5 Martin Place wins top gong at Property Council awards

5 Martin Place has taken out the RLB Australian Development of the Year for 2017 at the Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards in Sydney.

“5 Martin Place’s 5 Star Green Star rating demonstrates how older buildings can be upgraded to meet new sustainability standards. And by breathing new life into the streetscape below, and investing in public art, Dexus and Cbus Property have enhanced one of Australia’s most important gathering places,” said the Property Council’s chief executive, Ken Morrison. 

Built in 1913 as the headquarters of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, 5 Martin Place was among the first in the world to use an advanced structural steel frame in its construction. Protecting the building’s heritage required clever design solutions, including a cantilever over the existing building which supports the new tower above.

5 Martin Place also took home the SAS International Award for Best Office Development and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Award for Best Sustainable Development — Existing Buildings. 

Another heritage project, the $80 million restoration of Western Australia’s State Buildings Perth won the S4B Studio Award for Best Heritage Development. With a history spanning more than 140 years, the three interconnected buildings had been vacant for almost 20 years before they were purchased by FJM Property and transformed into vibrant hospitality and retail precinct, and the home of luxury 48-suite hotel COMO: The Treasury.

Meanwhile, Little National Hotel in Canberra was presented with the KONE Award for Development Innovation. Morrison said developer and owner Doma Group “presents a new business model that offers a smart solution to the luxury and affordability equation”.

Another Canberra hotel, the Vibe Hotel Canberra Airport, won the Brain & Poulter Award for Best Tourism and Leisure Development for its “combination of modern, innovative design, architectural quality and place-making potential”, said NSW Managing Director of RLB Matt Harris.

Built’s sustainability manager, Joe Karten, won the du Chateau Chun Award for Future Leader of the Year. Karten has worked on high-profile projects including fitouts for Apple and ANZ, as well as the refurbishment and construction of 20 Martin Place in Sydney’s CBD.

Stockland’s Aura development on the Sunshine Coast was presented with the Frasers Property Australia Award for Project Innovation for an engagement excellence program that has changed the way the industry considers community consultation. “Stockland’s idea leverages in-kind support and external funding to enhance the experience for people at Aura,” Morrison explained.

The Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, owned by the City of Greater Geelong, beat four other contenders to win the Woods Bagot Award for Best Public Building. The eight-level library — with a design that has been described as a golf ball or an igloo — is an efficient, environmentally sensitive building with one of the first Green Star ratings for a public building in Australia.

RLB has partnered with the Property Council of Australia to present the Innovation & Excellence Awards program since its inception in 1982.