The Sydney metro station project, described as "transformative," won the NSW Architecture Medal for 2025. Awards were also given to notable urban centers, industrial restorations, and residential projects.
Sydney's new metro network has won the NSW Architecture Medal for 2025, with the award going to a large team of architects, engineers, and designers who worked on eight key stations. The jury described the project as "shaping the city," highlighting its role in rethinking the urban environment and contributing to social, cultural, and environmental connectivity.
Over 130 projects were included in the shortlist for the NSW awards. The Premier's Award went to Hassell studio's First Building project in the new town of Bradfield—a modular wooden pavilion designed for easy dismantling, expansion, or relocation, located in the future aerotropolis next to Sydney's second international airport.
Prime Minister Chris Minns praised Hassell's design, calling it a "beautiful place" that reflects the grand ambition behind the creation of Bradfield. He highlighted the use of natural light, harmony with the surrounding landscape, and exceptional craftsmanship.
GroupGSA won the mayor's award for the restoration of early 20th-century industrial buildings in Rosebury. The project brings together historic brick factories and textile mills in a vibrant neighborhood with a pedestrian axis, combining heritage preservation with sustainability and urban vitality.
Yarrila Place by studio BVN in Coffs Harbour won the Sulman Medal for public architecture. The jury described it as "a dessert created on a chef's whim," highlighting its brick foundation and green ceramic facade with leaf-like shapes inspired by the nearby fig tree.
The jury praised BVN for combining key public functions—library, gallery, museum, creative spaces, and others—in a deliberately unconventional structure, where proportions and layout break with traditional norms.
Design 5 won the Greenway Award for the large-scale reconstruction of the White Bay power station. The conservation award went to Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and Purcell Architecture for their precise and thorough restoration of Australia's oldest continuously used building, the New South Wales Parliament House in Sydney.
The Colorbond Steel Architecture Award was awarded to Marra+Yeh Architects' Eco-House in Lura. Located in a sparsely populated marshland, the house has a roof that repels wind and collects water for forest fire protection and irrigation, and the interior is adapted for comfort and energy efficiency throughout all seasons.
BVN received an award in the Residential Architecture category for transforming a plot in the suburbs of Byron Bay into the Lighthouse house, which combines indoor and outdoor spaces around an open central garden that serves as the entrance and heart of the home.
Casey Brown Architecture was recognized for its major interior renovation of Babylon, the eccentric 1950s house designed by architect Edwin Kingsberry, located on a ridge between Pittwater and Avalon. The jury described it as "full of contradictions—rustic and refined, rich and restrained," creating a uniquely joyful and original space.
Notable winners included AJC Architects for the Moore Park Gardens project in the Permanent Architecture category and Tzannes with 39 Martin Place, which won the Sir Arthur G Stephenson Award for Commercial Architecture.
The beautiful industrial park of the future, designed by Wardell, Bourke & Bowden, located in the suburb of Alexandria in central Sydney, was also recognized in the "Commercial Properties" category.
Elizabeth Carpenter, chair of the Australian Institute of Architecture in New South Wales, said the 2025 winners showcase a profession that leads with integrity, innovation, and care. She emphasized that architecture connects communities, promotes cultural understanding, and creates a sustainable and inclusive future.
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