A Denman Prospect display home took out the top gong at the Master Builders ACT Building Excellence Awards.

A statement taken from the project’s brief said: “Our display home in Denman is a spectacular modern home designed for the Australian family today and into the future".

Managing Director Ivan Juric from Better Building Services won five awards on the night, and House of the Year was his 100^th MBA Award win (nine of those being national MBA awards).

Juric said the team was overwhelmed with the success, which also includes nine national awards over the 24-year life of the company.

“That is a huge result for us and our team,” he said. “We never thought we would get there but that is a lifetime of work.”

Juric said that with Onyx, the company wanted to showcase the talents of its designers, suppliers and contractors.

“The home really pushes the boundaries of what most builders and sub-contractors could actually deliver for that sort of standard, because it was super complicated,” Juric said.

House of the Year was won by Better Building Services, DNA Architects and Sugar Designs for the project ‘Onyx’, Denman Prospect. Image supplied by Agency.

“You can make a house look good but what you can’t see you can feel, so when you walk into the house it feels like a beautiful, comfortable home,” Juric said.

“Over the 25 years that I have been doing this, that is the hardest thing to achieve, to make a house feel right.”

The house features Matt Colorbond steel roofing and cladding and Bluckbutt timber panelling on the outside, while inside Hebel silent floors on the upper levels, German manufactured double glazed windows, and maximum ceiling and wall insulation provide acoustic and thermal comfort.

Sealed tight, the house achieves an energy rating of 7.8 stars.

“It is really easy to build a single-storey house to rate six or seven stars. But multi-storey houses are really difficult because of the volume and the amount of glass. This has lots of volume and lots of glass. It’s just attention to detail. That’s what my team focuses on," Juric told WILLIAMS MEDIA.

The use of a German manufactured pre-fabricated kitchen required precision workmanship, with accuracy within a millimetre, before installation. Juric said a home like Onyx would be a 12-month build and work out to about $1.5 million all inclusive, depending on the site.

House of the Year was won by Better Building Services, DNA Architects and Sugar Designs for the project ‘Onyx’, Denman Prospect. Image supplied by Agency.

The annual awards ceremony, held at the National Convention Centre, brings together the industry and wider business community to recognise and acknowledge the excellence in craftsmanship, quality, safety and building construction of the local building and construction community.

“Our awards night is the night of all nights for our industry, and for the many who support it,” says Michael Hopkins, CEO of Master Builders ACT.

“The 2018 awards were highlighted by a number of themes seen in the various entries and nominated finalists.

“Innovation in building has seen the creation of spaces that will influence the lives of Canberrans in areas such as education, health and community. The finalists and winners of these projects should be proud to have played their part in evolving our city.

House of the Year was won by Better Building Services, DNA Architects and Sugar Designs for the project ‘Onyx’, Denman Prospect. Image supplied by Agency.

“We also welcome the emerging leaders in our industry. This year’s awards saw the median age of finalists and winners drop considerably. After many years of long standing members consistently upholding our industry standards, a new generation is budding.

“We look forward to seeing where this new generation takes us as we move into the future.

“Each year we celebrate the best local builders, trades and design teams through our Building Excellence Awards program. It is an opportunity to recognise the talent and expertise in the building industry,” Hopkins told WILLIAMS MEDIA.

Other winners include:

Project of the Year - Brindabella Christian College Junior School

Brindabella Christian College Junior School engaged Built to undertake construction of their new two-storey building, while keeping the existing school open and fully operational.

Project of the Year Brindabella Christian School Junior School, Built. Image supplied by Agency.

Custom Built Homes (more than 350sqm) - Brother Projects, Yarralumla

The client requested an open plan design that seamlessly incorporated the outdoor pool and entertainment area.

High-gloss hydronically heated polished concrete floors inside and out, a spectacular cantilevered staircase in the entry, and the double-storey, two-way stone fireplace add to the distinctive characteristics. 

Brother Projects created this Yarralumla home, which won the Custom Built Homes Award more than 350 square metres. Image supplied by Agency.

Kitchen Projects (more than $30,000) - Capital Veneering Brother Projects

Featuring marble benchtops, first impressions of this kitchen are inspiring, although the eye is quickly beckoned by the adjoining spaces, the "exact connection the clients desired".

Capital Veneering, and Brother Projects created this kitchen, which won Kitchen Projects under $30,000. Image supplied by Agency.

Custom Built Homes (250 - 350sqm) - R&A Andriolo, DNA Architects, Yarralumla

This Yarralumla project was a knock-down rebuild with the intention of constructing a unique contemporary family residence that better suited the needs of the family and focussed on entertaining.

This Yarralumla project won the Custom Built Homes (250 - 350sqm). Image supplied by Agency.

View the full list of winners at the 2018 Building Excellence Awards on the Master Builders website.

Related reading:

Winners announced at 2018 Australian Housing Awards

Winners for the 2018 Victorian Architecture Awards announced

Winners announced at 2018 Queensland Landscape Architecture Awards