2026 Victorian School Design Awards
Playce with WHDA wins the Minister’s Award for the Aurora School Outdoor Playspace Interventions 🏅
On Thursday 22nd October 2026 something very unique occured at the Centre for Higher Education Studies, Playce with WHDA were announced as the winners of the 2026 Victoria School Design Awards Minister’s Award for the Outdoor Playspace Interventions at Aurora School SDS in Wurundjeri Country, Blackburn South.
The Minister’s award recognizes an outstanding project or design feature that demonstrates exceptional innovation, unique architectural qualities, or a special contribution to learning and community environments beyond standard category criteria.
This is the highest award any education project can be granted within Victoria.
Some of things the judging panel said:
”The depth of collaboration with the school community ahead of establishing the project brief for a truly accessible playspace where every child can experince a sense of belonging and independence.”
“A design that thoughtfully incorporates natural materials, earthy colours and organic features.”
“The educational benefits of the playground - how it has become a dynamic learning environment that helps to foster self-confidence, inspires curiosity, conversation and discovery.”
“The level of consultation that went into the project, and how the design team delivered on the brief.”
“Situating a playground at the centre of the school was described as a genius decision during the judge’s deliberations.”
“How the playground creates an entire sensory experience for students, and a space where they can explore and have fun, while also gaining confidence associated with taking safe risks.”
Every year the calibre of projects gets better and better (and there were a few projects that are personal favourites of ours, including the Officer Specialist School by Kart Projects; Keysborough Gardens Primary School by Mihaly Slocombe; Seaford Primary School New Toilet Block by Ed Ewers and Kingston Heath Primary School by Peter Elliott Architecture & Urban Design – just to mention a few!) - the Playce with WHDA Design Team takes nothing for granted being able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with giants in our industy, and it was an absolute privilege to be able to participate.
Notwithstanding our big news, thank you again for your ongoing support and patronage as we are extremely humbled by this award.
Very special thank you’s 🙏 to:
- Our Client team at the VSBA including Bevan Cox, Praful Deshpande, Ruphil de Koch, Chris Guiney and Anna Russell. The trust you’ve place in our team cannot be understated.
- Our very important stakeholders and cheerleaders (IYKYK) Vicky Main, Melinda Slocombe, Alison Edwards and Brad Myers from the Aurora School Team. It has been an incredible journey to learn from you, We can see the passion and drive you have for your students on their learning and communication journey, not to mention your openness and warmth which we found infectious.
- Our design project partners Playce including Lejla Kebic, Alison Chen and Aaron Wallis. These guys are main characters 🦸♀️ 💪 ❤️ for this story, WHDA 🤝 was very much the supporting cast. We had a shaky start but we landed well and truly on our feet - just look at what we’ve achieved! We were so fortunate to meet your team, we learned a lot from each other and who knows where our futures may meet again.
- Our consultant team including MJA Consulting; BW&A National; PCMG Group; KBI Engineering, and PlayDMC ✒️ 📐. With each project we get better and better.
- The very handy team from Chippa Constructions 👷🛠️, including John Springett and Matthew Hose. Mostly a clean punchsheet great stuff!
- Our photographer Land Media who captured the magic of this project.
- And of course, to our team Daniel Out, Redmond Hamlett and Douglas Wan who drove this project early and played the role of master planners and grew into the role of astute design managers. From the first idea right through to completion by testing ideas, applied the red book 📕 and embraced collaboration with all our project partners.
If you are listed above, it’s no understatement to say that you played a vital role in bringing up this project.
We are here for you!🫰
Some of you reading this speak to us often, some of less so. Those of you we have worked with in the past, offered a proposal maybe it didn’t go anywhere – well we often think about what could have been. But here is the thing, we are here for when you need us.
Our mission statement is that WHDA exists to serve the public good – that’s why we practice.
If ever there was time to reach out and rekindle a project of yours or start something new. There is never a better time than now.
Don’t be a stranger, feel free to reach out. We’d love to explore the possibilities with you!
This story could continue….✍️📜
The award’s season for 2026 is yet to wrap up, there is still the Learning Environment’s Vic/Tas Chapter 2026 awards season of which this project has been shortlisted. We’ll give you an update on how these go.
Thanks for your support, and cheers again from…🥂👋
Cheers,
Redmond Hamlett, Director
office@whda.com.au
+61 414 838 317