The winners of the 2024 Western Australian Heritage Awards have been announced, recognising projects that are setting new standards in heritage conservation and adaptive reuse across the state.
The Wearne Hostel in Cottesloe by Griffiths Architects earned the prestigious Gerry Gauntlet Award for Conservation or Adaptive Reuse of a State Registered Place. The hostel, once known as the Ministering Children’s League Convalescent Home, was built in 1897 to provide care to people recovering from illness. The building was originally designed by architect Percy William Harrison in the Federation Queen Anne style and features a Cottesloe limestone facade, intricate verandahs and timbered gables. “Recent conservation efforts have revitalised Wearne Hostel as a vital part of Cottesloe’s heritage, meticulously restoring elements such as the distinctive “pepperpot” roof and weather vane,” commented the jury.
Ascot Kilns (former Bristile Kilns), Belmont, by Hocking Heritage and Architecture was commended in the Conservation or Adaptive Reuse of a State Registered Place category.
Elsewhere in the awards, Tomich House by Mark Jeavons Architect with Ohlo Studio, and Exchange Hotel, Pinjarra by Hunt Architects jointly received the award for Conservation or Adaptive Reuse of a Local Heritage Place.
Originally designed by architect Iwan Iwanoff in 1971, Tomich House underwent significant yet sensitive restoration works to address structural issues. The jury lauded the project for carefully harmonising “a 1980s extension with Iwanoff’s style, using materials and details sympathetic to his vision.” The project has garnered substantial acclaim this year, having earned the Julius Elischer Award for Interior Architecture at the Australian Institute of Architects 2024 WA Architecture Awards and an award for House in a Heritage Context at the 2024 Houses Awards.
Hunt Architects were praised by the jury for blending heritage conservation with contemporary design in its restoration of the 1866 Exchange Hotel. After several years of neglect following its closure in 2008, the hotel was purchased by the Shire of Murray in 2012 with the aim to restore the historic building – one of the oldest in the Peel region – to its former glory. The jury applauded the practice for creating a balanced space, as seen in the “preservation of traditional timber and masonry elements, and the addition of modern steel-framed features.”
The other category winners can be viewed online.
