Australian Urban Design Awards 2024 honour outstanding projects

The Australian Urban Design Awards, established in 1996 to recognise exemplary urban design projects across the nation, have announced the winners for 2024.

Co-convened by the Australian Institute of Architects, the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and the Planning Institute of Australia, the awards highlight the crucial role of innovative urban design in shaping Australia’s built environment.

“This year’s awards have demonstrated that good urban design is not a superficial or optional layer to how we build cities, but a fundamental and unifying way to create places that connect us to each other and begin to address climate and biodiversity crises,” said Katherine Sundermann, Convenor of Juries.

The competition attracted over a hundred entries across two categories: Built Projects and Leadership, Advocacy & Research, each further segmented into City and Regional Scale, as well as Local and Neighbourhood Scale.

The winners in the Built Projects – City and Regional Scale category were George Street, Sydney by City of Sydney, with a commendation for Walyalup Civic Centre by KHA.

In the Built Projects – Local and Neighbourhood Scale category, the winner was Transforming Southbank Boulevard by City of Melbourne with T.C.L. and Mike Hewson, with commendations for Lilydale and Mooroolbark Stations by BKK Architects, Kyriacou Architects and ASPECT Studios, and Er Pavilion by vittinoAshe in collaboration with Brendan Moore, Melissa Cameron, and Syrinx.

The Greenline Project by City of Melbourne with ASPECT x TCL won the Leadership, Research & Advocacy – City and Regional Scale category, with commendations for Value Assessment System for Place (VASP) by Transport for NSW Urban Design (Public Transport & Precincts) and Macquarie Park Innovation Precinct – Stage 1 by AJC.

In the Leadership, Research & Advocacy – Local and Neighbourhood Scale category, the winner was Quantifying Quality by SJB and UTS, with commendations for Gurner Avenue Austral by e8urban pty ltd and Height of Building and FSR Alignment Study by Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects, Olsson Architecture Urban Projects, City of Sydney Strategic Planning.

The winners will be honored at the awards ceremony on March 18 at Australia Parliament House in Canberra.