Bayside Built Environment Awards swept away with wave inspired town houses design

Eye-catching town houses on the site of the former Red Bluff hotel in Sandringham last night won the Bayside Built Environment Awards ‘Best of the Best 2013’.

Mayor Stephen Hartney hosted the eighth annual awards function attended by about 80 people at the Brighton Town Hall. He said the award acknowledges ‘’the most outstanding contribution to the Bayside built environment’’. The property also took out the award for best medium density housing.

Designer Angelo Pignalosa, of architects ROTHELOWMAN, collected his trophy saying he was ‘’proud to have my name associated with the building’’ at 170 Beach Road.

Photo: Angelo Pignalosa before his award winning design. 

‘’There are lots of challenges for the architect – the main one being you want the building to come out as planned - and this one did,’’ he said.

The townhouses – 11 at the front with bay views and 24 behind – have three storeys of living, three bedrooms, rooftop terraces and basement car parks. Their facades vary in shape creating a wave-like appearance complementing the coastal location.

Judges Kim Dovey, Peter Boyle, Robert Caulfield, Heather Stewart, James Long and Matt Kelleher congratulated the team behind the project on its quality, design and streetscape presence. The judges said they were impressed by the way the medium-density project brought a “new form of living to one of Melbourne’s premier boulevards”.

Impressive as they are, the townhouses were almost upstaged by a striking – and non-conforming -timber house at 5 Retreat Road, Hampton.

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Photos courtesy of Grand Design Australia

The walls and roof are spotted gum, there’s paving all around and a pool in the backyard. Designed by Tim Jackson, of Jackson Clements Burrows Architects, it won Best New Residential Building and Most Creative Design.

Photo: Tim Jackson with his awards

So appealing is this house in its quiet, suburban street, that it was featured in an episode of Grand Designs Australia (Foxtel's Lifestyle channel). Coincidentally, the presenter of the popular show, Peter Maddison, hosted the awards night.

The Brighton resident – also an award-winning architect - said the awards were ‘’a fabulous initiative that are good for the suburb and great for Melbourne’’. He said he loved ‘’the energy’’ of Bayside ‘’which inspires architects to do great works here’’.

Photo: Brett Parsons, owner of 5 Retreat Road (left), with Peter Maddison. 

 Cr Hartney said this year’s entries were all of a high standard. “The awards intend to raise community awareness of design, landscape and heritage issues and publicly acknowledge architects and designers who have positively contributed to the city’s built environment, and this year was no different.

“170 Beach Road was the stand out for judges, but I congratulate all entrants this year on submitting their work – without it we wouldn’t be able to host this prestigious event.”

Other winners on the night were:

Best residential renovation or extension 148 New Street, Brighton, designed by Jenny Rizzo of Inarc Architects.

Best heritage renovation or restoration 73 Champion Street, Brighton, designed by Sherbrooke Design and Construction.

Best Ecologically Sustainable Design 24 Glencairn Avenue, Brighton East, designed by Ben Callery of Zen Architects.