A climate-savvy new sports facility won the top prize at the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2023 Northern Territory Architecture Awards on 24 June.
Designed by Hames Sharley, the multipurpose Katherine Sportsground Pavilion features a dynamic butterfly roof and a central pavilion that is both focal point and community meeting place.
Climate concerns have been addressed throughout the design. Slight elevation mitigates flood risk, enhances views and incorporates seating terraces; perforated metal skin protects blockwork from direct solar heat gain and passively cools, as do six-metre-wide eaves, operable screen walls and a central breezeway.
Elsewhere in the awards, new facilities for Larrakeyah NorForce (North-West Mobile Force, an Australian Army Reserve regiment) won the Peter Dermoudy Award for Commercial Architecture.
The project provides working accommodation, logistics support, training facilities and a new headquarters at Larrakeyah Barracks. Its two consolidated double-storey buildings are simple and robust in character and form – and planned around clear, meaningful visual connections with an adjacent sacred site.
Award recipients progress to the National Architecture Awards, which will be announced in late 2023.
Tracy Memorial Award
Katherine Sportsground Pavilion – Hames Sharley
Public Architecture
Award
Katherine Sportsground Pavilion – Hames Sharley
Commercial Architecture
Peter Dermoudy Award
Larrakeyah NorForce – BVN
Larrakeyah NorForce – BVN.
Image: Scott Burrows
Commendation
MacDonnell Regional Council Head Office – Susan Dugdale and Associates
MacDonnell Regional Council Head Office – Susan Dugdale and Associates.
Image: Doug Baillie
Enduring Architecture
Award
Parliament House and State Square Darwin – Meldrum Burrows and Partners
Interior Architecture
Commendation
Headspace Palmerston – Rossi Architects
Headspace Palmerston – Rossi Architects.
Image: Charlie Bliss
Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture
Award
Katherine Sportsground Pavilion – Hames Sharley
Commendation
Larrakeyah NorForce – BVN
Chapter-specific Prizes
President’s Award
David Bridgman for commitment to heritage and built environment
Student Award
Birgit Chan – Charles Darwin University
