Construction Control was the big winner at the 2023 Master Builders and Asset Construction Hire Excellence Awards on Friday, with their Canberra Grammar School Music Centre and Auditorium project winning five awards.
The remarkable addition to the school took out the Project of the Year, as well as Commercial Construction $20 million to $50 million, Special Purpose/Adaptable Commercial Construction, Project Displaying Technical Difficulty or Innovation, and WHS Commercial.
According to Master Builders ACT CEO Michael Hopkins, “every aspect of the planning and delivery of Project of the Year was of an industry-leading standard of excellence”.
The project consists of a 1,400-seat concert hall, state of the art music-teaching facilities, and a library for the use of Canberra Grammar, the local community and visiting national and international organisations. The extensive, technical undertaking required the demolition of the existing breezeway, the underground construction of the new concert hall and music facilities, and the refurbishment of the adjacent heritage-listed building.
Constructing the concert hall 15m below ground provided flexibility to meet the requirements introduced by the heritage-listed buildings surrounding the new facility and allowed for the installation of a green roof at ground level. To create world-class acoustic quality, customised prefinished, precast concrete panels were used for the concert hall walls. Many items used were prefabricated offsite, including the ceiling panels, structural steel and paving system. This allowed for quality testing prior to installation, reduced safety risks and faster installation.
The House of the Year award was presented to Manteena, Architects Ring & Associates, and Archertec Interiors for a five-bedroom home that showcases incredible attention to detail from every member of the project team.
A wide range of materials and finishes were involved in the construction of the House of the Year. To achieve the consistent level of high-quality from each trade, team meetings were held at least once per week and workshops and prototypes were set up to develop key details.
The list of winners is as follows:
| CATEGORY | ENTRANT NAME/S | SUBURB / PROJECT |
| Apartments and Units up to 3 storeys | Papas Projects and Studio Black Interiors | Curtin |
| Apartments and Units 4 storeys and above | Milin Builders | Kiara, Narrabundah |
| Apartments and Units Highrise Living | Milin Builders | Oaks Crown, Phillip |
| Bathroom Project less than $50,000 | ACT Renovations | Holder |
| Bathroom Project more than $50,000 | Pichelmann Custom Building Services and Precise Custom Joinery | Forrest |
| Best Use of Material in a Commercial Project | Monarch Building Solutions | Kia Showroom |
| Best Use of Material in a Residential Project | Pichelmann Custom Building Services, DNA Architects and Sellick Consultants | Deakin |
| Civil Bridgeworks | Complex Co | Bridge Maintenance Program Construction 2021 – 2022 |
| Civil Hydraulic | Complex Co | Ginninderra Dam and Tuggeranong Dam |
| Civil Other | Chincivil, Indesco and City Renewal Authority | Acton Waterfront Phase 2 |
| Civil Roadworks | Complex Co | East Gungahlin High School Supporting Road Infrastructure |
| Civil Subdivision | Canberra Contractors, Village Building Co and Spiire | South Jerrabomberra Civil Subdivision Stages 1D, 1E & High-Level Reservoir |
| Commercial Construction less than $5million | Capcorp Constructions and PEET | Googong Sales Centre |
| Commercial Construction $5million to $20million | Connected Projects | Wildbark Visitor Centre |
| Commercial Construction $20million to $50million | Construction Control | Canberra Grammar School Music Centre and Auditorium |
| Commercial Construction $50million to $100million | Lendlease Construction | Building 4, CEA Technologies |
| Commercial Construction over $100million | Construction Control and Amalgamated Property Group | Civic Quarter 2 |
| Commercial or Retail Fitout, Refurbishment or Alteration less than $1million | Fore Group | Slaven Torline Office Fitout |
| Commercial or Retail Fitout, Refurbishment or Alteration $1million to $5million | Capcorp Constructions | John McGrath KIA Showroom, Phillip |
| Commercial or Retail Fitout, Refurbishment or Alteration $5million to $10million | Project Coordination | Ian Potter House Refurbishment |
| Commercial or Retail Fitout, Refurbishment or Alteration more than $10million | Capcorp Constructions | John XXIII College Refurbishment, ANU |
| Commercial Subcontractor of the Year | ACT Steelworks | |
| Construction Woman of the Year | Lauren Couter | |
| Custom Built/Project Home less than $350,000 | Village Building Co | South Jerrabomberra |
| Custom Built/Project Home $350,000 to $500,000 | Upmarket Canberra | Chifley |
| Custom Built/Project Home $500,000 to $750,000 | Meier Group and Capezio Copeland | Red Hill |
| Custom Built/Project Home $750,000 to $1million | Walmsley Building Solutions | Kaleen |
| Custom Built/Project Home $1million to $2million | Brother Projects and DNA Architects | Turner |
| Custom Built/Project Home $2million to $4million | Manteena, Architects Ring & Associates and Archertec Interiors | Deakin |
| Custom Built/Project Home more than $4million | Manteena | Red Hill |
| Display Home Less Than $500,000 | McDonald Jones | DeLorean One Executive, Whitlam |
| Display Home $500,000 to $750,000 | Village Building Co | South Jerrabomberra |
| Display Home more than $750,000 | Blackett Property Group, Pioneer Kitchens, Sugar Designs and Thursday Architecture | Whitlam |
| Kitchen Project less than $60,000 | Created Bespoke Joinery and Paul Tilse Architects + Interiors | Narrabundah |
| Kitchen Project $60,000 to $100,000 | Pichelmann Custom Building Services and Precise Custom Joinery | Forrest |
| Kitchen Project more than $100,000 | Created Bespoke Joinery and Paul Tilse Architects + Interiors | Forrest |
| Landscape Design and Construction Commercial | RAM Constructions | Coombs Edgeworth Parade |
| Landscape Design and Construction Residential | Cool Climate Landscaping | Narrabundah |
| Medium Density Dual Occupancy/Habitable Suite | REP Building and Studio Black Interiors | Kaleen |
| Medium Density Townhouses and Villas | R&P Galli Holdings | Deakin |
| Onsite Construction Manager of the Year | Leigh Bryden | |
| Professional of the Year | Jeremy Murray | |
| Project Displaying Technical Difficulty or Innovation | Construction Control | Canberra Grammar School Music Centre and Auditorium |
| Project Manager of the Year | Nick Barnier | |
| Renovation/Extension $250,000 to $450,000 | Sharpest Constructions and Quest Architecture | Aranda |
| Renovation/Extension $450,000 to $1million | Manteena and n1 Creative | Deakin |
| Renovation/Extension over $1million | Pichelmann Custom Building Services | Forrest |
| Renovation-Fitout, Apartment, Unit or Townhouse | Chase Construction (ACT), The Dept of Design, 4Site and Amalgamated Property Group | Parkes |
| Special Purpose/Adaptable Commercial Construction | Construction Control | Canberra Grammar School Music Centre and Auditorium |
| Special Purpose/Adaptable Dwelling | Monarch Building Solutions | Mawson |
| Supplier of the Year | CE Construction Solutions | |
| Sustainable Civil Project | Capital Asphalt | Capital Asphalt’s Sustainability Strategy |
| Sustainable Residential Project | 360 Building Solutions and Light House Architecture & Science | Curtin |
| WHS Commercial | Construction Control | Canberra Grammar School Music Centre and Auditorium |
| WHS Targeted Risk Management System | Guideline ACT | Manual Handling |
| Young Builder of the Year | Danny Agnello | |
| 2023 House of the Year | Manteena, Architects Ring & Associates and Archertec Interiors | Deakin |
| 2023 Project of the Year | Construction Control | Canberra Grammar School Music Centre and Auditorium |
