Green building advocates Australian Living is an organization that tries to promote sustainable building initiatives through a variety of platforms, including awards, such as the International Green Interior Awards, which attempts to raise the ‘green interiors’ bar by stimulating interior designers, architects and decorators to integrate green interior products into projects and manufacturers to design and make innovative interior products that are healthy for us and our environment.
The 2015 Awards were handed out on Thursday, November 5 in Sydney, and the Google Head Office in South Africa took the top prize as Overall Winner. “This is a truly well thought out sustainable project inspired by the contextual fabric of Johannesburg, South Africa,” said Daphna Tal, Head Judge and Sustainable Interior Consultant. The commitment to using ethical products from the surrounding community and other sustainable products is a wonderful approach that educates others in the possibilities of being sustainable whilst designing a cool office. Very inspiring.” Green efforts in the project included collecting used jeans from staff members to create the upholstery; furniture was made of recycled/upcycled items such as old wheel barrels that were converted into stools; and 7,500 recycled magazines were used as cladding in the waiting nook.
superkül was lone Canadian winner in an otherwise Australian-dominated roster, for the Steelcase WorkLife project in Toronto.
Overall Winner
Google Head Office South Africa, Boogertman + Partners, ecocentric and Solid Green (South Africa)
Office – Large (more than 50 employees)
Commendation: Lendlease Brisbane Office Fitout, Lendlease and Hassell (Australia):
Winner: Google Head Office South Africa, Boogertman + Partners, ecocentric and Solid Green (South Africa)
Office – Small (less than 50 employees)
Commendation: Green Building Council of South Africa Head Office Interiors Fitout, Collaboration and Terramanzi (South Africa)
Winner: Steelcase WorkLife Toronto, superkül (Canada)
Residential – Renovation
Commendation: Slot House, ssd studio (Australia)
Winner: Jill’s House, Green Sheep Collective and Filter ESD (Australia)
Residential – New Build
Winner: Carbon Positive House, ArchiBlox (Australia)
Hospitality
Commendation: The Public Brewery, Bekendales Design Co (Australia)
Winner: Mamasan Surry Hills, Adam Hunt and Gemma Lin (Australia)
Retail
Winner: V-Zug Zugorama Showroom, V-Zug and Whiting Architects (Australia)
Education
Commendation: Melbourne Art Book Fair, Fold Theory (Australia)
Winner: TED Conference Canada, Rockwell Group (USA)
Aged Care
Commendation: Mernda Retirement Village Clubhouse, Stockland Retirement Living and 6 Degrees Architects (Australia)
Winner: Lendlease Keperra Sanctuary, Ashkan Motaghim and Intrec (Australia)
Healthcare
Winner: Fresh Holistic Health, Cab Roto and Fresh Holistic Health (Australia)
Students
Commendation: Welsh Victorian Townhouse Retrofit, Carolyn Hayles (United Kingdom)
Winner: Balsa-lation, Nathan Kotlarewski and Swinburne University Of Technology (Australia / Papua New Guinea)
Product Innovation
Commendation: Timber Acoustic Panel, Admonter (Australia / Austria)
Commendation: Vertical Furniture, Dylan Falecki (Australia)
Winner: Original Seed, Madeleine Dennis (Australia)
