Seductive residential standouts at the NSW Architecture Awards

The New South Wales architecture community came together on Friday 28^th June at the City Recital Hall in Sydney to celebrate a wide range of winners in the past year. The NSW Medallion was especially notable for being awarded to North Head Viewing Platforms by CHROFI and Bangawarra (with National Parks and Wildlife Service), while the Lord Mayor’s Prize was awarded to DesignInc for the regeneration of Redfern station. Sibling Architecture took away the Blacket Prize, named after early colonial British architect, Edmund Blacket, for the South East Centre for Contemporary Art (SECCA), located in Bega.

The Premier’s Prize, meanwhile, went to SJB for their significant Nightingale Marrickville project in Sydney’s inner west. In the context of the city’s housing affordability crisis, the project provides rental housing without compromising on quality design. Communal areas are interwoven in the design, which also features 100 per cent electrification and a large bike storage space.

The Hugh and Eva Buhrich Award went to Curious Practice for Aru House, a project located in Maryville. Using the architect’s own concept of ‘reviving,’ the outcome is a strategic response to create new layers that are not simply additions to an existing structure but considered augmentations to the original dwelling. An entire site response – from letterbox to back shed, landscaped area on site and view corridors beyond – enables the house to create meaningful dialogues with its neighbourhood.

Victorians, Studio Bright, won the Wilkinson Award for Maitland Bay House. Finely tuned and beautifully crafted, as well as modest in scale, this house on NSW Central Coast celebrates the angophoras, sea and cliffs of its setting. Other new houses to win awards included Blok Belongil by Blok Modular with Vokes and Peters; Clifton House by Anthony Gill Architects; Kidman Lane by Plus Minus Design; and Shed House by Breakspear Architects.

Back in the Alterations and Additions category, winners included Bayview Tree House by Woodward Architects, Blue Mountains House by Anthony Gill Architects, and Lee House by Candelapas Associates. TERRACE HOUSE MIRAGE by ALCAMI ARCHITECTURE also featured here as well as in the EmAGN Project Award.

In the Multiple Housing category, Bates Smart won the the Aaron Bolot Award for Iglu Mascot. Other awards here included Horizon Apartments by CKDS Architecture, Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects, architects in association, Huntington by SJB and Maggue Street by Curious Practice. In Sustainability, Bastian Architecture took out an award for Olive Tree House, while Anderson Architecture was recognised for Pocket Passiv.