2021 Australian Interior Design Awards: Sustainability Advancement

Jury comment

Citizen.MDW has a clearly articulated sustainability agenda that demonstrates excellence in the advancement of sustainability, making it stand out in this category. It is a true circular project that serves as a benchmark for all hospitality projects. Its core philosophy is evident across the five sustainability cornerstones, comprising waste and pollution reduction, material life cycle, contribution to energy efficiency, regeneration of natural systems, and education and information.

The jury was particularly impressed by the designers’ holistic approach and each jury member recognizes the importance of this project. Citizen.MDW is a call to action for designers to proactively and comprehensively adopt sustainability initiatives and philosophies into their own designs from the outset.

Design statement

This pavilion is a temporary pop-up form that showcases sustainable, off-grid design and has been a test case for a cafe that works within the ethos of a circular economy.

Materials have all been selected based on their sustainable qualities. Elements such as the re-used milk crates talk directly to repurposing an object that is typically used within cafe operations, and will have a second life when broken down into plastic flakes and re-formed as post-consumer plastic sheeting.

All equipment has been extensively reviewed and assessed for electrical load, and operations have been adapted to work within the capacity of the solar panels.

Designed using scaffolding as the framework, the roof is formed by 118 solar panels that generate enough electricity to power the cafe operations. Three Tesla off-grid power walls are mounted to the scaffold and store electricity to supply continuous power to the pavilion. The design also demonstrated how to grow mushrooms from coffee waste, and how people can easily collect grounds and compost, and grow and eat mushrooms at home.

Design practice — Zwei Interiors and Architecture

Project team — Katherine Kemp, Hanna Richardson, Narisha Santoso, Brodie Wilkinson

The Award for Sustainability Advancement supported by Elton Group. The Australian Interior Design Awards are presented by the Design Institute of Australia and Artichoke magazine. For more images of this project, see the Australian Interior Design Awards gallery.