Pavilions Residences has taken out the top award in the Architect & Construction category of The Circle Awards for its use of waste materials in an interior fit out.
Established by The World’s Most Rubbish in partnership with NSW Circular, The Bravery, and Urban List, The Circle Awards celebrates and unites the businesses, organisations, projects and people shaping the circular economy in Australia and New Zealand.
Earlier this year Mirvac unveiled the Pavilions apartment at Sydney Olympic Park, an industry first apartment that features flooring, wall tiles, kitchen and lighting features, furniture and artworks, made from waste glass and textiles.
The ‘green ceramics’, used for the first time as a construction material, are the result of a collaboration that began in 2019 between Mirvac and the UNSW Centre of Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) led by global pioneer in waste technology, Professor Veena Sahajwalla.
The Circle Awards jury notes: “The apartment is a blueprint for how future developments can join the circular economy in ways that are desirable, feasible and scalable, while drastically reducing building and construction waste, which currently contributes to 60 per cent of Australia’s waste (around 41 million tonnes a year).”
During the judging panel, Jason Graham-Nye, Co-founder and Co-CEO of gDiapers said: “The thing I love about the Pavilions Residences by Mirvac entry is that they have been able to capture materials otherwise going to landfill and repurpose them into a second, very valuable life. It is a very deserving winner beyond just the innovation, but the application via their first apartment. It sets the stage for rapid expansion and scalability which is what we need to see to deliver the promise of the Circular Economy.”
As a next step, Mirvac is now investigating opportunities to create additional micro-factories to locally manufacture green ceramics from waste materials on-site at future projects.
The Circle Awards jury comprised: Hemant Chaudhary, Circular Economy Alliance Australia | Dean Foley, Baramayal | Damon Gameau, 2040 | John Gertsakis, Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence | Dr Brandon Gien, Good Design Australia | Jason Graham-Nye, gDiapers | James Griffin, Sustainable Business Network NZ | Sally Hill, Purpose Conference | Nick Hoskin, The World’s Most Rubbish | Bruce Jeffreys, GoGet | Leanne Kemp, Everledger | Cat Kiv, Simpleish Living | Berry Liberman, Small Giants | Claire Maloney, The Bravery | Councillor Jess Miller, City of Sydney | Kate Nelson, Plastic Free Mermaid | Morgan Reardon, Urban:List | Camille Reed, Australian Circular Textile Association | Anna Ross, Kester Black | Dr Kar Mei Tang, NSW Circular | Peter Tullin, REMIX Summits | Tamara Veltre, Breathe Architecture | Jen Walker, Terracycle | Andy Walsh, Secret Sounds
The full list of winners in The Circle Awards Aus & NZ 2021 can be found here.