Australia’s best new residential buildings have been named in the Australian Institute of Architects 2023 National Architecture Awards this week.
In a year that saw the Sydney Opera House once again being lauded for brilliant design – this time for the renovation of its aging Concert Hall – all award winners have been praised for their work in the ‘changing built environment of contemporary Australia’.
Some of the winning projects in 2023 contain common themes, including world-class design examples of sustainability, adaptive reuse, dynamic collaboration between designers, connection to Country, thoughtful higher-density living and generosity towards the broader community.
Jury Chair Shannon Battisson LFRAIA explained that the award-winning projects can be seen as a point of inspiration to Australians at a time of environmental and economic crisis.
“Australia is in the depths of a once-in-a-generation housing crisis and a climate crisis. We are in dire need of new approaches to our built environment and this year … there was a shared respect for what we wanted the Awards to say about the broader climate, sustainability and culture situation”, Battisson said.
This year the jury made a concerted effort to visit regional projects and hear the stories of architects and their clients creating amazing projects against the odds of distance, tight budgets, the COVID pandemic with material and labour shortages, and political uncertainty.
“The assumption that regional projects are easier to design and execute is false”, Battisson noted.
“They contain their own unique set of intricacies.
“We saw innovation in many facets: through precision and care in use of materials and construction methods; respect and care in making alterations; projects that were genuine in their desires for environmental and social sustainability outcomes; projects that championed inclusion and collaboration with community, and diverse design teams.
“Making good architecture is not easy and often takes a dedicated and passionate team made up of many people. The awarded projects are layered with generosity to their communities, the planet and the profession”, he concluded.
To view and find out more about the winning projects, visit the Institute’s website, architecture.com.au
Image: Harriet’s House | SO:Architecture | Photographer: Sean Fennessy
