BEST wins at 2024 New South Wales Architecture Awards
The Australian Institute of Architects has announced the winners of the 2024 New South Wales Architecture Awards, with the Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology (BEST) taking out an Award for Interior Architecture and a Commendation for Educational Architecture.
“This year’s NSW Architecture Awards represent the very best, and excitedly focus on community, culture, reuse, and adaptation,” said Adam Haddow, NSW chapter president and national president elect of the Australian Institute of Architects.
In total, 80 projects received awards and commendations from an entry pool of 247.
The Interior Architecture jury praised the project for redefining a building typology that is often protective and closed off from the public.
“… the BEST Hub greets the community with contagious energy and joyfulness, redefining and expanding the expectations of its use,” said the jury.
“Walking through the intuitive circulation of this playful and dynamic architecture, conceptualised around movement and transformation, it becomes clear that the use of colour is considerate and meaningful and a necessity of the concept of the building. The materiality of the surfaces is equally evocative and tactile, which enhances the chromatic experience with the more technical components of the building smartly integrated.
“The bold, curvaceous and colourful public areas are counterbalanced by quite austere and rudimental tenant areas, functional but well connected to the public spaces and natural light. The budget is carefully considered with emphasis on the community and public interface, a welcome gesture that places the accent back on the final user: the community.”