Architecture

The winners of the 2025 Western Australian Heritage Awards have been announced, recognising projects that demonstrate excellence in protecting and reimagining the state’s diverse heritage.
Heritage Minister Simone McGurk commented, “The awards highlight the dedication, creativity and passion of those who protect and promote Western Australia’s heritage … This year’s winners remind us that heritage is not only about preservation, it’s about connection, community, and pride of place.”
Chair of the Heritage Council of WA Darren Foster added, “Each winner demonstrates how thoughtful conservation and interpretation can make our history accessible and meaningful.”
In the Conservation or Adaptive Reuse of a Local Heritage Place category, Perth Zoo (Gibbon Enclosure) was named the winner. Led by a collaborative team, including architects Hassell and Iredale Pedersen Hook with Urbis as heritage architect and interpretation consultant, the project involved a new primate crossing and gibbon enclosure along with the conservation and interpretation of historic structures at the zoo, which is formally recognised on the City of South Perth’s Heritage List.
The state government’s website notes, “This project underscores the importance of conserving heritage buildings not only for their architectural value but for the stories they carry and the community connections they foster. Through thoughtful design and inclusive interpretation, the adapted structures now serve as engaging educational spaces celebrating the zoo’s legacy.”

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The Gerry Gauntlet Award for the Conservation or Adaptive Reuse of a State Registered Place was won by owner Locals Co, with architects Hocking Heritage and Architecture, engineer Quoin Consulting and builder Colgan Industries, for the restoration of the Rose Hotel and Sample Room in Bunbury. According to the state government’s website, “Extensive conservation works stabilised and revitalised the building’s historic facade, verandah and masonry … [and] revealed long-hidden details such as ghost signage and cast-iron columns, reconnecting the public with the building’s rich past.”
Following the upgrades to the building’s waterproofing, structure and accessibility, “the restored hotel continues to serve as a vibrant gathering place, fostering local pride and economic activity in Bunbury’s city centre,” the website reads.
A verandah conservation project at Success Hill Lodge, Bassendean, with works by Stephen Carrick Architects (SCA), was commended in the Conservation or Adaptive Reuse of a State Registered Place category.
The other category winners can be viewed online. More

Entries can now be submitted for the 2026 Galang Residency, a program that supports Australian-based First Nations creatives to undertake two intensive three-month residencies in Paris.
The program, presented by Powerhouse Parramatta and the Cité Internationale des Arts, provides return flights to and from Paris, accommodation at the Cité Internationale des Arts and opportunities to collaborate and network with other creative professionals.
Australian-based First Nations creative practitioners in disciplines such as architecture, design, music, performance, photography, visual arts, weaving and writing are encouraged to apply.
Previous residency recipients include architect Jack Gillmer, artist Jody Rallah, multidisciplinary creative Jarra Karalinar Steel and Archibald Prize-winning artist Vincent Namatjira.
The selection panel for the 2026 Galang Residency comprises residency programmes and partnerships manager at Cité Internationale des Arts Souraya Kessaria; Powerhouse adjunct curator Brook Garru Andrew; and Powerhouse director (First Nations) Beau James.
Kessaria said that the work of Cité Internationale des Arts is focused on “creating conditions where artistic practices can unfold with the attention and freedom needed to deepen research.”
“Welcoming First Nations artists from Australia as part of the Galang Residency is always a profoundly meaningful moment for our residents’ community. Their presence opens new conversations, expands our shared ways of thinking and making, and strengthens the fabric of dialogue that lies at the heart of the Cité,” added Kessaria.
Applications close 30 January 2026. Successful applicants will be announced in March 2026. To apply for the 2026 Galang Residency program, visit the Powerhouse website. More

A proposal for a $341 million mixed-use precinct on a former drive-in cinema site in Caddens, 50 kilometres west of Sydney’s CBD, has been lodged for planning approval.
Designed by Group GSA for developer Holdmark Property Group, the state-significant development application comprises 17 mid-rise buildings, delivering a total of 482 homes and 3,461 square metres of retail, new streets and community space.
The 8.1-hectare site, which is located within walking distance of Western Sydney University’s growing Kingswood campus and the Nepean Hospital health precinct, adjoins the existing Caddens Corner shopping centre.
Group GSA architect and project lead Alberto Murgia said the masterplan is structured around a permeable, walkable street grid that expands the existing retail precinct and strengthens local amenity. “Our landscape-first, Country-led approach focuses on a mix of high-quality and affordable homes, delivered within a generous public realm that builds on the precinct’s evolving character,” he commented.
At the core of Group GSA’s organisational strategy is a new “village green” civic hub and central pedestrian spine called the “six seasons walk”, which links together the green with two other major parks, a cultural trail that weaves oral histories and site narratives, and a preserved and expanded Cumberland Plain Woodland nature reserve along the site’s northern edge.
According to the architects, a series of Indigenous co-design workshops with local Aboriginal stakeholders shaped the cultural framework for the precinct. As a result, the design embraces water, sky and Country as key connectors, restoring natural ecologies and expanding habitat, and integrating endemic plantings, organic built forms, natural materials and water-sensitive landscapes.
Group GSA’s design of the built form responds to the site’s varying edge conditions, with two-storey terraces on the southern boundary and modulated apartment buildings stepping in height across the precinct in response to the site’s topography.
The palette of the project’s north-eastern buildings picks up on the colours and textures of the nature corridor and employs layered planting to create an architectural expression that recedes into the landscape, while the southern terraces adopt articulated brickwork with deep reveals and expressed thresholds. The buildings that border the village green employ stepped forms and active retail frontages on the ground level, with dining that spills out from beneath a continuous colonnade.
Murgia commented, “Our proposal delivers a village-scale centre that supports social interaction and community identity while demonstrating a long-term vision for sustainable growth within the Werrington Enterprise Living and Learning (WELL) Precinct.”
“By pairing mixed-tenure housing with flexible communal indoor and outdoor spaces, the precinct is designed to foster social diversity, wellbeing and a strong sense of community ownership.” More

The winners of the 18th annual Architeam Awards have been named, celebrating the innovation, creativity and vision of Australia’s small practice architects.
A media communique from Architeam noted, “This year’s winners showcased a refined and confident use of materials, a deep understanding of their clients’ needs, and a sensitive appreciation for heritage and place.”
This was exemplified in Public Realm Lab’s Meeniyan Community Hub, which claimed the Architeam Medal and took out the Community and Public Award. The project, which involved replacing a building that was no longer fit-for-purpose with a new precinct for community meetings, was praised by the jury “as a new benchmark for how small-town architecture can deliver lasting civic value.”
This year’s just included Michael Roper (Architecture Architecture, AT Member and chair), Thomas Bailey (Room 11), Jemima Retallack (Retallack Thompson Architects), Anita Panov (Panov Scott), Andrew Steele (Studio Nine), Monique Woodward (Wowowa), Andrew Klenke (Swanbury Penglase Architects), Clémence Carayol (Architecture and Design digital editor) and Wesley Spencer (Architeam Awards director). In 2025, the program also included a new Heritage Award.
Reflecting on this year’s awards, Spencer said: “The calibre of projects this year proves that small practice architects continue to lead through creativity, empathy and purpose. These awards celebrate not just beautiful design, but the meaningful impact small practices have on our communities and the built environment.”
The winners are:
Architeam Medal
Winner
Meeniyan Community Hub – Public Realm Lab
Sustainability Medal
Winner
Subtle Shift – Steffen Welsch Architects
Small Project Medal
Winners
East West Play Structure – Pop Architecture
This is Lumeah – featuring Paul Couch – Pepper and Well
Residential New Award – up to $1 million
Winner
Sorrento Bathhouse – Davidov Architects
Commendation
Horsham House – Jake Taylor Architecture

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Residential New Award – above $1 million
Winner
The Boulevard – Archier
Commendations
Point Lonsdale House – Field Office Architecture
Taroona House – Archier

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Residential Alterations and Additions – up to $500,000
Winner

Treeview Cottage – Tsai Design
Commendations

North Melbourne Terrace – Birthisel Wittingslow Architects
This is Lumeah – featuring Paul Couch – Pepper and Well

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Residential Alterations and Additions – between $500,000 and $1 million
Winner
Oval House – Topology Studio
Commendation
Coburg House – Card

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Residential Alterations and Additions – over $1 million
Winner
Yarraville Peak – Weaver and Co Architects
Commendation
The Don – Mihaly Slocombe

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Commercial Award
Winner
BVIA on Bank – Agius Scorpo Architects
Commendation
Kastex Studio – Format Architects

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Community and Public Award
Winner
Meeniyan Community Hub – Public Realm Lab
Commendations
East West Play Structure – Pop Architecture
Syndal South Primary School – WHDA

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Heritage Award
Winner
This is Lumeah – featuring Paul Couch – Pepper and Well
Commendation
Yarraville Peak – Weaver and Co Architects

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Innovation and Contribution Award
Winner
Placemaking Clarence Valley – Equity Office
People’s Choice Award
Winner
This is Lumeah – featuring Paul Couch – Pepper and Well

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Unbuilt Award
Winner

Three-Fold – Steffen Welsch Architects
Passivhaus Scholarship
Winner
Matthew Oczkowski of MOA Studio More

The Western Australian government has declared 10 train station precincts that will be subject to “improvement plans and schemes” by the state, designed to drive housing development in metropolitan Perth.
The 10 stations are the first to be prioritised by the government, with precincts defined as the land within an 800-metre radius of each train station. According to the government’s media release, the reforms will establish the state as the body that sets the height and zoning density settings within these precincts, as well as act as the responsible decision-maker.
The government’s hope is that the precincts will “boost urban infill,” “unlock more land for housing around transport hubs” and “enhance consistency in planning and decision-making.”
The first ten stations to be selected include:

Ballajura
Bassendean
Carlisle/Oats Street
Claisebrook
Cottesloe
Glendalough
Morley
Mosman Park
Redcliffe
Swanborne.

Planning and Lands Minister John Carey commented that “while some councils have done great work and embraced a reform agenda, many have lacked the ability, the will or both to drive the change we need to get more housing out the door.”
“We are stepping in to ensure a consistent and streamlined approach to deliver vibrant, mixed-use precincts within walking distance to train stations,” he said. “These precincts will supercharge the delivery of more supply in targeted locations.”
The government’s media release notes, “Consistent and coordinated planning frameworks are key to realising the full potential of transit-oriented development and increasing density in high-amenity areas.
“Consultation with local governments will help to inform context specific precinct planning. This process will ensure that development complements the character of each precinct and delivers greater housing diversity.”
A similar approach is already underway in Victoria, with 60 activity centres slated for planning reforms that will come into effect next year. In New South Wales, faster approvals and amended planning controls are being implemented across 37 transport-oriented development (TOD) precincts, and eight priority high-growth areas have been designated for accelerated rezoning.
Western Australia’s deputy premier and Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti said the government’s approach builds on the delivery of Perth’s Metronet rail network upgrade. The Metronet upgrade has seen several architects contribute to its design, including Hassell, which delivered five new elevated stations, and Woods Bagot in collaboration with Taylor Robinson Chaney Broderick, TCL and UDLA on the Morley-Ellenbrook line, which recently won the Australian Institute of Architects 2025 National Award for Sustainable Architecture.
“Our government is focused on driving transit-oriented development to support vibrant communities, and these reforms will help streamline approvals and improve consistency,” said Saffioti. “More housing choice around our train station precincts will be critical to supporting our city as it grows, and implementing these improvement plans will ensure we expedite the delivery of new developments for the benefit of the community.”
The current series of ArchitectureAu Asks, which tackles the rise of high-density housing, invites experts to respond to the provocation, “When it comes to apartment towers in our suburbs, how high is too high?” Read their responses here. More

The Australian Institute of Architects’s Victorian chapter has celebrated the recipients of the state’s suite of prizes, honours and fellowships in their 2025 Victorian Honours, held on 17 November at the State Library of Victoria. The annual event celebrates the important contributions of the Institute’s members across the built environment while advancing the policy and advocacy work of the Institute.
This year, the highest honour – the Victorian President’s Prize – was awarded to Sarah Buckeridge. Having served as co-managing director at Hayball for the past 19 years, Buckeridge has been at the practice for 28 years, where she has honed a focus on the feasibility and design of residential and mixed-use developments.
With her interests geared towards creating well-designed, sustainable communities, Buckeridge has engaged with several industry peak bodies and government agencies to promote design-led policy that aims to improve the built environment. The honour recognises Buckeridge’s contribution to the profession and provides a platform for her continued advocacy of architecture.
The winners are:
President’s Prize
Sarah Buckeridge
Robert Caulfield Graduate Research Scholarship
Winner
Blake Hillebrand and Nathan Brandrick
Commendations
Stephanie Pyalanda
Kate De Pina
Victorian Student Ideas Prize Winner
Winner
Mandisa Sarker
Graduate Prize
Winner
Jasmine Lam
Enabling Architecture Prize
Allen Kong
Gender Equity and Diversity Prize
Marika Neustupny
Regional Practice Prize
Brad Hooper
Social and Affordable Housing Prize
James Henry
Sustainability Leadership Prize
Breathe Architecture

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This year’s recognised fellows include:
2025 Fellowships
Toby Reed
Graham Morrison
Jocelyn Chiew
Jefa Greenaway
Linda Kwok
Kirby Roper
Aimee Goodwin
Judith Arndt
Sandy Law
Victoria Reeves
Rebecca Naughtin
2025 Life Fellowships
Nigel Bertram
Richard Leonard
Lucinda McLean
Amy Muir
Marika Neustupny More

Architectural studio Besley and Spresser was one of twenty international teams to exhibit in the Independent Projects program at the 2025 Lisbon Architecture Triennale.
The triennale, running until 8 December 2025, was curated by Ann-Sofi Rönnskog and John Palmesino, founders of Territorial Agency and is centred around the theme, “How Heavy is a City?” The theme prompts exhibitors to investigate the planetary impacts of urbanisation across environmental, social and political dimensions.
Besley and Spresser was chosen from a pool of 76 applicants to exhibit in the Independent Projects program.
Their installation, titled 09.ED.15 Redux, explores the environmental legacy of asbestos across urban and suburban areas, and the potential for it to be transformed into a safe, functional material instead of adding millions of tonnes to landfill worldwide. The exhibit showcases treated asbestos waste that has been converted into carbon-negative building materials, such as bricks and a glazed column.

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Working with material scientists Asbeter from Rotterdam and ceramicist Benedetta Pompilli in Amsterdam, the exhibition reimagines the building industry’s infamously hazardous substance as a source of renewal and repair. Architect Peter Besley said the project began with a simple question: “What if one of the building industry’s most hazardous materials could become one of its most promising?”
“Asbestos embodies the contradictions of a lot of industrial material culture: convenience vs damage. By transforming it, we’re trying to contribute to the rethinking of the material culture of city-making,” said Besley.
Architect Jessica Spresser echoed those sentiments, commenting, “We wanted to take something historically feared and reveal its potential for renewal through innovation, research and design.”
“The installation makes visible the idea that repair can be both a technical and a poetic act,” she said.

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The triennale installation builds on the practice’s previous investigations into asbestos transformation. An earlier proposal from the firm called Redux was shortlisted for the Australia Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. The proposed pavilion featured raked panels of former-asbestos mineral render, free-standing columns made of blue former-asbestos mineral glaze and detailed maps of asbestos dump sites and building stock. More

Thalamos collection by Christopher Boots
Renowned lighting designer Christopher Boots has launched his first object collection titled Thalamos. Consisting of five hand-cast brass pieces – a vase, a platter, a trinket box, an incense holder and an ashtray – the collection is inspired by the Greek word ‘thalamus,’ meaning “inner chamber” and is intended to nurture daily rituals and elevates one’s own sanctuary – something we’re all trying hard at these days. “Each piece is meticulously crafted to elevate moments of quiet contemplation,” Boots says. Visit website.
Gelato portable lamp by Carlo Nason
Originally a 1960s wired table lamp, Gelato is now a cordless, dimmable LED light reimagined by Carlo Nason and Established and Sons. Charged via magnetic USB-C, it combines coloured blown glass with haptic dimming and comes in four finishes: Spritz (pictured), Mint, Azure and Smoke. Visit website.

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Acerbis Lokum tables by Sabine Marcelis

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Crafted with smoky blown glass, the Lokum collection by Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis evokes ethereal charm. Tables are available in square or rectangular forms and two tonal finishes, each piece reflecting the designer’s refined control of material transparency and minimalist design. Visit website.
Edge Lamp by By Gray
Meet the Edge Lamp – the debut statement piece from Brisbane-based homewares brand By Gray, founded by creative duo (and couple) Chelsea Keim and Aaron Gray. Sculptural yet functional, the lamp reflects their vision to blend bold design with timeless elegance. “The Edge Lamp is the kind of piece we always wished we could find for our own home,” say Chelsea and Aaron. “We wanted to create something timeless yet bold, a design that speaks to both artistry and functionality.” Minimalist in form but rich in presence, each lamp is carefully designed and crafted with attention to balance and detail. Visit website.

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Jelly Mirror by Ready to Hang
With a translucent resin frame that mimics retro jelly moulds, this mirror by Ready to Hang blends playful form with polished detail. Available in flavoursome hues of honey or cherry, the piece adds a nostalgic touch to the home. Visit website.

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