Blacktown City Council has been recognised by the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) with the awarding of its 2023 Presidents Award.
Mayor, Tony Bleasdale OAM said, “I am proud of the commitment to our City and Western Sydney from the team at Council led by City Architect and Director of Transformational Design, Bill Tsakalos.”
“In Blacktown City we are building a modern city, fit for a bright future for our residents. Council is getting on with the job, building the right ideas, working hard to provide the resources and making them work for local families.
“Receiving the Australian Institute of Architects President’s Award is a tremendous honour and is testament to the efforts of our community, architects, and planners.
“The recognition affirms Council’s commitment to transforming the Blacktown City through the creation of public spaces that not only meet the needs of our residents but also provides a more liveable, sustainable, and enjoyable urban environment,” Mayor Bleasdale said.
The AIA President’s Award cited the delivery of two of Councils transformational building projects.
The Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre, BARC was designed BARC was designed by the Australian firm, Sam Crawford Architects and delivered based on international research into the world’s best practice in animal welfare.
BARC is designed with a connection to nature in our local environment. With the help of main contractor, AW Edwards, Council built a safer environment for animals and a one stop shop that supports animal rehoming for the benefit of our Residents.
The Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub (BEST) in the Blacktown International Sports Park is designed to make a positive impact on community health, research, sports performance, and rehabilitation.
The design team of ARM Architecture and Co-op developed the extraordinary BEST design. BEST was constructed by Buildcorp, with Architectus designing the landscape and physical literacy area.
BEST provides state-of-the-art facilities for training, sports medicine, rehabilitation, research and education as well as providing accommodation, a large café-restaurant and an innovative fun play space for kids of all ages and abilities.
