Dulux Colour Awards 2025

What the judges said

“Student works cover so much ground, that it can be difficult to assess this category, but this project stands out as a highly resolved composition with deep understanding of colour theory. As a reimagining of existing social housing, 402 Telopea conceptually employs adaptive reuse to establish climate-responsive high-density dwellings. Its ambition is successfully realised, largely thanks to the aesthetic contribution of judicious colour use – the play of green and red adding depth across the existing façade and softening the building mass. Derived from the adjacent Eucalypts, the grey green of Dulux Soft Froth applied to the exposed steel structure integrates the building in its environment and even adds a playfulness to the project, while windows outlined in the muted pink of Dulux Mary Rose strike a warm contrast in an interplay with shared balconies and wintergardens. Colour’s central role in striking a cohesive architectural language is continued within, where luminous white applied to structural details and door frames brightens and softens the repetition of openings and transitional spaces. If a palette can express a liveable luxury, it is here, where colour enlivens a formerly unremarkable building with a welcoming, uplifting personality.”

Sarah Jane Pyke, judge