Finalists revealed for NSW Pattern Book Design Competition

Fifteen architectural consortia from across the globe have been selected as finalists for the New South Wales Pattern Book Design Competition.

The competition seeks to increase the supply of quality and improve the diversity of low- and mid-rise housing through designs that can easily be replicated. The endorsed designs will be contained within a pattern book and will qualify for expedited development approval.

The shortlisted professional candidates include 12 architecture teams from New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia, alongside three international consortia: one from London, one from New Zealand, and another featuring architects from Germany, Italy, India and Australia.

Additionally, six student teams have been shortlisted, including four from the University of Sydney, one from Western Sydney University and another from the University of Melbourne.

The competition received 212 expressions of interests, 176 from Australia and 36 from Europe, the UK, Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. This figure is only 18 entries less than that of the Sydney Opera House international design competition, which attracted 230 entries.

The panel responsible for evaluating entries includes NSW government architect Abbie Galvin as jury chair; architect, urban designer and 2024 gold medalist Philip Thalis; NSW emerging architect 2024 Jennifer McMaster; architect and Indigenous spatial expert Michael Mossman, and international architect Paul Karakusevic, who is based in the UK.

Acting government architect NSW Paulo Macchia said the process of narrowing down the expressions of interests into a final shortlist proved to be quite challenging, as the quality of submissions was high.

"It's encouraging to see the innovative and thoughtful submissions and the jury looks forward to reviewing the shortlisted candidates' detailed designs," Macchia said. "The competition will support more diverse and contemporary designs for the Pattern Book to suits people's changing needs - from raising children, to working from home, to retirement."

Finalists will have until mid-October 2024 to submit designs for stage two. The designs will be assessed on liveability, buildability, replicability, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and their capacity to address the needs of industry and local communities.

To find out more about the competition, visit the website.