Bradbury Park Playscape won for major awards regional architecture awards
A unique northside playground has been named Brisbane’s building of the year thanks to its revolutionary anti-screentime appeal.
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A revolutionary playscape designed for teenagers to lure them away from their screens was the major winner at the Greater Brisbane Regional Architecture Awards.
Resembling a backdrop to a Mad Max movie, the Bradbury Park Playscape at Kedron in Brisbane’s northside, won four major awards on Friday night including the John Dalton Award for Building of the Year.
Joel Alcorn, whose team at Alcorn Middleton designed the playscape, said the brief from the Brisbane City Council was to focus on 10 to 15 year olds who were often overlooked in the design of public spaces.
“They wanted to cater for that age bracket to get them back in the world because they’re so digitally focused now,” he said.
“I don’t think there's anything like this in the world and its uniquely Australian. It’s about building risk into play. We can’t bubble wrap kids anymore and they wanted us to design it to the max which I think we delivered.”
As well as the building of the year award the first-of-its-kind playscape won the Greater Brisbane People’s Choice Award and two Commendations – for Public Architecture and Urban Design.
The jury describe the design as setting “a new benchmark for both government and private industry in the provision of innovative play for older children”.
They praised the architects’ “pioneering approach to playground planning” and their ability to “reimagine the traditional park and playground typology”.
The Brisbane City Council goes further, describing the design as “ a new benchmark for both government and private industry in the provision of innovative play for older children.”
Mr Alcorn said the design sought to connect the surrounding woodland to the structure with part of it resembling hollowed out logs. The play area is inside and includes climbing walls and a 6m high balancing beam as well as a large slide.
“We’ve never designed a playground before so we came in with a unique perspective and challenges,” he said.
“We had to entertain a certain age group so what we offered had to be more adventurous than your typical playground.”
The other major award went to architects Nielsen Jenkins for Kangaroo Point House which won the Greater Brisbane House of the Year.
Nominated in the category of alterations and additions, this lowset home was slightly raised and now feature a two-storey void. The Jury said the “house sinks into the landscape, with the new lower spaces slightly below street level, creating a constant connection to an enveloping garden that provides separation and privacy.”
The homeowner said: “The reaction of first-time visitors is my favourite. The house is relatively unremarkable from the street, and doesn’t give any clue to the unexpected fabulousness behind the front door.”
THE GREATER BRISBANE REGIONA: ARCHITECTURE AWARD
John Dalton Award for Building of the Year
Bradbury Park Playscape – Alcorn Middleton
2024 Lord Mayor’s Brisbane Buildings that Breathe Architecture Commendation
The Greenhouse – Blight Rayner Architecture
Riviere – Bates Smart
Greater Brisbane House of the Year Award
Kangaroo Point House – Nielsen Jenkins
Greater Brisbane People’s Choice Award
Bradbury Park Playscape – Alcorn Middleton
Commendation – Educational Architecture
UQ Brisbane City – BVN
All Hallows’ School, The Potter Building Adaptive Re-Use Project – Fulton Trotter Architects
New Farm State School – BVN
STEAM Precinct Brisbane Grammar School – Wilson Architects
CHAC Primary Administration – Reddog Architects in association with Blueline Architecture
Commendation – Commercial Architecture
The Belvedere – KP Architects
The Greenhouse – Blight Rayner Architecture
11 Logan Road – KIRK
Commendation – Heritage Architecture
Catherine’s House – Architectus Conrad Gargett
UQ Brisbane City – BVN
Commendation – Public Architecture
Bradbury Park Playscape – Alcorn Middleton
Redlands Satellite Hospital – Fulton Trotter Architects with Architectus Conrad Gargett
Catherine’s House – Architectus Conrad Gargett
Commendation – Urban Design Architecture
Bradbury Park Playscape – Alcorn Middleton
Commendation – Small Architecture
Kaggarabah – Bushland Communal Hub – Deicke Richards
Commendation – Interior Architecture
11 Logan Road – KIRK
UQ Brisbane City – BVN
Aidan’s Place – Blight Rayner Architecture
Hassell Studio Brisbane – Hassell
Law Society House – BVN
Australian Retirement Trust Workplace – Cox Architecture
STEAM Precinct Brisbane Grammar School – Wilson Architects
Commendation – Residential Architecture Houses (Alterations and Additions)
High Street – Lineburg Wang
Sidney House – OH Architecture
Little Green Cabin – Cloud Dwellers
Verandah Terraces – Phorm architecture + design
39S House Andrew – Noonan Architect
Surrey Hills Garden Terrace – Kieron Gait Architects
View Street Renovations And Extensions – Jim Gall Architects Pty Ltd and Five Mile Radius
River Loop House – Vokes and Peters
Auchenflower Cottage + Tower – Bligh Graham Architects
Kangaroo Point House – Nielsen Jenkins
Commendation – Residential Architecture (Multiple Housing)
Kaggarabah – Affordable Housing – Deicke Richards
VIDA – Hollindale Mainwaring Architecture
Riviere – Bates Smart
Canvas – bureau^proberts
Upper House – Koichi Takada Architects
Sunnyside – Push Architecture
Commendation – Residential Architecture (Houses – New)
Wellington – Base Architecture
Warwick Brick House – Marc & Co
Hopewell Street Residence – W. I. M Architects
East Room House – Loucas Zahos Architects
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