Sarah & Sebastian Armadale by Richards Stanisich and Lava Flow by Pac Studio won the Grand Prix prizes for Australia and New Zealand respectively at the 39th Dulux Colour Awards held at the National Gallery of Victoria last night.

One of the longest-running architectural and design awards programs in the region, the Dulux Colour Awards recognise the most inspired and transformative examples of colour use in the built environment. This year’s winners, chosen from projects across Australia and New Zealand, push the boundaries of established genres, defying norms to astound and delight with their complexity and ambition.

“It never ceases to amaze us how conceptually courageous and strategically sophisticated the colour schematics are, year on year,” says Andrea Lucena-Orr, Dulux colour and communications manager. “Our aim with the Dulux Colour Awards is to reveal and reward the ultimate exemplars of architectural innovation using Dulux Colour as a central design device, therefore, highlighting its unique potential to transform our built environment.”

The use of a single colour as the pivotal and defining design strategy was observed as an emerging pattern in this year’s Grand Prix winners. 

The Sarah & Sebastian Armadale store by Richards Stanisich, Australia’s Grand Prix winner, takes the striking green of Dulux Delta Break and juxtaposes it with reflective surfaces within faceted jewel-like spaces to elicit an ethereal effect of floating under a shimmering sea. Its relevance as a highly original, timeless and transformative interior transcends its retail genre, thus embodying everything the Dulux Colour Awards strive to represent.

NZ’s Grand Prix winner, Lava Flow by Pac Studio, is powerful and bold, with undeniable graphic punch. The dramatic red hue of Dulux Silo Park is the hero of the story, with the volcanic red ceiling and skylight referencing Auckland’s geographic context. The use of a contrasting soft white in a clever interplay of dark and light intensifies the impact.

Also observed in this year’s entries was the unconventional application of contemporary colour on heritage projects, not only to distinguish old from new or refurbish for longevity, but also to provide contextual connection, manipulate spatial relationships, and fundamentally reimagine historic value. 

Another theme that arose across categories was the softening of traditionally ‘hard’ building typologies as noticed in an industrial depot within a memorial park, whose exterior was softened through the graduated greens adorning its perforated metal facade. 

Residential Interior was the most hotly contested category this year with the winner Elonera House by Studio Doherty and the three commendation award recipients presenting vastly different colour strategies and schemes.

“We have been overwhelmed with the exceptional level of innovation expressed in the range of projects this year, not only in the residential category,” says Lucena-Orr. “The combination of extraordinarily original colour use and outstanding architecture across all genres makes the judges’ job difficult but, equally, it is testament to the talent, ambition and commitment of architects and their clients to design with colour.”

39th Dulux Colour Awards: Winners and Commendations

Design Practice | Project | Dulux Colours Specified

Australian Grand Prix Winner

Richards Stanisich | Sarah & Sebastian Armadale | Dulux Delta Break; Mangrove; Natural White™; Rowntree

New Zealand Grand Prix Winner

Pac Studio | Lava Flow | Dulux Cool Waters; Duvauchelle; Ellen; Epsom; Mornington; Silo Park

Single Residential Exterior Winner

SSdH | Dunstan | Dulux Natural White™; Duralloy® Paperbark®; Yellow Varnish

Residential Interior 

Winner

Studio Doherty | Elonera House | Dulux Anotec® Dark Grey; Blue Balm; Calandre; Camellia; Palmer; Receding Night; Duralloy® Surfmist®; Vipere; White Exchange; White Exchange Half; Duratec® Zeus® Black

Commendation

Kennedy Nolan | Rosherville House | Dulux Calf Skin; Eastern Gold; Nile Reed; Rusted Crimson; Wainui Beach; Wet Sand

Commendation

Arent & Pyke | Wharf House | Dulux Antique White U.S.A.®; Bread Crumb; Bread Crumb Half; Buttercookie; Copycat; Salty Seeds; Snowy Mountains Half; Spanish Olive; Wily William

Commendation

Pac Studio | Lava Flow | Dulux Cool Waters; Duvauchelle; Ellen; Epsom; Mornington; Silo Park

Commercial Interior – Workplace & Retail 

Winner

Richards Stanisich | Sarah & Sebastian Armadale | Dulux Delta Break; Mangrove; Natural White™; Rowntree

Commendation

Studio Shand | Buon Gusto | Dulux Deep Mooring; Eastern Gold; Natural White™; Spiralina; Topelo Honey; Tranquil Green

Commendation

Duet | Comma – Byron Bay | Dulux Auburn Flair; Duralloy® Blue Ridge®; Burnished Russet; By Gum; Carmen Miranda; Cobbler; Ecru; Gold Rush; Duralloy® Hammersley 

Commercial Interior – Public & Hospitality 

Winner

Kennedy Nolan | Melbourne Place | Dulux Amazon Depths; Calico Dress; Chocolate Treat; Cumberland Red; Desert Soil; Metal Deluxe; Red Shale; Scarlet Desire; Shallot Leaf

Commendation

Studio Plenty | Burly Bar | Dulux Duralloy® Hammersley Brown; Havana; Lama; Reddy Brown

Commendation

WOWOWA Architecture | Auburn High School Senior Centre | Dulux Aztec Glimmer; Dulux Custom Colour Green Yellow; Snowy Mountains Brown; Lavender Lily; Pozieres; Red Terra; Rice Crop; Sedia; Sideshow

Commercial and Multi-Residential Exterior

Winner

Searle x Waldron Architecture | Northern Memorial Park Depot | Dulux Duralloy® Apo Grey; Domino; Pale Eucalypt®; Teahouse; Stepney; Glade; Oyster; Tranquil Green; Duralloy® Wilderness®

Commendation

Adriano Pupilli Architects | Windale Hub | Dulux Buttercup; Canary; Crimson; Cyclamen; Hot Water Beach; Inca Gold; Jacaranda; Lilac; Mulberry; Pearl White Matt; Powder Blue; Raspberry; Ruby; Terracotta; Vivid White™; Wattle

Temporary or Installation Design Winner

Youssofzay Hart | Carol Jerrems: Portraits | Dulux Camisole Half; Rangitoto; Alphatec® Space Blue

Student AU Winner

Angela Xu and Georgia Reader, University of Sydney | Landscape of Co-existence | Dulux Custard Puff; Delicate Bloom Half; Ecru Quarter; Forever Romance Quarter; Piglet; Radar Quarter; Terracotta Chip; Wizard

Student NZ Winner

Will Chomchoei, The University of Auckland | Pātaka Kōrero Fale O Tala A Storehouse Of Narratives In Samoa | Dulux Colombo Street; Forest Blues; Bosco Blue; Plasticine; Sandfly Point Quarter