Spanning 20 countries and more than 20 categories, this year’s winners exemplify creative and technical leadership across the gamut of sustainable vertical urbanism. From carbon-negative towers to adaptive reuse strategies that extend the life of existing structures by decades, the 2025 awardees are unified by an evolution of values: growth as well as stewardship, height and impact.

Woods Bagot Director Domenic Alvaro says, “8 Phillip Street represents a transformative urban renewal project in Parramatta’s evolving skyline. This mixed-use typology—residential accommodation positioned above a destination retail experience—remains exceptionally rare in Australia’s city towers.”

“Our decade-long collaboration with Coronation has consistently prioritised human-centered design principles, integrating curated amenity and hospitality offerings to establish authentic place-making. Our design intent has consistently centred on attracting owner-occupiers through uncompromising material and spatial quality.”

Coronation Property Managing Director, Joe Nahas, said: “8 Phillip Street is a true celebration of design, engineering and heritage. To be recognised globally for innovation and construction excellence is a testament to the entire project team’s skill and dedication. This development not only reflects Parramatta’s evolution but also sets a new benchmark for integrating modern buildings with culturally significant sites.”

A mixed use tower with a unique reverse-step podium, 8 Phillip dramatically extends the ground floor public domain while architecturally framing the existing heritage buildings. The design celebrates and honours the rich fabric of the existing St Andrew’s Church hall heritage elements. 

Evolving from street to sky, 8 Phillip Street’s transformative architecture embraces the context of its surrounds delivering a world-class precinct that extends vertically, layering local heritage, amenity, hospitality and residences to become an unrivalled destination. A respectful, adaptive reuse response at an urban scale, the building form emanates upward from the existing church spire, hovering over the pedestrian laneways below.   

The CTBUH Construction Award recognises projects that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of construction in tall buildings, and take the technical solutions and possibilities for tall building construction to the next level, displaying a superior level of quality and technical complexity.

Woods Bagot Senior Associate and Project Lead Hugh Thomson says, “We have been thrilled to work with Coronation & MNB on this city defining project for Parramatta. It is great to see Coronation recognised for their ingenuity and skill in delivering this ambitious piece of Architecture, and we look forward to seeing 8 Phillip Street taking its place as an iconic destination for Parramatta soon.”

View the full list of Winners on the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat website.

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Adrien Moffatt
Content and Communications Leader (Australia)