Two unusual projects were winners of the 2018 Development Excellence Awards, says the Urban Taskforce.
“Along with the usual apartment towers and retail and commercial developments this year’s Urban Taskforce Development Excellence Awards there were two unusual innovative projects that demonstrated new ways of thinking by developers,” says Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson. “Lendlease developed a six storey cross laminated timber framed office building and Greencliff and Frasers Property developed a new eating precinct called Spice Alley.”
Peter Poulet, chair of the award jury and NSW Government Architect, said “We were amazed by the inventiveness of these two entries in the awards. To discover behind a few heritage terrace houses at Central Park a bustling Asian style series of food outlets with graphic signage and tight but comfortable dining areas carved out of old terrace houses is a real surprise. Equally to find that a six storey modern office building is held up by a timber frame and uses this to display the building is another surprise.”
Chris Johnson said “The Central Park project has won previous awards from the Urban Taskforce for its innovative urban forms and its incredible use of landscape on the buildings. Now the developers have shifted gear and brought a piece of Singapore into their development that cleverly works with the adaptive use of heritage buildings and a well-mannered urban landscape approach. International House with its timber frame was constructed in only 14 months and attracted a single tenant who was proud to be in such a sustainable building. The solution is so successful that it is being duplicated in a twin International House next door.”
International House won the Sustainable Development Award and Kensington Street & Spice Alley won the Urban Renewal Development Award.
Lendlease also won the Commercial Office City Development with their Commonwealth Bank Building in Darling Square, another development full of innovation with light filled atriums.
The Seniors Living / Retirement Development award went to St Basil’s Randwick by St Basil’s Homes.
