8 November 2012 — 1 Bligh Street, Sydney, by architectus + ingenhoven architects and Heller Street Park and Residences, by Six Degrees Architects, have been awarded the National Award for Sustainable Architecture by the Australian Institute of Architects in the recent national awards.
The judges citation said the office development at 1 Bligh Street, Sydney was designed to achieve a 6 Star Green Star rating and a 5-star National Australian Built Environment Rating System rating, incorporating a number of innovative environmental strategies.
“It sets a new benchmark for sustainable high-rise commercial developments in Australia.
The proposal was developed with four critical considerations: view, public space, work environment and green building status,” the citation said.
“Designed around the principles of flexibility, efficiency and communication, the building features a naturally ventilated glass atrium that runs the full height of the building, enhancing workplace connectivity while introducing natural light and ventilation.
“The fully glazed double-skin facade is a major contributor to the Green Star rating and has been specifically developed to optimise amenity for the occupants, maintaining views while providing optimum daylight levels and solar control.
“The facade system includes an inner skin of performance glass, automated ventilated blinds and an outer skin of clear glass that is separated by a naturally ventilated accessible cavity.
“In addition to the facade and atrium, the development includes recycled concrete, steel with 50 per cent recycled content, recycled timber, solar cooling, tri-generation systems, black water treatment, rainwater harvesting and sewer mining.”
The judges said Heller Street Park and Residences introduced “a new typology” for medium-density housing that sets a precedent for the future application of disused infill sites within inner suburban landscapes.
“The site has been divided into a ratio of one-third residential and two-thirds community parkland, a strategy that has minimised the removal of contaminated soil. The excavation works were folded into a mounded slope, carving out a protected community park and ensuring that the problems of the site were not simply transferred to another location,” the citation said.
“Rainwater collection from the ten townhouses is used to supply irrigation to the park, providing yet another reminder of the importance of private residential interventions that support the local community.
“The timber-clad townhouses nestled into the rolling landscape adhere to sustainable building principles, including passive heating and cooling, the implementation of cross ventilation, deep window reveals, solar panels, ventilation through the hallway skylight ‘chimney’, and timber cladding sourced locally from the Melbourne docks.
“The true success of this project is the provision of public green space in a dense urban environment. The development promotes the use of communal gardens as opposed to private backyard space. In turn, ten townhouses and the local residential community of Brunswick celebrate in sharing a space that gives back to all.”
Meanwhile, the institute has decided to change the Sustainable Architecture Award for 2013 to the David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture. The award will no longer be entered directly with entries for all awards potential winners.
“Much has changed in the field of sustainable design since the introduction of the original Sustainable Architecture Award,” the institute’s website says.
“The Sustainable Architecture Award is intended to support, encourage and celebrate this significant phenomenon.
“While for many projects there is an understandable preoccupation with technical performance measured through rating tools, this award recognises the value of creative and intelligent thinking to achieve enduring and meaningful value through design.
“The award will also recognise integrated design thinking not only for individual works of architecture, but also in the broader ecological context. The award criteria are deliberately open ended to allow the jury to recognise exemplary contributions to sustainable architecture.
“The award will no longer be entered directly, and juries will consider all entries on the basis of submitted descriptions of the value the project has generated in each of the environmental, social and economic domains.”
David Oppenheim died in 2007, aged 59. An obituary, in Architecture Australia, said after graduating from the University of Melbourne, he worked at Yuncken Freeman Architects and Whitford and Peck Architects.
He then made his way to international solar practice, Solar Energy Developments in the UK, where he worked from 1977 to 1979.
Mr Oppenheim then became director of two architectural practices, between 1980 and 2007, first Taylor Oppenheim Architects and then Sustainable Built Environments.
He was a member of Royal Australian Institute of Architects, the Australian and New Zealand Solar Energy Society, the International Energy Agency and the Olympic Co-ordination Authority Expert Advisory Panel.
Other award winners were:
PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE
The Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture – MONA — Museum of Old and New Art — Fender Katsalidis Architects
National Award for Public Architecture – Narbethong Community Hall — BVN Architecture
National Award for Public Architecture – The Royal Children’s Hospital — Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart
National Award for Public Architecture – Ravenswood School for Girls — BVN Architecture
National Commendation for Public Architecture – Dapto Anglican Church Auditorium — Silvester Fuller
RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – HOUSES
The Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture — Houses – The Shearer’s Quarters — John Wardle Architects
National Award for Residential Architecture — Houses – Cliff Face House — Fergus Scott Architects with Peter Stutchbury Architecture
National Commendation for Residential Architecture — Houses – Queensberry Street House — Robert Simeoni Architects
National Commendation for Residential Architecture — Houses – Four-Room Cottage — Owen and Vokes
National Commendation for Residential Architecture — Houses – Big Hill — Kerstin Thompson Architects
National Commendation for Residential Architecture — Houses – Smee Schoff House — Sam Crawford Architects
RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – MULTIPLE HOUSING
The Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture — Multiple Housing – Monash University Student Housing, Clayton — BVN Architecture
National Award for Residential Architecture — Multiple Housing – Heller Street Park and Residences — Six Degrees Architects
National Award for Residential Architecture — Multiple Housing – Bell Romero Houses — Chenchow Little Architects
National Commendation for Residential Architecture — Multiple Housing – 58 Stevens Street — Officer Woods
COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE
The Harry Seidler Award for Commercial Architecture – 1 Bligh Street, Sydney — architectus + ingenhoven architects
National Award for Commercial Architecture – Adelaide Studios — Grieve Gillett and Cox Richardson (architects in association)
National Commendation for Commercial Architecture – Medhurst Winery – Folk Architects Pty Ltd
HERITAGE
The Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage – Restoration of Swifts, Darling Point — Clive Lucas Stapleton & Partners
National Award for Heritage – Ormond College Academic Centre — McGlashan Everist Pty Ltd
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
The Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture – The John Kaldor Family Gallery — Art Gallery of New South Wales — PTW Architects
National Award for Interior Architecture – Garagistes — Paul Johnston Architects
National Award for Interior Architecture – Inner House — Bates Smart
URBAN DESIGN
The Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design – University Lawn Precinct RMIT University — Peter Elliott Architecture + Urban Design
National Award for Urban Design – Taronga Zoo Upper Entry Precinct — BVN Architecture
National Commendation for Urban Design – Harry’s Park — Harry Seidler & Associates
National Commendation for Urban Design – William Buckley Bridge, Barwon Heads — Peter Elliott Architecture + Urban Design
National Commendation for Urban Design – Hilton Community Centre — Bernard Seeber
SMALL PROJECT ARCHITECTURE
National Award for Small Project Architecture – Real Studio: Murphy’s Creek BNT — Queensland University of Technology
National Award for Small Project Architecture – Cultural Centre Amenities — Coniglio Ainsworth Architects
ENDURING ARCHITECTURE
The National Enduring Architecture Award – Australia Square — Harry Seidler and Associates
INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE
The Jørn Utzon Award for International Architecture – Auckland Art Gallery Toi o T?maki — fjmt + Archimedia (architects in association)
COLORBOND AWARD FOR STEEL ARCHITECTURE
The Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture – Milson Island Indoor Sports Stadium — Allen Jack + Cottier Architects