It was announced on Tuesday, Turf Design Studio won the award for Architectural Design Urban Design and Pubic Spaces category at Australia's Good Design Awards, in recognition of its outstanding design and innovation.

The landscape architects were one of several companies commissioned by Shellharbour City Council to complete the project.

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In presenting the award, the jury stated: "The public domain ...[gives] the city centre an iconic heart that the community can be proud of".

"A green, welcoming hub that is soft, informal and offers a place of both activity and respite," they said.

"This project demonstrates the importance of integrating landscape and public realm into our civic projects."

The annual Good Design Awards celebrate excellence in architectural design, engineering, fashion, digital and communication design, design strategy, social impact design and young designers.

This year's program attracted a record number of submissions with an astonishing 835 design projects evaluated.

In July 2019, the the $60 million building - initially known as the hub - was also awarded the NSW Public Architecture category in the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects awards.

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