Sydney Apartments Shine At National Property Awards

A makeover of Bondi’s old Swiss Grand Hotel and a 42-storey apartment tower in Chatswood have taken home two awards at the 2017 Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards.

Pacific Bondi Beach, owned by Rebel Property Group and Capitel Group, was presented with the MRI Software Award for Best Mixed Use Development.

An adaptive-reuse of the ageing Swiss Grand Hotel, the mixed-use development features 110 luxury apartments, the 69-room QT Bondi Hotel, 5,500 square metres of retail, including a fitness club and pool, a Woolworths Metro and a mix of high-quality food and beverage options.

“Retiring an old 1980s building and transforming it into a modern interpretation of the art deco architecture found throughout Bondi has enhanced the streetscape along famous Campbell Parade,” Property Council Chief Executive Ken Morrison said.

“This project demonstrates why integrating residential, retail and hotel uses is being enthusiastically embraced throughout Australia.

"The value-adding – through additional community amenity and services such as concierge and valet parking – creates a more dynamic city,” Mr Morrison said.

Mirvac’s Era Chatswood took home the Solid Construct Australia Award for Best Residential Development.

Completed in 2014, the building stands out as one of Mirvac’s most successful projects. In May 2011, 278 of the development’s 295 apartments were sold off the plan in less than 11 hours.

“Era’s success is a result of Mirvac’s vision and commitment to development that brings with it significant economic, environmental and social dividends to Chatswood,” RLB NSW Managing Director Matthew Harris said.

“More than 80 per cent of the site is now landscaped, and a publicly accessible parkland has elevated the amenity in the area.

“Mirvac also refurbished the previously unusable pedestrian tunnel between Era and the town centre of Chatswood.

"The development, bisected by the North Shore Railway Line, also demonstrates why higher-density developments and public transport are an indispensable combination in a growing city,” Mr Harris said.

RLB partnered with the Property Council of Australia to present the Innovation & Excellence Awards program since its inception in 1982.

The 2017 Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Award winners were announced on Friday 5 May at a gala dinner at the International Convention Centre Sydney.