and Land Management, Mick Gentleman. The centre also won the top award in the commercial category - the John Andrews Award for Commercial Architecture.

Photography by Christopher Frederick Jones

“This brief could so easily have succumbed to an explicitly defensive architecture,” says AIA ACT jury chair Rob Henry.

“Instead, the Forensics and Data Centre extracts generosity and openness from a highly sensitive program to engender a collaborative and collegiate workplace and find a welcome ease of fit between organisation and built form.”

The CSIRO’s new Black Mountain research facility, Synergy by BVN, received a number of awards including the Derek Wrigley Award for Sustainable Architecture and the Romaldo Giurgola Award for Public Architecture as well as an Award for Interior Architecture.

Photography by John Gollings

The redevelopment of Australia’s first fully-enclosed shopping mall, Monaro Mall by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture was also highly-regarded by the judges, receiving the JS Murdoch Award for Heritage, the W Hayward Morris for Interior Architecture, an Award for Commercial Architecture and the Robert Foster Award for Light in Architecture.

Photography by Dianna Snape

“An ambitious project, the practice team has successfully and sensitively restored, revealed, reinstated and re-imagined Monaro Mall’s heritage values, intent and finishes,” says Henry.

“Monaro Mall is now a light-filled and material-rich contemporary retail transformation which demonstrates the powerful potential of adaptive reuse of heritage buildings over demolition.”

For residential architecture, Swan by Collins Caddaye Architects, a bold home on a semi-rural property, received the Malcolm Moir and Heather Sutherland Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New).

Photography by Stefan Postles

The Emerging Architect Prize was awarded to Shannon Battisson from The Mill: Architecture + Design. Robert Foster was acknowledged for his contribution to art and architecture through the Lifetime Contribution Prize.

Full list of winners:

Commercial Architecture

The John Andrews Award – Australian Federal Police Forensics and Data Centre by HASSELL
Award – Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture
Commendation – Dairy Road (3.4) by Craig Tan Architects

Educational Architecture

The Enrico Taglietti Award – STEM Centre by Collins Caddaye Architects
Commendation – RN Robertson Building by CCJ Architects

Heritage

The J S Murdoch Award – Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture

Interior Architecture

The W Hayward Morris Award – Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture
Award – St Christopher’s Precinct by Cox Architecture
Award – Synergy by BVN
Commendation – Capital Airport Group Office Fitout by Cox Architecture

Public Architecture

The Romaldo Giurgola Award – Synergy by BVN
Award – St Christopher’s Precinct by Cox Architecture
Commendation – High Commission of Samoa in Australia by Cox Architecture

Residential Architecture - Houses (Alterations and Additions)

The Gene Willsford Award – Chowne Street House by PHILIP LEESON ARCHITECTS
Commendation – Puutalo House by JUDD.studio
Commendation – TL House by Ben Walker Architects
Commendation – DC House by Ben Walker Architects

Residential Architecture - Houses (New)

The Malcolm Moir and Heather Sutherland Award – Swan by Collins Caddaye Architects
Award – Box House by Paul Tilse Architects
Award – Inset House by JUDD.studio
Commendation – Moss River House by Cox Architecture
Commendation – Sawtooth House by JUDD.studio

Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing

The Sydney Ancher Award – St Germain by Cox Architecture
Award – St Christopher’s Precinct by Cox Architecture

Small Project Architecture

The Cynthia Breheny Award – Phased Change House by Erin Owens | MAKO Architecture
Award – Kingston Boat Sheds by Tait Network
Commendation – Parents room, Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Mather Architecture

Sustainable Architecture

The Derek Wrigley Award – Synergy by BVN
Award – RN Robertson Building by CCJ Architects
Commendation – The Link by CCJ Architects

Urban Design

The Sir John Overall Award – Throsby Infrastructure by Tait Network
Award – ANU Pop-Up Reunion Village by OCULUS with Craig Tan Architects
Commendation – St Christopher’s Precinct by Cox Architecture

Enduring Architecture

The Sir Roy Grounds Award – St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Charnwood by Mitchell Giurgola Thorp Architects

COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture

Award – Roberts Residence by formi building creators

Chapter Awards and Prizes

Canberra Medallion – Australian Federal Police Forensics and Data Centre by HASSELL
The Pamille Berg Award for Art in Architecture – Chowne Street House by PHILIP LEESON ARCHITECTS
The Robert Foster Award for Light in Architecture – Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture
Architectural Professional of the Year – Remco Alexander de Vries, SQC Architecture
President’s Medal – Harold Guida, Guida Moseley Brown Architects
Clem Cummings Medal – Rachael Coghlan, CraftACT
Emerging Architect Prize – Shannon Battisson, The Mill: Architecture + Design
Lifetime Contribution Prize – Robert Foster
ACT Chapter Student Medallion – Joel Smith, University of Canberra
Daryl Jackson Alastair Swayn Graduate Prize – Joel Smith, University of Canberra
John Redmond Prize – John Roberts, University of Canberra

Architecture & Design Team

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