Mulpha won last night the 2026 Urban Taskforce Award for Excellence for the first stage of its $1 billion, zero-carbon mixed-use Norwest Quarter development in Sydney’s Hills District.
The Award recognises the first two apartment buildings delivered within the masterplan. Lacebark by Smart Design Studio and Banksia by Bates Smart were both commissioned under the same performance brief centred on passive solar design, yet each delivers a distinctly different architectural response.
Mulpha Director of NSW Development Andrew Nichols said this two-architect approach produced a landmark building in Lacebark and a highly functional counterpart in Banksia, which houses the pool, gym and retail. Together, the buildings frame the public square and shape how people move through the precinct.
“The excellent market response tells us people are looking for places with character, not just apartments. Twenty-seven percent of sales came from buyer referrals, and the penthouse set an area record of $6.5million.”
At Lacebark, Smart Design Studio applied a decade of research into “sun-eye” modelling, analysing how the sun “sees” a building in summer and winter. The resulting sculptural geometry is entirely functional and include angled balconies and precisely calibrated glazing to maximise winter sun and minimise summer heat gain without operable shading devices.
Banksia adopts a different approach, using orientation-specific façades. Deep balconies address overhead northern sun, vertical blades mitigate low-angle east and west sun, while the southern elevation remains open. Rather than repeat a single façade for efficiency, four distinct responses were delivered to optimise performance.
Both buildings exceed minimum standards, with R4 insulation (well above code), double glazed and built in brick as a nod to the site’s former quarry.
Sustainability performance was embedded from inception, supported by a green loan from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation tied to delivery outcomes. The project achieved a NatHERS 8.1 rating, with 165kW of rooftop solar, all-electric infrastructure, heat pump hot water, EV-ready basement parking, water harvesting and green power as the default energy option.
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