It’s proving to be a good year for Hames Sharley as two projects it has worked on have been shortlisted as national finalists in the 2011 Property Council of Australia/Rider Levett Bucknall Innovation and Excellence Awards.

Noted as the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere, The Gepps X Homemaker Centre (SA) designed by Hames Sharley is a finalist in the Best Business and Industrial Parks category while the urban renewal and regeneration project New Northbridge (WA) has made the Best Mixed Use Development shortlist.

Hames Sharley Managing Director, Paul Drechsler says both projects reflect the diverse and innovative portfolio of work that is being produced nationally by the company.

“Gepps X Homemaker Centre and New Northbridge have played pivotal roles in shaping the communities in which they exist and transformed underutilized environments into vibrant destinations,” says Mr Drechsler.

“Gaining recognition as a finalist amongst a pool of high calibre projects is an achievement in itself. Regardless if we win or not, it is exciting to be up against other leading Australian firms who have made significant contributions to each category.”

The $170 million Gepps X Homemaker Centre, developed by Axiom Properties in conjunction with Harvey Norman and Charter Hall, comprises 48 tenancies, two restaurants and a total of 60,000 sqm of retail space. Previously a slaughterhouse and animal holding site the new centre now provides the community with a complete shopping experience to complement a new home or refresh one.

New Northbridge, an urban renewal and regeneration project was developed by EPRA (East Perth Redevelopment Authority) with Hames Sharley as a key consultant. Providing landscape architecture services, Hames Sharley contributed to the transformation of the once-neglected urban environment into a vibrant, cosmopolitan community. New Northbridge recently won the President’s Award and the award for Best Practice in Urban Renewal at the 2011 National UDIA Awards for Excellence.

Hames Sharley is a previous recipient of the Property Council of Australia awards having been awarded on nine separate occasions.