This year’s Good Design Awards, celebrating the best of local and international design and innovation, have been revealed, including awards for the built environment. The Australian Good Design Awards is Australia’s oldest and most prestigious international design awards program.

The awards were announced on Friday night at Sydney’s International Conventions Centre.

 Best in Class

Architects: Make Architects

Project: Brookfield Place, Sydney

Make Architects (with Architectus as executive architect) was awarded Best in Class, the top award for architectural design, for their design of Brookfield Place, Sydney.

The complex project cleverly unifies four separate sites, including Wynyard Station’s transit hall, Thakral House, Shell House and Beneficial House.

The judges describe the design as “world class” and applauded the way the mixed-use tower project harnesses both heritage and sustainability elements.

Gold Award 

Architects: JDA Co.

Project: The Princess Theatre, Brisbane

JDA Co. was honoured with a Gold accolade for the refurbishment of Queensland’s oldest-standing theatre, The Princess.

This complex two-storey heritage renovation involved a redesigned interior fit-out, four new bars, a reimagined mezzanine, new gallery and additional amenities, including a new green room and rehearsal space.

The jury said “the architects deserve the highest praise for their beautiful and thoughtful architectural design”.

Gold Award

▲ The Eaves, Brisbane (left) and the Australian Pavilion, Dubai.

Architects: bureau^proberts

Projects: Australian Pavilion, Dubai; The Eaves, Brisbane

Bureau^proberts was also awarded a Gold Award for the Australian Pavilion, designed for Expo 2020 held in Dubai from October, 2021 to March 2022.

The Good Design Awards jury said the “beautiful piece of architecture exemplifies an openness of place and spirit, and the designers should be delighted that this took pride of place representing Australia at the World Expo”.

The practice also won Gold for The Eaves in Brisbane’s West Village.

Good Design Award

Architects: Turner

Project: Col James Student Accommodation, Sydney

Turner won a Good Design Award for the Col James Student Accommodation in Sydney’s Redfern.

The project, designed by Turner for clients Aboriginal Housing Company, Deicorp and Scape, is in a culturally significant precinct.

The area, previously known as The Block, has long been a meeting place for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The Good Design Awards jury said the design “successfully responds to Redfern’s rich urban conditions, past and present, while providing a collection of internal and external living and communal spaces for students”.