Victoria’s most reputable annual sustainability awards have this year acknowledged three Victorian architectural projects as finalists. 

Recently celebrating its twenty-first year as an awards program, the Premier’s Sustainability Awards offer the chance for two winners to take out the title in each of the six categories. 

Such categories include the Community Champion award in recognition of individuals and small organisations pursuing a sustainable future, and the Industry Leader award for medium and large organisations committed to combating climate change and the ecological crisis. 

Design’s role in enacting positive social change and upholding sustainably mindful practices is demonstrated by numerous architectural and design projects shortlisted, namely Nightingale Village by a conglomerate of practices, Ferrars & York by HIP V.HYPE, and Spring Creek Road Farm by architect brew koch.

Sustainability Victoria’s interim CEO Matt Genever applauds the aforementioned practices for championing sustainable design. 

“These organisations are leading the way in sustainability and I look forward to recognising their achievements at the awards ceremony,” says Genever.

Nightingale Village 

Delivered by Architecture architecture, Austin Maynard Architects, Breathe, Clare Cousins Architects, Hayball and Kennedy Nolan, Nightingale Village is an exemplar in community-focused design. The village, shortlisted in the Sustainable Places category, is a social housing initiative of 203 homes across six buildings in Brunswick, Melbourne. 

This initiative is grounded in core priorities of future proofing spaces to enhance social and cultural sustainability, evident via the absence of private car parks, individual laundries and second bathrooms – boosting the village’s amenity and keeping maintenance costs low. 

Communal facilities nudge users to bulk-buy sustainable cleaning products and waste rooms accommodate to practices of recycling and composting. 

Nightingale Village continues to excel in terms of sustainable offerings – not only are the 203 homes 100% electric, but each building has an average NatHERS rating that well exceeds the national baseline, at anywhere between 7.8 to 9.0 stars. 

The build relied on locally sourced and repurposed materials, installed energy-efficient fixtures and carbon-neutral tapware and bricks.

Additionally, the benefits of opting for a multi-building development are demonstrated through rainwater tanks funnelling recycled water to residential toilets – a feat not financially feasible in a single-building development. 

Ferrars & York

HIP V. HYPE showcases the possibilities of climate-responsive design through its Sustainable Places Community Champion shortlisted project Ferrars & York. 

This shortlisted project encompasses 22 carbon neutral apartments across six levels on a piece of land opposite the South Melbourne light rail. Each apartment boasts an average energy rating of 8.6 stars, making Ferrars & York one of the most sustainable apartment buildings in Australia. 

Not only achieving carbon-neutrality in the construction and set-up process, HIP V. HYPE has created a comfortable and enjoyable living experience as owed to regulated air temperatures, optimum acoustics, affordable energy bills and minimal carbon footprint. 

Residents will bear witness to a high-functioning vertical community, with integrated open walkways and a communal roof yard encouraging socialisation and engagement. 

Spring Creek Road Farm

Dissimilar to Ferrars & York and Nightingale Village, Spring Creek Road Farm by architect brew koch is a rural residence on a Trust for Nature Property located near Bannockburn in western Victoria. 

architect brew koch is no stranger to being honoured for a sustainable design – awarded a Commendation for Sustainable Architecture at the 2023 Victorian Architecture Awards and The Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award for Residential Architecture. 

Spring Creek Road Farm subverts traditional expectations of a farm house and instead shines as a property that complements the landscape and communicates the owners’ sustainable approach to design and living. 

For this shortlisted rural residence, architect brew koch collaborated with local Landcare groups to understand the First Nations landscape and history in creating a rich tribute to nature. 

“The aim of Spring Creek Road is to demonstrate a project that has reciprocal benefits with the land and the local community as a model for architectural practice and education,” says architect brew koch. 

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 23 November in Melbourne.

Featured Image: Ferrars & York by HIP V. HYPE.

Photography supplied by Sustainability Victoria. 

For more sustainability news, read about Chan Architecture’s Dickens Street excelling in repurposing.