Recognising design, built-form excellence

Tuesday, 12 December 2023

West Tamar Council has recognised excellence in design and built form through its annual Design Awards at a ceremony held at Windsor Precinct today.

Properties in Trevallyn, Kelso and Grindelwald caught the collective eyes of the Council’s judging panel across three categories:

Mayor Christina Holmdahl said the awards, which began in 2016, aim to encourage good design in a positive way, outside the formal planning and building approval process.

 “It is a privilege to be able to view so many examples of great design in our municipality, and their projects are a credit to the owners, designers and builders who think outside the box to create such architecturally appealing homes,” Mayor Holmdahl said.

 “We have been formally recognising outstanding design in the West Tamar through the Design Awards since 2016 and continue to encourage design in a positive way outside of the formal planning and building approval process.”

 Planning officers, along with the elected members, poured over the Council's development and building applications over the past year to narrow the field down to just a select few in each category, from which the winners were ultimately chosen by a three-person panel comprising Mayor Christina Holmdahl, Councillor Richard Ireland and Council’s statutory planner Tiffany Heys.

 Mayor Holmdahl said the panel was looking for designs that have capacity to stimulate, engage and delight its occupants, visitors and passers-by, as well as considering the extent of innovation, invention and the originality of the designs, sustainability as well as degree of difficulty in terms of ambition and ideas.

Planner Tiffany Heys said traditionally, projects that captured the attention of the panel were not necessarily those that cost the most, but those that show ambition and showcase careful design and construction that responded best to the landscape and were pleasing to the eye.

“The project should also be practical for its purpose and designed to consider the surroundings in terms of privacy, views, environment and established character,” she said.

WINNERS BY CATEGORY:

1.       Winner Best New Single Dwelling: 2 Daitom Place, Trevallyn. Owners: Mark and Caroline Knight. Designer: Honed Architecture & Design. Builder: VA Vogelaar Contractor.

2.       Winner Best Multiple Dwelling: Unit 2/55 Lachlan Parade, Trevallyn. Owners: Kapila James Munro Armener. Designer: 6ty Degrees. Builder: J&N Developments.

3.       Joint Winner Best Renovation/Extension: 1313 Greens Beach Road, Kelso. Owner: Bradley and Amanda Ward. Designer: Design to Live. Builder: Bradley and Amanda Ward.

4.       Joint winner Best Renovation/Extension: 56 Pleasant Hills Drive, Grindelwald. Owner: Martin J Ml Building Consultants. Designer: BVZ Designs. Builder: Moorey Constructions Pty Ltd.

Winners in each category received a Tasmanian hand-crafted specialty timber peg designed by craftsman Brad Latham.