For Angelo Candalepas, a building\u2019s impact on the human experience is more important than its outward appearance. It\u2019s less about a building\u2019s silhouette and more about its soul.<\/p>\n
This guiding philosophy \u2013 the idea that a building\u2019s true value lies in how it engages the spirit \u2013 has enabled the Sydney<\/a> architect to pivot seamlessly from the high-end luxury market to the grit of community-focused projects.<\/p>\n And now two such projects have earned Candalepas Associates two places on the shortlist of the Royal Institute of British Architects International awards for excellence.<\/p>\n The list, announced on Thursday, features 52 projects from 18 countries, with five Australian projects making the shortlist.<\/p>\n Candalepas\u2019s achievement marks a rare double-shortlisting for two projects that are as starkly different in their design as they are in their function.<\/p>\n The Porter House hotel, located in the heart of Sydney, is a creative blend of heritage and modernity. A 10-storey base wraps around the original historic building, while a cantilevered 27-storey apartment tower sits gracefully above it.<\/p>\n The Porter House hotel on Castlereagh Street in Sydney\u2019s CBD, designed by Candalepas Associates. Photograph: Rory Gardiner<\/p>\n Inside, the hotel trades corporate vibes for the cosy, private feel of a luxury apartment. As Candalepas\u2019s team began excavating the Castlereagh Street site, relics from the original building \u2013 old gloves, glasses, pots and teacups \u2013 were uncovered, which are now on display in the foyer to give guests a connection to Sydney\u2019s past.<\/p>\n Less than 20km south-west of the CBD sits Hurstville\u2019s new Church of the Living God, designed as a sanctuary for both a linguistically diverse Pentecostal community and women fleeing domestic violence.<\/p>\n The Church of the Living God in Hurstville, Sydney, designed by Candalepas Associates. Photograph: Rory Gardiner<\/p>\n The big architectural challenge, said Candalepas, was making the building feel like a fortress without looking like a prison.<\/p>\n \u201cThe building is one which accommodates a kind of monastic life for those women who are seeking refuge away from the misfortunes of their lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut at the same time, there\u2019s an investment of an entire congregation with many, many languages \u2026 so the building has to be this kind of refuge, but in the truest meaning of the word, where people actually feel safe inside \u2026 a protective harbour and a welcoming place of worship.\u201d<\/p>\n Candalepas said the core task for both projects was the same.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, architecture is an understanding of certain things that exist in the world that are common to all humans,\u201d he said. \u201cThe size of the project is not the primary consideration \u2026 it\u2019s how one applies oneself to a task which engages with humans.\u201d<\/p>\n The Australian projects shortlisted in the awards represent a broad spectrum of design, from high-end residential to local community infrastructure.<\/p>\n Although now more than two years old, fjcstudio\u2019s Darlington public school in Sydney continues to collect international plaudits, shortlisted alongside five other education projects across China and the Indian subcontinent.<\/p>\n Darlington public school in Sydney, designed by fjcstudio. Photograph: Anthony Fretwell<\/p>\n