The Australian Institute of Architects 2023 National Architecture Awards were announced last night, turning the spotlight on outstanding commercial and residential building projects from across Australia (as well as one apartment in Paris). The judging panel noted the exceptional work being done in regional Australia (28 per cent of winners were regional), as well as the respectful updates of existing buildings, examples of thoughtful approaches to high-density housing, and projects that considered and connected to Country. Sustainability was also an important consideration.
“Sustainability is becoming more embedded in projects than it was 10 years ago, which is excellent,” juror Shaneen Fantin, director of People Oriented Design, tells Broadsheet. “Many projects included green energy systems, [and] recycled and green-certified materials, and aimed to minimise carbon. Architects are also beginning to design with Country in a way which is respectful, collaborative and not tokenistic.”
Big winners include the Art Gallery of NSW’s monumental Sydney Modern wing. Lead consultant Sanaa and executive architect Architectus took out a National Award for Public Architecture, and its gallery shop – which is crafted from resin – by Akin Atelier earned a commendation in the interior architecture category.
“This year’s awards have shown a real shift in the idea of the architect as lone creator, with countless projects celebrating the power of collaboration,” Shannon Battisson, jury chair, immediate past national president of the Australian Institute of Architects and director of architecture at The Mill: Architecture & Design, tells Broadsheet. “There has also been an incredible diversity of voices across the entrants, which can be seen reflected in the vast array of language, materiality and consideration across the winning projects. Australian architects are coming into their own in creating an identity in their work that is unique to this unique place.”
Nightingale Village, in Melbourne’s inner north, was praised for its unique approach to high-density housing, fostering community, sustainability and prioritising apartment owners over developers, as well as creating multiple buildings that, despite being part of the same development, all have their own bespoke identities, with individual architects (Architecture Architecture, Austin Maynard Architects, Breathe, Clare Cousins Architects, Hayball and Kennedy Nolan) having worked on each one. It was awarded the Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing, and the David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture, as well as a national commendation for urban design.
“In recent years there has been a great push to develop new models of living within medium- and high-density housing, and this was definitely reflected in the projects featured in the program,” says Battisson. “Across the board there was great interest in both social and environmental sustainability and a real appreciation for the importance of creating places that people want to be part of.”
The once-in-a-generation renewal of Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall was also acknowledged, winning the Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage Architecture and the Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture. ARM Architecture’s work on the project was praised for its sensitive approach to updating the heritage hall for the 21st century, and solving problems that have existed since the house’s opening 50 years ago.
Other notable winners include Delatite Cellar Door, in regional Victoria, which took out the Harry Seidler Award for Commercial Architecture; the University of Melbourne Student Precinct, which received a National Award for Heritage and the Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design; and a 17th-century apartment in Paris reinvigorated by Melbourne-based architecture firm Wood Marsh, which won the Jorn Utzon Award for International Architecture. The Rockhampton Museum of Art was given the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture; the Melbourne Holocaust Museum received a National Award for Public Architecture; and the Victorian Family Violence Memorial and the University of Queensland Cricket Club maintenance shed both received a National Award for Small Project Architecture.
Residential winners include Bass Coast Farmhouse, which won a National Award for Interior Architecture; a house in Sydney’s Balmain which took out a National Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions); and 19 Waterloo Street in Sydney, Merricks Farmhouse in Victoria and Spring Creek Road Farmhouse in Victoria, which won national awards for residential architecture in the housing category.
“One of the things I love about Australian architecture is that it can be very innovative, wacky and take risks,” says Fantin. “It is often not constrained by cultural or contextual sensibilities.”
