Since its inception in 2006, the Sustainability Awards have celebrated the projects, practices, products and people helping to advance the nation’s sustainability agenda. Now in its 20^th year, the program has grown to become one of Australia’s longest-running and most respected built environment awards programs dedicated to sustainable outcomes.

Woods Bagot’s design for The Forest, the University of Tasmania’s new Hobart campus, has been shortlisted for the Institutional & Public Buildings category. Other shortlisted projects in this category include Canberra Institute of Technology, Hoskins Building (Australia’s first CLT Passivhaus School), Maribyrnong Civic Centre and Community Hub, and New Footscray Hospital.

These class 9 buildings are pushing boundaries in sustainable design and operation for civic, educational and institutional entries, while also demonstrating energy efficiency, resource stewardship, and overall social responsibility.

For The Forest, the project objectives were to revitalise, adapt and activate the Melville Street site through a highly connected masterplan that honours heritage, celebrates natural landscape, and accommodates the diverse teaching needs of the university. Key design principles included a building that enhances the distinctive natural and human qualities of nipulana/ Hobart; is warm and welcoming to staff, students, and the community; and embraces people and their ways of working on a human scale.

Working with found conditions, the design team used the existing to drive the conceptual direction of the new. These included the heritage-listed brick warehouses dating back to 1922, when the site was used as a dry timber store and sawmill outlet. The redevelopment also includes the restoration of the iconic conservatory dome, designed by Morris-Nunn and Associates in 1997.

As a highly sustainable university campus, the project includes strategies for climate resilience and inclusive urban transformation, integrating solutions to address climate action, community resilience, and carbon reduction. As an example of mass timber construction, adaptive reuse, and the largest commercial use of hempcrete in Australia, the new campus combines innovative and experimental approaches to resilient and sustainable design while reviving an iconic piece of local heritage.

The jury for this year’s awards included Ben Peake (Carter Williamson Architects), Mahalath Halperin (Mahaleth Halperin Architects), Heather McCabe (DJRD Architects), Dick Clarke (Envirotecture), Gabrielle Pavicic (GBCA), Sandra Furtado (Furtado Sullivan), Jeremy Spencer (Positive Footprints), Mick Patterson (Blaise Building), Dominika Richards (Deicke Richards), Gagandeep Jadhav (Steensen Varming), Shae Parker McCashen (Green Sheep Collective) and Dr Clyde Anderson (Australian Institute of Energy).

The winners will be announced at a gala evening on 12 November at the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MCA) in Sydney.

View the full list of shortlisted projects.

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Isla Sutherland
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