Celebrating its seventeenth awards year, the ArchiTeam Cooperative has announced the finalists for 2024. For more than 32 years, with over 1000 members nationally, ArchiTeam has played a unique and important role championing the work of small practice architects. This year’s entrants were all exceptional and varied  — from doggy groomers to innovative multigenerational homes.

Built on the principles of empowering and supporting small practice architects to thrive, the ArchiTeam awards form a vital part of the architectural and design ecosystem in Australia. This year, the awards included categories such as Residential New under $1.2 million and over $1.2 million, Residential Alterations and Additions, which was further divided into three subcategories for projects ‘under $700,000’, ‘between $700,000 – $1.2 million’ and ‘over $1.2 million’. 

As with all holistic architecture awards, commercial, community and public categories were all highly competitive. This year ArchiTeam also ran the Passivhaus Scholarship, offering the winner access to becoming a certified Passive House consultant. With new builds needing to reach seven star energy ratings, the scholarship has never been more desirable.

With an exceptionally high calibre of entries in each category, the jury panel had their work cut out for them— which ADR can assure as our managing editor Jessica Agoston Cleary had the privilege of being a juror, alongside esteemed and prominent figures in Australia’s architectural community, including ArchiTeam member Imogen Pullar of Imogen Pullar Architecture as awards jury chair, Matthew Bird from Studiobird (VIC), Kim Bridgland from Edition Office (VIC), Laura Harding from Hill Thalis (NSW), Lara Maeseele from Tanner Architects (TAS) and Mark Simpson from DesignOffice (VIC).

The judging isn’t completely over — there is still time to vote for the people’s choice award. Voting is open until 5pm on Wednesday 30 October. To vote, please click here.

The ArchiTeam Award Finalists

RESIDENTIAL NEW AWARD

Finalists of this category have shown creativity and innovation, as well as working with the unique aspects of their site and budget. Past entries have ranged from million-dollar new builds to modest buildings tackling challenging site constraints. Residential projects nurture families through different stages of life and create the backdrop for many enduring memories. Great design turns houses into homes and provides inhabitants with an adaptable, functional and inspiring space to call their own.

Residential New: Up to $1.2 million

o Forest Road House – Wiesebrock Architecture

o Inverloch Beach House – Birthisel Wittingslow Architects

o Little More House – MEGA

o Life Down a Lane – Tom Robertson Architects

o Little Brick House – Ben Callery Architects

o Mount Macedon House – Ben Lance Architects

Residential New: $1.2million +

o Dennis House – Olaver Architecture

o Gable Park – Weaver+Co Architects

o Tea House – Krisna Cheung Architects

RESIDENTIAL ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS AWARD

As above, finalists of this category have shown creativity and innovation, as well as working with the unique aspects of their site and budget. Past entries have included extensions to existing houses, renovations to a studio apartment and an attic conversion. A project with a broader budget may not outweigh a smaller addition that has excelled against the odds of budget or site constraints.

Residential Alterations and Additions up to $700,000

o Austin House – Fowler and Ward

o Bob’s Bungalow – Blair Smith Architecture

o Brunswick West House – NARDEL Architects

o House in Lilyfield – Charmaine Pang Architect

o Heartbeat House – Mihaly Slocombe Architects

o Kirribilli Downsize apartment – Tsai Design

o Little Brick Cottage – Perversi-Brooks Architects

o Park St House – Michael Ong Design Office

Residential Alterations and Additions $700,000 to $1.2 million

o Hale Street – Philip Stejskal Architecture

o Life Cycle – Steffen Welsch Architects

o Marriane House – Victoria Merrett Architecture

o Silhouette House – Inbetween Architecture

Residential Alterations and Additions Over $1.2 million

o Fringe Dweller – Mihaly Slocombe Architects

o Skygarden – Architecture Architecture

COMMERCIAL, COMMUNITY & PUBLIC AWARD

Projects entered into this category can include multi-residential (over $2 million), offices, hospitality venues, retail shops, community centres, places of worship, showrooms, architectural studios, warehouses, industrial projects, temporary architectural installations and any architectural project that doesn’t fit the residential categories.

o Brandon Park Primary School – Architecture Architecture

o Centred – Sarah Lake Architects

o Mackellar Primary School, Accessible Playground – Architecture Architecture

o Milanote Headquarters – Fowler and Ward

o Olivine Community Pavilion – Canvas Projects

o TinyTails Retreat – METArchitecture

o Wangun Amphitheatre – Equity Office

UNBUILT AWARD

Entries in the Unbuilt category can reflect unrestrained conceptual ideas, not-yet-realised architectural projects, or designs in other mediums based on architectural principles. These projects can be drawn from an unrealised ‘real world’ client brief, or a purely hypothetical project exploring issues of interest to you. They can also be architectural competition entries, such as a single house, a mixed-use development, a public building, or even master planning for a better community. Past winners in this category have included projects that have gone on to be built, projects that were never meant to be built, competition entries, as well as flat pack furniture.

o Greens Beach Retreat – Field Office Architecture

o Office of Culture, Technology and Architecture (OCTA) – Office of Culture, Technology and Architecture (OCTA)

o Take Up Your Cross – Holy Trinity Lutheran Church – Sarah Lake Architects

To find out who the winners will be, be sure to attend the awards night on Thursday 21 November at No Vacancy in Melbourne. And, don’t forget to make your people’s choice vote now.

Lead image:  Mackellar Primary School, Accessible Playground. All images supplied by ArchiTeam courtesy of the architects.