Explore the Interior of Australia’s Top-Designed New Homes for 2023
An Australian home that looks like a Picasso painting has earned top honors at the 2023 National Architecture Awards.
Home at 19 Waterloo Street in Sydney’s Surry Hills won the Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture as part of the Australian Institute of Architects annual awards.
SJB architecture firm designed and constructed it on a 30-square metre plot located between an existing factory and new mixed-use buildings.
Although its footprint is small, this home includes a workspace, kitchen, living area and bedroom that are connected by a central staircase.
At the top of a staircase lies a compact rooftop garden filled with greenery and artistic flourishes.
Sustainable practices were employed during construction of this home, including using solar panels on an adjacent building to power the site and adhering to high levels of thermal performance and airtightness.
The jury commented on it being an extraordinary example of urban infill.
“With our country now facing an unprecedented housing crisis, innovative approaches are urgently required,” according to the jury.
“Perhaps most significantly, Australia must move away from relying solely on four-bedroom standalone houses as its residential offering.
By moving away from our traditional conception of what a city home should look like, we gain the freedom to build homes that are highly functional, whimsical and full of joy both indoors and out.”
Sydney Home was among the 47 residential, commercial, and public projects recognized this year by an industry jury of industry experts.
The winning designs demonstrated world-class examples of sustainability, adaptive reuse, dynamic collaboration between designers and a connection to Country; thoughtful high density living; and generosity towards the wider community.
Jury Chair Shannon Battisson acknowledged Australia is in desperate need of new approaches to its built environment.
“Our aim was to send out a strong signal about where Australia should be going in terms of sustainability, learning and listening to Country,” Ms Battisson noted.
Nightingale Village of Melbourne’s inner-city suburb Brunswick won the Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture of multiple housing.
