Landscape Architecture Australia
Minister’s Award for Urban Design
Two awards and two commendations have been given to projects that “challenge the status quo [and] demonstrate leadership and design excellence.”
Presenting the winners of the 2020 Minister’s Award for Urban Design in Queensland.
Anew performing arts precinct and the redevelopment of a heritagelisted wharf have both received gongs at the 2020 Minister’s Awards for Urban Design in Queensland.
Twenty nominations were received in the program’s fourth year, with two projects receiving awards and two receiving commendations.
Cairns Performing Arts Precinct by CA Architects, Cox Architecture and Andrew Prowse Landscape Architect with Cairns Regional Council was one of two awardwinning projects selected by the jury. The project encompasses a new theatre (which replaced the former Cairns Civic Theatre) completed in 2018 and tropical parklands and outdoor event space that opened to the public in 2016.
“The [Cairns Performing Arts Centre and Munro Martin Parklands] cleverly work together to create a range of cultural event opportunities ranging in size and scale,” the jury stated. “The rejuvenation of this historically significant open space and adjacent Cairns Performing Arts Centre will enhance the city centre’s liveability [and] support future growth and densification within the Cairns CBD.”
Howard Smith Wharves by HSW Nominees, Urbis and Woods Bagot was the second winning project, with the jury noting that projects such as this were “vital to re-imagining the [Brisbane] river’s edge as critical public infrastructure for the development and growth of the city.”
The project, located under the city’s iconic Story Bridge, was lauded by the jury for its “broader urban design, city-shaping
moves, including the inclusion of lifts at each end of the site that transform the city’s pedestrian links, bringing residents and patrons from surrounding New Farm and The Valley directly to and from the river’s edge and into the city.”
The program’s two commendations went out to: Spit Master Plan by Deicke Richards and John Gaskell Planning Consultants with Aspect Studios and Department of State Development, Manufacturing, Infrastructure and Planning, Gold Coast Waterways Authority and City of Gold Coast; and 900 Ann Street by John Wardle Architects, Lat 27 and Penfold Projects with Consolidated Properties and Anglican Church Archdiocese.
The former, a vision for the iconic Gold Coast Spit, “delicately navigated a consensus position where tourism, recreation, environment and cultural heritage issues have been harmoniously balanced,” according to the jury. The latter, a commercial tower in Fortitude Valley, was celebrated as an “exceptional demonstration of how a commercial venture can significantly benefit the community and surrounding urban fabric.”
In addition to the winners and commendations, the jury also recognized an additional four projects for their “vision and success.” Archerfield Wetlands Precinct Plan by Oxley Creek Transformation in partnership with Place Design Group and Brisbane City Council, and Logan River Accessibility and Connectivity Concept Plan by Tract Consultants and Logan City Council were both listed in recognition of the “increasing importance of ‘green and blue’ infrastructure.” Palmwoods New Town Square by Sunshine Coast Regional Council in collaboration with SMEC Australia, Pomo Design and Strategy and CoDesign Studio, and Baringa Town Square by Place Design Group with Stockland were also acknowledged for their emphasis on the “importance of good design in local communities.”
The program aims to highlight projects that “challenge the status quo, demonstrate leadership and design excellence and will leave lasting, sustainable legacies for the broader community.”
Queensland Government Architect Malcolm Middleton was chair of the six-person judging panel, which included experienced design professionals representing both government and industry.