Castlecrag House by Neeson Murcutt Architects

“Castlecrag House not only honours the character and topographic response demanded by Walter Burley Griffin's original, but also honours the original house and makes outstanding reuse of the demolition raw materials.”

MULTI-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL

Winner: Redfern East Social Housing Project by LFA (Pacific)

“This project achieves high level sustainable outcomes in both social and environmental terms. Its 5 star score on the GreenStar Multi-Residential tool, reflects clever design and layout of buildings on a difficult site, to achieve good solar access and cross ventilation with well resolved, user adjustable shading and ventilation control details.”

OFFICE FIT-OUT

Winner: AECOM Brisbane Workplace by BVN Architecture

“The AECOM building’s design philosophy was adopted by BVN, to apply a communal, rather than territorial approach to space design and allocation. The design achieves high level visual connectivity (transparency) via the void staircase design, thereby aligning with the client's "one AECOM" philosophy whilst still providing discreet task specific spaces.”

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

Winner: Bremer State High School by Blackburne Jackson Design

“Bremer State High School will provide students and staff a great experience of sustainability in a practical expression of biodiversity and food productivity. It is exciting to look at, and full of visual and textural interest as one that moves through. It is also wonderful to see a public school at the leading edge of sustainable practice.”

LARGE COMMERCIAL

Winner: Pixel by studio505

“Designed as a laboratory or prototype of a carbon neutral office building, Pixel achieves a very high standard of environmental performance by addressing energy efficiency, reduced embodied energy and the introduction of renewable energy sources to achieve carbon neutrality.

“The project showcases new technologies including wind turbines, carbon reduced concrete and a bio-gas system using an enaerobic digester to convert waste to energy. The building also provides the equivalent of 74 per cent of the site area to vegetation with gardens on the perimeter of each level and a delightful green roof.

“The project is a very valuable addition to the city and illustrates the possibilities of future large scale CBD office buildings.”

SMALL COMMERCIAL

Winner: Sydney Harbour YHA by Tzannes Associates

“This building represents a great example of a clever design response to a very constrained heritage site and a traditionally environmentally poor building type. Low budget hotels are typically air conditioned double loaded corridor buildings.”

“The building encourages it’s users to engage in environmental sustainable practices and gives users the opportunity to adapt the environment of their own rooms.”

A special mention in this category went to: River Studios by Breathe Architecture

“The project is a great example of initiative and the grass roots principals of environmental and social sustainability. The brief to break the cycle of demand and displacement by re-purposing vacant city sites to provide affordable studio tenancies while activating dormant areas is commendable. The resulting project achieved on a very tight budget with the use of salvaged and recycled materials meets that brief.”

The awards were made possible by sponsors: Australian Forestry Standard, Safetyline Jalousie, Hebel, Geberit, Gyprock, Stormtech, Bondor, Wood Solutions and National Precast.

BPN Magazine is part of Reed Business Information, and sister publication to Architecture & Design.