Chosen from 113 finalists from across Australia and New Zealand, the winners of the 37th annual Dulux Colour Awards uniquely demonstrate the capacity for colour to transform our built environment through innovative design, scope and masterful execution.
The winning projects were recognised by an esteemed judging panel to be outstanding designs, with acknowledgement to the people at the heart of each project – those creating them and inhabiting them.
Dulux Colour and Communications Manager Andrea Lucena-Orr said colour was universal but it meant different things to different people.
Lucena-Orr added: “This year’s suite of award winners epitomises the capacity for colour to transform spaces and elicit emotion in everybody.”
The Darebin Intercultural Centre by Sibling Architecture took out the Grand Prix Australia prize, as well as being the winner of the commercial interior – public and hospitality category.
The judges commented on how Sibling’s programmatically ambitious project truly represented everything that the Dulux Colour Awards program was about, pushing boundaries and creating precedence, not only in its colour usage but its typology.
They said: “Although the use of colour to define spaces is a tangible device, in this project, colour is also highly emotive, encouraging interaction and inclusion.
“The idea is brilliant, and the delivery is impressive, with contrasting colours representing the diverse community, balanced to achieve a cohesive, restrained result.”
New Zealand Grand Prix winner Shand Shelton was recognised for the St James Theatre restoration project in Wellington.
The judges said: “Both Grand Prix winners demonstrated surprising colour combinations and palette choices, with outstanding success.
“Nevertheless, the majority of award contenders were so distinct from one another, we fervently debated the merits of each, particularly in the Residential Interior, Workplace and Retail, Public and Hospitality, and Student categories.”
The winners list for 2023 can be viewed here.