Celebrating design excellence in Port Phillip

The bi-annual awards, hosted by the City of Port Phillip, saw a record pool of 47 entries considered in a celebration of great design in the municipality.

Hip V. Hype and Six Degrees Architects were recognised as dual award winners for the Ferrars & York project, which was judged the best Mixed Use development as well as earning the Jury’s Award for Excellence in Sustainability.

Ferrars & York incorporates a comprehensive array of technologies to improve the environmental performance of the building including a 20.1 kW solar panel system, electric vehicle charging, remote controlled external blinds, an energy recovery ventilation system and a four-stream waste management system. The entire development is gas-free and features recycled materials within the construction.

Searle x Waldron Architecture won the Non-Residential award for Albert Park Primary School’s Performance Hub, with the judges recognising its outstanding design that complements the existing architecture of the historic Wesleyan church hall.

The Residential New Build (one to two dwellings) award went to Clare Cousins Architects for the Courtyard House. The house skilfully reinterprets the spirit of the corner store that once stood on the site, earning its name from the central courtyard around which the house is structured.

Bourke and Bouteloup Architects won the Small Scale award for the design of the South Melbourne Market’s External Food Hall as a multipurpose area that enhances the market experience. Taking its cues from the market’s timber packing pallets, the structure uses sustainable materials and prefabricated, modular construction in a considered and sophisticated way.

Joint winners were named in the Residential Alteration or Addition (one to two dwellings) category. The jury felt that the Middle Park House by Robson Rak Architects and Interiors brought new life to a prominent corner site, while Studio mkn and Eliza Blair Architecture’s Hidden House is a dramatic concrete and glass addition that is entirely concealed from the street.

Robson Rak Architects and Interiors celebrated another win in earning the Jury’s Award for Excellence in Heritage for the St Kilda Hill House. The project was noted for the extent of reconstruction and restoration works undertaken to reinstate the house’s original Victorian character, which had been marred by years of neglect.

MA + Co was recognised as the winner of the Residential (three or more dwellings) category and the Jury’s Award for Excellence in Urban Design for its Inkerman + Nelson project. This development provided a sophisticated response to its site and is a noteworthy model for medium density housing.

The Jury’s Award for Excellence in Cultural and Community Benefit was given to the City of Port Phillip’s Dickens Street Activation Project for its simple but impactful transformation of an underutilised parking area into a new multi-purpose public space.

Port Phillip Mayor and jury panellist Heather Cunsolo said she was impressed with the quality of the record number of entries this year, which represented a 25 per cent increase in the number of submissions compared to the 2022 Design and Development Awards.

“These awards help raise awareness of what quality design looks like in our community, while recognising the great homes and infrastructure that makes our City such a vibrant place to live,” Cr Cunsolo said.

The Design and Development Awards were hosted in conjunction with the National Gallery of Victoria’s Melbourne Design Week. The awards have been hosted by Council since 1998, with this year marking its 17^th iteration.

For more information about the awards, visit Council’s Design and Development Awards page.