Following the successful introduction of a development industry Awards program in the Northern Territory during 2014, we offered five Northern Territory Award categories in 2015:

• High Density Development
• Environmentally Excellence
• Affordable Development
• Medium Density Development
• Masterplanned Development

Our Judging Panel for the 2015 Awards was:

The Hon Gary Nairn, Chairman Northern Territory Planning Commission; and Tony Cox, Manager, Clouston Associates Darwin

Our 2015 finalists were (note that several projects were finalists in multiple categories):

The Kube (The Tomazos Group) – an innovative mixed-use high density residential development in the heart of Darwin city, which also incorporates commercial space on the ground floor. The building includes seven levels of two and three bedroom apartments and three levels of basement parking and is designed with the intent of providing a dynamic home and office environment that sets a new benchmark for the CBD.

Breezes Muirhead (Defence Housing Australia) – a masterplanned residential development that sets new standards for social, economic and environmental sustainability in Darwin.  Born from the need for Defence Housing, Breezes has been an opportunity to push the boundaries of residential land subdivision practices through a number of trials, partnerships and concepts. Sustainable Eco Townhouses Johnston

Eco Townhouses (The Tomazos Group), designed with the use of Environmentally Sustainable Design principles to provide a sustainable, modern lifestyle solution for individuals and families.  The planning and design of this development ensures the environmental integrity of the site is maintained; elevated construction ensures a minimal ground footprint and unobstructed site drainage, extensive revegetation to create cooler micro climates (thus reducing the need for artificial cooling) and passive design principles used extensively in the planning of residences.

Driver Avenue Affordable Housing Project (Venture Housing Company Limited).  Venture’s project at 69 Driver Avenue, Driver (in Palmerston) comprises 20 detached elevated and single-storey dwellings designed as a grouped living model centred around a common produce garden to develop community interaction, engagement and passive security/safety. The development activates its extensive frontage to Driver Avenue and maximises the dual benefit of passive overlooking of the open space reserve at the rear.

Artique Residence (The Makrylos Group) – a boutique apartment project, comprising of 19 two bedroom plus study apartments in a five-storey architecturally designed building, offering panoramic views from every apartment over the Darwin foreshore, Frances Bay Marina, parklands and the magnificent city skyline of Darwin.

Parks Apartments Johnston (The Tomazos Group), delivered to the Palmerston suburb of Johnston in 2015 as the first high-density residential complex in the neighbourhood.  With a vision to set the benchmark for affordable apartment living in the Top End, architects and builders worked in unison to construct a resort-style complex of 51 two- and three-bedroom apartments split among five separate pods of three levels.  The innovative placement of each ‘pod’ offers each apartment with opportunities to views facing out from the site.  This arrangement subsequently creates a central, active communal amenity area in the centre.

2015 NT Winners

High Density Development sponsored by NAB

The Kube Darwin – an innovative mixed-use high density residential development in the heart of Darwin city, which also incorporates commercial space on the ground floor. The building includes seven levels of two- and three-bedroom apartments and three levels of basement parking and is designed with the intent of providing a dynamic home and office environment that sets a new benchmark for the CBD. The development provides a modern and ergonomic lifestyle for Darwin residents and has rehabilitated an under-developed streetscape into an appealing place to live and work. The design connects the city, neighbourhood and the climate in a way that enables the development to meet community expectations. The open plan apartment designs, sun shading, light colour palettes, light voids/atriums and insulation combine to achieve a distinctive energy rating.

Environmental Excellence sponsored by the Land Development Corporation

Breezes Muirhead – a masterplanned residential development that sets new standards for social, economic and environmental sustainability in Darwin. Born from the need for Defence Housing, Breezes has been an opportunity to push the boundaries of residential land subdivision practices through a number of trials, partnerships and concepts. At an environmental level, Breezes throws out traditional urban design concepts in favour of a new tropical concept – the Breezeway. The Breezeway concept involves the re-orientation of subdivision and dwellings to capture and funnel prevailing breezes. Developed in consultation with local builders, the complimentary Breezes Muirhead Design Guidelines educate buyers on good tropical design basics as they design their home. The Breezeway concept will be forever embedded in the community, and all open spaces and residents benefit from the increased breeze capture for their lifetime. In conjunction with a project-wide tree canopy, the breezes will encourage increased community interaction, use of parks and open spaces year-wide.

 Affordable Development sponsored by The Heights Durack

 Venture Housing’s project at 69 Driver Avenue, Driver (in Palmerston) comprises 20 detached elevated and single-storey dwellings designed as a grouped living model centred around a common produce garden to develop community interaction, engagement and passive security/safety. The development activates its extensive frontage to Driver Avenue and maximises the dual benefit of passive overlooking of the open space reserve at the rear. The project is an infill site within an established residential environment and significantly contributes to the local area as a central activity node (linking retail, education and the existing neighbourhood). This, therefore, involves an ongoing interface with the adjoining school, Palmerston City Council, Police and others given the context of the locality and its role with respect to children, after-hours public access (shopping centre car ark etc.) and how the development and its community can add to passive security and activation of the local area while also improving on the general streetscape. The development is a medium density project that maximises site yield as a highest and best use approach and the design was fully compliant with the existing zoning (Palmerston City Council).

Medium Density Development sponsored by Defence Housing Australia

“Artique” – a boutique apartment project, comprising of 19 two-bedroom plus study apartments in a five-storey architecturally designed building, offering panoramic views from every apartment across the Darwin foreshore, Frances Bay Marina, parklands and the magnificent city skyline of Darwin. The exterior of the building has been designed to capture prevailing breezes, promote light, shadow and texture and provide connectivity with the streetscape. High-set aluminium awnings and oversized roof eaves have been used to minimise solar access, and louvred windows used throughout the development, assist with breeze penetration. The interiors of the apartments are of contemporary, timeless architecture and design, that provide a seamless interface between the indoor and outdoor areas, together with the use of high quality finishes such as granite, marble and glass, create an unparalleled standard of city living.

 Masterplanned Development sponsored by SMEC

Breezes Muirhead sets a new standard for masterplanned communities in the Northern Territory. From the project’s inception, Breezes has aimed to deliver a climatically and socially responsive development with life-long benefits to the community. Breezes Muirhead was masterplanned to meet the specific needs of Top End families, with a focus on sustainability, open green space and delivering a cohesive and vibrant community that enjoys strong connectivity to neighbouring suburbs. Conveniently located just 14km from the Darwin CBD and commanding nearly 170ha in the city’s prestigious northern suburbs, Breezes Muirhead is a place like no other. It’s an address where stylish living and true sustainability meet within a lush and beautiful setting of tree-shaded streets and green parks, all enhanced by a calendar brimming with community events. Breezes was conceived with environmental and social benefits at heart. The project throws out the traditional urban design model in favour of pioneering the innovative Breezeway design. As with the pilot Breezeway project, the masterplan layout is oriented to capture prevailing winds and breezes to reduce the energy consumption of home cooling, and encourage outdoor activity and social integration through innovative design features.

The five 2015 Award Winning Northern Territory projects were finalists in the 2016 National Awards program, with winners  announced at a Gala Dinner held in Adelaide on the evening of Thursday March 10^th.  Significantly, and despite intense competition from excellent medium density projects from around Australia, the Makrylos Group’s “Artique” development in Stuart Park became  the Northern Territory’s first ever national award winner in any category.  UDIA (NT) congratulates Michael and Gina Makrylos for this milestone achievement.