NSW Architecture Award winners ‘deliver beauty, delight and joy’

The renewal of the landmark Sydney Opera House in its 50th year has taken out the prestigious New South Wales Architecture Medallion for its “symphony of design, innovation and acoustic excellence”.

The state’s depth of architectural excellence was celebrated at the annual NSW Architecture Awards tonight, which recognised 70 projects and categories from multigenerational homes to social housing and urban public furniture.

Australian Institute of Architects NSW Chapter President Adam Haddow said winning projects were at the pinnacle of Australian design.

“I am incredibly proud of the cultural, economic, and societal contribution architects and architecture make to the state of NSW,” he said.

“The awarded projects not only help us make sense of a complex world, but they deliver beauty, delight and joy.”

ARM Architecture’s redevelopment of the iconic Sydney Opera House reimagined the interior spaces of the concert hall.

Judges said the space is now on par with the world’s greatest auditoria. “Respecting and honouring the work of both Jørn Utzon and Peter Hall, ARM’s works have achieved the previously unimaginable – the addition of a recognisable third design voice, in perfect harmony,” they said. “This accomplishment deserves the highest recognition, and we applaud the entire project team for their remarkable performance.”

The Sulman Medal for Public Architecture was won by Lead Consultant SANAA with Executive Architect: Architectus for their addition to the Art Gallery of NSW.

“Rethinking the orthodoxies of the art experience in relation to both enclosure and circulation, Sydney Modern provides a new type of gallery experience that is freer in movement, more connected to the landscape surrounding it, and more diverse in the scale and type of art it can house,” they said.

For residential architecture, SJB’s 19 Waterloo Street picked up The Wilkinson Award for its 69 sqm residence for a couple and a dog that the judges said “challenges thinking about what is a home”.

“This building is a jewel box of experimentation,” they said. “Every inch of space has been meticulously detailed to create a home that is joyful and inventive, and lovingly tailored to the lifestyle of all three of its occupants including a little window for the dog, Eric.”

The renovation of Lane Cove House, by SAHA, won The Hugh and Eva Buhrich Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions) for its multigenerational living and The Milo Dunphy Award for its sustainability.

“The project doubles density at low cost, consumes no land, delivers huge social benefit to its intergenerational occupants, and does so with high architectural ambition,” judges said.

“The project brief reflects current soaring house prices and high aged care and childcare costs, but is also timeless: to enable extended families to live together yet separately, for the benefit of all.“

Award-winners from the NSW Architecture Awards will now progress to the National Architecture Awards program, which will be announced later in October.

The Australian Institute of Architects Awards program offers public and peer recognition of the innovative work of architects and promotes excellence across the industry.

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