Built Environment Awards Announced
Thursday 26 September 2023
Inner West Council has announced the winners of the 2023 Built Environment Awards. This year's theme was “Sharing stories of our built environment”.
We are pleased to announce that 59a Reynolds Street, Balmain was awarded the 2023 Marrickville Medal. The jury praised this c. 20th period cottage, considering it to be a sensitive and well-designed residential alteration and addition. The judges commented that it “conserved a dilapidated house, with carefully considered additions which complement the original house without overwhelming it, due to their scale, form, and siting”.
Located on the corner of Reynolds Street and Rumsay Lane, within The Valley Heritage Conservation Area, the additions are designed as two pavilions, allowing for the retention of the form of the original house, and creating a new, private landscaped internal courtyard within what was formerly an unlovely concreted driveway and car parking area. Care was taken to protect the stone wall to the Rumsay Lane boundary.
The new pavilion to the street, clad in painted timber, is a contemporary, contextual infill which makes a positive contribution to the streetscape without competing with the original house. The connections between the old and new elements have been sympathetically and clearly delineated, with an axial link joining them. The jury praised the care that is evident in all aspects of the project, including the selection and detailing of materials and its well resolved construction.
The winner of the open category of the Urban Photography Awards is Matthew Venables for ‘On Livingstone Road.’
Winston Parry won the Secondary School category for ‘The Egyptian Room’ and Andre Antunes took out the Primary School category for ‘Trinity’. About the Built Environment Awards
The Built Environment Awards are two separate programs that contribute to, and celebrate, our understanding of the inner west's built heritage: the Marrickville Medal for Conservation, and the Inner West Urban Photography Competition.
This year's Marrickville Medal judges were Matt Devine, Sue Jackson and Niall Macken. Michael Nicholson, Shane Rozario and Sinclair Croft judged the Urban Photography Awards.
The Marrickville Medal for Conservation has been awarded annually since 1995 and was one of the first of its kind in New South Wales. It celebrates built conservation works that contribute to the understanding and preservation of the Inner West’s rich cultural and architectural heritage. The Urban Photography Competition encourages engagement with the Inner West Council urban landscape, and must in some way feature, reference or comment on heritage attributes of the Inner West our built environment. For a full list of finalists, go to www.innerwest.nsw.gov.au/builtenvironmentawards.
For a print quality image of the winning entries, or an interview with a property owner or architect, contact the Communications team.
Built Environment Awards Winners:
Marrickville Medal 2023
- 59a Reynolds Street, Balmain (Designer - SAHA)
Urban Photography 2023 Winners:
- Primary School Age Group: Andre Antunes – Trinity
- High School Age Group: Winston Parry – The Egyptian Room
- General Category: Matthew Venables – On Livingstone Road
ENDS
For media enquiries please contact Jonny Browne 0466 712 719 or jonny.browne@innerwest.nsw.gov.au