The Australian Institute of Architects announced the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast/Northern Rivers Regional Architecture Awards on 21 and 22 May respectively.
In the Sunshine Coast Awards, Las Palmas by Tim Ditchfield Architects received the Gabriel Poole Award for Building of the Year.
The house is inspired by the mid-century modernist houses of Palm Springs in California and features a carefully curated sequence of framed views and generous indoor-outdoor spaces
The clients said, “It looks simple, but it’s complex and always offers us a stunning alternate location and view to suit different times of the day and different weather. It offers us variety.”
The jury agreed: “This space invites pedestrians to interact with the property and in doing so they are able to appreciate a framed view of the water through a deliberate gap in the built form along the central axis, anchored by a generous courtyard plan set deep within the site. The building itself seems to lap at the water beyond.”
Cooma Terrace by Open Architecture Studio and Jasper Brown Architects in association
Image: Cathy Schusler
Elsewhere in the Sunshine Coast Regional Architecture Awards, two multiple housing projects received regional commendations: Door42 by Push Architects, which is a community facility that provides supported accommodation for teenagers experiencing homelessness; and a collection fo townhouses, Cooma Terrace, by Open Architecture Studio and Jasper Brown Architects in association.
In the Gold Coast/Northern Rivers Regional Architecture Awards, three residential projects received regional commendations.
Among them, Hey House by Willemsen Architecture received the inaugural Philip Follent Award for Building of the Year.
The inaugural Philip Follent Award for Building of the Year: Hey House by Willemsen Architecture.
Image: Scott Burrows
The project is the architects own house. “Passionate quality detailing is paramount and exudes from every space and juncture in this delightful well-built and engineered family home,” said the jury.
“This is a resilient place in both a hard and soft sense and a timeless home with a modern aesthetic cloak. It offers a sense of enlightenment, flexibility, and function to its users and educates and informs those that may visit or pass it by.”
Bal Harbour by DM2 Architecture and Long Road House by James Russell Architect also received regional commendations.
All projects that receive awards and regional commendations will be added to the shortlist for the Queensland Architecture Awards which will be announced on 24 June via a live broadcast.
