<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sunland-group">Sunland Group</a> has officially lodged plans for its first Gold Coast apartment project since the departure of the Abedian family from the company three years ago, unveiling a new high-rise proposal for a prominent Broadbeach corner site on Old Burleigh Road.

The application was submitted by an entity directed by Tom Jamieson, stepson of longtime Sunland leader Soheil Abedian, and Riaz Rezvanipour, brother-in-law of Sahba Abedian, Soheil’s son.

Sunland acquired the 1,283 sqm site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue for $9.5 million late last year and is now seeking approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-101-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">42-storey tower with 81 apartments</a>.

<img alt="First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fea2946d-90ee-4cfc-babe-2a8ad5db2cb6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers.png?VersionId=BV0fihJw31nDIQ8ozY_h3GbS8mxDyhnm" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/contreras-earl-architecture">Contreras Earl Architecture</a>, the proposed tower at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road would deliver a predominantly larger-format apartment mix aimed at the owner-occupier market. Plans include 17 two-bedroom apartments, 55 three-bedroom apartments, and nine four-bedroom residences across 35 residential levels.

The development also incorporates three basement levels, four podium parking levels, two levels of communal recreation facilities, and rooftop plant and equipment. A total of 189 car spaces are proposed, significantly exceeding the 90 spaces required under the planning scheme.

The architecture adopts a sculpted, curvilinear form, with deep wraparound balconies and integrated landscaping intended to soften the tower’s vertical expression. The planning report states the building’s “slender footprint/form provides a complimentary yet varied built form within the local streetscape” and contributes to “a varied, yet ordered skyline.”

Contreras Earl noted in its Architectural Statement that from the early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium.

“The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above,” the statement said. “While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm.”

Instead, the conventional podium model was “deliberately rejected”. The architects described the base of the building as “a landscaped architectural condition where structure, planting and circulation are integrated”.

“Rather than presenting a continuous built mass, the base of the building is articulated through a series of concrete planter elements that organise the podium into a fragmented system,” the statement said. “This approach reduces the perceived bulk of the lower levels while establishing a more permeable interface with the streetscape and adjacent open space.”

<img alt="Sunland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="923fad8d-c960-4527-8fbe-975cf1ddf88d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%2010.32.03%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=pngwb0hYOIUpq9vDw6F2EsOiVuHF3DiX" />

&nbsp;

The site sits within the High Density Residential Zone and inside the City of Gold Coast’s unrestricted “HX” building height area, where the planning framework anticipates intensified residential development tied to the expanding light rail corridor. The planning report notes the area is undergoing “transition toward more intense development forms” given its proximity to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, and high-frequency public transport infrastructure.

Positioned directly opposite Broadbeach Park and within walking distance of Florida Gardens light rail station, the development would sit among a rapidly evolving stretch of Old Burleigh Road that has become one of the Gold Coast’s most active apartment development corridors.

The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.

The planning report argues the project contributes toward the Gold Coast’s long-term housing targets under the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which forecasts the need for more than 100,000 additional high-rise dwellings across the city by 2046.

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The Abedian family departed Sunland Group in late 2023, ending a four-decade association with the company, and subsequently established the private development firm Abedian &amp; Co. The group is currently delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/greenmount-residences-cnr-hill-street-and-marine-parade-coolangatta-qld-4225">Greenmount Residences</a> at Rainbow Bay and recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/18-mary-avenue-14-18-mary-avenue-broadbeach-qld-4218">18 Mary Avenue</a> in Broadbeach.
</section>

Joel Robinson

First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach new apartment market with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans

The Minns Labor Government has established the new Bays West Delivery Authority to lead the development&nbsp;of the Bays West Precinct and Blackwattle Bay Precinct.&nbsp;

The Authority is charged with creating Sydney’s newest precinct, a thriving, connected, sustainable hub with White Bay Power Station as its cultural heart. Its vision is to build on the area’s natural, cultural and industrial history to shape a vibrant new neighbourhood.

The precinct will deliver up to 8,500 well-located homes, including a minimum of 10 per cent affordable and essential worker homes. Combine new housing with public open space, opening public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years, while retaining important deep-water facilities to support Sydney’s working harbour.

Located just minutes from the Sydney CBD and connected to a world-class metro, ferry, walking and cycling links, the Bays West precinct will rebalance housing growth towards well-serviced inner-city locations and help tackle the state’s housing crisis.

The Bays West Delivery Authority,&nbsp;an agency of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will report to the NSW Minister for Lands and Property who already has oversight of major precinct renewal projects including at Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.

As part of the broader Bays West transformation, the Minns Government recently announced that a proposal from Lendlease to redevelop part of the Bays West Precinct has progressed to Stage 2 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.

<img alt="Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ed71eb9-d8e8-4fa7-b9d1-de4531dcf2f3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%209.42.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=IDryFIbped9SNDg72LEN_EecvhUsOPvp" />

The Minns Labor Government has also confirmed the Bays West precinct will have a new suburb name. This will be the first major suburb built in close proximity to Sydney’s CBD in decades and will encompass the area currently being referred to as Bays West, including Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station. Served by a new Metro station just five minutes from the CBD, it will become one of the most populous suburbs in the Inner West and one of Sydney’s premier cultural destinations.

An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;

The aim of the Bays West&nbsp;International&nbsp;Design Competition is to&nbsp;ensure design excellence is embedded in the project from the start. The competition will deliver an&nbsp;urban framework that defines the character, ambition and long-term identity of&nbsp;this&nbsp;former industrial precinct as it transitions to a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable residential&nbsp;neighbourhood.

The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;

It will launch with an invitation for a global Expressions of Interest, before moving to an invitation-only stage that will be assessed by a panel that&nbsp;will provide advice to Cabinet who will select a winner.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said the establishment of the new Authority is the first step in transforming the Bays West precinct into a vibrant, livable suburb minutes from the Sydney CBD and two stops from Hunter St Station on the Metro West line.

“The Authority will deliver well-located homes close to the heart of the city and integrate the new precinct with Blackwattle Bay and the new Sydney Fish Market.

“This is a generational opportunity to build a new suburb on the city’s edge and open the harbour foreshore to the public for the first time in a century.”&nbsp;

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the new Bays West Delivery Authority established by the Minns Government will turbocharge the development of Sydney’s newest suburb.

“The Authority is working at a record pace to deliver an international design competition, planning pathways and a financial model so that this development benefits Sydney with well-designed homes in a central location, close to public transport, jobs, entertainment and essential services.

“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future while making sure essential working harbour functions can be accommodated.”

Bays West Delivery Authority established to "turbocharge" Sydney’s newest suburb

Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.

A recently approved code amendment would allow apartment towers of up to 14 storeys in some areas of Renewal SA’s redevelopment of the former West End Brewery.

Renewal SA Acting Chief Executive Shane Wingard said he welcomed the code amendment, with the increase in heights and homes making a positive impact on the supply of high-quality, well-connected housing close to the city.

“By going higher across some parts of Southwark Grounds, we are adding a substantial number of very well-located homes with little impact on project delivery time or planned open space,” Mr Wingard said.

Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.

“The very strong early interest we’ve seen since homes were first released in the precinct reinforces our plans to create more housing opportunities,” he said.

The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.

It proposed increasing maximum building heights from eight to 14 storeys on the eastern section of Southwark Grounds, and to 12 storeys across the remainder of the site, with minimum building heights ranging from two to four storeys.

The code amendment was implemented through an Early Commencement policy in late January, allowing developers to quickly explore the viability of increased height and housing yield while other planning processes continue.

One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.

Samaras’ development adjacent to the future Colonel Light Park is now planning to deliver 125 apartments across 11 storeys, significantly greater than original plans of around 50 apartments across four storeys.

The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.

Most of the apartments at Southwark Grounds will be delivered within a master-planned precinct on a large parcel of land on the eastern portion of the site, covering around two-thirds of its 8.4 hectares.

Wingard said detailed precinct planning over the coming months may identify further opportunities to increase yield further that could see total apartment numbers at Southwark Grounds, exceed this number.

Affordable homes at Southwark Grounds will also see a net increase, with Renewal SA maintaining its commitment to a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing across the development.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Civil works have begun across the site, with construction under way on the first new roads surrounding a townhouse precinct in the south‑west corner of Southwark Grounds. This includes Renewal SA’s 17 Founder’s Row homes, which are on track for completion by Christmas.

“We expect to have people living at Southwark Grounds by the end of the year, so delivering roads and public spaces for those residents is among our highest priorities.”

Construction of 40 townhouses off Anderson Street, known as West Village and being delivered by Contour, is forecast to begin in mid‑2026. Kolabb’s Anderson Lane development will follow shortly after, delivering a further 26 townhouses.

Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.

Homes will be supported by a supermarket, a range of retail and hospitality offerings anchored by a revitalised Walkerville Brew Tower, a childcare centre, car parking and well‑connected public spaces.

400 new homes planned for Adelaide's former West End Brewery site

Brisbane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/cavcorp">Cavcorp</a> has lodged plans for a new mixed-use residential development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-wyandra-street-teneriffe-qld-4005">55 Wyandra Street</a>, Teneriffe, anchored by an 85-metre public laneway designed to reconnect the suburb’s riverfront with the Gasworks precinct.

The buildings, known as Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane, would replace the existing Queensland Cotton head office site with a 15-storey residential tower transitioning to eight storeys toward Helen Street. The project has been designed by Plazibat Architects and lodged as a code assessable development application for 93 apartments across a 3,401 sqm mixed-use site within the Newstead and Teneriffe Waterfront neighbourhood plan.

Central to the scheme is the transformation of an existing service easement into a publicly accessible cross-block connection linking Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the new laneway will act as both a pedestrian shortcut and a landscaped civic space between the Teneriffe Riverwalk, ferry terminal, and Gasworks precinct.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26e7f058-b065-4de8-b13d-a2b8cb64dfcc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bldg.png?VersionId=sELS0ZKYi361oYipUa1BIKfe_.DLZoFV" />

“The revised proposal delivers a legacy public-realm cross-block link, permanently secured for community use, transforming an existing private easement into a safe, high-quality pedestrian connection between the Teneriffe heritage riverwalk and the Gasworks–Long Island precinct,” the planning report states.

The laneway will sit beneath a large subtropical loggia integrated into the podium levels of the development. The design incorporates deep landscaping, water gardens, lobby spaces, business lounges, and ground-floor apartments to create what Cavcorp describes as a climate-responsive “urban verandah.”

The tower itself has been designed as a slender form with recessed floorplates and curved translucent corners inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture. The building height aligns with the Commercial Road precinct controls, which permit towers up to 15 storeys within proximity to Longland Street.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a8a17d40-43b6-4718-b3fd-67676fcbb485" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202_1.png?VersionId=i3VwDtp5AmL_8InW7w4qRbDFEpb744Jt" />

The project will comprise a mix of larger-format apartments aimed at owner-occupiers, downsizers, and families. The proposed apartment mix includes 11 loggia apartments across the lower levels, 50 four-bedroom Sky-Terrace apartments from levels three to seven, and 32 Sky-Pool Homes occupying the upper tower levels. The Sky-Pool Homes will feature private thermal plunge pools integrated into oversized balconies.

According to the application, the apartments are intended to reinterpret the scale and character of Teneriffe’s woolstore conversions and Queensland homes within a vertical residential format.

“The sky-pool homes build on Cavcorp’s previous projects and introduce a distinct apartment typology to Teneriffe, informed by both local and international precedent and responding to an identified market demand for enhanced safety, space and amenity,” the planning submission notes.

A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.

Amenities proposed include a rooftop Swim &amp; Racquet Club with a 25-metre Olympic lap pool and tennis court, coworking spaces and libraries, golf simulators, wine storage, concierge facilities, business lounges, pet wash areas, and rooftop longevity-focused wellness spaces with spas, outdoor fitness zones, and landscaped terraces.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="944b352c-49b9-4247-a4c6-5967b4b69fda" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/amenity.png?VersionId=Ed_qKjAtMwFT.5gfl3jiA9QwdWxSMsaX" />

All parking will be concealed within basement levels accessed from Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the deep-basement engineering approach allows the entire ground plane to prioritise landscaping, pedestrian movement, and active frontage rather than vehicle infrastructure.

The development continues Cavcorp’s concentration in Newstead and Teneriffe, where the Brisbane developer has delivered a number of apartment projects including Lucent, Le Bain, and Luminare, as well as the Long Island Wellness Precinct nearby. Several of those projects have received national design and architecture awards, including recognition under Brisbane’s “Buildings that Breathe” program.

Cavcorp unveils wellness-focused Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane apartment buildings

Focus Group Investments has lodged plans for a new apartment development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/64-70-hanover-street-fitzroy-vic-3065">64–70 Hanover Street</a> in Fitzroy, seeking to utilise the Victorian Government’s recently introduced Great Design Fast Track pathway to accelerate approvals for the project.

The proposal is among the latest developments to emerge through the state-led initiative, which was established to fast-track well-designed residential projects in activity centres and transport-connected inner-city locations. The pathway allows qualifying developments that meet elevated design and housing benchmarks to bypass traditional council planning timeframes and instead be assessed directly by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Designed by SJB, the development will comprise a mix of apartments above activated lower levels, with a strong focus on architectural articulation, landscaping, and communal amenity. The design response seeks to balance the industrial character of Richmond’s former warehouse precincts with a more contemporary residential form.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abea51cc-d85b-479e-9aef-a589f3b37ca7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ground.png?VersionId=e1Kf8EyPWwyiVumtqQ4rM5S4GpOR3CCz" />

Proposed are 63 new dwellings, a wide ranging mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and townhouses and duplexes. They will be spread across a part-three, part-eight storey building.

The Planning and Urban Context Report by Tract says the development is of an "exemplary architectural standard" and has been carefully crafted by SJB Architects.

"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.

The architectural material highlights the project’s integration of landscaped elements and communal spaces throughout the building. The proposal also incorporates sustainability initiatives aligned with the Victorian Government’s push for higher-performing apartment developments under the fast-track program.

The Great Design Fast Track was unveiled by the Victorian Government in 2024 as part of a broader housing supply strategy aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes. Projects assessed through the pathway must demonstrate high-quality architecture, sustainability outcomes, and housing diversity while being located close to public transport and existing infrastructure.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afdbe834-8dc4-4a77-a943-ba07bc927348" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_11.png?VersionId=0J657j.TaChAZfp93wqJYBTqSsnREJx2" />

Focus Group, founder and led by Paul De Lutiis, is increasingly active across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, targeting well-connected urban renewal locations suited to medium and higher-density residential development. The Fitzroy proposal continues that strategy, leveraging the area’s strong transport links, established retail amenity, and proximity to the CBD.

Fitzroy has been one of the most popular spots for developers and buyers in recent years. The likes of PACE Development Group, SMA Projects, Crema Group and Chapter Group, currently selling projects in the suburb.

First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Fitzroy apartments

Design

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GUEST OBSERVATION
At the Australian Institute of Architecture’s 2014 <a href="https://architecture.com.au/events/national/awards/national-awards">National Architecture Awards</a> in Darwin last night, a total of 43 awards and commendations were given across 13 categories by five jurors, chosen from 56 projects shortlisted across eight states and territories from a total of 153 eligible projects.
So in this “best of the best”, as the jury put it, what are some of the emerging themes and trends?
The buildings speak for themselves. They will endure, adapt, change and weather, each in its own way, as all good architecture does. My interest here is in how the profession presents itself, how it fronts up to its constituencies.
In the words of the jury – chaired by Paul Berkemeier – accompanying each award, the language is telling and marked here in quotation marks. It reveals what seems to matter most to architects today, what they value, how they wish to be portrayed and how they see their role and contribution.
Various themes are at work in the jury citations.
Themes
One theme is “aesthetic” and praises the award-winning buildings largely in terms of power (bold, strong, giant, muscular, massive, grand, robust, daring, dramatic); another is “character” (thoughtful, original, visionary, inspired, refined, confident, joyful, playful, whimsical, theatrical, extroverted, modest, timeless, poetic, unassuming, delicate, authoritative, exuberant, sensitive, elegant, adventurous, expressive, rich, beautiful, delightful, humble, efficient, thorough, rigorous, intellectual); yet another is “experience” (exciting, striking, thrilling, vibrant, mesmerising, shimmering, evocative).
Significantly, “bold” and “playful” predominate.
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63813/area14mp/kfd7xx6g-1415236718.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63813/width668/kfd7xx6g-1415236718.jpg" alt=""></a>
Winner of the Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage – Eternity Playhouse by TZG. AIA/ Brett Boardman
Skills
Another theme highlights the skills architects wish to be known for, the capacities they claim as expertise: ingenuity, cleverness, care, imagination, restraint, thoughtfulness, considerateness, subtlety, seduction, discreteness, grace, gentleness, craft, care, ambitiousness, resourcefulness, playfulness, passion, commitment, tenacity.
Projects succeed variously by being cleverly manipulated, adroitly transformed, artfully curated, intelligently arranged, sensitively handled or delicately manoeuvred.
There is widespread valorisation of a “limited palette” of materials, implying that luxury comes through scarcity and paucity, where “a strong singular idea and a restrained material palette can lead to a rich architectural outcome”.
This particular value system, with self-evident moral overtones, is consistent in both the language of citations and the materiality of the projects themselves: raw, restrained yet rich material palette; soft material palette; modest but sensitive palette of materials; Brutalist approach to material selection; restraint and thoughtfulness in the choice of materials.
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63815/area14mp/jcvcsvrz-1415236944.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63815/width668/jcvcsvrz-1415236944.jpg" alt=""></a>
The former Rocks Police Station by Welsh &amp; Major Architects was awarded the National Commendation for Heritage. AIA/ Katherine Lu
Much value is given to architecture’s recuperative function, its role in preserving or “<a href="https://theconversation.com/national-architecture-awards-2014-lets-look-at-the-heritage-finalists-31964">repurposing</a>” historical built fabrics; renewing environments and settings; “finding new uses” for neglected buildings; engaging “rich local history” or “helping to protect, manage and preserve endangered landscapes”.
Among the subjects of this “loving preservation and reinvention” was the former Rocks Police Station in George Street, Sydney, by <a href="https://www.welshmajor.com/">Welsh &amp; Major Architects</a> which received the National Commendation for Heritage with an adaptation for use as a café.
And the <a href="https://www.darlinghursttheatre.com/eternity-playhouse">Eternity Playhouse</a> in Darlinghurst by <a href="https://www.tzg.com.au/">Tonkin Zulaikha Greer</a> (TZG) won the Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage.
Article continues on the next page. Please click below.
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Transformation and education
Another pervasive theme makes claims about architecture’s transformative, didactic role of indicating and educating, leading by example, promoting innovation and pushing boundaries.
A notable trend across the awarded projects is the move to enlightened hybrid programming that is adding value to the national intellectual, research and civic endeavour.
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63816/area14mp/kzxm2yv2-1415237080.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63816/width668/kzxm2yv2-1415237080.jpg" alt=""></a>
Awarded a National Award for Public Architecture, the Dandenong Mental Health Facility – Bates Smart Whitefield McQueen Irwin Alsop Joint Venture. AIA/ John Gollings
Such mixed programs are devised through the initiative of far-sighted institutional and private partnerships, often including architects who are well placed to devise, model and test new typologies equal to the challenge.
Projects such as the <a href="https://www.plantbank.org.au/">Australian PlantBank</a> (main image) by <a href="https://www.donovanhill.com.au/">BVN Donovan Hill</a> in Mount Annan (NSW), which won a National Award for Public Architecture, combines research institute, seed repository, museum and public building.
Also recognised with a National Award for Public Architecture was the Dandenong Mental Health Facility (VIC) by <a href="https://www.batessmart.com.au/">Bates Smart</a> (above), which “reinvents” the familiar institutional typology by recasting it in domestic scale around care and therapeutics.
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63817/area14mp/9d5rk5xg-1415237188.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63817/width668/9d5rk5xg-1415237188.jpg" alt=""></a>
Winner of the National Award for Residential Architecture – Oxlade Drive House by James Russell Architect. AIA/ Toby Scott
The Oxlade Drive House in Queensland by <a href="https://jrarch.com.au/">James Russell Architect</a>, which won the National Award for Residential Architecture, creates a new “prototype for the suburban typology”.
The Commons by <a href="https://www.breathe.com.au/">Breathe Architecture</a> in Melbourne, which “revolutionises apartment living in Australia”, was awarded the Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture, and congratulated for “eliminating what the ‘market’ insists is necessary in multi-residential design”.
Celebration
The most recurrent term casts architecture in quasi-religious light: the key word is “celebration”.
Hence a building “celebrates its spectacular waterfront location”, “celebrates the horizon”, “celebrates beach culture”, “celebrates the hedonism of Bondi life”, “celebrates the use of the verandah in vernacular Queensland architecture”, “celebrates a building’s former life”, “celebrates the terrace and wonderful view”, “glows in celebratory fashion like a lantern on the beach".
<a href="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63818/area14mp/zx82r9mz-1415237323.jpg"><img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63818/width668/zx82r9mz-1415237323.jpg" alt=""></a>
The Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture was awarded to The Commons by Breathe Architecture. AIA/ Urban Angles
Architecture’s defining fact is that it “celebrates … the whole theatre of it all". Yet celebration originates with the Latin mass and means “to assemble (in great numbers) to honour or sing the praises of”.
This turn of phrase, “celebration”, serves as an indicative subtext for an architecture of restraint and self-effacement.
An architecture that functions as a neutral setting, enabling what lies properly outside of it – that is, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifeworld">lifeworld</a> – to be noticed, solicited and experienced.
Michael Tawa is professor of architecture at University of Sydney<a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney"></a>.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
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What the National Architecture Awards tell us about architects

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Kerstin Thompson's House at Hanging Rock has won the top honour at the 2014 National Architecture Awards.
A favourite for the Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture, House at Hanging Rock also took out the Australian Institute of Architects Victorian award for best new house, the Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award for Residential Architecture – New, earlier this year.
The win seems fitting, as rumour has it artist Titania Henderson and her husband commissioned Kerstin Thompson Architects to design the home (pictured above) after they missed out on buying South Yarra's Walsh Street House. The former Boyd family home is now the headquarters of the Robin Boyd Foundation.
Titania and Ian Hendersen remain supporters of Boyd's architecture, and are donors to the foundation.
Overlooking Hanging Rock, the winning home is made of three parallel bands running east to west on a sloping block.
The central and largest section, which overlaps at the ends with the upper and lower bands, holds the kitchen, living and dining areas. The main bedroom suite and a study area are situated in the upper band, and a versatile studio and guest space are in the lower band.
Thompson's design allows the home to take in all aspects of the surrounding environment.
The use of brutalist materials is a defining feature of the house. In June, Titania Hendersen told Radio National's By Design: "This is an environment that has extreme weather conditions, so concrete was important to me. Of course concrete is very difficult to build, and that wasn't easy, but I'm very pleased that I chose this material."
The materials also give the house a high Bushfire Attack Level rating.
This year was the first time the National Architecture Awards divided the Residential – Houses category into new builds and alteration and additions.
West Australian practice Philip Stejskal Architecture won the inaugural award for alterations and additions for a Bellevue Terrace home, pictured below.
<img src="/images/2014/11/06/1Res-AA_PhilipStejskalArchitecture_BellevueTerraceAlterations_BoWong.jpg" alt="">
Source: AIA. Photograph by Bo Wong.
University of Queensland's Advanced Engineering Building by Richard Kirk Architect and HASSELL was the most awarded project of the night, taking home the Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture, the Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture and a Sustainable Architecture Award (pictured below).
<img src="/images/2014/11/06/Sustainable_RichardKirkArchitectHASSELL_UQAdvancedEngineeringBuildi_PeterBennetts.jpg" alt="">
Source: AIA. Photograph by Peter Bennetts.
The jury was headed by the Architecture Institute of Australia's immediate past present Paul Berkemeier.
"It is encouraging that so many projects embodied best practice with informed clients, effective procurement methods, appropriate funding models and intelligent architecture. This provides us with great optimism for the future of our public spaces – an area that has so often delivered dispiriting outcomes," said Berkemeier.
Oxlade Drive House in Brisbane by James Russell Architect won the first ever People's Choice Award (pictured below) ahead of last night's ceremony, where it also picked up the National Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New).
<img src="/images/2014/11/06/8Res-New_JamesRussellArchitect_OxladeDriveHouse_TobyScott.jpg" alt="">
Source: AIA. Photograph by Toby Scott.
The full list of winners are on the next page. Please click below.
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 The National Architecture Awards 2014 winners:
Commercial Architecture
<ul>
<li>The Harry Seidler Award for Commercial Architecture: White Bay Cruise Terminal – Johnson Pilton Walker (NSW)</li>
</ul>
National Awards for Commercial Architecture
<ul>
<li>8 Chifley Square – Lippmann Partnership/Rogers Stirk Harbour &amp; Partners (NSW)</li>
<li>Bread in Common – spaceagency (WA)</li>
</ul>
National Commendation for Commercial Architecture
<ul>
<li>Prahran Hotel – Techne Architects (Vic)</li>
</ul>
Enduring Architecture
The National Enduring Architecture Award
<ul>
<li>CB Alexander College, Tocal – Ian McKay and Philip Cox, Architects in Association (NSW)</li>
</ul>
Heritage
The Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage
<ul>
<li> Eternity Playhouse – Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects (NSW)</li>
</ul>
National Commendation for Heritage
<ul>
<li>Former Police Station, 127-129 George Street, The Rocks – Welsh + Major Architects with Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (NSW)</li>
</ul>
Interior Architecture
The Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture
<ul>
<li>UQ Advanced Engineering Building – Richard Kirk Architect HASSELL Joint Venture (Qld)</li>
</ul>
National Awards for Interior Architecture
<ul>
<li>Bread in Common – spaceagency (WA)</li>
<li>Garangula Gallery – Fender Katsalidis Mirams Architects (NSW)</li>
<li>Hotel Hotel – March Studio (ACT)</li>
<li>Sustainable Industries Education Centre – MPH Architects + Architectus in association (SA)</li>
</ul>
International Architecture
The Jørn Utzon Award for International Architecture
<ul>
<li>Stonehenge Exhibition + Visitor Centre – Denton Corker Marshall (United Kingdom)</li>
</ul>
Award for International Architecture
<ul>
<li>Shelter@Rainforest – Marra + Yeh Architects (East Malaysia)</li>
</ul>
Public Architecture
The Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture
<ul>
<li>UQ Advanced Engineering Building – Richard Kirk Architect HASSELL Joint Venture (Qld)</li>
</ul>
National Awards for Public Architecture
<ul>
<li>Australian PlantBank – BVN Donovan Hill (NSW)</li>
<li>Dallas Brooks Community Primary School – McBride Charles Ryan (Vic)</li>
<li>Dandenong Mental Health Facility – Bates Smart Whitefield McQueen Irwin Alsop Joint Venture (Vic)</li>
<li>Prince Alfred Park + Pool Upgrade – Neeson Murcutt Architects in association with City of Sydney (NSW)</li>
<li>UTAS Institute for Marine &amp; Antarctic Studies – John Wardle Architects + Terroir, in Association (Tas)</li>
</ul>
National Commendations for Public Architecture
<ul>
<li>North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club – Durbach Block Jaggers in association with Peter Colquhoun (NSW)</li>
<li>South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute – Woods Bagot (SA)</li>
</ul>
Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)
The Australian Institute of Architects Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)
<ul>
<li>Bellevue Terrace Alterations + Additions – Philip Stejskal Architecture (WA)</li>
</ul>
National Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)
<ul>
<li>West End Tower – Owen and Vokes and Peters (Qld)</li>
</ul>
National Commendation for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions)
<ul>
<li>Strohmayr House – Troppo Architects (NT)</li>
</ul>
Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
The Robin Boyd Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
<ul>
<li>House at Hanging Rock – Kerstin Thompson Architects (Vic)</li>
</ul>
National Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
<ul>
<li>Oxlade Drive House – James Russell Architect (Qld)</li>
</ul>
National Commendations for Residential Architecture – Houses (New)
<ul>
<li>Hover House – Bower Architecture (Vic)</li>
<li>Southern Outlet House – Philip M Dingemanse (Tas)</li>
</ul>
Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing
The Frederick Romberg Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing
<ul>
<li>The Commons – Breathe Architecture (Vic)</li>
</ul>
National Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing
<ul>
<li>UNSW Kensington Colleges – Bates Smart (NSW)</li>
</ul>
National Commendation for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing
<ul>
<li>Gantry – Bates Smart (NSW)</li>
</ul>
Small Project Architecture
The Nicholas Murcutt Award for Small Project Architecture
<ul>
<li>Bicheno Surf Life Saving Club + Boathouse – Birrelli art + design + architecture (Tas)</li>
</ul>
National Awards for Small Project Architecture
<ul>
<li>Balmain Apartment – Durbach Block Jaggers (NSW)</li>
<li>Kew Studio – Sean Godsell Architects (Vic)</li>
</ul>
National Commendation for Small Project Architecture
<ul>
<li>Studio 217 – Amalie Wright &amp; Richard Buchanan (Qld)</li>
</ul>
Sustainable Architecture
The David Oppenheim Award for Sustainable Architecture
<ul>
<li>The Commons – Breathe Architecture (Vic)</li>
</ul>
National Awards for Sustainable Architecture
<ul>
<li>Australian PlantBank – BVN Donovan Hill (NSW)</li>
<li>The Wayside Chapel – environa studio (NSW)</li>
<li>UQ Advanced Engineering Building – Richard Kirk Architect HASSELL Joint Venture (Qld)</li>
</ul>
Urban Design
The Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design
<ul>
<li>Prince Alfred Park + Pool Upgrade – Neeson Murcutt Architects in association with City of Sydney (NSW)</li>
</ul>
National Award for Urban Design
<ul>
<li>GASP! Stage 02 – Room 11 (Tas)</li>
</ul>
COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture
The National COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture
<ul>
<li>White Bay Cruise Terminal – Johnson Pilton Walker (NSW)</li>
</ul>
2014 Jury
Paul Berkemeier – Immediate Past President, Australian Institute of Architects and Principal, Paul Berkemeier Architects (Jury Chair) Clare Cousins – Director, Clare Cousins Architects Justin Hill – Director, Kerry Hill Architects Virginia Kerridge – Principal, Virginia Kerridge Architect Lindy Johnson – Director, Lindy Johnson (Lay Juror)
Main picture from AIA. Photograph by Trevor Mein.
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Kerstin Thompson Architects win with House at Hanging Rock

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A modernist Allen Jack &amp; Cottier-designed home in Vaucluse has been sold for $3.5 million.
Some six bidders competed for the dry side Coolong Road property.
There was an opening bid of $2.8 million.
It was bought by a young family returning from Melbourne.
The five-bedroom home features exposed brick walls, quarry tiled floors and Scandinavian inspired design.
The property was sold through Michael Dunn and James Dunn of Richardson &amp; Wrench Double Bay having been tightly held by one family for over 30 years.
<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-vaucluse-118070319" target="_blank">It was marketed as having versatile spaces</a> including a formal living room with walled garden and family room with alfresco court-garden. Upstairs has a living room with balcony, master wing with sitting room/guest room and study area, and four further bedrooms.
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Allen Jack & Cottier 1970s Vaucluse home sells for $3.5 million

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GUEST OBSERVATION
A small group of people is gathered around a campfire in a Victorian State Forest. Members of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TinyHousesAustralia" target="_blank">Tiny Houses Australia community</a>, they’re attending a spring camp to talk about how to build a tiny house, and compare notes on how to address common barriers, like local government planning schemes.
The group is diverse, from students to professionals and retirees. One has been living temporarily in caravans. Others were forced to move into shared accommodation or board with family. Most have given up on the idea of buying their own home, put off by the high price tag or the size of the mortgage, or the downside of living far from family or employment.
Most of the group are also fierce promoters of a more sustainable, minimalist way of life who want their new houses to reflect this. You won’t find many en suites or walk-in wardrobes in their floor plans.
Is bigger really better?
Something is wrong when <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/25372224/170k-family-priced-out-of-perth/" target="_blank">a professional earning A$170,000</a> cannot afford to live close to work; or <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/property/firsthome-crisis-triggers-call-for-action-20131115-2xmcv" target="_blank">a doctor needs a parental loan</a> to buy a house. All 25 major urban housing markets in Australia are ranked as <a href="https://www.demographia.com/dhi.pdf" target="_blank">severely unaffordable</a>; and Australia has the <a href="https://www.imf.org/external/research/housing/index.htm" target="_blank">second most unaffordable</a> housing market among member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Australian houses are also <a href="https://www.demographia.com/dhi.pdf" target="_blank">among the largest</a> in the OECD. In 2008, the average new house was 214 square metres, double the size of an average 1950s house. Very large houses are not only more expensive, but environmentally unsustainable. For example, the major factors that determine a house’s greenhouse gas emissions are its size and location; the bigger and more isolated the house, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10901-011-9212-2#page-1" target="_blank">the larger its emissions</a>.
For many, particularly young people entering the market and older people leaving the workforce, the “great Australian dream” of a big house on a quarter-acre block is a distant fantasy. And even for those who are living the dream, a sudden interest-rate rise, job loss or chronic illness could rapidly turn it into a nightmare.
Regardless of the debate over whether we’re in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/memo-to-the-imf-there-is-no-housing-bubble-27925" target="_blank">housing bubble</a>, the affordability problem is much broader than property prices. The most serious issue is the lack of affordable <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8462.2008.00502.x/full" target="_blank">rental accommodation</a>.
Finding sanctuary in a tiny house
From this backdrop has emerged a trend towards <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-09/tiny-houses-big-with-u-s-owners-seeking-economic-freedom" target="_blank">building much smaller houses</a>. The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_house_movement" target="_blank">tiny house movement</a> originated in the United States in the late 1990s, largely in response to problems with housing affordability, although it has also been spurred on by the <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/global-financial-crisis" target="_blank">global financial crisis</a> and a widespread desire to live more sustainably. The movement has now spread to New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
Tiny houses are generally smaller than 40 square metres, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com.au/beautiful-tiny-homes-2014-8#this-60-square-foot-home-is-the-smallest-house-in-the-uk-16" target="_blank">can take many forms</a>, from granny flats, to repurposed shipping containers, to <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/03/21/tiny-house-on-wheels-abbotsford_n_5003376" target="_blank">complete houses built on trailers</a>.
<img src="https://62e528761d0685343e1c-f3d1b99a743ffa4142d9d7f1978d9686.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/files/63676/width668/m36s92m7-1415151376.jpg" alt="">
Room to manoeuvre: some tiny houses have wheels - just don’t call them caravans. The Tiny Abode Co., Author provided
The benefits of tiny houses include <a href="https://tinyhousebuild.com/tiny-houses-infographic">overall sustainability</a>, reduced energy and water use (tiny houses are often “off the grid”) and, of course, affordability. Some tiny houses can cost less than A$10,000. Moreover, they <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1162/1088198054084680/abstract">use significantly less resources</a> to build, and are often constructed from salvaged materials or sustainably sourced products.
Mobile tiny houses could even help their inhabitants adapt to climate change; a house on wheels can be moved out of danger from floods or storm surges. They can allow adult children or aged parents to live independently, yet maintain access to family, employment and public transport.
Tiny houses can even address aspects of homelessness. In the United States, some local governments are donating land for <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/27/greensboro-north-carolina-tiny-homes_n_6054590?ir=Impact" target="_blank">homeless people to build their own tiny homes</a>.
This article continues on the next page. Please click below.
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
The biggest issues with a tiny house
Although <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TinyHouseBlog" target="_blank">information is plentiful</a> on building techniques, plans and design, it is not very easy to build a tiny house. However, as attendees at the Spring Camp agreed, perhaps the biggest problem with building a tiny house is finding a place to put it.
Tiny houses do not conform to many <a href="https://www.berkeleyside.com/2011/01/07/a-city-looks-for-big-solutions-in-a-little-very-little-house" target="_blank">local government planning schemes</a> or building codes, which mandate minimum house sizes, maximum number of houses per plot, connection to utilities, parking provisions, and restrictions on temporary occupation.
It might also be argued that allowing tiny houses will reduce land values and lead to health and safety concerns, such as overcrowding. But people currently live in crowded conditions or illegally in sheds or caravans.
Some states, such as New South Wales, allow property owners to build <a href="https://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Portals/0/plansforaction/affordablehousing/docs/Affordable%20Housing_Fact_Granny%20Flats.pdf" target="_blank">granny flats</a>. In other states, the regulations differ between and within each local government, although almost almost all have restrictions on the duration of temporary occupation.
For non property-owners, particularly those who don’t want to take any legal risks, the options are fewer. And of course, local governments can and should impose planning restrictions on tiny houses, and ensure that they comply with building codes and standards.
Tiny houses are not for everyone. They will probably <a href="https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&amp;recordOId=4196241&amp;fileOId=4196242">always remain a niche market</a>, more suited to people with no children, or retirees.
Niche, yes, but for some people tiny houses could be a lifeline. Being unable to afford to buy property, fulfil mortgage commitments, or even rent a home can lead to <a href="https://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&amp;aid=1046376&amp;fileId=S0033291706009767" target="_blank">mental and physical illness</a>. In a sustainable city, everyone should be able to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0811114032000147430#.VFB38vmUd8E">access affordable housing</a>, and a tiny house is certainly better than no house at all.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/32225/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">Heather Shearer is research fellow, urban research program at <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/" target="_blank">Griffith University</a>.
Heather is a member of the Greens Party, 350 Org and the Tiny Houses Australia Facebook Group. 
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.
Feature picture courtesy of the author.
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Move over, McMansions – the tiny house movement is here

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The former home of television producer turned resort entrepreneur Henry Crawford and his wife Nina Hill has been listed for auction.
The couple sold The Stables in Clovelly for $2.4 million in 2004 to the current vendors.<a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-clovelly-118213759" target="_blank"> It is now listed</a> through Chris Volpatti and Conrad Panebianco of McGrath Coogee with $3.25 million plus expectations.
Crawford and Hill gave the converted stables an Asian-inspired renovation the year before selling. The four bedroom house is now described as an "eclectic fusion of tropical resort style aesthetics with state-of-the-art bespoke inclusions" by the listing agents.
The dark façade of the home belies its light-filled interiors, with high raked ceilings with exposed timber beams. The Stables retain many of its original timber floorboards, with trap doors formerly used to throw hay to its original early 1900s inhabitants.
{qtube vid:=xafIwZ_3vPE}
The ground floor holds a number of entertaining and break out areas. There is a lounge and gym area, a games room and media room with built in cabinetry and Sonos wiring, with a studio towards the back of the house with a kitchen and butler's pantry.
On the upper level, there are three bedrooms and a gallery area. The kitchen, dining, living and master bedroom all have a view to the covered alfresco entertaining area on the upper level, which features a plunge pool.
The current owners have quite the art collection, with work by artists including David Bromley and Bill Henson hanging on the walls. A large mural covers two walls of one of the home gym.
After beginning his career as an actor and lawyer, Crawford joined Crawford Productions, at that time one of Australia's largest production companies, owned by distant relatives Dorothy and Hector Crawford. He went on to produce about 1,000 hours of drama before he decided to try his hand at the tourism industry, building Vatulele, a luxury "eco-sensitive" resort in Fiji.
Crawford is now on the Urban Design Panel at the Queenstown District Lakes Council in New Zealand.
1 Greville Street will be auctioned on Saturday 15 November.
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Henry Crawford's former Clovelly conversion on the market

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Guriganya, a pavilion-style residence in Paddington, Sydney, was passed in at auction last night.
The top bid was $5.2 million when auction at Cooley Auctions. Some $5.25 million is being sought.
While not the first pavilion-style house built in Sydney, Guriganya’s design received <a href="/news/paddingtons-guriganya-and-the-pavilion-trend-he-said-she-said">much acclaim when it was built in the late 1970s</a> including a merit award in 1980 from the Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
Designed by architect Terry Dorrough and his wife, artist and interior designer Helen, the three-pavilion abode was built on the site of Sydney's fourth progressive school, Guriganya Community School.
The single storey pavilion style residence, with a mezzanine level over the garage, surrounds a courtyard garden on its 443 square metre block. 
At its 2006 auction through Ray White Double Bay agents Michael Finger and Kim Hayes, Guriganya sold for $4.83 million to insurance guru John Mills and his partner Greg Clark.
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Guriganya, Paddington passed in at $5.2 million

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A two bedroom house surrounded by gardens was the cheapest sold at weekend auction in Adelaide.
Kristy Dundon of Harris Real Estate sold the house at <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-sa-blackwood-118120775" target="_blank">20 Brightwood Avenue</a>, Blackwood for $450,000.
The home is located in Blackwood, at the foot of the Adelaide hills.
On the lower level there is a kitchen and dining room, bedroom, bathroom and living area that opens onto an outdoor entertaining deck. The mezzanine level holds the main bedroom and a living space. Double height windows look onto the property's well established gardens, set over 898 square metres of land.
The property also includes a separate studio, a double carport and storage under the house.
The sellers bought the home for $173,000 in 2000.
<a href="/news">Blackwood</a> has a median sale price of $480,000, according to RP Data.
Earlier this year Property Observer's contrarian commentators Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok debated <a href="/expert-insights/investing/a-frame-houses-do-they-work-he-said-she-said">the merits of the A-frame design</a>.
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A-frame Blackwood home Adelaide’s cheapest at auction

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Gerard Smith Design took home three awards at the first ever National Building Design Awards last week.
River House, in the Sunshine Coast, won  National Building Design of the Year, Best Residential Interior Design and Best New Residential Design for homes with a construction cost over $1 million.
According to Smith, the house's natural surroundings were a central focus of the home's design.
"Our objective was to incorporate natural products and complement the natural landscaping on the exterior of the home, which formed the inspiration for the palette of materials and colours used throughout the interior," said Smith.
The house's interiors feature polished concrete, natural stone tiles, hardwood timbers and wool carpet.
"We used these materials in the joinery to work in harmony with the other natural materials in the home and with the natural environment," he said.
The home's design takes full advantage of its waterfront position, with water views available through the living space upon entry. The open living space offers views to the pool, landscaped courtyard or river from every position.
On the upper level there is an expansive master bedroom, complete with walk-in-robe, concealed kitchenette and parents' retreat area.
The ensuite includes a raised bath overlooking the water, while a wraparound balcony also delivers river views.
The the merits of entries in the National Building Design Awards were considered in terms sustainability, success as a design solution, relationship of internal and external spaces, utility, quality and balance of internal and external aesthetics.
Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud, who presented the awards, called River House "a delightful and triumphant design".
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Sunshine Coast's River House wins big at inaugural National Building Design Awards

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The Whale Beach award-winning Archer House has been relisted with $10 million aspirations.
Architect Craig Rosevear won the 2001 Wilkinson Award after it was commissioned by venture capitalist entrepreneur David Archer and his blogger wife, Vicki.
The London-based couple are best known for their time at Craig-y-mor at Point Piper.
The 251 Whale Beach Road block cost $385,000 in 1986. 
The Hobart architect designed the minimalist three-level house which has since featured in the 2004The Phaidon Atlas Of Contemporary World Architecture. 
It has two main bedrooms, a guest bedroom and a large bunk room. The upper level of the steel frame and glass house has the kitchen, dining and living rooms. 
A floor panel of translucent glass runs the length of the house and separates the kitchen and living areas. 
Its waxed concrete floors provide coolness in summer and underfloor heating in winter. The 832 squre metre beachfront property has a pathway through native flora to the sand.
The stunning four-bedroom residence has been listed <a href="https://www.ljhooker.com.au/2ZAF6Z/4-bedroom-house-for-sale-whale-beach" target="_blank">through LJ Hooker Palm Beach's David Edwards</a> who is taking offers until 27 November. 
Title Tattle recalls in 2009 the Belgravia, London based couple - who maintain a holiday home at Saint-Remy de Provence in France - were seeking offers of more than $10 million.
 
 
 
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Craig Rosevear-designed Wilkinson winning Archer, Whale Beach house listed

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The Rippon House, on Burns Road, Wahroonga which was designed 45 years ago by the late Gerry Rippon, has been listed for sale.
The vendors Michelle and Michael James want to find a loving custodian who will protect the house.
It remains unaltered in any significant way since designed in 1969 with Rippon's intent to create a canopied treehouse.
It is marketed as uniquely Australian, while gently evocative of Japanese architecture and the works of Frank Lloyd Wright.
There are double-height glass and timber living pavilion to the west, single-storey brick sleeping wing to the east.
Modern House <a href="https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-wahroonga-117895295" target="_blank">has the offering</a>.
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