Five projects supported by RLB have been recognised at The Urban Developer Awards for Industry Excellence 2026.
In Sydney, Parkline Place was presented with Development of the Year for Commercial and Excellence in Design Innovation. Designed by Foster + Partners for Investa, Oxford Properties Group and Mitsubishi Estate Asia, the 35-storey tower rises directly above Gadigal Station.
RLB joined at bid phase and helped shape the project’s commercial foundations. Parkline Place and the neighbouring Indi build-to-rent development rose in tandem through pandemic disruption, supply constraints, extreme weather and rapid material escalation.
“Success on Parkline Place was less about building a tower and more about coordinating an entire urban system,” says RLB Director Oliver Nichols. “Our role was to bring clarity to that complexity so decisions could be made with confidence.”
The new Sydney Fish Market at Blackwattle Bay took Development of the Year for Retail. At 64,000 sqm development, this is the largest fish market in the Southern Hemisphere. Designed by 3XN with BVN and Aspect Studios for Infrastructure NSW, it holds a 5 Star Green Star rating and reduces operational energy demand by 35%.
RLB provided cost management for a complex build in a tidal zone, beneath a roof geometry with no straight repeats, while the existing Pyrmont market continued trading, notes RLB Director Stephen Mee. The marine works and construction environment required cost planning and key decisions to be established early and maintained throughout delivery. “This is progress you can stand on.”
At Circular Quay, 33 Alfred Street won Excellence in Sustainability. RLB was there in 1962 when Sydney’s original skyscraper was first delivered and, more than 60 years later, returned as cost manager on its extensive renewal for Mirvac and Dexus.
“The 26-storey tower is now one of Australia’s most sustainable commercial buildings, cutting embodied carbon by 75% by retaining the existing structure,” says RLB Managing Director Paul Skinner. A restored golden façade comprises 75,782 custom tiles; to price these RLB worked from first principles across fabrication, sequencing and program.
In Melbourne, Riverlee’s Seafarers took Development of the Year for Urban Regeneration, opening one of the city’s last undeveloped riverfront sites. The restored Goods Shed No.5 and its travelling crane are the only intact remnants of the Yarra’s working port before containerisation and now anchor Australia’s first 1 Hotel, 114 residences, hospitality venues and a 3,500 sq m public waterfront park.
RLB’s early work to establish the condition and restoration costs of the century-old shed helped balance the project’s heritage ambition with its commercial success.
In Fitzroy, Piccolo House at Gore Street was named Development of the Year for Medium-Density Residential for its design quality, material palette and financial success. RLB worked on this project from feasibility through to handover. Piccolo House’s 49 residences at 385 Gore Street offer a contemporary interpretation of the suburb’s industrial and heritage character, created with Woods Bagot, Hecker Guthrie and Acre on a triple-fronted corner site.
Congratulations to every client, design team and contractor recognised on the night, and to the RLB people behind these results.
Where people make progress
Read more about Parkline Place and the Sydney Fish Market on our project pages, or find your nearest RLB office at rlb.com/oceania/about/contact-offices.
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