Redefining multi-residential excellence at the INDE.Awards 2025

The INDE.Awards, the Indo-Pacific’s leading architecture and design awards program, celebrates the region’s most progressive and inspiring projects. Each year, the program sets the benchmark for design excellence, innovation, and impact. In 2025, the awards once again spotlighted projects that shape how we live, work, and connect. Among the most prestigious honours of the night, The Multi-Residential Building category, presented in partnership with CULT, recognises outstanding design in collective housing that responds to the needs of both residents and the broader community.

This year, the award was proudly presented to the Sirius Redevelopment, designed by BVN, a project that demonstrates the power of architecture to balance heritage, sustainability, and contemporary living.

Sirius Redevelopment: Retain, Restore, Reimagine

Originally constructed in 1981, the Sirius building has long been an icon of Sydney’s Brutalist architecture, sitting at the gateway to The Rocks with commanding views of Sydney Harbour. The redevelopment, led by JDH Capital with BVN, embraced a visionary design mantra: Retain, Restore, Reimagine.

By retaining the existing structure, the project significantly reduced embodied carbon while preserving the architectural character that made Sirius a cultural landmark. Its restoration involved strengthening and repairing the concrete framework, ensuring longevity for decades to come. Finally, through thoughtful reimagination, the building was infused with contemporary interventions that enhance livability, improve sustainability, and reintegrate the site within the urban fabric of The Rocks.

Copper cladding signals the new additions, deliberately distinct yet harmonious with the original structure. This material strategy highlights the evolution of Sirius over time while respecting its Brutalist legacy. The redevelopment now accommodates 75 apartments, alongside commercial and retail spaces, upgraded shared facilities, and enriched public landscaping – all designed to foster community and connectivity.

Elevating urban living for a new era

The original apartments, while iconic, presented limitations in size, thermal comfort, and acoustic performance. BVN’s design addressed these challenges with precision and care. Prefabricated balcony modules now extend living spaces outdoors, while lush rooftop terraces integrate solar panels with landscaping, offering residents both sustainability and amenity.

On a civic scale, Sirius has been carefully re-stitched into its neighbourhood, enhancing pedestrian pathways and public domain areas. This reconnection ensures the building not only serves its residents but also contributes meaningfully to the broader Sydney community.

A landmark reborn

The Sirius Redevelopment by BVN, winner of The Multi-Residential Building at the INDE.Awards 2025, is a triumph of architectural ingenuity and sensitivity. By weaving together heritage preservation, sustainable design, and urban renewal, the project sets a new benchmark for multi-residential developments in the Indo-Pacific.

As the INDE.Awards continues to celebrate excellence across architecture and design, Sirius stands as a shining example of how visionary thinking can transform the past into a vibrant future. Discover the full lineup of 2025 winners here. Entries to the 2026 INDE.Awards will open in early December.

Photography
Bryn Donkersloot