A long-time Alice Springs local has been recognised for her "outstanding contribution to Australian architecture", winning the industry's highest honour after decades of service.
Susan Dugdale has received the Australian Institute of Architects gold medal for 2027 — joining a long list of influential designers including Jørn Utzon, the architect behind the iconic Sydney Opera House.
Speaking with ABC Radio Alice Springs earlier this week, the founder of Susan Dugdale Architects (SDA) said the win felt "unbelievable".
"I think I might be the first recipient not to come from a capital city, and from a very regional area."
Having opened her own practice in 2000, Ms Dugdale's dedication to "deeply considered interactions between people, remote places and cultures" was among the feats recognised by this year's judging panel.
"Her work has been dedicated to crafting regional built form, woven across dry desert plains to wet tropics and extreme heat," the Australian Institute of Architects' jury said.
Sustainable design wins big
Earlier this year, SDA took out five wins at the Northern Territory level for its work on the Congress Mparntwe Health Hub in Alice Springs.
Ms Dugdale said the hub's energy consumption, "passive design" that works with the local climate, recycling and employment initiatives were among the team's many considerations.
Katherine Ashe, who was part of this year's NT jury, said faceted murals on the front of the building layered local culture and First Nations storytelling into the design.
Ms Ashe said it was "quite unusual" to see bricks used for infrastructure in Alice Springs, but the material — featuring stripes of green brick alongside the natural colour — helped tie the design together with a "calming" palette of earthy tones.
But Ms Dugdale told ABC Radio Alice Springs the "most satisfying thing" about the project goes beyond aesthetics.
The building is the first and only in the NT to be granted a 6-star green rating — making it a "world leader" in sustainability, according to the Green Building Council of Australia.
Ms Dugdale said it was possible to be "certified for design only", but this project had gone further to bring the hub to life and secure that sixth star.
Ms Ashe said the team were able to lower water consumption and elevate the indoor air quality, with "excellent operable mechanical systems and passive thermal principles" in place.
She described the building as "super complex", explaining its "remarkable" social benefits made the project a stand-out.
Environmental, social outcomes
Alice Springs is no stranger to extreme weather and the Congress hub is based along the Todd River, so the building has been elevated above the 100-year flood level.
Ms Wallace said, when the typically bone-dry river broke its banks earlier this year, "neighbouring buildings flooded but the health hub remained unaffected".
One of the region's oldest river red gum trees — a tree sacred to Arrernte men, safeguarded by the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority — is located on the property, so SDA said local custodians helped ensure "careful site planning" would preserve and celebrate the tree.
"Previous development and tree lopping had compromised its health and structure, but the new project facilitated its regeneration and long-term protection," SDA architect Miriam Wallace said.
"High levels of insulation, very efficient mechanical systems, [electric vehicle] charging and a 100k-solar system will help to offset the impact of climate change on the building running costs."
Asbuild NT spent more than 81,000 hours constructing the health hub, with more than 30 per cent of the company's direct labour completed by its Aboriginal workers.
SDA said an Aboriginal-owned contractor, specialising in waste separation and demolition, "was brought to Alice Springs for the first time for the project and has subsequently been employed by Congress for other projects".
Central Australian Aboriginal Congress chief executive, Ebony Abbott-McCormack, said the meaningful social outcomes were proof of what happens "when an Aboriginal organisation backs its own community and place".
"Being remote doesn't mean lowering the bar — you can build a world-leading sustainable building right here in Central Australia," she said.
