They say home is where the heart is. If that's the case then we need to get our heart into one of these places as soon as physically possible. Houses Magazine has just revealed the winners of the 2015 Houses Awards, singling out some of the most innovative and extravagant homesteads in the country.
The top prize, Australian House of the Year, went to Planchonella House in far north Queensland; the extravagant tropical abode that bears at least a passing resemblance to a villain's lair in a Bond film also won the gong for New House over 200m². The prize for New House under 200m² went to Sawmill House in regional Victoria, which combines more than 250 one ton concrete blocks with a timber screen and a nine metre long sliding glass wall.
Best Apartment or Unit went to The Darlinghurst Apartment, a one-bedroom dwelling in inner-Sydney just 27m² in size. The competition also hands out awards for Outdoor and Sustainable residences, which this year went to the partially roofless (and bafflingly named) Cut Paw Paw in Seddon, Victoria and the QV8 apartments in the Melbourne CBD, respectively.
The Houses Awards are decided by a panel of esteemed designers and architects. You can find the full list of this year's winners below.
AUSTRALIAN HOUSE OF THE YEAR – Planchonella House by Jesse Bennet Architecture.
NEW HOUSE UNDER 200M² – Sawmill House by Archier Studio.
NEW HOUSE OVER 200M² – Planchonella House by Jesse Bennet Architecture.
HOUSE ALTERATION & ADDITION UNDER 200M² – West End Cottage by Vokes and Peters.
HOUSE ALTERATION & ADDITION OVER 200M² – Tower House by Andrew Maynard Architects.
APARTMENT OR UNIT – Darlinghurst Apartment by Brad Swartz Architect.
OUTDOOR – Cut Paw Paw by Andrew Maynard Architects.
SUSTAINABLE – QV8 by Breathe Architecture.
HOUSE IN A HERITAGE CONTEXT – House in House by Steffen Welsch Architects.
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