The East Village project developed by PAYCE at Victoria Park, Zetland continues to receive widespread praise and accolades, picking up its third major industry award in less than a month, winning the 2015 Urban Development Institute of Australia’s Award for best Retail and Commercial Development in NSW and the ACT.
The latest award for the project follows the top award in the Urban Taskforce Awards for Development of the Year and best project in the Architecture-Residential-Constructed category at the recent Sydney Design Awards.
The East Village residential, retail and commercial precinct combines leading edge apartments and a unique urban marketplace where the range of shopping and eating options attracts patronage from all over Sydney. Residents within the complex have a 6,500 square metre central Sky Park boasting barbeque areas, shade booths and a communal garden to enjoy and share with their neighbours along with their premium quality residences. The Sky Park is one of the largest of its type in the Southern Hemisphere.
The UDIA (NSW) judging panel commented it was highly impressed with the East Village retail and commercial component.
“It is bold, dynamic, well-executed and forward thinking. Integrating retail, food and beverage, community uses and light industrial into a rich tapestry of horizontality and verticality was what made this the winning entry,” the panel said.
“The development addresses a need in the Victoria Park neighbourhood for a range of goods and services that are user-friendly and environmentally and design responsive, and East Village has delivered on all fronts.”
The judging panel concluded: “East Village challenges the way we perceive zoning laws in Australia and hopefully it will act as a precursor on how to deliver retail development that includes a light industrial and commercial component.”
PAYCE’s Managing Director, Brian Boyd said the project had been a great team effort in delivering something special to the residents and the community.
“Everyone associated with the project is immensely proud of what has been achieved and they are thrilled with the accolades East Village continues to receive,” he said.
“We had a wonderful team of talented and creative people working on the project, including our design partners, TURNER Architects, Koichi Takada Interior Architects and HASSELL, along with construction company, Dasco Australia Pty Ltd and our own PAYCE personnel,” said Brian Boyd.
PAYCE’s General Manager, Dominic Sullivan said the retail component of East Village is a one-of-a-kind, ground-breaking experience based on some of the leading urban marketplaces found around the world.
“Our focus at PAYCE is on building communities that thrive in well-designed urban precincts and East Village is a wonderful example of a lively, sustainable community hub that is an exciting place to live, work and play within a friendly village atmosphere,” he said.
“This latest award adds to a growing list of industry awards the project has received, ranging from design excellence, mixed-use architecture, innovation and sustainability to environmental initiatives,” Mr Sullivan said.
The awards were presented at a gala dinner in Sydney attended by over 900 industry representatives. East Village will now be considered for the UDIA NSW and ACT President’s Award to be announced on 2 September. Select State winners will also be entered into the UDIA National Awards for Excellence determined at the Institute’s National Congress in Adelaide next year.
