A total of 62 projects has been shortlisted for the national program in the wake of their recent success at State and Territory chapter level. These projects each represent some of the most innovative, generous and cutting-edge examples of urban, residential, commercial and public design in the country and beyond.

The National Architecture Awards is the industry’s most prestigious national awards program, with a highly specialised jury assessing each project in-person to experience its essence beyond photos alone. 

Australian Institute of Architects’ immediate past president and the 2026 National Awards Jury Chair Adam Haddow says this year’s shortlist is a reminder of what’s at stake when we talk about architecture.

“These aren’t just buildings, they’re the settings for our working lives, our family lives, our civic lives, sometimes for generations,” says Haddow. “Good architecture makes us more productive, more connected, and simply happier in the spaces we occupy every day. It also holds a mirror up to who we are as a society — what we value, what we’re willing to invest in, what we want to leave behind.”

The national jury will now embark on a two-week tour, visiting every shortlisted project across each state and territory. Alongside Haddow, the national awards jury is: Alice Hampson, director, AHA Alice Hampson Architect; Jeremy McLeod, design director, Breathe Architecture; Isaac McCormack, architect, GHD Design; Dr Helen Norrie, associate head of school (students), the University of Tasmania.

A comprehensive judging process by the jury will determine the eventual winners of the National Architecture Awards, which will be announced on 29 October.

The following Woods Bagot projects will be judged in the 2026 National Architecture Awards:

Designed by Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan and Partners, Sydney’s Central Station is progressing to the National Architecture Awards for the Public Architecture category.

As one of the most significant transport infrastructure projects of this decade, Central Station caters to 96 percent of Sydney’s train services, forming the backbone of the metropolitan rail network. This redevelopment enhances the city’s transit system, making commuting more efficient and serving as a catalyst of cultural and economic activity.

Central Station will be judged alongside nationally significant projects including New Footscray Hospital (VIC) by COX Architecture and Billard Leece Partnership, and Yitpi Yartapuultiku (The Soul of Port Adelaide) by Ashley Halliday Architects together with the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group and Wax Design.

Central Station received the NSW Architecture Medallion – the highest state honour awarded to the most exemplary building project of the year – and the Sulman Medal for Public Architecture at the recent NSW Architecture Awards. Read more.

The Forest is the University of Tasmania’s flagship Hobart building, increasing the role of education and learning within the CBD. Incorporating the most contemporary pedagogical practices, the campus places a high emphasis on connectivity and wellbeing, featuring a strong connection to its city and to the natural environment.  

The Forest is progressing to the National Awards for the Education Architecture category to be judged against a lineup of prestigious education projects ranging from early learning centres to an “inside-out” vertical campus in the Perth CBD.

It will be assessed alongside education projects including Wilderness School Early Years Development (SA) by Grieve Gillett Architects, and ECU City (WA) by Lyons with Silver Thomas Hanley and Haworth Tompkins.

The Forest received the Sydney-Blythe Award for Educational Architecture at the Tasmanian Chapter Awards. Read more.

For its radical achievements in carbon reduction and innovative approach to materials reuse, The Forest is progressing to the National Awards Program in the Sustainable Architecture category.

The University of Tasmania is the leading university in the world for climate action, recognised for its high-impact research, carbon-neutral operations, renewable energy use, and commitment to sustainability. Throughout the design process, the architecture has upheld the university’s ethos and ambitions for climate responsiveness, achieving a 40% reduction in upfront carbon compared to a reference scenario, independently verified via an as-built life cycle assessment.

Through a highly complex adaptive-reuse process, the project involved the retention and restoration of the building’s heritage fabric while integrating modern building services and creating contemporary learning spaces. Materials recovery has helped to radically reduce the project’s carbon footprint while preserving the emplaced heritage of a historically rich site.

Other shortlisted projects in this category include Port Phillip EcoCentre (VIC) by Bourke and Bouteloup Architects, and North Wright Compact Housing (ACT) by Trella Architecture and Interiors.

The Forest already received the Barry McNeill Award for Sustainable Architecture at the Tasmanian Chapter Awards. Read more.

Melbourne’s Younghusband Woolstore Redevelopment will also progress to the National Awards for Sustainable Architecture, alongside The Forest.

As a prime example of adaptive reuse at a civic scale, Younghusband balances strong sustainability credentials with human responsive design, creating a precinct that considers its impacts at community, civic, and environmental level.

Architects have taken a comprehensively circular approach to construction on Younghusband, adding only what is needed, and removing only when absolutely necessary. The majority of the existing materials have been retained, with upgrades to roof, windows and entries for improved thermal performance.

Reuse of materials on Younghusband has resulted in an 84% reduction in embodied carbon compared to similar reference buildings (equivalent to 11,335,000kg in carbon savings).

Younghusband received the award for Sustainable Architecture at the Victorian Chapter Awards. Read more.

To view the complete shortlist for the National Architecture Awards, visit the Australian Institute of Architects’ website. 

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Isla Sutherland
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