All three Woods Bagot projects shortlisted across four categories have taken home National Awards at this year’s National Architecture Awards.  

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. 

Woods Bagot Director and Global Design Leader Bruno Mendes, says the result reflects a conviction that runs across the practice. 

“We’re grateful to the jury and, above all, to the clients and collaborators behind these projects. Each one took years, and each depended on a client willing to take the harder path with an existing building. This recognition belongs to them and to our teams in equal measure. Being named alongside so many projects we admire is something none of us takes for granted.” 

Jury Chair Adam Haddow, immediate past president of the Australian Institute of Architects, described this year’s winning projects as “optimistic, with bright outlooks onto the future.”  

The Forest is the University of Tasmania’s flagship building in the Hobart CBD. It joins three existing buildings, including historic warehouses that had long sat neglected, into a single learning environment. Visitors enter through a glazed dome atrium that has been turned into a landscaped welcome space. 

The Educational Architecture jury described the project as “a creative reimagining of what a university campus can be”. The jury pointed to its range of learning settings, its access to greenery and daylight, and the warmth of its craftsmanship. It also noted that students were already treating the building as their own. 

The Sustainable Architecture jury commended the decision to reuse the existing buildings rather than demolish them. The building is all-electric and net zero in operational carbon. Retaining the existing concrete, masonry and timber, and adding bio-based materials, cut upfront carbon well below standard benchmarks. Exposed structure and natural finishes replace synthetic linings throughout. 

Woods Bagot Director and Global Design Leader Bruno Mendes says, “The Forest was designed for the students who will learn here for generations. The forested atrium and the spaces in between were designed as a civic heart, a place where students, researchers and the wider community can come together. We kept as much of the existing fabric as we could and tested every addition for its longevity, adaptability and end of life, so the building can keep evolving with the University. We’re humbled the jury has recognised the project in both education and sustainability.” 

The Forest has previously won the Sydney Blythe Award for Educational Architecture and the Barry McNeill Award for Sustainable Architecture at the Tasmanian Architecture Awards. It also received the Premier Award at the 2026 Australian Interior Design Awards. 

Central Station, designed by Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners, is New South Wales’ busiest transport interchange. It carries more people than any other interchange in Australia and links suburban and intercity rail, light rail, buses and, now, underground metro services. The new metro services were threaded through a group of state heritage-listed terminal buildings. 

The jury praised the team for making a highly complex project feel effortless. Clearer wayfinding and connections make the station work better as part of the wider network. The new roof element brings daylight deep into the interchange without overpowering the historic arrivals hall. The jury called the station “the jewel of the NSW public transport network”. It said the station is a world-class interchange that should serve Sydney for the next hundred years. 

Central Station has previously received the NSW Architecture Medallion and the Sulman Medal for Public Architecture. 

Woods Bagot Principal and Global Rail Lead John Prentice says: 

“Central Station has always belonged to the people of Sydney. Our ambition was to give something back, weaving public art and the station’s story throughout the new spaces while creating a gateway that welcomes locals and international visitors alike. Preserving the station’s history was fundamental. Every new intervention had to be worthy of standing alongside one of Australia’s most iconic pieces of architecture for the next 150 years, and of representing Sydney on the global stage.We’re humbled by the jury’s recognition, which we share with John McAslan + Partners, Laing O’Rourke and Sydney Metro and many others.” 

Younghusband has transformed a historic woolstore precinct in Kensington, Melbourne, into one of Australia’s first all-electric, net zero operational carbon workplaces. 

The jury called it “a shining example of adaptive reuse”. Precise interventions reveal the original structure instead of covering it, and most existing materials were kept. Salvaged Douglas fir beams were remade as handrails, bridges and custom joinery. The project achieves an 84 per cent reduction in embodied carbon against standard baselines, saving more than 11.3 million kilograms of CO₂. 

A 330 kW rooftop solar array with battery storage powers the precinct. The project holds a 6 Star Green Star Design and As Built rating, WELL Platinum certification, a 5.5 Star NABERS Energy rating and a 4.5 Star NABERS Water rating. 

Younghusband has previously won the Award for Sustainable Architecture at the Victorian Architecture Awards. 

Woods Bagot Director Peter Miglis says, “The greenest buildings are the ones that already exist. Younghusband is a testament to the courage of La Caisse, Built and Irongate, who championed adaptive reuse from day one. It also reflects their foresight in setting such an ambitious sustainability agenda, so these woolstores can be enjoyed by generations to come. It’s been wonderful to see the impact, both socially and environmentally. The project now opens itself up to the neighbourhood, breathing new life into a cherished part of Kensington and broader Melbourne, offering a model for the rest of Australia. We’re truly humbled the jury has recognised it.” 

• Central Station – National Award for Public Architecture 

• The Forest – National Award for Educational Architecture 

• The Forest – National Award for Sustainable Architecture 

• Younghusband – National Award for Sustainable Architecture 

To view the full list of winners, visit the Australian Institute of Architects’ website. 

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Adrien Moffatt
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