HIA judging 2024

Quorum Studios had the honour of serving on the panel of judges for the recent HIA Housing Awards and HIA Kitchen & Bathroom of the Year for 2024. The HIA (Housing Industry Association) is the voice of Australia's residential building industry, championing quality, innovation, and sustainability. Their awards celebrate the best in new homes, renovations, kitchens, bathrooms, and more. In our opinion, the awards program is structured well, offering a multitude of categories for participants to enter, ensuring that all projects, whether modest or lavish, have an equal opportunity for acknowledgment and recognition.

Society, and especially the construction industry, has faced a series of challenges that previous generations may not have encountered all at once. Our industry has had to weather the storm brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the instability due to the war between Ukraine and Russia, a national housing shortage, and more recently, a cost-of-living crisis. It’s important to note that the timeline for a construction project can be under a year, excluding the development of the design and all associated approvals, which can take an additional 2 to 3 years. Many of the entries we judged had to navigate some, if not all, of these challenges.

Against this backdrop, Quorum Studios, together with fellow judges, set out to visit this year’s entries. With project locations spread across Brisbane and its surrounding areas, there was considerable travel involved; however, all of that was forgotten each time we had the privilege of walking through an entry, admiring the workmanship, appreciating the design, and often being in awe of the challenges faced by the builders and how they were overcome.

Through the lens of an architect, we were impressed by the overall standard of all entries, particularly regarding the strengths each category displayed. Projects with modest budgets were still able to exhibit uniqueness, ingenuity, and a sense of personality, demonstrating that budget limitations need not be restrictive. It was abundantly clear to see the positive impact these dwellings and spaces have on the everyday lives of their occupants.

With the housing shortage making headlines almost daily, we were eager to see entries from volume builders and were amazed by the impressive quality and bespoke nature of what is typically regarded as a very repetitive housing type with little customization. The entries we viewed certainly dispelled this notion, showcasing well-laid-out floor plans that incorporated elegant and spacious areas not usually associated with dwelling units. These developers proved our long-held belief that a compact floor plan simply requires a thoughtful approach to create something stylish and sensible.

The projects with more generous construction budgets were remarkable, as one might expect; however, we were particularly impressed by their integration into their respective contexts and their responses to the natural topography in most instances. As architects, this is an important aspect, as the temptation often exists in scenarios where projects have adequate financial resources to simply sculpt the site to suit the client’s expectations. By working with the natural features of the land, these projects felt well-integrated and connected rather than isolated from their surroundings.

A highlight for us was engaging with the builders and clients for each entry, noting their pride and sense of achievement when describing their projects and how they approached and overcame challenges. The feedback from each project builder was especially fascinating, as we had the chance to engage with both emerging builders and seasoned masters—each reminding us of the abundance of great building companies available locally. We also enjoyed judging the various projects alongside fellow judges from diverse professional backgrounds, offering unique insights and providing us with opportunities to learn about aspects that might have been overlooked.

We would like to thank the HIA for the opportunity and privilege to serve on the judging panel. We also want to acknowledge the amazing submissions; every entry we saw was worthy of being part of this program. It is reassuring that while the construction industry sometimes makes headlines for negative reasons, this program has reminded us that the industry is still blessed with companies that take pride in their work and believe in doing right by their clients. We believe that news media outlets would do well to promote these projects, focusing on the positive aspects that the HIA has initiated with these awards.

Lastly, our feedback for builders aiming to enter this great initiative by the HIA would be:

• Be present on the day of the judging; judges enjoy meeting and chatting with the builders and owners.
• Discuss any challenges you faced that might not be apparent to the judges; this may enhance and strengthen your entry.
• Request feedback; this shows maturity and a willingness to learn and improve, which can be helpful for future entries.
• If your project wasn’t recognized, don’t feel discouraged; it’s possible you entered during an exceptionally strong year. Once again, ask for feedback and use it to have another crack in the future!