leadership in sustainability prize

The 2021 award for Leadership in Sustainability is jointly awarded to Caroline Pidcock and Tone Wheeler as they were considered to be inseparable in their contributions. They are founders of the movement in Australia to demonstrate how sustainability can be delivered in the built environment. They are both outstanding in the time, energy and creativity they have provided to the profession and to the broader community over several decades. They have led the profession by showing that there is hope in tackling the structures that impede sustainability and by their involvement in demonstration projects that enable everyone to see that sustainability can be cost-effective, inclusive and beautiful.

Tone Wheeler has contributed to leadership in sustainability in education, research, advocacy, community engagement and policy development on a national level. As an academic and researcher, he has helped create many of the guidelines for how to achieve sustainability in the built environment, including the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) and the Building Sustainability Index (BASIX). In advocacy, community engagement and policy development, he has become the voice of architecture through his public speaking, media interviews and regular “Tone on Tuesday” column. Through his architectural practice, Tone has continued to deliver projects that demonstrate his leadership and to be a contributor to the Australian Institute of Architects.