Fleetwood Challenge Cup Finalists Announced!
We’re extremely excited to announce the three finalists for the 2023 Fleetwood Challenge Cup, an Australia-wide competition that highlights the skills of the country’s next generation of built design professionals.
Fleetwood Australia is now in its fourth year of sponsoring the event alongside peak body prefabAUS. We’re again delighted to have provided teams with the opportunity to demonstrate the value and versatility of prefabrication and modular building to find innovative solutions unmatched by traditional construction.
The 2023 event focusses on a theme of “Building for the Future; NOW” and attracted 14 cross-disciplinary teams Universities from across Australia, including Curtin University, Monash University and Western Sydney University. The teams were asked to design innovative properties featuring commercial and residential elements.
Of the three finalists, two are from Curtin University, the University that has dominated the Fleetwood Challenge Cup in recent years. Curtin University teams were tasked with the challenge of reimagining the Pedal&Flipper hire facility on Rottnest Island. The other finalist is from Monash University, presenting an innovative housing solution for Malvern East in Melbourne. (Further details of each finalist project are available below and all entries are now online)
“It’s very exciting for us at Fleetwood Australia to announce another high-quality group of finalists for the Challenge Cup,” Fleetwood Australia CEO Bruce Nicholson said.
“Modular building and prefabrication have huge roles to play in tackling the world’s housing challenges and the calibre of entries for this year’s Challenge Cup shows the even brighter future that lies ahead for our industry.
“The level of innovation and attention to detail among all teams, but particularly the finalists, is simply outstanding and reflects the great talent and passion of Australia’s next generation of built design professionals.”
prefabAUS Executive Chair Damien Crough said his organisation was again delighted to partner in a competition that involves Australian universities which are world-renowned in the disciplines of design and built environment.
“The ways in which the teams have worked to meet that theme of ‘Building for the Future: NOW’ is simply outstanding,” Mr Crough said.
“I know our preeminent judges were most impressed by the way the student teams adopted key concepts such as agile architecture, continuous evolution and sustainably developing buildings for future use.
“I’d like to thank the judges for the time they have contributed, their industry perspectives are invaluable. We are also grateful for the way universities across the country have embraced the Challenge Cup.
“Lastly, I’d like to wish the students all the best – not just those who are part of the finalist teams but the whole cohort for their future endeavours.”
The winners and prize getters for the 2023 Fleetwood Challenge Cup will be named at the prefabAUS conference on 22 August 2023. Nearly $15,000 in prizemoney is on offer.
Hexad Studio
Using inspiration from the honeycomb structure in beehives, the Hexa-Cell Residence on Waverley Road in Malvern East in Melbourne aims to showcase innovative, cost-effective, and sustainable architecture. Comprising one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, Hexa-Cell also hosts shared facilities on the ground floor, fostering community among residents and local inhabitants alike. Notably, the modules are incredibly adaptable; residents can customise their living spaces, adding or removing modules as required.
Quokka Quarters
The proposed Quokka Quarters redevelopment of Pedal & Flipper on Rottnest Island seeks to meet growing demand for sustainable, community-orientated developments, with two floors of units sitting above a two-floor hire facility that aims to promote bike culture and other tourist and visitor-friendly activities. The design integrates Indigenous perspectives acknowledging the cultural history of the land, while also focusing on sustainable materials that have a minimal environmental footprint and contribute towards net zero aspirations.
The Baleen
The Baleen project imagines not just holiday accommodation apartments on Wadjemup (Rottnest Island) but also open source architecture with global impact. The modular construction system can be shared, downloaded and assembled anywhere in the world via creative commons, helping developing countries progress net zero aspirations. Modules are designed to have life beyond their initial location: easily reconfigured, disassembled and reimagined, put on a shipping container to assist with disaster relief or even flat-packed and kept in storage until needed.
Visit fleetwoodchallengecup.com.au for more details.