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The Gowings and State Theatre Buildings restoration and hotel conversion has received an award for best Urban Renewal from The Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA).
As part of the UDIA NSW Austral Bricks Awards for Excellence, the project was deemed by judges as an “outstanding example of the adaptive reuse and conservation of two underutilised State heritage-listed buildings.”
<img alt="gowings-aug-7-one" height="194" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/08/gowings-aug-7-one.jpg">
It was noted that despite encountering a range of construction difficulties to complete the intended 196 room hotel, restaurant and day spa, Woodhead Architects managed to overcome the obstacles and keep the operating theatre functional throughout the $55 million redevelopment.
The Gowings building, once regarded as one of the most prominent and famous stores in Sydney, eventually closed and  was purchased in 2006 for $68 million by the neighbouring, Amalgamated Holdings Limited, who have owned the art deco style State Theatre since it was built in 1929.  
The judges further added that the renewal of the iconic buildings ensured their ongoing survival and provided luxury tourist accommodation to the market and enhance the character of the CBD.

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Gowings and State Theatre restoration wins UDIA best Urban Renewal award

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The Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) has awarded the 22B Norwest Project in Norwest Business Park, Sydney the award for best retail and commercial development.  
Designed by the Sydney-based Taylor Construction Group, <a href="https://www.taylorconstruction.com.au/project-detail.php?project_id=71" target="_blank">the seven-storey, mixed use complex</a> features a cafe, three level car park and nearly 11,000 square metres of office space, specialty showrooms and serviced apartments over seven levels run by Medina Apartment Hotels.
To create cost savings on the project, initiatives were introduced which including pre-finished, load bearing partition walls to the apartments which saved on both structure and finishes.
The judges commented that developing a ‘high value but underutilised site’ affected by the GFC, borrowing constraints and a slow market required ‘guts and determination’ and ultimately helped establish 22B Norwest as a leading example of high quality-mixed use developments.

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Sydney's 22B Norwest project picks up ADIA award for best retail and commercial development

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Brookfield Place in Perth has been named development of the year as part of the Urban Taskforce Australia's Development Excellence Awards.

The building (pictured below) currently occupied by BHP Billiton and developed by Brookfield, was noted for reinvigorating surrounding spaces and its sustainability rating.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/08/brookfield_aug_30_one.jpg" width="470" height="268" alt="brookfield_aug_30_one">

“It is an elegant addition to Perth’s skyline. It has restored heritage buildings at street level and created a series of bustling urban spaces. It innovates in providing flexible working spaces for high quality tenants. It achieves a 5 star Green Star rating and has 86,000 square metres fully let making the project a commercial success,” said NSW government architect and jury chair, Peter Poulet. 
The Eclipse Tower in Parramatta by Leighton Properties with Grosvenor Australia received the commercial development award.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/08/parramatta-aug-30-two.jpg" width="470" height="578" alt="parramatta-aug-30-two">

“Eclipse is a demonstration of the importance of delivering jobs to Western Sydney and to Parramatta,” commented Poulet.

“Leighton [Properties] has developed a top quality 19 level office building that came through the Global Financial Crisis with full financing and has now been sold at a Parramatta record value to Retail Employees Superannuation Trust. The commitment of the developer to driving design quality as well as commercial outcomes for a commercial office building has added great confidence to Parramatta as a location for more buildings like this.”

The residential development award went to 74 level residential tower, Soleil (pictured below), in Brisbane’s city centre developed by Meriton. 
<img src="/images/stories/2013/08/brisbane_aug_30_one.jpg" width="470" height="317" alt="brisbane_aug_30_one"> 
“Soleil demonstrates that very tall residential towers can be well designed and be commercially successful,” said Poulet.
The innovative development award was given to apartment building Forte, at Melbourne’s Victoria Harbour developed by international property and infrastructure group, Lend Lease.
Deemed as the world’s tallest timber apartment building at 10 storey’s, Forte (pictured below) uses Cross Laminted Timber construction and is considered to be the world leader in this application.
<img src="/images/stories/2013/08/victoria_harbour_aug_30_onw.jpg" width="384" height="384" alt="victoria_harbour_aug_30_onw" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;">
“The use of timber has excellent sustainability qualities and reduced construction time considerably as the laminated timber panels are made in a factory and assembled on site. To manage commercial risk sales only occurred when the building was completed and it is now fully occupied,” adds Poulet.

Urban Taskforce CEO, Chris Johnson said this year’s Development Excellence Awards demonstrated that the development industry is being effective in lifting Australia’s prosperity.
“Developers are part of the service industry providing products that communities need at prices they can afford,” Johnson said.

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Perth's Brookfield Place named Urban Taskforce development of the year

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Melbourne’s first inner-city residential development situated within resident only parklands is now underway with Malaysian-based developer SP Setia partnering with Fender Katsalidis Architects and prominent Australian garden designer, Paul Bangay.

Located on 557 St Kilda Road next to Wesley College, the project known as Parque is a 9,000 square metre site with a planned 332 apartments and 6,000 square metres of private parklands with exclusive access to residents.

Inspired by its Victorian-era setting, Bangay blended the contemporary design of the building with the heritage-protected park’s existing 19th Century features, incorporating the 150-year old elm trees and hedges into the development.
“Parque’s entire building has been designed to take advantage of the site’s outlook and proximity to the garden,” said SP Setia Melbourne CEO Choong Kai Wai. “We wanted to provide residents with a beautiful home amongst nature.”

The building will not be short on luxuries, with level eight providing a 25-metre infinity pool and private outdoor lounge to residents and level 11 featuring an outdoor BBQ area, massage room and onyx relaxation room.

At ground level the foyer will provide 24 hour concierge services as well as a personal laundry service and picnic baskets for use in the park.

The project is being marketed by Andrew Leoncelli from CBRE
Parque will have various open plan apartments available for purchase with a one bedroom apartment ranging from 45 square metres to  58 square metres available for $410,313 and a one bedroom apartments with study from 55 square metres to 65 square metres starting at $530,000.

Two bedroom apartments from 66 square metres to 80 square metres starts at $669,222, and three bedroom apartments from 108 square metres to 134 square metres starts at $1.3 million.
<a target="_blank" href="data-map?utm_source=Property+Observer+List&amp;utm_campaign=bed190e75c-June_17_1_29_2013&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_a523fbfccb-bed190e75c-"><img height="127" width="470" src="/images/stories/2013/07/yieldsbanner.jpg" alt="yieldsbanner"></a>
The 205 square metre penthouse can be purchased for $3.1 million.

The display suite will be open late August.
Construction is expected to commence in mid 2014 and is due for completion in mid-2016.
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Fender Katsalidis-designed St Kilda Road trophy apartments to offer residents Paul Bangay-designed private park

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Sydney-based Architectural firm Tonkin Zulaikha Greer has been awarded the Romaldo Giugola Award for Public Architecture for its work on the Village Centre - National Arboretum.
The venue hosted the 2013 ACT Architecture Awards, which were held on Saturday night.


"Through the application of distinctive materials and a curvilinear form that displays subtle empathy with surrounding landforms, the architects have ensured that the National Arboretum will become one of Canberra’s most notable iconic buildings," the jury said.

The firm, which formed in 1987, has an extensive portfolio that includes a RAIA award winning library for the Royal Blind Society.
There have also been state and national RAIA award winning projects incouding the Hyde Park Barracks, the Hastings Cultural Centre at Port Macquarie and the redevelopment of The Newtown Silos.
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Tonkin Zulaikha Greer wins public architecture award for its National Arboretum

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Architectural firm Fender Katsalidis, responsible for designing Melbourne’s Eureka Tower, has been awarded the Canberra Medallion, the territory’s highest honour at the Australian Institute of Architects' 2013 ACT Architecture Awards.


The firm's project at 2 and 4 National Circuit Precinct (pictured below) was also recognised with the Sir John Overall Award for Urban Design.
{yoogallery src=[images/stories/2013/06/june24fender]}
‘A clear and sensitive introduction of new commercial architecture into the heritage-listed former patents office and a brown field site that creates a comfortable and inviting space consistent with the aim of increasing urban density around the parliamentary triangle,’ the jury said of the project.

Established in 1996, Fender Katsalidis' portfolio also boasts the Melbourne based projects Ian Potter Museum of Art, the Argus Centre, the Republic Tower as well as an upcoming skyscraper for 2015 slated to be the southern hemisphere’s tallest six-star/apartment building.

Previous awards won by the firm include the 2007 RAIA Harry Seidler Award for Commercial Architecture and the AIA Award for Commercial Architecture in 2008.
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Fender Katsalidis claims top gong at Australian Institute of Architects 2013 ACT Architecture Awards

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Harness racing legend Brian Hancock has retired from the racing industry and subsequently put his Calderwood property, Teeny Lodge on the market for the first time in 40 years. 

<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-acreage+semi+rural-nsw-calderwood-113961907" target="_blank">The 22-hectare property</a> where Hancock made his name as a champion driver and trainer, sits at the foothills of the Great Dividing Range in the Illawarra region of NSW with close proximity to the Southern Highlands vineyards and scenic South Coast beaches. 

Named after Hancock’s first champion pacer, Teeny Rena, the former dairy farm which has since chronicled a record-breaking five Inter Dominion wins can now be further developed pending council approval, due to its status as General Rural. 

Included on the property are three homes, the first is owner-occupied with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and garage for two cars.

The other dwellings include a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house with garage rented for $450 per week while a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house is rented for $250 per week.

Teeny Lodge also comes equipped with 34 stables, 8 walk in-walk out boxes, blacksmith shop, office, hay and truck shed, stockyards, brood mare servicing barn, nine paddocks and a 700m training track.

Onsite water facilities are available with four water tanks retaining a capacity of 378,000 litres along with a permanent creek and large dam.

Andrew Hedley of Bevans Wollongong is running the expressions of interest marketing campaign.
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Harness racing legend Brian Hancock's Teeny Lodge listed

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Architect Andrew Verri of Jigsaw Housing has won the ACT Emerging Architect Prize at the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2013 ACT Architecture Awards.
The awards were held on Saturday night at the National Arboretum in Canberra.
<img alt="verrijune24one" src="/images/stories/2013/06/verrijune24one.jpg" width="370" height="553">
"Andrew’s commitment to smaller, smarter, sustainable homes is providing significant leadership within the architectural profession and the residential construction industry more broadly," the jury said.

Verri has been an active member of the Australian Institute of Architects for over 10 years, serving on its sustainability and practice committees.
Jigsaw Housing was established three years ago and also won the Clean Green Category and Business of the Year in the Canberra Business Point Awards last year.
His company also won the award for Environmental Innovation at the 2012 Sustainable Cities Awards and was voted in the Top 50 Your Future Home Sustainable Building Leaders 2012 by the general public.
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Jigsaw Housing's Andrew Verri wins emerging architect prize at 2013 ACT Architecture Awards

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Paul Berkemeier has become the 74th national president of  The Australian Institute of Architects.
Berkemeier was awarded Master in Architecture from Harvard in 1983. He is known for working with fellow architect Ken Maher in the redesign of Sydney's Luna Park in the early 1990s and also his design of the of Australian Shearers Hall of Fame at Hay.
He has extensive experience in large scale urban design and planning and public buildings working with the Commonwealth Government.
He was an associate director of Denton Corker Marshall before establishing his own practice, Paul Berkemeier Architects Pty Ltd in 1988.
His professional achievements include winning the unimplemented international design competition for the Barangaroo development in collaboration with Thalis and Jane Irwin Landscape.
His recent works have included the Maitland regional art gallery in partnership with Barry McGregor &amp; Associates for Maitland City Council.
He holds a position teaching students in the faculty of aArchitecture at University of Sydney.
"I consider it a great privilege and honour to be entrusted with this role and I look forward to working with fellow members and Institute staff to gain the recognition that the value of design warrants,’ he said.

Berkemeier succeeds Melbourne-based architect,<a href="/property-observer" target="_blank"> Shelley Penn</a>.

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Paul Berkemeier - designer of Australian Shearers Hall of Fame - appointed Australian Institute of Architects 74th president

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The drummer for indie punk band The Meanies, Mark Hobbs, has decided to make a sea change to Williamstown.
He and wife Bridget Monro-Hobbs have put their four year old Yarraville home on the market.  
Marty Rankin of Village Real Estate expects the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.domain.com.au/Property/For-Sale/House/VIC/Yarraville/?adid=2010477933">Brooks Place</a> home, which was renovated by Hobbs four years ago, to fetch $870,000 plus.  
Strikingly designed by Santo Architects, the 264-square-metre European style property features three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  
The land was bought in 2005 for $200,000.
The house is still under builders warranty and has a certified five-star energy rating.
The auction is scheduled for June 15.
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Glenn Dwyer

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