Sydney, Australia – Guulabaa – Place of Koala, the world’s first purpose-built wild koala breeding and rehabilitation centre, has been awarded the Editor’s Choice Award at the 2025 Sustainability Awards, closing a milestone year in which the project received some of the industry’s most respected regional and international honours.

Selected by the editorial team of Architecture & Design from across all shortlisted entries, the Editor’s Choice Award recognises projects that demonstrate outstanding community contribution, design leadership, and authentic engagement with local partners.

Guulabaa was praised for its collaboration-first development model, its culturally grounded landscape management, and its seamless integration of conservation and community education.

A Culmination of a Year of Global Recognition

The Editor’s Choice Award adds to an exceptional year of acknowledgment for Guulabaa, including:

• Winner, ULI Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence

Recognising the project as a regional benchmark for conservation-led design, Indigenous partnership, and community stewardship.

• Winner, Australian Good Design Award – Built Environment

Celebrating its design innovation, social impact, and role as a model for regenerative, community-anchored development.

• Shortlisted, World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2025 – Completed Buildings: Civic and Community

Affirming its standing among the world’s leading civic projects and highlighting its innovative integration of architecture, ecology, and visitor experience.

• Shortlisted, Australian Timber Design Awards
  
  Acknowledging its pioneering use of locally sourced, fire-resilient native hardwoods and its leadership in advancing sustainable timber pathways.

This latest recognition rounds out a year in which Guulabaa has emerged as one of Australia’s most celebrated new environmental and cultural destinations, reinforcing its role as a replicable model for forest-based conservation infrastructure across the country.

A Project Defined by Collaboration, Country and Care

Developed by the Forestry Corporation of New South Wales (FCNSW) and designed by Gensler, Guulabaa was born from the need to rebuild wildlife habitats and restore Country following the devastating 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires. At the heart of the project is a wild koala breeding program built around naturalistic habitats and minimal human interaction, an approach that supports welfare and increases successful reintroduction into the wild.

Sustainability is embedded throughout the design, from passive environmental strategies to low-impact construction, Indigenous-led cultural burning practices that rejuvenate the forest, and the use of durable native hardwoods approved through a first-of-its-kind regulatory pathway. Together, these elements demonstrate how culturally informed resource management can strengthen climate resilience and support local industry.

A Shared Vision for Regeneration

Guulabaa is the product of a deeply collaborative partnership spanning conservation, culture, and industry. FCNSW and Gensler partnered closely with Koala Conservation Australia and the Bunyah Local Aboriginal Land Council to embed conservation outcomes and cultural knowledge into the project’s foundations. Industry contributors including Coffs Harbour Hardwoods and Big River Timbers helped establish the sustainable timber pathway that defines the project’s architectural expression, while Wildnets and the Big Koala played a key role in expanding the visitor and tourism offering.

At the ceremony, Brendan Grimson, Strategic Projects and Programs Manager at FCNSW, accepted the award alongside Parisa Ettehad, Senior Project Architect at Gensler Sydney, acknowledging the collective effort that brought Guulabaa to life.

“Guulabaa’s journey this year speaks to the power of genuine partnership,” said Lisa Munao, Managing Director of Gensler Australia.

“Each recognition reinforces the idea that when we design with care, guided by Country and community, we can create places that uplift both people and the environment.”

“This award is a meaningful acknowledgment of the many voices who shaped Guulabaa,” said Kathy Lyons, Senior Manager, Country and Community, Forestry Corporation of NSW.

“It reflects a shared commitment to healing Country, restoring wildlife, and strengthening regional identity.”