Australia’s best home of 2020 has been unveiled.

In a virtual announcement as part of its online awards night, Housing Industry Association announced that the Cove House project on Queensland’s Gold Coast from BJ Millar Constructions has taken out its 2020 HIA-CSR Australian Home of the Year.

“The winning home is a sophisticated nod to brutalist architecture and tropical modernism, masterfully crafted with an extraordinary level of customised detail,” HIA said in a statement.

“Understatedly elegant, the home’s unique design experiments with volume and space under a floating roof, revolving around lush, open-air garden atriums.”

Features of the home include:

  • A mix of textured off-form concrete walls and stone finishes are paired with expertly wrought timber trimmings – notably the individually-made wooden battens that curve around the exterior and transfer indoors to zone the private and public rooms.
  • A charcoal hued kitchen which includes a hidden wine cellar dominates the length of the home before advancing onto an amenity-filled outdoor entertaining terrace.
  • An outdoor entertaining terrace which offers a barbeque, built-in fireplace, sunken lounge and pool to be enjoyed while overlooking the Gold Coast’s Coomera River.
  • Sustainability features such as a submerged rainwater tank beneath the driveway, 15kW solar and three Tesla energy storage batteries.

With these energy features, HIA says the home ‘practically exists off the grid’.

The home also won HIA Australian Custom Built Home, partnered by Beacon Lighting Commercial.

A charcoal hued kitchen which includes a hidden wine cellar dominates the length of the home before advancing onto an amenity-filled outdoor entertaining terrace. Meanwhile, • A mix of textured off-form concrete walls and stone finishes are paired with expertly wrought timber trimmings – notably the individually-made wooden battens that curve around the exterior and transfer indoors to zone the private and public rooms. (image: HIA)

In other awards:

  • The HIA Australian Bathroom Design Award partnered by Caroma Industries and HIA Australian Kitchen Designpartnered by Miele was taken out by  partnership between North Queensland’s MyStyle Homes (Qld) and Kim Duffin Design. The home these projects are located in also collected the only category voted by the Australian public – the HIA-CSR Australian People’s Choice Home – bringing the total win for MyStyle Homes (Qld) to three awards.
  • HIA Australian Specialised Housing award partnered by HIA Insurance Services was taken out by Jaxon Construction in Western Australiafor a landmark apartment development on the University of Western Australia campus. The accommodation was designed to provide a home away from home for elite tertiary scholars with sandy-hued blockwork giving an enduring feel.
  • The HIA Australian Professional Small Builder/Renovator award was won by Ultimo Constructions in Western Australia for the second consecutive year for demonstrating consistent growth and continual evolution.
  • HIA Australian Professional Medium Builder / Renovator award was won by Ronald Young & Co Builders in Tasmania for their commitment to continual improvement, promoting the engagement of apprentices and providing career pathways for women.
  • The HIA Australian Professional Major Builder award was won by Henley Properties Group for empowering its people to be tomorrow’s leaders.

An outdoor entertaining terrace offers a barbeque, built-in fireplace, sunken lounge and pool to be enjoyed while overlooking the Gold Coast’s Coomera River.