Emerging Sustainable Architect / Designer
Lifetime Achievement
Commercial Architecture (Large)
Commercial Architecture (Small)
Education & Research
Multiple-Residential Dwelling
Single Dwelling (New)
Single Dwelling (Alteration)
Adaptive Reuse (Alteration/Addition)
Landscape & Urban
Interior Design
Public Building
Best of the Best
Hospitality & Tourism
Green Building Material
Smart Building Ideas
Small Sustainable Practice
The most exciting sustainable architect/designer over the past 12 months who has influenced and changed the world of design by their drive for the environment.
Candidates will be asked to demonstrate:
Category open by nomination only.
A person who has over their career, shown exemplary efforts in advancing the progression of the sustainable built environment in Australia.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is open to an individual, design firm or building products company and presented in recognition of outstanding leadership and contribution to the field of sustainability for more than 15 years. This may be a new product innovation, new knowledge, or new ways to improve a design that has been deemed to be above and beyond the everyday with a long lasting impact in the built sector.
Candidates will be asked to demonstrate:
A Class 5, 6, 7 or 8 building used for professional and / or commercial purposes of over 500sqm in floor size.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the commercial building category include:
Key considerations: innovation, functionality, expertise, measurable sustainable qualities in the medium- to long-term.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
A Class 5, 6, 7 or 8 building used for professional and / or commercial purposes of under or equal to 500sqm in floor size.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the commercial building category include:
Key considerations: innovation, functionality, expertise, measurable sustainable qualities in the medium- to long-term.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
A childcare centre, preschool, primary, secondary or tertiary educational facility or a faculty where an educational institution is a partner.
All projects and architectural firms located within Australia are eligible. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the education & research category include:
Key considerations: brief, originality, immediate functionality and ongoing performance, sustainable materials and technologies, relevance to context, high levels of research, longevity of both building and sustainable outcomes.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
The design of a new townhouse, duplex or residential complex that contains multiple residential dwellings. Projects nominated under this category must be classifiable as Class 2 or Class 3 buildings.
All projects and architectural firms located within Australia are eligible. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the multiple dwelling category include:
Key considerations: originality and innovation, liveability, functionality and performance, high levels of research, longevity, breadth of approach.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
The design and construction of a single-residential building to which a Class 1a Building category is applicable.
All projects and architectural firms located within Australia are eligible. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the new single dwelling (new) category include:
Key considerations: response to client brief, originality and creativity in tackling challenges, high levels of liveability, long-lived and easily maintainable solutions, relevance to context, high levels of research.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
Extensions and/or alterations to at least 50 percent of a Class 1a building.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the single dwelling (alteration) category include:
Key considerations: innovation and originality, response to client brief, high levels of liveability, long-lived and easily maintainable solutions, relevance to context, high levels of research, holistic view of sustainability measurements.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
Recognises the adaptive reuse of a building (heritage and/or new) that has minimal impact on the historical significance of the building and its setting, while also pursuing a design that is sympathetic to the building in order to give it a new purpose.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the Best Adaptive Reuse category include:
Key considerations: innovation, functionality, expertise, measurable sustainable qualities in the medium- to long-term.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
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.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the Best Landscape & Urban category include:
Key considerations: immediate functionality and ongoing performance, integrated sustainability aspects, long-term thinking, relevance to context, high levels of research, serviceability and public amenity.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
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 the lowering of the overall energy consumption.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. The interior design project will need to demonstrate both sustainable functionality, innovation and performance.
Key considerations: functionality and ongoing performance, integrated sustainability aspects, long-term thinking, relevance to context, serviceability and human amenity.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
A building or facility or artwork which primarily services or is used by the public except educational facilities. This can include hospitals, medical centres, sports ovals and facilities, transport hubs, parliament houses, zoological gardens, museums, government department buildings and religious structures.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. Outside of these preliminary requirements, the qualities and characteristics of nominations under the Public Building category include:
Key considerations: immediate functionality and ongoing performance, integrated sustainability aspects, long-term thinking, relevance to context, high levels of research, serviceability and public amenity.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
Examples of Hospitality & Tourism Design include projects that help create locally owned business and employment opportunities, environmentally friendly operations, education and awareness programs, energy and resource conservation, and waste & carbon dioxide reduction.
All projects and design firms located within Australia are eligible to enter. The interior design project will need to demonstrate both sustainable functionality, innovation and performance.
Key considerations: functionality and ongoing performance, integrated sustainability aspects, long-term thinking, relevance to context, serviceability and human amenity.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
The Best of the Best is selected from among all the category winners on the basis of both sustainable outcomes and aesthetics and/or innovative design principles.
Any building or part thereof, that uses smart design and/or a range of automated processes to automatically control the building’s operations including heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, security and other systems in order to help improve asset reliability, performance, reduce energy use and minimise the total environmental impact of building.
All projects in this category will provide a model for solving a range of current sustainable issues faced by our city, while providing a functional and serviceable amenity.
Projects submitted under the Smart Building category will demonstrate a strategy to building automation – with a particularly focus on innovative ways of approaching existing building automation challenges and their impact on sustainability. A demonstrable improvement to previous sustainability outcomes will need to be supported by data-related to building performance.
Key considerations: Automation technology, relevance to context, empathetic to user considerations, high levels of research into use of resources, translatable concepts.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
A building product that is renewable, rather than non-renewable, environmentally responsible and where the impact is considered over the entire lifetime of the product.
Key considerations: use of sustainable /green building materials, longevity, a holistic approach to sustainable (as demonstrated through materials etc.), relevance to context, empathetic to user considerations, high levels of research into use of resources, translatable concepts.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia, and must have been completed between 1 June 2021 and 30 June 2023.
This award us open to all architecture and design firms with 10 or less staff and recognises and rewards their achievements including those that demonstrate alignment with the UN 17 SDGs by integrating sustainability principles and practices across business activities and outcomes, such as sustainable energy, climate resilience, environmental and social best practice, environmental and social innovation, and gender and economic inclusion.
All design firms with 10 or less employees and that are located within Australia are eligible to enter.
Key considerations: functionality and ongoing performance, integrated sustainability aspects, long-term thinking, relevance to context, inclusivity and human amenity.
To be eligible for this category your project must be located in Australia and have less than 10 employees.