‘Magical’ Sydney site takes out prestigious architectural award
The indigenous-led design was among more than 80 winners at the NSW Australian Institute of Architects awards
4 min
Shannon Foster talks a lot about the magic of place.
A D’harawal eora Knowledge Keeper, Dr Foster and her partner Wugulora woman Jo Paterson at Sydney-based indigenous design consultancy Bangawarra believe that when we truly engage with the environment and its traditional custodians, something special occurs.
Last week, something special did happen.
Foster and Paterson were awarded the NSW Australian Institute of Architects NSW Medallion for Sydney’s north head viewing platforms, which they designed in collaboration with fellow recipients, Sydney architectural firm CHOFRI.
Dr Foster is still trying to process the win.
“You see all these amazing projects, these big elaborate buildings worth millions of dollars and they award this to our project,” she says. “I didn’t even know there was a NSW Medallion.”
The project, which provides space to contemplate views of the endless Pacific Ocean in one direction and the celebrated Sydney Harbour in the other, is shaped by the bandicoots that inhabit the local area, as well as the unique position the locations hold in indigenous communities. Dr Foster says the site, known as Car-rang gel by local indigenous people, has been used to celebrate Gawura, the whale and Car-rang, the pelican, for centuries, and is a popular spot for whale watching.
“We wanted to put a fire circle in the middle of each lookout because it’s a circular space and you can see the smoke (from long distances) and fire circles are used for important events like initiation ceremonies, but it’s up to National Parks and Wildlife Service (who manage the site).
“It’s a stunning place and when you visit, you get the full understanding of the scale. We are creating these spots where something magical can happen.”
The project was among 82 winners announced at the state awards held in Sydney over the weekend. Other winners included Grimshaw and Andrew Burges Architects with McGregor Coxall, who were awarded the prestigious Sulman Medal for Parramatta Aquatic Centre, Studio Bright, who won the Wilkinson Award for Maitland Bay House, Bates Smart, who won the Aaron Bolot Award for their multi-residential project, Iglu Mascot, SJB, who won the Premier’s Prize for the Nightingale Project and Candalepas Associates, who were awarded The Greenway Award for The Porter House Hotel.
The North Head Viewing Platforms also took out the Robert Woodward Award for Small Project Architecture.
While Dr Foster is thrilled to have received the award for the work Bangawarra did alongside CHOFRI, which was largely managed through COVID lockdowns, she says Indigenous voices were still under-represented in awards for the built environment.
“Our project, other than one at Redfern Station (by Nguluway DesignInc), was the only one with an Indigenous collaborator,” she says. “There is a startling lack of meaningful collaboration with Country.
“I was quite shocked there was not much of an Aboriginal presence at the awards.”
She says acknowledging Australia’s Indigenous past and laying down connection for the future is about more than choosing a few native plants for the perimeter of the site.
“We always asked ourselves: how can we do this really well and make sure these stories are told? Every aspect of the built form can be informed by Country,” she says.
In announcing the award, the AIA jury said designing with, and for, Country honoured First Nations perspectives and values.
“At its core, this project is about fostering relationships with Country that are reciprocal and respectful,” the jury said. “It involves engaging with Indigenous knowledge and recognises that Country is not merely a backdrop for human activities but a living entity with its own agency and significance.
“Both the southmost platform, Burragula (the time of sunset), and the northern viewing platform, Yiningma (a cliff edge) understands its responsibilities to engage meaningfully; creating poetic, generous ways to share stories and opportunities for learning, and create a truly meaningful connection with Country.”
While the viewing platforms may appear to sit modestly in the landscape, Dr Foster says they reveal their charms to those who take the time to contemplate.
“When you stand in that space, the acoustics are extraordinary — the sound reverberates and circles back to you. It’s incredible,” she says.
“Country is amazing and if you hold space, you get magic.”
A record-breaking $11 million sale at The Centennial Collection has set a new benchmark for luxury apartment living in Bondi Junction.
As interest rates, inflation and market sentiment fluctuate, investors are being urged to focus on data, not panic.
Australia’s housing affordability crisis is being fuelled by chronic undersupply, planning delays and rising development costs, as politicians continue to focus on the wrong solutions.
3 min
Australia’s housing crisis will not be solved by first-home buyer incentives or tax changes alone, with leading property figures warning governments must tackle supply constraints if affordability is to improve.
Speaking at the Kanebridge Quarterly Property Leadership Summit in Sydney last week, expert project marketing specialist Sam Elbanna, property investor and fund manager Paul Miron and property consultant Karla McNeice said that a lack of housing supply remained the central issue facing the market.
Elbanna, Director of CPM Realty with more than 30 years’ experience in project sales, argued that successive governments had focused too heavily on stimulating demand rather than addressing the barriers preventing new housing from being delivered.
“The misconception is that politicians think the way to solve the housing crisis is to drive demand,” he said.
“The reality is that’s not the way. This is a supply-side problem, and it needs to be solved on the supply side.”
Drawing on his experience in project sales, Elbanna said policies designed to help first-home buyers often had unintended consequences, pointing to previous grants that ultimately flowed through to higher property prices.
Instead, he said developers were facing increasing red tape, approval delays and rising costs, which were discouraging new housing supply.
“In the absence of stock, demand exceeds supply,” he said.
Miron, a Co-Founder and Fund Manager of Msquared Capital, said the housing debate had become overly focused on tax policy while overlooking broader structural issues.
He argued that affordability challenges stemmed from a combination of factors, including planning constraints, supply shortages, migration levels and interest rates.
“No-one can be 100 per cent certain on the real reason for property prices is going up,” he said.
“The reason why property prices are higher is a combination of interest rates, lack of supply, migration, vacancy rates and maybe taxes play a role.”
Miron was critical of recent federal housing policy changes, warning they could reduce the number of new homes being built and further constrain supply that was even highlighted in the budget.
He also highlighted the importance of the property sector to the broader economy, noting that residential real estate and related industries employed more than one million Australians.
McNeice, who advises developers on sales strategy and market intelligence, said understanding buyers had become increasingly important as affordability pressures intensified.
While affordability remained a major consideration, she said today’s buyers were focused on value rather than simply price.
“People are looking for value for money,” she said.
She said buyers were increasingly evaluating factors such as transport connections, walkability, nearby amenities and flexible living spaces that could accommodate changing family needs.
“What infrastructure is going on? Can I walk to the shops? Can I meet people at the local cafe?” she said.
The panel also discussed the mounting pressures facing developers, with Elbanna arguing that many projects become financially unviable from the moment a site is purchased.
“The viability of a development happens at the moment the site is bought,” he said.
He said rising construction costs, higher interest rates and overly optimistic feasibility assumptions had left some developers exposed as market conditions changed.
While acknowledging the growing number of smaller and first-time developers entering the market, Elbanna said property development required expertise across finance, construction, marketing and legal disciplines.
“It is actually a business that requires a level of expertise,” he said.
Looking ahead, the panel agreed opportunities remained in the market despite current challenges.
Miron said property should continue to be viewed as a long-term investment and cautioned against trying to time short-term market movements.
McNeice said success would increasingly depend on identifying projects that genuinely met changing buyer expectations.
Elbanna said affordable housing remained achievable, but developers needed to deliver more than just homes.
“We can provide affordable housing in this country,” he said.
“But we’ve got to wrap that affordable housing with the things that people want.”
As Australia’s housing affordability debate intensifies, the panellists agreed on one point: without a meaningful increase in housing supply, demand-side measures alone are unlikely to solve the nation’s property challenges.
Rising rates, construction inflation and shrinking investor confidence are pushing Australia deeper into a dangerous housing spiral that monetary policy alone cannot fix.
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