Australian shopping malls take home prestigious international awards

• Seven Australian projects were Laureates in the South Asia and The Pacific Prix region.
• Awards were won across the Shops & Stores, Shopping Malls, Hotels, and Restaurants categories.
• The World Titles are announced in mid-December.

The 2023 list of the World’s Most Beautiful Shops & Stores, Shopping Malls, Hotels, and Restaurants was recently announced on 23 November in Paris by Prix Versailles.

The Laureates are chosen based on a “systematic media review and a call for submissions,” according to Prix Versailles, with each chosen site, “a testimony to remarkable architecture and design in the six Prix regions.”

These regions are Africa and West Asia; Central America, the South and the Caribbean; North America; Central Asia and the Northeast; South Asia and the Pacific; and Europe.

The projects go on to compete for the Prix Versailles 2023 World Titles, which will be announced in mid-December.

Australian Laureates of the Prix Versailles

Several Australian projects were recognised, including:

• Shops & Stores
  • Prix Versailles: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Shop
    • Akin Atelier
  • Special prize for an interior: Viktoria & Woods Chadstone
    • Golden
  • Special prize for an exterior: Cartier
    • Milinski Studio
• Shopping Malls
  • Prix Versailles: South Eveleigh Locomotive Workshop
    • Buchan
  • Special prize for an exterior: The Eaves, West Village
    • bureau^proberts
• Hotels
  • Special prize for an interior: Osborn House
    • Linda Boronkay/Mac Design Studio
• Restaurants
  • Special prize for an interior: Strato Bar & Lounge
    • CHT Architects/Sora Interiors

Brisbane’s West Village

Centuria Capital Group’s (ASX: CNI) West Village retail precinct was one of the Laureates, taking home the Special prize for an exterior under the Shopping Malls category.

The 16,560 sqm retail offering within the West End fringe CBD suburb provides three levels of retail, cafés, restaurants and a wellbeing spa called The Soakhouse. The development has breathed new life into the former Peter’s Ice Cream and Cone factories.

The precinct was reimagined by leading Southeast Queensland architectural practice, bureau^proberts, under the direction of project design director, Kelly Geldard.

“When we acquired the West Village retail precinct in early 2022, we knew we had a really special asset. This was an iconic site that lay dormant for decades and now it’s been reinvigorated as a central hub for the West End community,” said Centuria head of retail, Bruce McCully.

“The striking architecture complements the historic buildings seamlessly. It has been a genuine catalyst for rejuvenation among the wider community and we are immensely proud of the property, its operators and those involved with this transformation. In particular, we congratulate Kelly and her team. She has definitely put Brisbane retail on the international map.”

“The primary intent of the design was to create a legible front door to the precinct and to establish new connections through to the surrounding neighbourhood.”

Kelly Geldard, bureau^proberts

“We have created a civic edge for the adjacent green spaces whilst linking this new insertion to the existing masonry heritage buildings on site.”

West Village is an award winning, Six-Star Green Star, master-planned precinct developed by Sekisui House. The $1.1 billion, 2.6 hectare site is located 1km to the Brisbane CBD and is framed by Mollison Street, Boundary Street and Wilson Street in West End.

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All images are of the West Village, Brisbane.