We are honoured to be awarded the Edith Emery Award for Pedder Street House at the 2024 Tasmanian Architecture Awards for Pedder Street House. 

Jury citation:

“Pedder Street House comprises the significant transformation of a traditional bungalow on the high side of a North Hobart residential street.

The spatially modest additions extend in an origami-like shaping of the envelope, framing external garden areas and accommodating interior spaces of light and prospect. The resultant architectural richness belies the limited budget and conceptually simple extrusion of the existing roof form.

The plan evolves from an offset entry foyer in the existing house. Movement through the short, existing central corridor reveals a sequence of spaces that start to shift in level in response to the opportunities that the site and envelope present.

A generous point of arrival between the dining room, under the existing roof, and the new kitchen creates an informal place of gathering and redirection. With stepped edges, pausing or sitting here is natural yet unexpected.

The folding of floor levels and volume continues through the kitchen to the living space that expands vertically to the full height to the new roof line. Nestled into this section, a master bedroom suite is presented as a pale-toned and more dimly lit refuge from the daily life that operates below.

Pedder Street expertly connects interior spaces to a multileveled garden and overlaps and intersects internal spaces with a level of spatial confidence that is exemplary.”

Bence Mulcahy team: Shamus Mulcahy, Sophie Bence, Bek Verrier, and Michael Renshaw.

Built by Thylacine Constructions Pty

Aldanmark Consulting Engineers, Pudding Lane Building Surveyors

Photos by Adam Gibson Photography

At the 2024 Tasmanian Architecture Awards earlier this year The EmAGN Project Award was presented to the EmAGN members of Bence Mulcahy with H2o architects for the he Friends’ School Redevelopment Project.

We are also chuffed to receive a Commendation for Educational Architecture for the same project. 

EmAGN jury citation:

“The EmAGN Project Award is given to The Friends’ School Redevelopment Project, as testament to the collective efforts of EmAGN members in leadership, collaboration, and architectural expertise.

The initial partnership with H2o Architects provided Bence Mulcahy with the opportunity to contribute to the practice’s first, large-scale education project. Further to this, project procurement following the Development Approval stage, provided the young practice with an opportunity to independently take the project through to completion.

Their collaborative approach led to a design outcome which seamlessly integrated this larger-scale urban development within its historic surroundings. This was evident in the Revell Centre heritage streetscape studies, which demonstrated the team’s dedication to thoughtful intervention given the sensitive context. The use of subtle design gestures exemplifies their commitment to architectural excellence.

The project was led and staffed by a team of emerging architects, including the Practice Director, whose guidance inspired a culture of collaboration and innovation, ensuring the delivery of architectural excellence. The team’s proficiency in collaboration and client engagement were pivotal in shaping the project’s trajectory, and navigated the intricate demands of the heritage site. Meticulous documentation, attention to public realm features, and adept handling of contractual issues further enriched the project’s quality.

The project’s success is a testament to the team’s ingenuity and collaborative spirit, setting a standard for emerging architects in the industry.”

From our client

“The School campuses are not easy sites on which to work. The Friends’ School has many heritage listed buildings with restricted access. Additionally, the School remained in session with roughly 600 students and nearly 100 staff on the campus, so noise awareness, safety of current users (students, staff, and parents), security and continued learning were major considerations which resulted in some constraints throughout the entire construction process of approximately two years. Bence Mulcahy proved to be flexible, organised, and available to accommodate adjustments of the project brief. The School is very pleased with the outcome of the project.”

Bence Mulcahy team: Shamus Mulcahy, Sophie Bence, Hannah Webber, Bek Verrier, Johnny Mckenzie, Michael Renshaw, Dylan Rowbottom, Tim Hurburgh H2o architects

Built by Fairbrother

Gandy and Roberts Engineers, COVA, Lee Tyers Building Surveying, Playstreet Landscape Architects

Photos by Adam Gibson Photography

We are honoured to be awarded the Sydney Blythe Award for Educational Architecture at the 2023 Tasmanian Architecture Awards for Holy Rosary Catholic School.

Jury citation:

“Holy Rosary is a delightful calibration of a hard-working primary school environment.

An intuitive masterplan process ran concurrently with overlapping design and construction demands. Every architectural decision seeks to benefit the teacher, the students, the school community, and the site. The variety of internal to external connections act to strengthen teaching and learning possibilities. The persistent agility of the new works continually generates the possibility of engagement with the broader realm of the school and the community.

The experience of the neighbourhood of Claremont is backgrounded by a feeling of deep connection and celebration of the creek, the streetscape, and the hills and mountain beyond. The outcome of years of effort, this humble project is an extraordinary example of Tasmanian architects operating with economy, agility and care.“

Built by Maverick Building and designed with Playstreet, Aldanmark and CES. 

Thank you to all our team Shamus Mulcahy, Sophie Bence, Bek Verrier, Hannah Webber, Johnny Mckenzie, Emily Hunt and to Mike Renshaw. 

A shout out to Adam Gibson who worked his magic behind the lens around the chaos of a primary school in full swing!