[2 September 2022]
Australia’s top property honour has been awarded to Wentworth Point Tower Centre, named the Rider Levett Bucknall Australian Development of the Year 2022 for its industry-leading example of the successful transformation of an isolated industrial site into a vibrant residential community.
The pioneering project by Billbergia in Wentworth Point near Sydney Olympic Park also took out the award for the Best Master Planned Community at the Property Council of Australia / Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards in Sydney this evening.
The awards program, which is now in its 40th year in partnership with Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), highlights creative initiatives, ground-breaking innovations, and motivational leadership in Australia’s property industry.
Property Council Chief Executive Ken Morrison said the awards recognise the people, projects, and trailblazing innovation in Australian real estate development.
“Our awards honour the property industry’s contribution to the creation of wonderful places to work, live, and play in our cities and I congratulate all the winners for showing the sector’s commitment to our communities,” Mr Morrison said.
Mr Morrison said the extraordinary development of the year winner is a testament to Billbergia’s 15-year vision to create a thriving community.
“The town centre is an exceptional example of a well-thought-out and executed master-planned community that has produced the sense of a small city, with high-quality amenities and landscaping that have combined to create a sophisticated liveable neighbourhood,” Mr Morrison said.
The original ambition of constructing a $3.5 billion master planned town centre district of more than 30 buildings across 11ha over a period of more than 15 years plainly demanded patience. Early construction began on site in 2010, and by 2019, six of the seven planned phases had been finished.
The last section is scheduled to be finished in 2025. The master plan’s overarching strategy centred on community, amenity, and identity. As a result, the project has supplied the required transportation infrastructure to fully realise the peninsula’s growth potential and establish a bustling town centre. The Wentworth Point Town Centre, which includes more than 3,700 apartments, an award-winning ‘super neighbourhood’ shopping centre, a purpose-built medical facility, and a Community Centre and Library, exemplifies an innovative approach to developing a new high-density residential community with an exceptional level of public amenity.
RLB Oceania Chairman Peter Tulla said the project has created a new high-density community with outstanding public amenity and services.
“Billbergia’s commitment to building a socially responsible development should be applauded,” he said. “The development sets the standard for city shaping, and RLB was pleased to have our own Stephen Mee work on the project.”
At the Gala dinner on Friday evening, Danielle Savio from Multiplex took home the Bridge 42 Award for Future Leader of the Year, GHD was awarded the FDC Award for Diversity (more than 250 employees) while Rork projects won the FDC Award for Diversity (less than 250 employees).
In collaboration with RLB since 1982, the prestigious awards have promoted excellence in design and innovation in the built environment. From 116 finalists, the winners were selected by a high calibre judging panel made up of 11 property specialists and chaired by John V. McCarthy AO.
