The results of the award, announced in parliament in Canberra, demonstrate that the protagonists of urban space are increasingly not sculptural forms, but infrastructure objects - parking lots, piers and public spaces that improve the daily experience of citizens, write The Guardian.
According to the chair of the award's steering committee, Catherine Sundermann, this year's winners reflect "a softer approach to urban transformation."
“These projects highlight a simple idea: urban change works best when it takes into account the specifics of the place, engages diverse communities, and improves the space in the long term,” she noted.
One of the winners in the completed projects category was the multi-level parking lot near Campbelltown Station in Sydney, designed Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects.
Campbelltown Station Car Park, designed by Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects. Photo: Brett Boardman / Australian Urban Design Awards
The jury emphasized that it is not just about automotive infrastructure, but about design that adds a new quality to a functional object. The project combines natural ventilation, an open mesh structure, color accents and greenery, transforming a utilitarian space into a comfortable part of the urban environment.
The Campbelltown Station passenger car park has been named a winner of the Australian Urban Design Awards. Photo: Brett Boardman / Australian Urban Design Awards
Another winner was the St Kilda Pier reconstruction project on the Melbourne coast - a joint project Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, Site Office Landscape Architecture and AW Maritime.
St Kilda Pier revamped. Photo: Peter Clarke / Australian Urban Design Awards
The updated pier has a wider, curved shape that combines sophisticated engineering with the recreational function of a popular tourist location on Port Phillip Bay. One of the key features is a concrete breakwater that also serves as public seating.
Separately, the jury noted the balance between coastal protection, tourist attractiveness, and preservation of the natural environment — in particular, the colony of little penguins that have lived on the breakwater for over 50 years.
The St Kilda Pier breakwater is home to a colony of little penguins, one of the area's tourist attractions. Photo: Peter Clarke / Australian Urban Design Awards
Also among the winners is Balam Balam Place, a public space in Melbourne's Brunswick suburb. Named after the Woi-wurrung word for "butterfly," the space has become a symbol of transformation and reimagining of historical heritage.
Balam Balam Place public space in Brunswick. Photo: Peter Bennetts / Australian Urban Design Awards
The project combines Victorian architecture with a contemporary cultural landscape, emphasizing the multi-layered history of the place and its connection to the traditional landowners.
In addition to the implemented projects, in the strategic design and policy category, the jury recognized the New South Wales state government for its new housing pattern book, a typological guide to residential development aimed at creating affordable, flexible, and high-quality urban housing.
According to the jury, this initiative was an important step in responding to the housing crisis and the transition of Australian cities to a denser and more sustainable development model.
We previously wrote that OMA completed the expansion of the New Museum of Modern Art in New York: the new volume has doubled in size.
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