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Emerging Sustainable Architect/Designer

Open to Australian-based architects/designers in their first five years of their career and recognises an outstanding achievement or development in the field of sustainable and / or environmental architecture planning or design across any of the building categories.

Lifetime Achievement

A person who has over their career, shown exemplary efforts in advancing the progression of sustainability in Australia.

Sustainable Builder/Developer of the Year

Recognising built environment sector leading companies driving excellence in new projects that integrate environmental performance, social responsibility, and long-term value creation, as well as measurable sustainability outcomes.

Projects

Commercial

Class 5, 6, 7 or 8 buildings designed and/or modified to be sustainable for the purpose of accommodating a range of business activities, highlighting innovative design, materials, and technologies that reduce environmental impact while enhancing occupant wellbeing.

Community & Social Impact

Celebrating designs that create lasting positive change for people and communities, empowering individuals, promoting social equality, and strengthening community resilience, while also improving the quality of community life.

Institutional & Public Buildings

Class 9 buildings pushing boundaries in sustainable design and operation for civic, educational, and institutional entities, while also demonstrating energy efficiency, resource stewardship, and overall social responsibility.

Multi Residential Dwelling

The design of a new townhouse, duplex or residential unit complex that contains multiple residential dwellings. Projects nominated under this category are classifiable as Class 2 or Class 3 buildings.

Single Residential Dwelling

New, renovated, and rebuilt Class 1 residential buildings that exemplify sustainable design, while minimising environmental impacts using innovative designs, materials, and technologies to reduce environmental impact while enhancing occupant wellbeing.

International Design

Awarded to the best environmentally responsible project submitted from outside of Australia.

Adaptive Reuse

Recognises the adaptive reuse of a building (heritage and/or new) that has minimal impact on any historical significance of the building and its setting, while at the same time, pursuing a design that is sympathetic to the building in order to give it a new purpose and/or use.

Landscape & Urban

A building or amenity design which primarily services, or is used, by the public (except educational facilities) that adheres and promotes to the concepts of sustainability, renewability and regenerative design.

Interior Design

A renovation or fit-out of the interior of an existing building where the sustainable design is involved with such factors as determining the efficient and effective use of space, selecting construction materials that offer low environmental impact and lowering pollution, waste, and lowering the overall energy consumption.

Hospitality & Tourism

Examples of Hospitality & Tourism Design include projects that help environmentally friendly operation, education and awareness programs, energy and resource conservation, waste & carbon dioxide reduction, heritage protected sites and adaptive reuse. The types of buildings includes but is not limited to hotels, pubs, bars, motels, spas, resorts, restaurants, cafes, breweries and anywhere where entertainment, food and/or beverages are provided to the public.

Prefab & Modular

Prefabricated and/or modular structures or modules built faster off-site with less waste, less labour, and with the finished product being quantifiably high in quality and sustainability.

Innovation

Green Building Material/Solution

A building product, material, product or solution that is renewable, environmentally responsible and where the impact is considered over the entire lifetime of the product.

Sustainable Architectural Practice of the Year

Recognising firms leading the way in environmental and socially responsible design with a consistent track record of integrating sustainability across project typologies, as well as the practice’s inherent culture that promotes a more sustainable built environment.

Editor’s Choice

Editor’s Choice is an award given by the Architecture & Design editorial team. All shortlisted projects are assessed for their suitability for this award on the basis of their contribution to and consultation with their local community.

Best of the Best

Selected from among all the category winners on the basis of both sustainable outcomes and aesthetics and/or innovative design principles.

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