Celebrating Architectural Excellence at First Steps Count
Thursday, 02 July 2026 • We are thrilled to announce that the team behind the First Steps Count building has been awarded multiple accolades at the 2026 Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) NSW Chapter Awards, including the prestigious Milo Dunphy Award for Sustainable Architecture.
From L to R – Walter Duber (W&G Builders), Caroline Pidcock (Sustainability Guide), Russell McFarland (Austin McFarland Architects) and Carolyn McFarland (Austin McFarland Architects)
This recognition tops off an incredible run of regional awards, with the Centre previously receiving the James Barnet Award (North Division), the Named Award for Public Architecture, and the Award for Sustainable Architecture.
The NSW Chapter Jury cited our building as "an exemplary demonstration of sustainability embedded across process, design and delivery." Guided by the Living Building Challenge principles, the project challenges conventional practice and redefines what a community building can be. The jury noted that the architecture "both nurtures and holds the community," balancing human scale and tactility with flexibility for large gatherings.
“Personally there is immense satisfaction in being part of an award that celebrates sustainability on so many levels. This award is deeply meaningful for all of us and beyond standard architectural considerations.
To build sustainably is the closest to caring for country and how we should be building. Sustainable means we leave a place better than how we found it. While that is very difficult we need to learn and live by that principle.
First Steps Count through its organisation and the fantastic work it does, makes where it is a better place than what it was before. I would like to think that makes FSC regenerative for the community it benefits. ”
Acknowledging Our Collaborative Team
This success belongs to everyone who made it possible. Congratulations to our architects at Austin McFarland Pty Ltd, builder Duber Constructions Pty Ltd, photographer Matthew Carbone, and the entire design team who asked, "What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?"
These awards confirm what we already feel each day: when we commit to quality, collaboration, and care, we create spaces that lift up everyone who enters them.
Media Enquiries:
Clare Brennan, Director
clare.brennan@firststepscount.org
Links:
Learn more about the Australian Institute of Architects and the NSW Awards
