The Building – New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) 

Designed by Woods Bagot with Warren and Mahoney and Moller Architects in association, Te Tumu NZICC is one of New Zealand’s most significant civic infrastructure projects of this century. 

Proudly of its place, Te Tumu is distinguished by its striking contemporary architecture and cohesive urban design. Purpose-built with flexible, light-filled spaces and advanced technology, it hosts world-class events while fostering meaningful connections across cultures, industries, and communities.

The Building – Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport

Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport reimagines transport architecture through a design-led approach grounded in place, light, and spatial clarity. Conceived as both infrastructure and civic landmark, the terminal draws inspiration from the vast horizontality of the Australian landscape, expressed through an undulating roofline that defines its architectural identity.

Internally, a sculptural ceiling filters the “Great Australian Light,” modulating brightness to create a calm, immersive environment while intuitively guiding passenger movement. The planning is organised as a clear sequence of spatial bands, establishing a legible and seamless journey defined by long vistas, generous volumes, and minimal structural interruption.

The Workspace – 7C Studio

Woods Bagot’s Sydney studio refurbishment reimagines the practice’s long-standing workplace as a future-focused environment that reflects the evolving nature of design practice. Following the strategic decision to remain within its existing premises for a further lease term, the practice used the opportunity to transform the studio into a highly adaptable workplace that supports creativity, collaboration and wellbeing.

The design brings teams together within a connected studio environment while showcasing sustainable design thinking drawn from across Woods Bagot’s sectors, including workplace, hospitality and residential design. Shared project areas, meeting spaces and social settings are carefully arranged to strengthen interaction and knowledge exchange across disciplines.

The Learning Space – The Forest 

Characterised by vibrant civic spaces and underscored by a connection to place, the design for The Forest appeals to the senses by introducing fresh air, natural light and native greening. Incorporating an overlay of craft and materiality, the design uses locally sourced materials in their honest forms.

Working sympathetically with found conditions, the design team let the existing drive the conceptual direction of the new. Retaining 40 per cent of the existing structure, the project involves the adaptive reuse of disparate onsite structures, including a heritage-listed, 22-metre glass dome, designed by Morris Nunn and Associates in 1997. As well as adaptive reuse, the project involves sustainable construction systems and methodologies, including mass timber construction and innovative low-carbon materials and the building iincludes the largest commercial use of hempcrete in Australasia.

The Multi-Residential Space – Piccolo House, Gore Street 

Gore Street is a consciously designed multi-residential project shaped by the Fitzroy neighbourhood. The project aspires to create homes through carefully calibrated proportions, generous spatial organisation and authentic material expression.

The architectural design includes a north–south axial breezeway which introduces natural light and cross-ventilation to most apartments, softening the mass and creating a breathable built form that balances solidity and permeability. Landscaped thresholds and green edges soften the robust architectural form, offering a sense of sanctuary and tranquility.

Designed by Hecker Guthrie, the interiors create a seamless connection between outside and in, incorporating a soft, calm palette with accents that ground the project in its place, referencing Fitzroy’s industrial heritage in subtle and sophisticated acknolwedgements.

Architecture, interiors and landscape are tightly integrated, resulting in a bespoke, finely crafted development that reflects its neighbourhood with restraint, longevity, and quiet generosity.

The Multi-Residential Space – St Clare 

St Clare offers a holistic retirement model where the interior design serves as a sophisticated bridge between heritage character and modern living.

The project adaptively reuses the historic Esmonde and Plumstead Houses to host extensive and varied communal amenities, ranging from wellness spaces to social lounges. Each amenity required a distinct interior design approach tailored to its specific function, yet all are woven together by a cohesive aesthetic language that ensures a sense of greater living during later life.

Preserving original leadlight windows and timber moldings, these heritage spaces provide a grand, storied backdrop for residents, preserving the benefits of a stately Kew home.

This heritage core is seamlessly integrated with the adjacent new build construction, where the interior palette is informed by the surrounding landscape. Inspired by the tones of Yarra Bend eucalypts, the new residences incorporate refined materials and warm neutral tones to engender a sense of serentiy.

View the full shortlist on the Indesign Live website.