Northern Territory Enduring Architecture Award

The Northern Territory Enduring Architecture Award is an architecture prize presented annually by the Northern Territory Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) since the inaugural award in 2013. The award recognises significant, long lasting and innovative architecture with usually more than 25 years passed since the completion of construction.

Northern Territory Enduring Architecture Award
2024 NT Award for Enduring Architecture, Wesleyan Methodist Church built 1897
Awarded for	Outstanding NT architecture over time (25 years or more)
Country	Australia
Presented by	Australian Institute of Architects (Northern Territory Chapter)
First award	2013; 12 years ago (2013)
Currently held by	The Architects Studio, 2024

Background

The Award for Enduring Architecture recognises achievement for the design of buildings of outstanding merit, which have remained important as high quality works of architecture when considered in contemporary cultural, social, economic and environmental contexts in the Northern Territory. Nominations for the award can be made by AIA members, non–members and non–architects, but they must provide adequate material and information supporting the nomination for consideration of the jury.^[1]

The average age of the nine projects recognised from 2013 to 2024 is 43 years from completion of construction to year of award.

National Award Winners

Recipients of the state–based award are eligible for consideration of the National Award for Enduring Architecture presented later in the same year, as part of the Australian National Architecture Awards.

Only one project located in the Northern Territory has won the national award. In 2019 the Ayers Rock Resort (now Sails in the Desert) at Yulara by Philip Cox & Partners won both the local and national award, 35 years after the project was completed in 1984.^[2][3]

List of award recipients

Northern Territory Enduring Architecture Awards (reverse order)

Year	Architect	Project	Location	Year built	Years since	Other AIA Awards
2024	The Architects Studio	Wesleyan Methdodist Church (now Eva's Cafe)[4]	Knuckey Street & Mitchell Street, Darwin City (1897) then rebuilt in Darwin Botanic Gardens (2001)	1897 & 2001	127 years
2023	Meldrum Burrows and Partners (Tim Rogers)	Parliament House and State Square[5][6]	15 Mitchell Street, Darwin City	1994	29 years
2022	NO AWARD[7]
2021	NO AWARD[8]
2020	NO AWARD[9]
2019	Philip Cox & Partners	Ayers Rock Resort (now Sails in the Desert)[10]	Yulara	1984	35 years	National Award for Enduring Architecture, 2019 Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture, 1985
2018	Troppo Architects in association with Glenn Murcutt	Bowali Visitors Centre[11]	Kakadu National Park	1993	25 years	Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture, 1994 Tracy Memorial Award, 1994 (NT Chapter) Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture, 1994 (National Award) People's Choice Award, 1994 (NT Chapter)
2017	Andrew McPhee	Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church[12][13]	4 Hartley Street, Alice Springs	1969	48 years
2016	Graeme Whitford for KROMA	Raffles Plaza Apartments[14][15]	1 Buffalo Court, Darwin	1984	32 years
2015	Guy Maron Architects	Alice Springs Railway Station[16]	George Crescent, Alice Springs	1980	35 years
2014	Troppo Architects	Troppoville (group of 8 houses)[17]	Martin Crescent, Coconut Grove	1983	31 years	Colorbond Award for Steel Architecture, 2014 (NT Chapter)
2013	Woodhead Australia Architects	Vestey's Darwin High School Gymnasium (The Tank)[18][19][20]	Atkins Drive, Darwin City	1987	26 years

Gallery of awarded projects

Northern Territory Enduring Architecture Award

• 
  2019 Award, Ayers Rock Resort, Yulara, opened 1984
• 
  2023 Award, Parliament House, Darwin, opened 1994
• 
  2024 Award, Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia, built 1897

See also

• Australian Institute of Architects
• Australian Institute of Architects Awards and Prizes
• National Award for Enduring Architecture
• Jack Cheesman Award for Enduring Architecture (South Australia)
• Maggie Edmond Enduring Architecture Award (Victoria)
• New South Wales Enduring Architecture Award
• Robin Gibson Award for Enduring Architecture (Queensland)
• Sir Roy Grounds Award for Enduring Architecture (Australian Capital Territory)
• Tasmania Award for Enduring Architecture
• Richard Roach Jewell Award for Enduring Architecture (Western Australia)