The award-winning Australian property projects redefining luxury and design

The new tower at 623 Collins Street starts with two buildings already on the corner. The former State Savings Bank of Victoria and Batman’s Hill Hotel will remain, with the bank’s proportions and horizontal lines carried into the podium below a slender residential tower.

Plus Studio drew its vertical rhythm from the bank façade. Granite, bluestone, and shade-tolerant planting retain some of the weight and formality of Collins Street at pavement level, while landscaped terraces bring gardens into the residential building.

623 Collins State Bank House won Best Apartment Architectural Design for Sterling Global. Following Ralston, Heyington, and Como Terraces, the project helped the company secure Best Luxury Developer and Best Luxury Developer (Victoria). Founder and chief executive Neil Li was also named Real Estate Personality of the Year.

On the South Coogee coast, MD Living’s Castello Al Mare uses large areas of glazing to pull ocean views into a five-bedroom house 300 metres from the water. Its pool and rooftop terrace face the coast, while stone cladding and render give the exterior enough weight for the exposed setting.

Castello Al Mare received Best Luxury Single Residence (New South Wales) and Best Oceanview Single Residence. Al Mare, two four-bedroom homes with private pools and landscaped gardens, won Best Single Duplex Residence (New South Wales). MD Living was named Best Luxury Developer (New South Wales).

NOI sits directly beside a canal in Broadbeach Waters. Floor-to-ceiling glass opens the house towards the water, with curved walls and joinery guiding movement through the rooms. Limewash changes with the daylight; limestone floors and veined marble add texture without filling the interiors with decoration. Outside, grasses, shrubs, and Mediterranean species were chosen for the sun and salt.

NOI won Best Waterfront Single Residence and Best Single Residence Interior Design. Capital Luxury Residences, whose portfolio also includes ZURI and KURV, received Best Luxury Developer (Queensland).

A garden determined the layout of Wynyard House in Balwyn North. ArNik Design & Build positioned the home to preserve a broad northern garden on the corner block, leaving room for a full-size tennis court, pool, spa, and covered entertaining area. Inside, a spiral staircase forms the centre of the house.

Wynyard House won Best Luxury Single Residence (Victoria) and was Highly Commended for Best Single Residence Architectural Design. ArNik’s Elizabeth St House received Best Boutique Housing Development (Victoria) for three townhouses combining timber, charcoal framing, and broad glazing with solar panels and energy-conscious construction.

Aform Architecture stepped 30 Abernethy Street, Seaforth, down a steep waterfront site. Two storeys are visible from the road; four face the water. Terraces and open living spaces look across Sydney’s North Shore, while timber-look aluminium cladding and concrete-finished render were selected for the coastal conditions.

The project won Best Single Residence Architectural Design. Aform was also Highly Commended for Best Single Residence Interior Design at 68 Beaumont Street, Killara, where marble, mouldings, wall panelling, and classical columns create a French-influenced family interior.

JRZ Group gave the two homes at Kensington Crest sweeping rooflines, stone walls, and timber-lined balconies. The curves distinguish the residences without visually splitting the duplex, and both open onto private pools and lawns. Kensington Crest won Best Duplex Architectural Design; JRZ’s House Solstice was Highly Commended for Best Single Residence Architectural Design.

Odara Chatswood Collection will combine apartments and commercial space in a tower above a three-level podium. OIA set the building back along Cambridge Lane to widen the public domain, with deep vertical fins shading recessed balconies. Curved stonework, pale timber, and bronze-toned fittings continue inside the apartments.

Odara won Best Mixed Use Architectural Design and Best Mixed Use Interior Design.

Marwood inherited an established office block at 432 St Kilda Road. For Exchange 432, it retained the structure but replaced the entrance, lobby, offices, and shared facilities. A curved canopy frames the approach from the landscaped forecourt, with full-height glass bringing daylight into the lobby. Timber floors, glass partitions, and custom joinery replace the previous office fit-outs; showers, lockers, bicycle storage, and exercise facilities serve the tenants.

Exchange 432 won Best Renovated Commercial Development, Best Boutique Office Architectural Design, and Best Boutique Office Interior Design.

Burwood Chinatown changes after sunset. WEN Architects used black steel to structure its ground-floor plaza and upper dining terrace, then strung lights between the frames. As the sky darkens, the steel recedes and the lighting picks out the spaces where people eat, gather, and move through the development.

The Best Retail Development takes its cues from the Asian street market: tables outdoors, food served late, and enough open space for performances, festivals, and the usual bustle of a night out. By evening, visitors see the lights, the tables, and one another; the building itself almost disappears.