Western Australia’s Department of Communities (Housing) have announced four shortlisted teams for the Hilton Design Competition. The competition invited architects to re-imagine public housing for Hilton, a suburb located approximately five kilometres east of Fremantle’s town centre.  

From a pool of 79 entries, the four shortlisted teams include David Barr (David Barr Architects); Trent Woods (Officer Woods Architects); Jennie Officer (Officer Woods Architects); and Bernard Seeber, Jonathan Strauss and Georgia Willis (Bernard Seeber Architects).

This first stage of the competition required the submission of an initial concept design for two public housing units up to 80-square-metres each on a rear battle-axe lot in Hilton. The competition brief asked entrants to “design an affordable, adaptable and appropriate public housing concept that meets the needs and aspirations of both the future occupants and the local community”.

The four successful teams will now expand on their initial designs. Each shortlisted team will receive an honorarium of $10,000 upon submission of the developed concept.

The winner will be announced at an awards night and exhibition on 14 December 2017, and will be offered a contract to apply their model to the design of 14 new public dwellings in Hilton.

The competition is a partnership between the Department of Communities, the Australian Institute of Architects, the Office of the Government Architect and the City of Fremantle.