HASSELL’S design for the new Australian Federal Police’s (AFP) Forensics and Data Centre, has taken out the top spot at the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2018 ACT Architecture Awards.
HASSELL was presented the Canberra Medallion by Minister for Planning and Land Management, Mick Gentleman, for the winning AFP facility. The building also took out the John Andrews Award, in the Commercial Architecture category.
“The AFP building brings together 200 experts in digital, biological and chemical forensics, weapons intelligence and fingerprint and facial identification into one complex,” Australian Institute of Architects, ACT Jury Chair, Rob Henry said. “This brief could so easily have succumbed to an explicitly defensive architecture. Instead, the Forensics and Data Centre extracts generosity and openness from a highly sensitive program to engender a collaborative and collegiate workplace and find a welcome ease of fit between the organisation and built form.”
There were a record number of entries for this year’s awards, a promising sign for Canberra homeowners to see the benefit of sustainable designs. This hopefully means a push towards more business leaders seeing a return on their sustainable design investment. Many of the projects that were submitted this year were commissioned by the private sector, including several education buildings and private residences.
The CSIRO’s new Black Mountain research facility, Synergy by BVN, received multiple accolades in this year’s awards. Black Mountain took out the sustainable and public architecture categories with the Derek Wrigley Award for Sustainable Architecture, the Romaldo Giurgola Award for Public Architecture, as well as an Award for Interior Architecture.
Monaro Mall (Australia’s first fully enclosed shopping mall) by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture was also highly acclaimed by judges. Monaro Mall received the JS Murdoch Award for Heritage, the W Hayward Morris Award for Interior Architecture, alongside an award for Commercial Architecture, and the Robert Foster Award for Light in Architecture.
When asked about the project, Rob Henry said Monaro Mall is “an ambitious project, the practice team has successfully and sensitively restored, revealed, reinstated and re-imagined Monaro Mall’s heritage values, intent and finishes. Monaro Mall is now a light-filled and material-rich contemporary retail transformation which demonstrates the powerful potential of adaptive reuse of heritage buildings over demolition.”
A new award was presented this year for the residential architecture front. Swan by Collins Caddaye Architects is regarded as ‘a bold home on a semi-rural property, seven years in the making’. The development received the Malcom Moir and Heather Sutherland Award for Residential Architecture.
The night had a total of 38 Named Awards / Award Commendations, from a record field of 58 entries. Named Award and Award winners will now progress to the National Architecture Awards, which are set to be announced on Thursday 1st of November, in Melbourne.
Here is a full list of winners at the AIA’s 2018 ACT Architecture Awards:
Commercial Architecture:
The John Andrews Award – Australian Federal Police Forensics and Data Centre by HASSELL
Award – Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture
Commendation – Dairy Road (3.4) by Craig Tan Architects
Educational Architecture:
The Enrico Taglietti Award – STEM Centre by Collins Caddaye Architects
Commendation – RN Robertson Building by CCJ Architects
Heritage:
The J S Murdoch Award – Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture
Interior Architecture:
The W Hayward Morris Award – Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture
Award – St Christopher’s Precinct by Cox Architecture
Award – Synergy by BVN
Commendation – Capital Airport Group Office Fitout by Cox Architecture
Public Architecture:
The Romaldo Giurgola Award – Synergy by BVN
Award – St Christopher’s Precinct by Cox Architecture
Commendation – High Commission of Samoa in Australia by Cox Architecture
Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions):
The Gene Willsford Award – Chowne Street House by PHILIP LEESON ARCHITECTS
Commendation – Puutalo House by JUDD.studio
Commendation – TL House by Ben Walker Architects
Commendation – DC House by Ben Walker Architects
Residential Architecture – Houses (New):
The Malcolm Moir and Heather Sutherland Award – Swan by Collins Caddaye Architects
Award – Box House by Paul Tilse Architects
Award – Inset House by JUDD.studio
Commendation – Moss River House by Cox Architecture
Commendation – Sawtooth House by JUDD.studio
Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing:
The Sydney Ancher Award – St Germain by Cox Architecture
Award – St Christopher’s Precinct by Cox Architecture
Small Project Architecture:
The Cynthia Breheny Award – Phased Change House by Erin Owens | MAKO Architecture
Award – Kingston Boat Sheds by Tait Network
Commendation – Parents room, Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Mather Architecture
Sustainable Architecture:
The Derek Wrigley Award – Synergy by BVN
Award – RN Robertson Building by CCJ Architects
Commendation – The Link by CCJ Architects
Urban Design:
The Sir John Overall Award – Throsby Infrastructure by Tait Network
Award – ANU Pop-Up Reunion Village by OCULUS with Craig Tan Architects
Commendation – St Christopher’s Precinct by Cox Architecture
Enduring Architecture:
The Sir Roy Grounds Award – St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Charnwood by Mitchell Giurgola Thorp Architects
COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture:
Award – Roberts Residence by former building creators
Chapter Awards and Prizes:
Canberra Medallion – Australian Federal Police Forensics and Data Centre by HASSELL
The Pamille Berg Award for Art in Architecture – Chowne Street House by PHILIP LEESON ARCHITECTS
The Robert Foster Award for Light in Architecture – Monaro Mall, Canberra Centre by Universal Design Studio and Mather Architecture
Architectural Professional of the Year – Remco Alexander de Vries, SQC Architecture
President’s Medal – Harold Guida, Guida Moseley Brown Architects
Clem Cummings Medal – Rachael Coghlan, CraftACT
Emerging Architect Prize – Shannon Battisson, The Mill: Architecture + Design
Lifetime Contribution Prize – Robert Foster
ACT Chapter Student Medallion – Joel Smith, University of Canberra
Daryl Jackson Alastair Swayn Graduate Prize – Joel Smith, University of Canberra
John Redmond Prize – John Roberts, University of Canberra