Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre (BARC) designed by Sam Crawford Architects (SCA) has been shortlisted in the WAF Completed Buildings – Civic & Community category. BARC will be competing in a pool of 17 projects in this category including three from Australia.
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) will be held in November in Singapore where all 2024 award finalists will compete live by presenting their projects to the judging panels.
“We are honoured to have our ground-breaking, research-led centre shortlisted – the first time our small/medium firm has been included in this prestigious event,” SCA director Sam Crawford says.
“We look forward to presenting our project to a jury of the world’s top architects and live pitching against the big names in the international design world.
“Being shortlisted amongst the world’s leading practices demonstrates our commitment to design excellence and innovation – for the wellbeing of local communities.
“What makes the choice of BARC especially pleasing is that this is a council-led project – Sydney councils have been leading the way in commissioning architects to provide high quality facilities for local communities. In fact, Blacktown Council, in a first, won the AIA NSW President’s Prize in 2023 with the citation identifying BARC as a project of ‘incredible significance’.”
BARC project director and SCA associate director Gabrielle Pelletier said, “BARC is a state-of-the-art facility that improves animal recovery and increases community adoption of impounded animals. Our design balances the highly technical requirements of animal welfare with the need for a safe and welcoming building for staff and visitors. The largest building of its type in the Southern Hemisphere, BARC houses up to 380 spaces for dogs and cats. Underpinned by research, the design is benchmarked against world’s best practice in animal welfare.”
WAF takes place at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 6th – 8th November 2024.
Image: Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre | Photographer: Brett Boardman
