The $10,000 Holdmark Innovation Award was awarded to architecture firm Hassell for First Building. Industrial designer Olson Hamilton-Smith was named the recipient of the Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator program for his project FOLDEE.

Presented by Powerhouse and supported by Sydney Design Week Principal Partner Holdmark Property Group, the annual Holdmark Innovation Award recognises excellence and innovation in the built environment.

SDW winners.jpg — Winners of the 2025 Holdmark Innovation Award Principal Jeff Morgan and Managing Director Liz Westgarth from Hassell architecture firm with Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator Award recipient Olson Hamilton-Smith. Photo by Andy Roberts

This year’s selection committee included Youssofzay Hart Co-Director Belqis Youssofzay, Powerhouse Senior Exhibition Curator Keinton Butler, Holdmark Property Group Chief Operating Officer Kevin Nassif, Government Architect NSW Director of Design Excellence Olivia Hyde and Western Sydney University’s Lang Walker Endowed Chair in Urban Transformation Professor GregMorrison.

Hassell’s First Building is a collaborative space for government, industry and research to incubate innovative manufacturing projects. It is the first completed building in Bradfield City Centre, Australia’s first new city in a century.

“As architects, designing the first building in a new city is both a profound responsibility and a rare opportunity to leave a lasting legacy. We are proud to have created a building that directly responds to the challenges of our climate and our urban environment,” Hassell Managing Director Liz Westgarth says.

“The First Building provides more than a place for people to work and innovate — it sets a benchmark. It demonstrates that new cities can be imagined and built differently: with sustainability, adaptability and community at their core. Most importantly, it sets out a vision for the kind of future we want to create.”

Designed and built using circular economy principles, the project prioritises sustainability. Conceived as a ‘kit of parts’, the building minimises waste and allows for flexible adaptation, repurposing, relocation or disassembly, setting a new benchmark for sustainable urban development.

First Building - housing Stage 1 of the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF) offers shared facilities with cutting-edge technology, training and networks to drive innovation in Bradfield. Its construction had a significant social and economic impact including over $12 million spent with local Western Sydney businesses and more than $3.5 million with First Nations businesses.

“First Building demonstrates how community design and industry can move together: a Country-centred approach, powered by advanced manufacturing and designed for disassembly,” says Kevin Nassif, Chief Operating Officer, Holdmark Property Group.

“It demonstrates a circular, low-carbon path that creates skilled jobs and new enterprise in Western Sydney. As Principal Partner of Sydney Design Week, Holdmark is proud that this year’s recipient recognises real-world innovations that build stronger, more connected communities.”

Supported by a generous bequest from Carl and Judy Nielsen, the Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator is an annual Powerhouse program recognising outstanding sustainable industrial design.

It offers an emerging Australian designer a tailor-made, 9-month residency to develop a product, guided by Industrial Designer and Founder of IDX SYD Ed Ko. The selection panel comprised of Ko, Powerhouse Curator Angelique Hutchison and Nielsen Design Associates Director Adam Laws.

Hamilton-Smith's project, FOLDEE, is Australia’s first locally designed and manufactured folding cargo bike. Easier to transport and store than traditional bicycles, FOLDEE promotes cycling as a low-emissions transport option.

Designed and built in Melbourne by an interdisciplinary team, the bike features a double-hinge folding mechanism and uses 100% recyclable steel for compact, sustainable design and storage.

“Congratulations to the winners of this year’s Holdmark Innovation Award and Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator,” says Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah.

“Powerhouse is proud to have selected two innovative designs championing sustainable practices, with forward-thinking approaches to how we live and work.”

Image: Hassell's Bradfield City Centre’s First Building / Mark Syke and Vinchy Wu

Clémence Carayol

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