Malcolm Middleton Award for Outstanding Liveable Design

The Malcolm Middleton Award for Outstanding Liveable Design was established in 2022. The award will recognise contemporary Queensland residential projects where accessibility and liveability are the centre piece of the highest quality and design excellence unpins all aspects of the development.

Entry

Entry is open to any residential building or project that has recently been completed in Queensland (constructed), that incorporates universal design principles and is built to Liveable Housing Australia Silver level and above.  Entries that embrace ‘missing middle’ residential typologies, that is, dwellings that sit between high-rise, high-density living and free standing, suburban family homes are encouraged to enter. Projects should clearly demonstrate best practice.

Entries should consist of relevant plans, photographs (up to five), sections and sketches together with a short description of the proposed design including key design features and innovations that support accessible environments for all. Entries are encouraged to be kept short and concise. If the project has previously been entered in another awards program (e.g. the Australian Institute of Architects Awards), that submission material may be reused here.

Applicants will be judged on their entry submission for an eligible project by a jury chaired by the Queensland Government Architect. No site visits are planned as part of the judging process.

Entries should be received by Monday 13 May 2024 and submitted via qld.gov.architect@epw.qld.gov.au.

Entry fee

There is no fee.

Jury

The jury includes:

• Leah Lang (Chair) – Queensland Government Architect
• Malcolm Middleton – Former Queensland Government Architect
• Shy Tay – Urban Design Market Leader – Cities, Planning & Design (Qld), Arup.

Judging criteria

An applicant’s submission/s will be considered against the following criteria, namely:

1. Make homes easy to use and move around
2. Provide amenities to support all abilities
3. Prioritise the needs of children and older people
4. Create accessible places.

These criteria are based on Principle 5, Make Homes Accessible, from the Queensland Government Social Housing Design Guideline. This document provides a useful guide to good design outcomes for all homes, including
non-government residential projects.

Awards

The following possible awards are to be determined and assessed by the jury as part of the judging process:

• Malcolm Middleton Award for Outstanding Liveable Design
• Commendation\s

Announcement

The award(s) will be announced by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Planning and Minister for Public Works, the Honourable Meaghan Scanlon MP at an event on Monday 15 July 2024. The event, organised by the Office of the Queensland Government Architect (OQGA), brings together leading architects, landscape architects and planners from across Queensland, promoting the built environment's pivotal role in the culture, sustainability and economy of the region.

Terms and conditions

Publicity and copyright

By entering, the applicant declares they are authorised to submit their entry submission for the eligible project and have obtained appropriate releases and authorities in writing from the eligible project clients, collaborating organisations, copyright holders for entry submission materials, licensees, photographers and, where applicable, the principal/director of the applicant’s employer, including for any resultant publicity.

The OQGA does not make any claims on copyright or intellectual property of the designs entered other than the rights outlined in the following paragraph. By entering, the applicant agrees to absolve the OQGA from any liability relating to confidentiality or intellectual property issues that may be raised by any party.

The OQGA reserves the right to exhibit or publish any or all the entries. By entering the awards, the applicant gives permission to the OQGA to publish, exhibit and promote the content of the entry submission, including by supporters of the awards, where their use of submission content is specifically related to their promotion of their involvement in the awards. Specific information about eligible project budgets is not released for publication.

In all promotion, the OQGA will endeavour to promote the name of the firm/s that have authored the eligible project, and where the OQGA is made aware of their names, to the extent that the OQGA can exert editorial control, and where space permits, other contributors, such as photographers, will be acknowledged.

All applicants must be prepared to submit further material for exhibition and publication if required, such as additional photography, drawings and other information. The applicant acknowledges that the OQGA has the right to reproduce materials in whole or part without payment of release or licensing fees to the holder of publication rights or copyright.

General conditions

An entry shall be excluded from consideration of an award if it does not fulfil these entry conditions.

Entries received in previous years will not be eligible for future awards.

The OQGA is committed to providing a quality awards program to the design industry and makes every attempt to ensure accuracy, currency and reliability of the information included in this document and elsewhere.

However, changes in content and process may become necessary at the absolute discretion of the OQGA. The OQGA accepts no liability for any use of the said content or reliance placed upon it.

Privacy, disclosure and consent to use personal information

By entering the awards, the applicant acknowledges and agrees that their personal information is being collected by the OQGA for the purposes of judging, conducting, and administering the awards.

If an applicant wins an award, the applicant consents to the OQGA disclosing their personal information in promotional material, including photographs taken at the awards event on the department’s website and social media, relating to the awards.

The collection, use and disclosure of personal information will be handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009.