Sydney

Foster and Partners and Cox Architecture's design for Sydney Metro's Gadigal Station has taken out a "world title" at the recent 2025 Prix Versailles awards.

Now in its tenth iteration, the Prix Versailles award program recognises the world's "finest contemporary projects", announcing them each year at a ceremony at UNESCO in Paris. The awards jury evaluates projects for their innovation, creativity, reflections of local heritage, ecological efficiency and values of social interaction and participation. Twenty-five "world titles" are awarded across various project type categories.

In 2025, one of the top 24 prizes - the Special Prize for Interior - was awarded to Gadigal Station in the Passenger Station category.

According to a media release from Sydney Metro, "A defining feature of the station is its integration of Aboriginal cultural heritage," expressed through sculptures by First Nations artists Rowena Welsh-Jarrett, Alison Page and Dakota Dixon. A tiled work by Callum Morton, The Underneath, also lines the walls inside both station entrances. 

The station forms the base of two towers above: Parkline Place and Indi Sydney. According to Sydney Metro, around 15,700 passengers commute each day through the station, which opened in August 2024.

Another Australian project, Engineering and Innovation Place at James Cook University by Kirk in association with i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects, was awarded a World Selection award in the Campuses category.

The 2025 Prix Versailles jury comprised former director-general of UNESCO Irina Bokova as chair, actress and director Maria de Medeiros, conceptual artist Leandro Elrich, pianist Lang Lang, architect Ma Yansong, architect Thom Mayne, fashion designer Iris van Herpen and actress Emma Watson.