At the edge of Redfern and Surry Hills, a former supermarket and warehouse site has been reshaped into Surry Hills Village, a mixed-use precinct now recognised across several categories in the 2026 NSW Architecture Awards shortlist.
The Australian Institute of Architects named the project in the commercial architecture, residential architecture – multiple housing, and urban design categories. Winners are scheduled to be announced on 2 July 2026.
The precinct brings together housing, hospitality, retail, workspaces, heritage elements and open areas across a 12,244sqm site. Designed as seven village-style sections, it includes residential apartments, terrace houses, commercial areas, a boutique hotel, shops and laneway activity.
Surry Hills Village Recognition Spans Design, Housing and Street Life
The shortlist recognition reflects the broad scope of Surry Hills Village. SJB led the architectural design as principal architect, Studio Prineas worked on the heritage component, and ASPECT Studios shaped the landscape and public domain.
The residential part of the project includes four multi-residential buildings and terrace houses along Marriott Street. Brickwork, organic forms and shared green areas are used across the residential buildings, with communal spaces included for residents.
Wunderlich Lane forms a key part of the precinct layout, connecting Baptist and Marriott streets. Its food and retail offering includes Coles, Harris Farm Markets, Messina, Olympus Dining, Island Radio, Bar Julius and Saardé, along with other tenancies across the precinct.
The development also includes The EVE Hotel Sydney, a 102-room boutique hotel with a rooftop pool and bar. Hospitality spaces, retail frontages and outdoor areas are arranged around the laneway, creating a mix of uses at street level.
Laneways and Landscape Reshape the Redfern site
A major part of the project is its landscape-focused design. Surry Hills Village reworks a former supermarket and warehouse site into a more open precinct, with laneways, streetscapes, public artworks, rooftop gardens and a new park included in the design.
The new laneway opens a previously enclosed site to the surrounding street network and creates more active edges through the precinct. Planting areas, seating, courtyard spaces and retail spill-out zones have been arranged to support dining, gathering and quieter moments of pause.
Greenery is carried through the development, from balconies and private planters to communal courtyards and rooftop gardens. Native plants, low-water species and permeable green areas form part of the landscape strategy, with the design also aimed at supporting urban cooling and resilience.
A new park has been added on a former carpark, retaining mature eucalypts while adding new street trees and a cycle link between Baptist and Cooper streets.
Heritage Remains Part of Wunderlich Lane
The precinct also incorporates a heritage element through the former Bank of NSW building façade at the corner of Cleveland and Baptist streets. Studio Prineas retained the Victorian-era brick façade, with food and beverage spaces now occupying the structure.
On the Cleveland and Marriott streets corner, a commercial building using mass timber construction forms another part of the precinct. Its brickwork and arched windows provide a visible marker for the development from Cleveland Street.
Together, the shortlisted entries place Surry Hills Village across several design fields, from housing and commercial architecture to urban design. The project’s recognition highlights its role as a layered inner-city precinct shaped by new residences, retained heritage, laneway retail, landscape design and shared open space.
Published 12-May-2026
