The Robin Dods Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New) went to Bligh Graham Architects’ Live Work Share House. Picture: Christopher Frederick Jones
An experimental home taking on both WFH pressure and the chronic housing shortage has emerged as Qld’s house of the year, winning two top architecture awards.
The Live Work Share House dominated the residential category at the 2022 Australian Institute of Architects’ Queensland Architecture Awards on Friday night.
Designed by Bligh Graham Architects, the house won both the coveted Robin Dods Award for new houses as well as the Harry Marks Award for sustainable architecture.
MORE: 10 houses, $217m: Qld’s most expensive homes of the year
Rental warning from IT guru who owns 12 Qld properties
Live Work Share House’s WFH space is flexible. Picture: Christopher Frederick Jones
The home has clusters of courtyards. Picture: Christopher Frederick Jones
The jury citation said Bligh Graham Architects combination of a home, office and self-contained flat was a test case for flexible, adaptable multi-generational living and working on a suburban block.
“The dwelling provides solutions to issues surrounding housing affordability, remote working, and the need to house a growing population through the rigorous testing and execution of options for occupation,” the judges’ statement said.
Judges said the design expanded housing choice for homeowners. Picture: Christopher Frederick Jones
The design was like a “village within a village” according to its architects, with a section for remote work, a second-floor for bedrooms in the main house, a second residence to rent or share, a cluster of “micro courtyards”, “curtained” boundary walls, as well as edible and greenery gardens threaded throughout the block.
“The jury applauds the ambition of the Live Work Share House in testing new housing options that meet contemporary community, urban and environmental challenges,” the judges’ statement said.
Open and adaptable design. Picture: Christopher Frederick Jones
The design supported “sensitive densification of the suburbs and expands housing choice”, they said of the home which is located in Greater Brisbane’s Samford Valley.
The judges said the Live Work Share House’s “intention of making a sustainable and sustaining place has generated spaces that are comfortable, beautiful and a joy to be in”.
“The building is commendable as a model of how people can live using every opportunity of an “ordinary” suburban block.”
“It helps push the understanding of sustainability beyond the biophysical in considering a wider social/economic context.”
The winning home is located in Samford Valley. Picture: Christopher Frederick Jones
The top gong of the night – the Queensland Medallion – was won by the new 11-storey home of the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland’s St Lucia campus.- the Andrew N. Liveris Building by Lyons and m3architecture. The building also won the Jennifer Taylor Award for Educational Architecture, the Karl Langer Award for Urban Design and an Interior Architecture State Award.
An outdoor museum in Muttaburra showcasing the history of the Muttaburrasaurus, the most complete fossilised dinosaur skeleton found in Australia, was also a winner in judges’ eyes. The Muttaburrasaurus Interpretation Centre by Brian Hooper Architect won the FDG Stanley Award for Public Architecture.
Other award-winning projects included the restoration of St Joseph’s Nudgee College Treacy Precinct by m3architecture (The Don Roderick Award for Heritage Architecture) and the renovation of Green House by Steendijk (The Elina Mottram Award for Residential architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions).
More than 70 projects were recognised across 11 categories at the awards ceremony in Brisbane including residential, commercial, sustainable architecture and urban design.
FOLLOW SOPHIE FOSTER ON TWITTER
The post Experimental home named Qld house of the year appeared first on realestate.com.au.