Noosa locals Sealand Architects, renowned for their innovative approach to architectural design, has been awarded the prestigious Gabriel Poole Award for Building of the Year at the 2024 Sunshine Coast Architecture Awards.
Named in honour of the esteemed Noosa architect Gabriel Poole, the award recognises projects that embody his spirit of innovation, creativity, and environmental stewardship.
The winning project, Bombala House, exemplifies excellence in contemporary architecture and sustainable design.
Sealand Architects director David Teeland said, “We are delighted to receive the Gabriel Poole Award for Building of the Year.“
“Bombala House was a wonderful project that allowed us to craft a sustainable house design while creating spaces that inspire and delight.“
Selected from a group of high-quality entries, Bombala House impressed the jury with its elegant simplicity and its ability to connect with nature. While the home sits quietly in the street, the design employs volume, courtyards and screening to organise spaces and curate views.
Featuring a “water block design,“ Bombala was praised by the jury as “a masterclass in designing for site conditions.”
The Sunshine Coast Architecture Awards, held on Friday 24 May and organised by the Australian Institute of Architects, celebrated excellence in architecture and design across the region.
Selected by the Australian Institute of Architects Awards Jury, the winning designs span coastal, riverfront, and countryside locations.
The designs were revered the jury for adapting to challenges and harnessing new building technologies.
Another local project, Doonan House, was designed by Kelly Martin Architecture and received a Regional Commendation.
The jury commended the design of the hinterland home for “bringing family together in spaces that are neither too big nor too small; suitably intimate and thoughtfully detailed for day-to-day interaction”.
Down the coast, Moffat Beach House, designed by KIRK, took home a Regional Commendation for new residential architecture.
The re-imagined beach shack is the first CLT (cross-laminated timber) house to be constructed in Queensland.
The innovative design was built in just seven days and was noted by the jury for its “subtle nods to the beachside vernacular”.
Award winners at the Sunshine Coast Architecture Awards will now progress to the 2024 Queensland Architecture Awards, to be announced on 21 June.
