Tonsley achieves ample architecture accolades

Australia’s first innovation district has collected seven awards at the South Australian Architecture Awards.

Four projects from Tonsley have collected the awards across education, heritage, commercial, sustainability and urban design, with the jury describing Tonsley as a “unique place with a strong identity for South Australia to celebrate its manufacturing history”.

Background

The Australian Institute of Architects’ 2016 SA Architecture Awards were held on Saturday 2 July at Adelaide Oval.

The awards follow on from Tonsley’s recent success at the 2015 World Architecture News (WAN) Awards, where it won the award for Adaptive Reuse, beating more than 60 projects from around the world.

SA Architecture Awards won by projects in the Tonsley innovation district:

Educational Architecture

Dr John Mayfield Award – Flinders at Tonsley by HASSELL

Commercial Architecture

Award – South Australian Drill Core Reference Library by Thomson Rossi

Heritage

Award – Tonsley Main Assembly Building and Pods by Woods Bagot and Tridente Architects

Urban Design

Commendation – Tonsley by Oxigen

Sustainable Architecture

Award – Tonsley Main Assembly Building and Pods by Woods Bagot and Tridente Architects

Award – Tonsley by Oxigen

Colorbond^® Award for Steel Architecture

Award – South Australian Drill Core Reference Library by Thomson Rossi

The judging panel for the Award for Sustainable Architecture stated that “although still a work in progress, the Tonsley Main Assembly Building and Pods is already internationally recognised as a model for environmentally sustainable design and building practices”.

Quotes attributable to Renewal SA General Manager for Project Delivery Mark Devine:

The State Government is transforming Tonsley into a collaborative and high-value industry, education and residential precinct, where business people, researchers, tertiary students, industries and companies can interact and innovate.

As an innovation district, Tonsley’s physical development supports the broad economic vision for the site.

Tonsley represents a new beginning for South Australian manufacturing that pays homage to the site’s industrial heritage and this has been recognised by the Australian Institute of Architects in the multiple awards that Tonsley has won.

Quality architecture and design have always been primary considerations in the plans for Tonsley so it’s wonderful to have all the work that went into these projects acknowledged