One of Melbourne’s most fastidious planning precincts, Bayside City Council, has recognised two Cera Stribley projects across five categories in its 17th annual Bayside Built Environment Awards.

Established in 2009, the Bayside Built Environment Awards celebrate outstanding and innovative architectural design within the Bayside municipality. This year’s program attracted 70 nominations, with just 33 projects shortlisted across seven categories.

Among them, The Trentham received a High Commendation for Best Commercial Building, recognising its thoughtful approach to retirement living and the quality of its contribution to the local built environment.

Meanwhile, Boxshall emerged as the standout project of the evening, taking home four awards: Best New Building, Best Medium-Density Multi-Unit Residential, Most Creative Design, and the program’s highest honour, Best of the Best.

The recognition reflects a shared ambition between architect, client and builder, and what can be achieved when those relationships are built on trust, collaboration and a commitment to excellence.

For The Trentham, that partnership brought together Cera Stribley, OneToAnother and Figurehead Construction to deliver an amenity-rich retirement community designed to enhance lifestyle, comfort and connection.

At Boxshall, a collective vision between Cera Stribley, JACMAX and Coben Building resulted in a project that challenges convention while remaining deeply responsive to its Brighton context.

As Cera Stribley Co-Founder and Managing Principal, Dom Cerantonio, reflected: “It takes a bold client to sign off on a bold design. We are eternally grateful to our client, JACMAX, for believing in our vision and entrusting us throughout the process.”

JACMAX Managing Director, Trent Skurrie, echoed the sentiment: “We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved here. Our brief to Cera Stribley was to design a landmark for the Brighton area — a project that would not only reflect the sophistication and character of this iconic suburb but also set a new benchmark for design excellence.

“Boxshall embodies our commitment to delivering projects of the highest quality, and we’re thrilled to see our vision brought to life in such an exceptional way, thanks to the outstanding craftsmanship of the Coben team, and everyone involved along the way.”

Awards are an opportunity to celebrate outcomes, but they also acknowledge the people behind them. These projects are the result of ambitious clients, skilled collaborators and teams willing to pursue ideas with rigour and conviction.

To have two projects recognised by one of Melbourne’s most fastidious planning municipalities is an honour and a reminder that great design is never created in isolation.