PERTH building designers have comes up trumps at the recent National Association of Building Designers (NABD) 2016 National Design Awards, bringing home three awards and a commendation from the gala event, which was held on October 1 at Sea World in Gold Coast, Queensland.
The NABD is a collaboration of the Building Designers Associations of the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, with winners from the each state’s design awards automatically qualifying as finalists for the national awards.
Janik Dalecki from Dalecki Design took home the gong for best alteration/addition residential design up to $350,000 for the renovation and extension of a 1940s Maylands worker’s cottage, which also happened to be his home.
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READ NOW“The character and charm has been retained and improved while the liveability has been boosted into a spacious, light-filled home suited to today’s lifestyle,” the judges’ citation said.
“With a conservative budget, the designer has achieved an amazing result to create a home to feel at home in but, more importantly, has been respectful to the building, the streetscape and the cultural values of this area.”
Mr Dalecki, who launched his design firm in late 2015, said there was not a part of the house he was not proud of.
“Each area of the house was so carefully thought-out and planned, making the most of each square metre in this 110sq m three-bedroom, two-bathroom house,” he said.
“It’s always an honour to be recognised for the work you do but with this particular project, the accolade means even more as it was a personal project and one very close to my heart.
“At some points in time I did question if I had bitten off more than I could chew, being the designer, builder and project manager all while still working my job, but in the end when seeing the finished product, having made my dream home a reality and now having receiving this award, I couldn’t be happier that I took on this project.”
A Keane Street residence in Peppermint Grove, designed by Gary Keen Design and built by Signature Custom Homes, was also named best new residential design over $1 million.
The judges were impressed by the “quiet sophistication” of the stunning residence and unification of the clients’ brief.
“The commanding site located in Perth’s garden suburbs was rewarded with an elegant street presence portraying intimacy of scale, spatial fluidity and material richness,” the judges said.
“This home is an exemplar of building design and of what can be achieved with a thorough understanding of the client and skilful creation of scale, proportion, texture and planning.”
“A lot of time, effort, patience and passion are invested in these projects not only from ourselves but also the clients, builder, trades and consultants alike,” Gary Keen from Gary Keen Design said.
“It’s a big effort spanning several years to get there so we are over the moon to see not just us but everyone involved get some great recognition through this award.”
Jordan Walker from Space Odyssey Design in Osborne Park won The James Hardie Dream Designer Competition for a concept design dubbed the Hex House.
The judges said all the entries for the dream designer award demonstrated building designers in Australia were ready for building practices and styles to change.
“Their creative visions for small-lot homes are innovative and inspirational,” they said.
“The winning entry takes a simple rectilinear form referencing Swiss architect Le Corbusier and his modernist 1931 Villa Savoye and juxtaposes it with two black hexagon shapes using Hardie’s Scyon Axon cladding to create a fresh and futuristic ‘hex’ house, which reclaims outdoor space with landscaped rooftop spaces.”
Mr Walker said winning the award was a dream come true for the studio.
“We have known for a few years that our clients love our work but for our peers to recognise and value our design philosophy and aesthetic further justifies what we have been trying to develop with Space Odyssey Design,” he said.
“We hope winning this award is a step in the right direction in educating as many people as possible that by engaging a qualified building designer, you can achieve a far greater home than you could gain from traditional sources at or below the same cost.”
Sam Payne at Attic Salt received a commendation in the special project design category for his work on mobile retail and event project Food Circus.
“It’s a really challenging time for retail, and we feel very privileged to be acknowledged for our involvement in this unique and fun space-activation project, which challenges the existing constraints of the traditional retail marketplace,” he said.