Central Queensland Regional Architecture Awards winners announced

Azuris by Renato D’Ettorre Architects has received the J.W. Wilson Award for Building of the Year at this year’s Central Queensland Regional Architecture Awards.

Renato D’Ettorre Architects designed Azuris as a retreat for relaxing and enjoying the subtropical weather. The modern pavilion responds to light, air and water; materials were chosen to complement their surrounds and withstand the subtropical humidity, intense sun and downpours.

“Azuris embodies a tropical ethos utilizing heavy materials to frame spectacular views and to cocoon living and sleeping spaces interspersed by courtyards. The project unites modernist spatial principles with exceptional craftsmanship,” the jury noted.

Seven projects across Central Queensland were entered in the awards, including a primary school, a technical college and an adaptive community for housing miners in Moranbah.

Two projects received commendations – Ergon Energy Rockhampton Skills Training Facility by Lend Lease Design with Architectus in collaboration, and Park Avenue Hotel by TVS Architects.

The jury commented that the Ergon Energy project “recycles Rockhampton’s disused powerhouse, particularly its turbine hall, to create a rich layering of old and new industrial fabric. The adaptation has created legible and efficient working areas imparted with a strong sense of identity and cohesion.” The jury stated that the Park Avenue Hotel was notable for “its owner’s commitment and its architect’s interpretation of ‘town and country.’ It is a type of project that in many other cities often has little architectural merit but which here generates a strong sense of community and vitality.”

The 2012 Central Queensland Regional Architecture Awards jury consisted of Carl Brown, principal at Beat Architects in Rockhampton, and Kaye Clark, lecturer in Built Environments Programs for the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Health at Central Queensland University.