$6.5m reno hailed as architecture hallmark with award

The architects behind the $6.5 million makeover of the Sunshine Beach Surf Club have snagged a major state award and are now in line for national honours.

The architects behind the $6.5 million makeover to the Sunshine Beach Surf Club have snagged a major state award and are now in line for national honours.

It was Brisbane's Push Architecture who teamed up with local architect Andrew Bock to tackle the stunning transformation over a five-year period.

It reopened in January to a sea of fanfare, and until the global pandemic struck, had been a popular destination of difference for punters.

On Thursday night, the duo won a state award at the Australian Institute of Architects' Queensland Architecture Awards. It automatically qualifies them for the national honours.

Push Architecture director Paul Curran said there had been stiff competition just to win the contract, with the surf club's committee determined to create a "funky, edgy" new club.

The surf club committee had toured the state to come up with a bold vision unlike anything of its kind.

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Mr Curran and Mr Bock also had to come up with a design that respected the environment and its neighbours in the multimillion-dollar suburb.

"We are really proud (of it). Particularly of how it neatly nestles into the dunes and looks the part," Mr Curran said.

"The roof curves into this shell, which is able to hide all the ugly things like aircon and venting, it's so neat.

"The committee were seeking to get a really high quality outcome, which we wanted to deliver."

RAIA Sunshine Beach Surf Club

A jury, made up of renowned architects and academics from across the state, announced the winners in a Zoom ceremony tonight.

Mr Curran, who watched the ceremony at a bar in Brisbane with his colleagues, said he would have much preferred to be on the club's balcony overlooking the ocean.

He said it was now a true community facility to be enjoyed for generations.

"Now the club has a proper function room, you can have celebrations from birth to death, that's the way we saw it … first birthdays, weddings and wakes," he said.

"And in such a beautiful destination.

"There's a level of excitement among people who want to go there and visit.

"Knowing that we improved it is really nice."

RAIA Sunshine Beach Surf Club

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Richard Coulson, the chair of the jury and director of COX Architecture, said each award winner had reflected a response to the environment in their own way.

"The projects include opportunities that allow many members of the Queensland public to benefit from good architectural design," Mr Coulson said.

"They include innovation in technology and materials balanced with a pragmatic response to climate - a hallmark of Queensland Architecture."

Mr Curran said he wished to thank committee chair Warwick Redwood and manager Tim Johnson for their vision and support throughout the project.

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