Parramatta's Altitude Towers takes top gong at UTA's Development Excellence Awards
Parramatta's Altitude Towers, Docklands' Banksia and Brisbane South City Square among some of the winners from the Urban Taskforce Australia's Development Excellence Awards that were handed down at a dinner last week.
Altitude is a dual tower development that included 629 units across a 170m, 53 level 'West' Tower and a 128m, 39 level 'East Tower located on the banks of the Parramatta River with a street frontage to Church Street.
The development includes both serviced apartments and private apartments as well as a child care centre and several eateries and drinking establishments. The building topped out in January 2017.
Chair of the judging panel and NSW Government Architect Peter Poulet said "Altitude in Parramatta ticks all the boxes, it is a commercial success, it has an elegant and striking deisgn, it creates excellent community amenities and it contributes a ring of confidence to the City of Parramatta."
MAB Corporation's Banksia Apartments took out the award for top High Rise City Apartments Development with the jury acknowledging the building "broke out of the usual apartment mould with its round shape and interesting facade."
Chris Johnson, UTA's CEO, went on to say "it does seem that Melbourne apartment design is more innovative than many Sydney apartments that much comply with the many rules in the NSW Apartment Design Guide."
The Urban Taskforce Australia, a non-profit lobby group that represents developers and equity financiers and primarily focused on the development scene in Sydney, has long drawn a distinction between design regulations in NSW and Victoria, even going so far as to say if Victorian standards were applied in NSW, it would save Sydney buyers $150,000 when making an apartment purchase.
Pellicano and Perri Project's South City Square in Brisbane took out the award for top Mixed Use Development which includes hotel suites, 860 apartments and 13,000 square metres of retail space and a new public square.
Located at the intersection of Logan Road and Deshon Street in Woolloongabba, South City Square has completed stages 1 and 3 with stage 3 due to be complete by early 2019 and the site is located within a 1km walk of the fuiture Woolloongabba station to be built as part of the Cross River Rail project.
The jury for the Development Excellence Awards included Peter Poulet - NSW Government Architect, Carolyn Cummins - SMH journalist, John Wynne - Urbis, John Ferrarin - Quantity Surveyor and David Tanevski - Secretary-Treasurer UTA.
Winner's list.
Winner of Development of the Year
Altitude, Parramatta by Meriton Group
Winner of Retail Development
Narellan Town Centre by Greenfields Development Company & D.Vitocco Constructions
Winner of Commercial Office City Development
Commonwealth Bank, Darling Square by Lendlease
Winner of High Rise City Apartments Development
Banksia by MAB Corporation
Winner of Medium Rise City Apartments Development
Eighty-Eight, Kensington by Luxcon Group
Winner of Medium Rise Metro Apartments Development
Woolooware Bay Stage One by Capital Bluestone
Winner of Mixed Uses Development
South City Square by Pellicano & Perri Projects
Winner of Urban Renewal Development
Kensington Street & Spice Alley by Greencliff & Frasers Property Australia
Winner of Masterplanned Community Development
Willowdale by Stockland Development
Winner of Seniors Living/Retirement Development
St Basil's Randwick by St Basil's Homes
Winner of Affordable Housing Development
Harts Landing by PAYCE & Evolve Housing
Winner of Sustainable Development
International House Sydney, Barangaroo South by Lendlease
Highly Commended Mixed Uses Development
Esprit by Bridgehill Group
