Milson Island Sport & Recreation Centre, designed by Australian architects Allen Jack+Cottier for Communities NSW, has won a Silver Medal at the 2013 International Olympic Committee/International Association Awards for Exceptional Sports & Leisure Facilities around the globe.
The Communities NSW building is one of a handful of projects from around the world, to be recognized at the IOC/IAKS 2013 awards, and the only Australian project to win.
Other finalists included the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, which also won silver, together with indoor venues in Switzerland, Iran and Japan, and a range of stadia and other outdoor facilities.
The Silver Medal, which is the highest award in the Exceptional Sports & Leisure Facilities category, was announced at a ceremony in Cologne, Germany, attended by some of the world’s leading sports administrators.
“An International Olympic award is the ultimate accolade: given by the world’s leading sporting organisation, won against some of the world’s best sports venues. As a sportsman and an architect, I can say it absolutely doesn’t get any better than this!” CEO & principal of Allen Jack+Cottier Michael Heenan says,
“Most importantly, this award shows that Australian architecture is up there with the very best design in the world, and that good architecture doesn’t have to be exclusive architecture,” he added.
“We are thrilled to have won with a relatively modest building, achieved on a budget, that was designed to give young people access to the natural environment, in a remote and very Australian coastal and bush location.”
NSW Minister for Sport and Recreation Gabrielle Upton congratulated Allen Jack+Cottier.
“This unique, superbly designed sports hall is located at the NSW Government’s Milson Island Sport and Recreation Centre on the Hawkesbury River,” Upton says.
“It is used by school and community groups as part of a suite of recreational facilities at the Centre, including school camps, school holiday activities for children and families, conferences and festivals,” she added.
