NZIA-Graphisoft Student Design Award winner Sarosh Mulla (of the University of Auckland) and highly commended Clinton Weaver (UNITEC) and Andrew Banks (VUW) headed to Sydney last month to get a taste of the architectural world across the Tasman, on a trip organised by the NZIA as part of their prize. They were accompanied by Ross Jenner, as the Host School representative.

The trio’s first day in Sydney kicked off with a Sydney Architecture Walk, a visit to the Museum of Contemporary Art on Circular Quay and a Twilight Walking Tour, which took in buildings by Harry Seidler and Foster & Associates and other CBD highlights.

The group spent the second day with Tone Wheeler of Environa Studio Practice, then met up with representatives from student groups SONA and IMAGINE at Tusculum,the New South Wales architecture HQ. 

Day three saw Sarosh, Clinton and Andrew meet with Richard Johnson at Johnson Pilton Walker’s offices in Australia Square, then visit the Opera House – the interiors of which are currently being restored to Utzon’s original plans by JPW. They also visited Francis Jones Morehen Thorp and had a site tour to their recent project, the Mint. 

The tour was capped off by a visit to North Sydney with Lindsay Johnson, to see work by Rick Leplastrier and Peter Stutchbury. 

“I had a great time in Sydney and it made me much more aware of how the city has changed since I left there,” said Sarosh, who was born in Sydney and spent his childhood in Wollongong. “There were a few highlights for me, the first was the Renzo Piano buildings around Aurora Place, which were spectacular without being brash. His use of materials has always interested me so it was good to see his detailing up close.   Also the visit to the back-of-house areas in the Opera House with JPW was great. It was also fantastic to see the new Utzon interiors, as these seemed to complete the building.  

“Overall it was an amazing trip and all the architects we met were very generous with their time.” 

Sarosh won the NZIA- Graphisoft Student Design Award top prize – which in addition to the trip to Sydney earns him a cheque for $5000 - with his final year design for a temporary healthcare building for a World Heritage site in the Philippines. Andrew’s winning design was for a theatre that doubles as a bus exchange, while Clinton proposed a meteorological station for remote Raoul Island. The judging panel  was made up of NZIA President Richard Harris of Jasmax, Dr Gevork Hartoonian, Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Canberra, and architect Susan Hillery of Hillery Priest Architecture. 

Sarosh is currently working for Simon Reed, Clinton for Fearon Hay and Andrew Banks with Studio Pacific.