Seven Aussie developments have been recognised at an international awards ceremony after going up against some of the most futuristic buildings in the world.
But only one took out the overall global award in their categories – T3 Collingwood in Melbourne.
Located in the industrial heart of the city, it lays claim to be Melbourne’s tallest timber office building, and was designed by Jackson Clement Burrows for developer Hines.
It received the top global gong in the Best Tall Building by Height Under 100m and the Best Tall Building by Region (Oceania) categories at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) Conference in London last week.
Meanwhile, three Aussie developments received an Award for Excellence in the Best Tall Building by Height 100-199m category – 443 Queen St (Cbus) and Upper House (Aria), both in Brisbane, and 88 Walker in Sydney (Billbergia).
That category was won overall by Pan Pacific Orchard in Singapore.
In the Best Tall Building by Height 200-299m category, 6 & 8 Parramatta Square in Parramatta by Walker Corporation also received an excellence award, with the overall award going to 8 Bishopsgate in London.
Awards for excellence were also awarded to 6 & 8 Parramatta Square, 443 Queen and
88 Walker in the Best Tall Building by Region (Oceania) category.
Meanwhile, excellence awards were also won by Hunter Pitt Hybrid Timber Tower (Future Project) and Salesforce Tower, Sydney (Structure Award), both in Sydney, while Upper House took out the Space Within category.
Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore took out the top award overall, Best Tall Building Worldwide, while Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur won the Global Icon Award.
The Aussie developments went up against projects from cities in Singapore, South Korea, China, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US.
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Aria residential manager Michael Hurley said the Brisbane-based company had been lucky to win a few awards over the years.
“Yet to win a global award for excellence with the CTBUH is massive for us and the Queensland development community,” he said.
“This is the best of the best of the best globally.”
Mr Hurley said Upper House was completed in 2023, and was sold out before construction had even started.
“We launched the project in March 2020, just as the world was shutting down due to Covid,” he said.
“By July 2020 we were sold out, construction started in September 2020 and it was completed in October 2023.”
Mr Hurley said Upper House was an “aspirational project” for both Aria and internationally acclaimed architect, Koichi Takada, with a triple floor balcony, artworks and world-class features proving popular with their mostly repeat customers.
He said the CTBUH Awards received “hundreds and hundreds” of nominations every year, and to receive two Awards of Excellence was no easy feat.
“The building that won the overall category (Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore) went on to win the whole shooting match, the Best Tall Building Worldwide category,” he said.
“It was almost futuristic but every development short-listed was designed by what we call star-chitects, the who’s who of global architects.
“So for a small private developer from Brisbane to be recognised on a global stage, it is really humbling.”
OVERALL WINNERS IN EACH CATEGORY
Best Tall Building Worldwide: Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore
Global Icon Award: Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur
Best Tall Building by Height
Under 100m: T3 Collingwood, Melbourne
100-199m: Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore
200-299m: 8 Bishopsgate, London
3000m and above: The Brooklyn Tower, New York City
Best Tall Building by Region
Americas: Boston University Center for Computing & Data Sciences, Boston
Asia: Greenland Hangzhou Century Center, Hangzhou
Europe: Kaktus Towers, Copenhagen
Middle East & Africa: One Za’abeel, Dubai
Oceania: T3 Collingwood, Melbourne
Urban Habitat: Al Wasl Plaza, Dubai
Future Project: Centre Block Rehabilitation, Ottawa
10 Year Award: One World Trade Center, New York City
Construction Award: Battersea Power Station Phase Two, London
Repositioning Award: Book Tower, Detroit
Structure Award: 21 Moorfields, London
Facade Award: Paddington Square, London
Space Within Award: Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore