Perth projects recognised with highest honour at WA Architecture Awards

TWO significant Perth CBD projects were recognised with the highest overall honour at Friday’s Australian Institute of Architects 2016 WA Architecture Awards, which were held at Crown Perth’s Grand Ballroom.

The George Temple Poole Award was jointly presented to the City of Perth Library & Public Plaza and the State Buildings, judging them worthiest among all award winners at the awards ceremony.

This is the first time in the history of the WA Architecture Awards that there have been two winners for the prestigious prize.

Both projects form part of the Cathedral Square precinct and were designed by Kerry Hill Architects, with Palassis Architects as the heritage architects on board for The State Buildings project.

Faced with the dilemma of choosing between the two exceptional works, the jury felt it had no alternative but to set the precedent and to give the joint award.

“Whilst both projects are very different in their own separate ways, they are both innovative, highly rigorous and incredibly strong in their design approach,” the jury said.

“They deliver jointly and individually an incredibly rare and high order of public realm and civic amenity, which will be enjoyed by people of all ages for a very long time.”

In addition to the George Temple Poole Award, The City of Perth Library & Public Plaza also won The Jeffrey Howlett Award for Public Architecture and a commendation in the interior architecture category, while The State Buildings took out The Margaret Pitt Morison Award for Heritage and the Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture.

The projects joined several other winning Perth city projects including the Cloisters Square redevelopment by The Buchan Group, which was awarded The John Septimus Roe Award for Urban Design, and the Como The Treasury, which was a victor of the Mondoluce Lighting Award and The Wallace Greenham Award for Sustainable Architecture.

Spaceagency stood out as one of the biggest winners of the night, taking home The Marshall Clifton Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New) for a project on Victoria Avenue in Dalkeith – which was noted by the judges for its elegance in capitalising on the site’s northern aspect and first-floor river views – The Harold Krantz Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing for the Knutsford project in Fremantle, and The Ross Chisholm & Gil Nicol Award for Commercial Architecture for its design of the Alex Hotel in Northbridge.

The practice also received two architecture awards in the heritage and interior architecture categories as well as a commendation in the steel architecture category for its work on Petition in The State Buildings.

In the residential categories, a Mount Lawley attraction, dubbed the Camino House and well known for its chimney-like extension, took home The Peter Overman Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations & Additions).

“Gleefully abandoning the conventional, this small house thinks big and reminds us of industrial brick chimney stacks, the Federation era housing of the surrounding suburbs and a tradition of clay construction,” the jury said.

“The monolithic and mysterious form has become a local landmark.”

Now in its second year and recognising projects that have withstood the test of time and remained important in a contemporary context, the Enduring Architecture Award went to the Perth Concert Hall by Howlett and Bailey Architects.

The award was also this year renamed to recognise the work of long-serving public works architect Richard Roach Jewell.

“The great-great-grandfather of Perth businesswoman and philanthropist Janet Holmes a Court, Jewell was responsible for many prominent buildings that were built in the mid-19th Century including The Deanery, the original Perth Railway Station, and the east and west wings of The State Buildings,” AIA WA president Philip Griffiths said.

“I think it is certainly very fitting to dedicate the Enduring Architecture Award to Jewell’s important work, much of which still stands today.”

All WA Named and Architecture Award winners will progress to the AIA National Awards to be judged against the very best architecture works from across the country.

Full list of winning projects: GEORGE TEMPLE POOLE AWARDS City of Perth Library and Public Plaza by Kerry Hill Architects The State Buildings by Kerry Hill Architects (Architect), Palassis Architects (Heritage Architect) PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE The Jeffrey Howlett Award for Public Architecture – City of Perth Library and Public Plaza by Kerry Hill Architects Architecture Award – Surf Club Building and Commercial Development City Beach by CHRISTOU Design Group Architecture Award – Western Australian Institute of Sport High Performance Service Centre by Sandover Pinder + dwpsuters Architecture Award – Carnarvon Police and Justice Complex by Cox, Howlett & Bailey Woodland Commendation – Bold Park Aquatic by Donovan Payne Architects Commendation – National Anzac Centre by Peter Hunt Architect EDUCATIONAL ARCHITECTURE The Hillson Beasley Award for Educational Architecture – Mother Teresa Catholic College by Parry and Rosenthal Architects Architecture Award – Ngoolark Student Services, ECU Joondalup by JCY Architects & Urban Designers Commendation – Bunbury Catholic College Mercy Campus by CODA Studio and Broderick Architects Commendation – Hale Junior School Arts Building by Site Architecture Studio Commendation – Year 7 Teaching Facility, John Curtin College of the Arts by JCY Architects & Urban Designers RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – HOUSES – (New) The Marshall Clifton Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New) – Victoria Avenue by spaceagency Architecture Award – Bay View House by CSA Craig Steere Architects Commendation – Courtyard Residence by Ross McAndrew Architect Commendation – Mosman Bay House by iredale pedersen hook Architects Commendation – Omeo House by Bosske Architecture RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – HOUSES ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS The Peter Overman Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions) – Camino House by Bosske Architecture Architecture Award – 2 + 2 by MORQ Architecture Award – Claremont Residence by David Barr Architect Commendation – The Boulevarde by Officer Woods Architects RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – MULTIPLE HOUSING The Harold Krantz Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing – Knutsford / Stage 1 by spaceagency Architecture Award – SODA APARTMENTS by Gresley Abas Architects Architecture Award – Mika by Cameron Chisholm Nicol in association with David Barr Architect Commendation – Halo on Mount Apartments by Baltinas Architecture HERITAGE The Margaret Pitt Morison Award for Heritage – The State Buildings by Kerry Hill Architects (Architect), Palassis Architects (Heritage Architect) Architecture Award – Petition at The State Buildings by spaceagency Commendation – New Museum Project – State Heritage Conservation Works by Hocking Heritage Studio URBAN DESIGN The John Septimus Roe Award for Urban Design – Cloisters Redevelopment by The Buchan Group – Perth Commendation – Victoria Quay Enabling Precinct Plans by CODA Studio Commendation – Esperance Foreshore by HASSELL COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE The Ross Chisholm and Gil Nicol Award for Commercial Architecture – Alex Hotel by spaceagency Architecture Award – Mirvac OTB Tower, COMO The Treasury & Annex by Kerry Hill Architects (Design Architect & COMO The Treasury Project Architect), HASSELL (Mirvac OTB Tower & Annex Project Architect) and Palassis Architects (Heritage Architect) Commendation – Richmond Well Being Centre by Armstrong Parkin Architects Commendation – Brookfield Place Tower II by Woods Bagot INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE The Julius Elischer Award for Interior Architecture – Bay View House by CSA Craig Steere Architects Architecture Award – Petition at The State Buildings by spaceagency Architecture Award – The University of Western Australia Guild Student Central Hub by Hames Sharley Commendation – Brookfield Multiplex Headquarters by Woods Bagot Commendation – COMO The Treasury by Kerry Hill Architects (Architect), Palassis Architects (Heritage Architect) Commendation – City of Perth Library by Kerry Hill Architects SMALL PROJECT ARCHITECTURE The Iwan Iwanoff Award for Small Project Architecture – Adelaide Terrace by vittinoAshe Commendation – Standby Espresso by NOMA* SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE The Wallace Greenham Award for Sustainable Architecture –Mirvac OTB Tower, COMO The Treasury & Annex by Kerry Hill Architects (Design Architect & COMO The Treasury Project Architect), HASSELL (Mirvac OTB Tower & Annex Project Architect) and Palassis Architects (Heritage Architect) Commendation – Mosman Bay House by iredale pedersen hook architects RICHARD ROACH JEWELL ENDURING ARCHITECTURE AWARD Perth Concert Hall by Howlett and Bailey Architects COLORBOND® AWARD FOR STEEL ARCHITECTURE Colorbond® Award for Steel Architecture – The State Buildings by Kerry Hill Architects (Architect), Palassis Architects (Heritage Architect) Commendation – Petition at The State Buildings by spaceagency MONDOLUCE LIGHTING AWARD Mondoluce Lighting Award – COMO The Treasury by Kerry Hill Architects (Architect), Palassis Architects (Heritage Architect)