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Wednesday, 13 October 2010

Shrouded under a cloak of secrecy to ensure each entry was based on its merit, the winner of the Cut Hill House 2010 Design Competition was announced as Team 371, lead by UWA Assistant Architecture Professor Rene Van Meeuwen, at the exhibition's official opening on Monday night.

Cut Hill was a UWA Faculty of Architecture, Landscape & Visual Arts (ALVA) competition, sponsored by Charlie and Caroline Morgan, to design a world's best practice sustainable and sculptural house at Cut Hill, York, Western Australia, and to win the $10,000 prize on offer.

Team 371 was comprised of ALVA Faculty students/ recent graduates Matt Delroy-Carr, Andrew Harvey, James French, UWA consultant and ALVA Faculty Landscape Architect Winthrop Professor Richard Weller, external consultants Daniel Juengling, Beth George and Adam Cherry.

Due to the secretive nature of the competition, all entries had to be kept anonymous until judging was complete, Rene said his team was completely blown away by their win, especially given the calibre of the other entrants.

"The win is a welcome recognition of the hard work of the talented members of our team," he said.

"And on behalf of Team 371 I would like to thank and congratulate the rest of the competition entrants who set the bar extremely high, pushing the boundaries of what a sustainable and sculptural house looks and feels like in Western Australia today."

Of his team's entry Rene said their house was designed to last beyond their own lives.

"Part of the underlying principle of its sustainable aspirations is to last for generations," he said.

Of the winning entry the jury felt it contained the most potential to achieve the ambitions of the competition brief, a sustainable and sculptural house with strong relationships to its site in York.

"The roof, as infrastructure, although still needing development, offers great promise as an instrument for achieving sustainable outcomes and containing in a strong single form the various elements of the house program," the jury said.

"The house itself extends effectively into the site, establishing distinctive and memorable places within the reconstructed landscape, both to the south and in between the elements of the house.

"There is a very well-considered sequence of spaces and experiences, particularly on the western side of the house. The series of cross sections demonstrates a richness in the consideration of the spatial and material qualities of the house, a sculptured set of interior spaces with a tailored sense of ceremony in their design."

Team 397, lead by ALVA Faculty Associate Architecture Professor Nigel Westbrook, received an honourable mention for the energy aspect of their entry, while team 351, lead by Assistant Architecture Professor Sophie Giles received an honourable mention for the landscape aspect of their entry.

ALVA Dean Winthrop Professor Simon Anderson said as Cut Hill was the first competition of its kind coordinated by the Faculty he had been very impressed with the number and quality of entrants.

"It is hoped that Cut Hill will be just the first of many such competitions which showcase the specific talents of staff in Architecture at UWA, working with collaborators from other faculties, and our students," he said.

Entries into the Cut Hill House 2010 Design Competition are on display at the Cullity Gallery until October 22.

The gallery is situated in the ALVA Faculty, UWA's Nedlands Campus, corner of Stirling Highway and Hampden Road, and is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Media references

Carey Hemingway (ALVA Faculty Communications Officer), [email protected] , +61 8 6488 1859

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