The Forest has been shortlisted for the Higher Education and Research category, celebrating exceptional built designs for universities, research institutes, and academic laboratories.

Revitalising, adapting and activating the Melville Street site, The Forest creates a vibrant campus to house the Tasmanian School of Business and Economics, Humanities, Social Sciences, and University College. Design Director Bruno Mendes says The Forest is designed to satisfy the senses through fresh air, natural light, and integrated landscape.

“Contemporary learning landscapes are increasingly valued for their provision of biophilic connections, visual interest, and considerations for health and wellbeing,” says Mendes. “Underscored by a connection to place, the design appeals to the senses by introducing honest, local materials and native plant selection informed by the site’s precolonial history.”

The campus activates an entire city block with through-site links, landscaped green spine, pedestrianised thoroughfares and a continuous ground plane. As a prime example of urban regeneration, the project returns the site to the community, elevating the role of education within Tasmania’s civic and public life.

Piccolo House – Gore Street has been shortlisted for the Completed Buildings – Housing category, showcasing innovative multi-residential developments that prioritise sustainability, social interaction, and community integration.

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.

“We’ve aspired to create a sanctuary, carving out a sense of calm and serenity within a vibrant metropolitan context,” says Design Director Peter Miglis. “While being very much a part of the neighbourhood, residents should also feel like they can leave the energy of Fitzroy behind and be ensconced in a sensorial, biophilic oasis. This is one of our fundamental pillars when designing for human-centred experiences.”

Architecture, interiors and landscape are tightly integrated, resulting in a bespoke, finely crafted development that reflects its neighbourhood with restraint, longevity, and quiet generosity. Landscaped thresholds and green edges soften the robust architectural form, offering a sense of sanctuary and tranquillity.

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.

Building on the competition and reference design by Zaha Hadid Architects and Cox Architecture, the design for Western Sydney International encapsulates the sense of place and qualities of the Western Sydney region for a compelling journey experience through the landside, terminal and airside transitions.

Western Sydney has been shortlisted for Completed Buildings –Transport category, celebrating outstanding global infrastructure, including railway stations, airports, and transport hubs. The 2025 winner for the Completed Buildings – Transport category was Central Station Sydney by Woods Bagot.

Also shortlisted for the Transport category, Crows Nest Station is a masterclass in delivering major infrastructure into village-scaled urban environments. The success of the new Crows Nest Station centres around the implementation of human, residential-scale solutions to the people-facing edges of the infrastructure typology.

Supporting over 10,000 users every day, the new station is located in the heart of Crows Nest Village on the Pacific Highway, intersecting infrastructure and community. With a focus on human-scale design elements and simple external architecture, the new metro station weaves large-scale infrastructure into the nearby Crows Nest Village and St Leonards community fabric.

“The exteriors are a continuation of the exploration between community and infrastructure,” says Woods Bagot Principal Lucian Gormley. “The modulated brickwork façade system has successfully grounded the building within its local environment and the brick skin has also been used in a multitude of ways to overcome a myriad of design challenges.”

Te Tumu, New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) is shortlisted for the Civic and Community category, celebrating public structures that enhance community cohesion and civic life.

Designed by Warren and Mahoney with Woods Bagot and Moller Architects in association, Te Tumu 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.

Woods Bagot Associate Principal Eric Buhrs says the interior design is deeply contextual, embedding the stories of whenua (land) and whakapapa (ancestry) in the built form.

“Rooted in the idea of One Language, Many Voices, our design for the NZICC translates the textures, stories, and spirit of Aotearoa into a contemporary civic landmark,” says Buhrs. “By drawing on the dynamic forms of the New Zealand landscape and the depth of Māori cultural narrative, the centre speaks with an unmistakably local voice while welcoming the world.”

85 Gracechurch has been shortlisted for Future Projects – Office category, showcasing unbuilt or under-construction workspace designs prioritising sustainability, adaptive reuse, and employee wellbeing.

Designed for developer Hertshten Properties, 85 Gracechurch Street is a 30-storey new build workplace building in the City of London. Woods Bagot’s design for the scheme – which is currently on site and due for completion in 2031 – responds to the rich history of the site to create a timeless, best-in-class London building.

Providing over 9,000 square feet of flexible floorplates, the scheme delivers memorable architecture, generous public realm improvements, and retail activation that aims to imbue a sense of pride in its occupiers and Londoners at large.

The side core building is adaptable to varied occupier layouts, suiting different sectors and needs. Floor by floor de-centralised air-handling offers tenants better control, and glare and solar gain are reduced with highly insulated facades. Landscaped terraces extend the workspace outside, supporting wellbeing and offering incredible views across London.

Siranna has been shortlisted for the Future Projects – Residential category, highlighting unbuilt or conceptual housing designs, recognising innovation in high-density, multi-family, and large-scale residential projects.

With masterplanning by global place consultancy ERA-co and architecture by Woods Bagot, Siranna is an exclusive, sustainable future tourism destination planned for the Gulf of Aqaba coastline in Saudi Arabia. 

Boasting a harmonious union of historical charm and futuristic living, Siranna features 65-key hotel and 35 exclusive residences, seamlessly blending sophistication and natural beauty. Inspired by forgotten civilisations, its design integrates with the adjacent mountain and wadi, creating a truly unique experience for guests.

At the core of Siranna’s design philosophy is a commitment to minimal intervention in nature, employing innovative techniques to preserve the natural environment. Its dynamic and immersive design allows guests to escape the noise of everyday life and connect with nature.

Siranna’s signature beach club, world-class wellness experiences, and discovery trails create a chic yet serene sanctuary, offering the ultimate luxury hospitality experience. The exquisite design of Siranna sets the stage for unique experiences that foster original thinking and pure relaxation.

IGG Fuzhou Tianmeng Tower has been shortlisted for the Completed Buildings – Office category, highlighting exemplary corporate architecture across the globe.

Rising 89 metres in Fuzhou’s Jin’an District, the IGG  Tianmeng  Tower is shortlisted for its unique fusion of workplace innovation and cultural identity. The office building reimagines the city’s iconic banyan tree as a 50,000-square-metre office building, a living symbol of growth, resilience and innovation.  Conceived as a “Banyan Castle,” the tower’s sculptural form integrates sky terraces and vertical greenery, extending the city’s natural fabric into the workplace.  

“It was clear that the client wasn’t looking for a normal workplace, but for something that supported performance and collaboration - and that expressed IGG’s cultural point of view strongly,” says Woods Bagot New York Principal Matthew Stephenson. “Design really does need to be a story. It needs to have characters.”  

Blending local identity with the imaginative spirit of gaming, the project creates a next-generation workplace where architecture and interiors work in concert: from the organic, cantilevered form that extends Fuzhou’s green canopy skyward, to immersive interior environments that translate game logic into spatial experience.