Short Lane is a mixed-use development that retains the diversity of its local neighbourhood and creates places for more of it to happen. The mix of 22 compact 1 and 2-bedroom apartments appeals to the dramatic surrounding lifestyle of Surry Hills, Sydney. Beneath, a new, fine grain retail component activates the street frontage and a reawakened lane network, with the new 'Short Lane' created to connect to both. The board-marked concrete directly references the extension to the state-heritage listed 1847 Wesleyan Chaple to the north: a brutalist tower with integral sun shading built in 1980.
The Al Hosn site is a major reference point to the history of Abu Dhabi, telling the story of the city, its people, their history and modernity. The concept not only aimed to conserve and restore building fabric but to also reinstate the context in which these buildings were historically set. This provides an immediate appreciation of Qasr Al Hosn’s relationship with the land and its vernacular origins, and The Cultural Foundation’s relationship with the modern city.
Arcoris Mont’ Kiara in Kuala Lumpur combines places to live and work with a range of social spaces. The major new 180,000 square-metre development creates an innovative and dynamic mixed-use destination in a predominantly residential district of the city. Concrete, in its raw form with its visible ‘faults’ reflects the true materiality of the building. It was chosen as an appropriate material due to its easy availability in the region as well as long-term durability.
90a_Bellamont is a unique four villa enclave set on the elevated crest of a subtropical forested dune overlooking the Indian Ocean. The enclave is an exclusive group of villas created to capitalize on the remarkable environmental quality and prospects of the site, and has become an exemplar of local residential architecture in the application of off-shutter concrete. The sloping dune presented the opportunity to create two sets of linked villas, one on the upper zone of the site and the other on a lower platform on the fringe of the forest.
The Tepper Quad Project provides students and faculty with modern facilities including a 600-seat auditorium, a fitness center, and an abundance of study and social spaces. As well as accommodating 40% higher student enrollment for 2019, the School has been designed from the inside out with the flexibility to adapt to the demands of an ever-changing educational landscape. BuroHappold Engineering’s pioneering use of BubbleDeck technology, which incorporates recycled plastic balls within concrete to create a honeycomb structure that is as strong as a solid concrete slab, yet weighs 35% less. The balls that run through a BubbleDeck slab are made from recycled high density polyethylene, which comes from reject plastic kayaks.
Dangrove is a purpose built ‘state of the art’ storage facility which houses a private collection of contemporary Chinese art. The architecture is dominated by the use of in-situ and pre-cast concrete elements for the external fabric, internal walls, floors, structure and including special columns and skylight forms. The concrete has varied and coordinated finishes to enhance colour, texture and legibility of the elements and their design role in the architecture. Concrete defines the spatial and material experience by providing a ‘base’ to the soaring, light filled, main curatorial and performance space.
To see more amazing entries from this year’s WAN Awards please click here.