- Australia's first dedicated apartment awards held its gala night last Friday
- There were 41 entries across the 11 categories from 21 companies
Australia’s first dedicated apartment awards held its gala night last Friday, celebrating outstanding innovation, design and excellence in the apartment sector.
Organised by the West Australian Apartment Advocacy (AAA) group, they aimed to demonstrate West Australia’s commitment to apartment living as a lifestyle choice.
An aged care facility, boutique apartment and an industrial warehouse were among the inaugural winners of the awards.
Director of AAA (WA) Samantha Reece applauded the standard of the entries and said the winners were recognised for their visionary design, use of space and choice of materials.
“Apartment living is a lifestyle choice and the entries demonstrate that WA leads the nation in the apartment sector,” she said.
“Panorama apartments is 20 years old and received the Enduring Award because despite its age, it has maintained an impeccable standard along with its property values.”
Sam Reece, AAA
There were 41 entries across the 11 categories. Ms Reece said judges were so impressed with the calibre of the finalists, six special commendations were awarded in some categories.
Winners
Affordability
Winner – The Bottleyard, MJA Studios
Winner – The Boulevard, Stirling Capital
Ageing in Place
Winner – Karingal Green, Hall & Prior/Hassell
Special Commendation – The Queenslea, Oryx Communities
Enduring
Winner – Panorama, Fini/Mirvac/Hassell
Heritage and Community Culture
Winner – Heirloom, Match
Innovation/Technology
Winner – DeHavilland Apartments, Bluerock Projects
Special Commendation – Liv, Hassell
Special Commendation – The Queenslea, Oryx Communities/Hassell
Luxury
Winner – Cirque, Stirling Capital
Special Commendation – Lucent, Celsius
People’s Choice
Winner – City Towers, City Towers COO/Richardson Strata Management
Civic Leadership
Winner – Canning City Centre Regeneration, City of Canning
Precinct Rejuvenation
Winner – Claremont on the Park, Development WA
Special Commendation – Latitude at Leighton
Special Commendation – Vic Quarter, Celsius
Refurbished Apartment
Winner – 47 Forrest Avenue, East Perth – CR Design
Inspiration Award
Winner – 19 Duoro Road, Motus Architecture
Claremont development the Queenslea was also commended for being the first in Australia to provide an intergenerational aged care facility, with a childcare centre integrated into the retirement village.
Developed by Oryx Communities, the standard of The Queenslea development impressed the judges.
“The inclusion of the childcare centre as an integral part of this precinct will allow residents to interact with the children both formally and informally and combining care for children and the elderly benefits both groups.”
But it was one development that forced the judges to create a separate category outside of the original scope of the awards.
Ms Reece said 19 Duoro Rd, developed by Motus Architecture in Fremantle, applied a level of creativity that demonstrated exemplary design.
“Creating an internal street within the warehouse development complete with artwork, the judges were inspired by the use of innovative materials, the attention to detail and the sheer delight of the residents.”
Other standout developments in the inaugural awards included:
- DeHavilland Apartments – WA’s first timber built project by Bluerock Projects.
- Karingal Green – a retirement village that defied all historical planning by embracing its natural bush setting.
- City of Canning City Centre rejuvenation – which saw a commitment of $76 million by Council to green the precinct.
